From a small town, Catholic, and gay

June 29, 2021 5:28 AM

How a podcast is helping this Catholic and gay Latino man break the stigma [National Catholic Reporter] The podcast is De Pueblo, Católico y Gay Really great interview with creator Eder Díaz Santillan on KERA's Think: Is There Room For Queer People In The Catholic Church? [31m]
posted by hippybear (4 comments total)

I'm happy for him as he continues his journey, and I hope it leads him to a place of self-love.

With that said, I see the Catholic church as a patriarchal cult of self-loathing. It continues to actively oppress women and LGTBQ+ people on a global scale. The Church holds itself up as a moral authority that members must obey, while it covers up sexual abuse of children by its patriarchy, in order to avoid scandal.

My mental health has been far better once I left the Church—and I'm a straight, cisgendered white male. I can only imagine the damage being done to more vulnerable people, conditioned to believe that the way they live is against God's wishes.

Others may work to try to improve the Church from within, but I've long-since given up on it.
posted by vitout at 7:10 AM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]

Maybe we could not do the "Catholicism is so awful" thing right off the bat and leave room for people with more skin in the game, i.e. queer Catholics?
posted by hoyland at 9:57 AM on June 29, 2021 [7 favorites]

I don't speak Spanish and am not Catholic, but I found the interview on Think interesting and insightful enough to share. I think these kinds of oral history projects are important. Understanding that your journey is unique but your experience is widely-shared and understood is tremendously valuable.
posted by hippybear at 9:02 PM on June 29, 2021

Sorry hoyland, up here in Canada we’ve been unearthing mass graves of indigenous children at former residential schools run by the Catholic Church. Fuck the Catholic Church forever and ever amen.
posted by thedamnbees at 6:57 AM on June 30, 2021