Gay Games VII came to Chicago from July 15-22. Not only did they bring sixteen thousand GLBT athletes to this great city, but they also brought upwards of one million visitors as well. With all of the added exposure the nation was giving to Chicago and to the GLBT community, inevitably the heated topic of religion did not lag too far behind. As The Marin Foundation continues to grow, and cement our reputation as a trustworthy, bridge building organization within the GLBT and religious communities, opportunities in July and August abounded as many different media outlets wanted to know what was truly happening from an insider’s perspective. In each one of these opportunities, from radio to television to newspaper, I was able to focus not on a dramatized storyline full of conflict and strife; but rather reiterate the broader thematic overviews that exist within, or potentially exist even further between the GLBT community and our Creator. The calls, emails and stories that The Marin Foundation was able to experience from all of the recent media coverage left a profound impact on me. The following is one of these stories:

In our May 2006 Newsletter, I wrote about a story of two gay atheist adults who accepted the Lord for the first time in their lives during a conference I spoke at in New York. The main point of that story was, and still is, the fact that I strongly believe the GLBT community’s hearts are ready to be receptive to receiving our God. But just in the same way, this past month and a half has shown me time and time again that at some structural level, the hearts of those within the broader evangelical community are also ready to receive what the Lord has laid out for the GLBT community. This exact point has been solidified in my mind through a few unique and unexpected incidences that happened during the weeks surrounding the Gay Games.

On Wednesday July 19th, I had the opportunity to speak on WMBI’s Prime Time America radio show. WMBI has a network of over two hundred and fifty radio stations across the county that aired this live interview, with syndicated airings to follow. Many people outside of the usual major urban centers were given the opportunity to listen to the eminent topic of opening the doors between the GLBT and religious communities intellectually, academically and theologically within a dialoged structure; an opportunity that usually does not occur. When I returned to my office after the interview, I had a multitude of emails and voicemails from states such as Iowa, Nebraska, Arizona, North and South Carolina and rural Florida all with a similar message, asking for hope. One email I received, which was consistent with the others, said: I am in pain because [someone I love] has just come out. I am a conservative Christian and have never encountered anything like this before. The last thing I want to do is disown or cut [them] off, but no one I know is willing to talk about this situation! The only advice I’ve ever received is to just move on with my life and leave [them] far behind. But I don’t want to do that…if you could please help me in any way to understand what to do because I am lost. As I read and listened to message after message, I could not help but think that these statements are more than just cries for help. These statements are in fact a tangible example of the beginning of a cultural shift away from the traditional conservative Christian mindset. In the past, these emails/voicemails would have never even made it to my inbox. The conventional thought process on how to handle this situation would have ended at the moment of profession of GLBT sexual orientation. But rather then cutting it off there, yelling and/or quoting the Bible negatively towards the person; these individuals and families decided to reach out to try to understand in some fashion what should be done from this point forward.

From July 15-22 during the Gay Games, I witnessed about two hundred evangelical Christians individually step out of their comfort zones and volunteer in conjunction with The Marin Foundation to immerse themselves in the GLBT community. They did this not because they had to, but rather because they wanted to. They wanted to get involved in such a way that did not include theological debates, judgment or condemnation. After experiencing this large group of willing people, most of whom I had never met before, I can truthfully say that I believe in some small way, the view of the GLBT community is becoming no longer just a vision of sex, but rather a face, a person and a soul that is ready to make a cognizant choice for God. The topic of homosexuality and religion is bigger than The Marin Foundation. It is bigger than the media, a political agenda, a family or a person. The only entity that can truly act as a bridge and ultimately shift one’s mind-frame on either side is our Lord, and we have to continually stand by that knowledge as we continue to learn and advance our understanding of what the Lord has planned for all of his children.

Thank you and God Bless,

Andrew Marin