Godly But Gay

In the world of fundamentalist Christianity, Joel Barrett of South Bend was taught to strive to be godly. But Joel was gay. Like in many religious worlds, being godly and being gay cannot coexist. Joel spent over 30 years struggling to eliminate the gay from his life which included marrying his college girlfriend, having three children, going into the ministry, and spending nearly three years in ex-gay therapy. Today Joel shares his story of being godly and gay to audiences around the world. He believes in living an authentic life that is not dictated by fear and denial. His talk, sponsored by the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, will take place on Thursday, January 29 at 5 p.m. in Stapleton Lounge of Le Mans Hall. The talk is open to the public.