He's ba-a-ack.
Mega-minister Ted Haggard has reemerged from hiding, and
he seems no less confused than when he was paying for gay
sex.
In an article
from the Associated Press, we get snippet
quotes like this, regarding his sexuality: "The
stereotypical boxes don't work for me. My story's got
some gray areas in it. And, of course, I'm sad about
that, but it's the reality."
He also recounts
same-sex "sex play" with friends when he was in the
seventh grade. Hmm. That story probably sounds familiar to
lots and lots of gays.
But in spite of
everything, Ted Haggard remains firmly in the closet. I
feel sorry for him. Rather than be himself, he continues to
subject himself to a set of ideas and values that do
nothing to value him as a person. It's as if he
has chosen to spend the rest of his life striving to
regain the position of respect he once held as the
leader of the 30 million-member strong National Evangelical
Association. Maybe he's just made a conscious choice that
this is best for his family. Or perhaps he is in
denial.
Deep denial.
It took me 26
years to accept my sexuality as a wonderful, natural part
of my life. Along the way, I certainly had some similar
thoughts to those expressed by Ted Haggard in his
interview with the AP. Of course, in my journey toward
accepting the truth, I didn't carry the burdens of a
wife, family, and the preponderance of American
Christianity.
Nonetheless, to
the "trained eye," Haggard is clearly gay. If he
hadn't spent so many years demonizing our lives and our
families, the gay community might have some sort of
sympathy for him. However, there seems to be a
collective disdain for his less-than-honest return to the
public eye.
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Lane Hudson is a communications and political
consultant based in Washington, D.C. This article is
representative of the author's views and notAdvocate.com.