by Jan Thomas, St. Patrick Catholic Church, LGBTQ Accompaniment Circle

I am a straight woman. Having grown up in a Catholic environment in the '50s and '60s, all relationships and all marriages I knew about were straight. I never knew there was any other kind.

It was only in adulthood that I came across anti-homosexual literature from Catholic and other Christian sources. This literature expressed that men and women were made by God to be attracted to the opposite sex, and not to the same sex. So, it must be sinful for a person to choose a relationship like that.

My change of heart occurred one day in the mid-'80s. I was waiting alone in a building near the Catholic cathedral in Spokane. But someone unexpected came in. He was the director of youth ministries for the Spokane archdiocese — at least, he had been. He had recently resigned, because he had come out as Gay.

And he talked to me. Simply and kindly, he told me that he did not choose to be Gay, that he had been Gay from birth. I believed him. From that point on I understood that same-sex attraction was inborn and natural. Since then, forming friendships with many Gay people has cemented my acceptance and support for them.

At St. Patrick Church, we openly welcome Gay and Trans people. Many of us witnessed the wedding of two female parishioners. Not long ago we also took part in learning sessions based on Fr. James Martin's book, Building a Bridge. Gay people shared their testimonies, and straight people shared their own experiences.

It is important for me to worship where all are accepted. I am grateful to the people of St. Pat's, both straight and Gay, for building a community where all are free to be who God created them to be.