Whether Muslim, queer or queer and Muslim, all of us just want to be true to our selves and to be respected for exactly who those people are. We want to live in a society where we aren’t wedge issues, where we have the ability to create the homes, the families and the communities we so badly want.

Dan Savage, who is typically quite critical of religion, tells the BigThink.com how a Catholic priest helped his mother come to terms with his homosexuality.

Soon, as many families take a seat at their Thanksgiving table, after the food is set but just before the feasting begins, a paralyzing moment will occur. What now?

When I heard about Tyler Clementi for the first time, I looked into the face of a stranger. I didn’t know his middle name or what he was really like, but when I heard that he had leapt off of a bridge to take his own life, I cried. When I heard about Tyler Clementi for the first time, I saw that many commentators and bloggers were confused by this sudden suicide, said that they couldn’t fathom the incredible loneliness that leads to such a drastic action.When I heard about Tyler Clementi for the first time, I cried because I did understand. I cried because America is full of Tyler Clementis. I cried because I was Tyler Clementi.

Is it possible to put together religion and gay life? I think we need to ask first if it is possible to put together religion and plain human life. The Thinking Atheist thinks it is not. How is it possible for a newborn to be a sinner? In this video they explain clearly how Christianity made it possible centuries ago. The argument is hard and is exposed clearly. If you are a religious person, be prepared. If you are not, then just enjoy the show and let these guys put some ideas together!

Dan Savage said on his Big Think channel that “Religious people have to reconcile themselves to ignore what the Bible says about gay people.”

Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the gay Anglican minister who has caused quite a bit of controversy for his mere existence, has announced that he will step down from his post seven years early. Its not satisfaction in a job well done that leads to this news, unfortunately. It’s the steady cavalcade of death threats and personal stress that comes with being a queer religious figure, Robinson told the Guardian.

In Barcelona they had an interesting idea for protesting against Benedict XVI (B16) and the church’s policy against the non-reproductive sex: they will gather same sex couples for kissing in B16’s face. It’s a queer kissing flashmob“Our goal is to express this disagreement from a place of passion, sensuality and love rather than from a place of violence,” said a blog created for the event. The smooching event is planned for November 7th at 9am at Barcelona Cathedral.

Last Thursday, Italian magazine Panorama released video footage of three priests fooling around. What’s become scandal, according to Guardian writer John Hooper, is the Italian media’s choice to write off the news as too salacious to merit further investigation. This not only gives the Vatican free reign to continue ignoring the issue of homosexuality in the priesthood, but it also keeps Rome entirely out of touch with the “outrage that has been generated” in greater Europe and the world.

This post is the second part of my conversation with Fish Out of Water director Ky Dickens.