Sometime in 2007 I discovered Eve Tushnetâ??s writing. I canâ??t recall exactly how I found her non-flashy, off-the-beaten-path blog, tagged with the teasing moniker â??Conservatism reborn in twisted sisterhood,â? but somehow I landed there, following a trail of hyperlinks. I used to read her posts in the morning, while sipping coffee, huddled over my laptop in my cell-like flat in England, when I was just starting graduate school.
Tushnet is a gay Catholic writer who embraces her churchâ??s teaching on marriage and sexuality. By the time I learned about her, Iâ??d been admitting to myself for a few years that I was gay, though I hadnâ??t told many other people yet. I was still too frightened and unsure of what kind of welcome (or lack thereof) Iâ??d receive. You know those novels and movies about the yearning, aching twentysomethings who are trying to disentangle and sort out their erotic and religious longings, while dreading loneliness and rejection above all else? That was me. Imagine Charles Ryder from Brideshead Revisited, all angsty and insecure, but with a small-town-USA upbringing, and youâ??ll get the picture. I needed a lifeline. I was hungry to know I wasnâ??t alone.
Read Full Article »