On Sunday, September 24, we are holding an educational forum hosted by the El Dorado County (CA) Human Rights Group.  Placerville, CA, has been subjected to an ongoing religious campaign by a local minister, Rick Otterstad, who, like many neo-evangelical Christians, believes homosexuality is an abomination.

The local newspaper announced our coming to town and Rick's son, Luke, decided to write a letter to the editor.  He called me (Marc Adams) a sodomite who hates Christians, among other things.  In response to his name calling, I decided to do something I don't often do, I wrote a response.  While Luke has definitely not identified himself as gay, he is a home schooled boy. So below is my response to Luke's name calling.  Feel free to copy and distribute it.  It is an appropriate response to any name calling on the part of this rapidly growing group of people.

Luke Otterstad's Words About Me

It's always strange when someone who doesn't know you actually thinks they
do know you.  When I read Luke Otterstad's words about me and my upcoming
presentations at the Federated Church on Sunday September 24 (6:30pm) I
saw a boy who is in the same position I was in when I was his age.

I was a fundamentalist Baptist Christian trying to do things that I
believed God wanted me to do... like speak out against "sin" and gay
people and abortion, etc.

The big difference between me and Luke is that I was gay.  When I was
Luke's age I thought I was an 'exgay'.  I was struggling to accept myself
in the midst of my religious choice (the fundamentalist Baptist Christian
lifestyle).

Eventually I learned that I had been lied to about my religion and I
learned to accept myself.  Which was the only way to lasting peace and
happiness in my life.

Luke Otterstad, on the other hand, will probably spend the rest of his
life (like millions of others around the world) battling what he thinks is
sin because his belief system teaches him that one day he will stand in
front of God and have to give an account for why he did or didn't do
things like call me a Sodomite.  In fact, Luke might even feel the added
burden that he must do everything in his power to save me and others from
Hell.  His religious choice/lifestyle teaches his that if he doesn't do
this and I or others go to Hell, then God will dump mine and their blood
on his hands.

That theology is extremely powerful. The guilt and burden of what you
think is your responsibility when you are part of this religious choice is
at times overwhelming.  You wind up believing that you can never do enough
to sustain your fundamentalist Christian lifestyle choice.

And when you have successfully followed your religious teachings and you
have put your human side to death every day, as I am positive Luke does,
it is very hard to do or say anything that is humane.

I know this because I used to treat people the same way.  I used to think
that I had a responsibility to be the "voice crying out in the wilderness"
to quote their text.

It is sad that some people's religious choice leads them through a
lifestyle spent condemning others and their concept of "sin".  Life is
short and full of beautiful and wonderful things to experience like love,
peace, happiness and real family.

I feel bad for people who have made choices to follow religions that
cripple their humanity.  But, I also know there is hope.  Hope that
somewhere inside a spark can be ignited into a flame that will help them
find their way out.

I've spent the last ten years of my life trying to spark that flame in the
lives of many people brainwashed by their religious choice.  I assume that
I will spend the rest of my life doing more of the same.

Because there is real life, love, peace and happiness in life regardless
of your sexual orientation or religious choice.