Gay-friendly faith: a personal post

Not too long ago, a friend and I had a conversation about how much the societal conflict between the religion he holds dear and the fact that he’s gay made him feel like crap for a long time. He said that feeling like he had to choose between two parts of himself that felt equally true was one of the darkest times he’s ever had. His happy ending to that conflict, luckily, was meeting a wonderful man who was already connected to a community that embraced them both.

If you’re so inclined, please share these links so that anyone who happens to be gay and struggling with something similar might have that struggle cut shorter.

Christianity

Islam (but not with local links)

Judaism

Religious Response Network contact info (Eugene)

Please add additional links in the comments if you know of them — I’m certain that there’s more out there. I don’t know a lot more than the Cliffs Notes versions of most religions (and Google was none too helpful, just telling me that Buddhism is generally nice to gay folks), but there are awesome people of all kinds, right?

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!