Catholic, but against anti-gay laws

I AM a Roman Catholic and grew up as one. I went to catechism, participated in and celebrated the sacraments, and I am grateful for the grounding and value system that my religion – as with all others – continues to provide me with.

As Christians we are taught that homosexuality is wrong, antithetical to God's wishes and creation.

Thus non-secular (religiously-based) societies have "outlawed" homosexuality.

Growing up I believed homosexuality was wrong. One of my best (male) friends in my youth was naturally effeminate in his actions, posture and speech.

He is gay. He is also Catholic.

"It would be unthinkable that he could be gay," we thought. Throughout his childhood and earlier part of his youth, he was conflicted as he could not reconcile his natural biological urges with that of his Catholic upbringing and beliefs.

It was exceptionally painful for him. It was also exceptionally enlightening for me.

If we want to be perfectly honest and real about sexual orientation and the legislation thereof, we must ask ourselves real questions and answer them honestly: why would anyone "choose" to be gay knowing full well that she or he would be ostracised by his or her peers, discriminated against (even by his or her own religion) and that he or she would have to sacrifice bearing his or her own biological children? Why would anyone choose to be gay knowing full well that he or she could be arrested because the law criminalises it?

Why would my friend in his youth have put himself through such trauma, confusion and inner conflict because society conventionally taught him that his orientation was unnatural, choice-driven and anti-God?

I am not an authority on religion, spirituality or theology, nor am I a biologist or geneticist, but here is what I have come to know as an unequivocal fact and I submit unapologetically: no-one "chooses" to be gay or lesbian, one is either born heterosexual or homosexual.

I am proudly heterosexual. I am proudly Catholic, and I am proudly against any anti-homosexuality law which, by its very nature, is unnatural, dishonest and unreal.

Roland Williams, Kragga Kamma, Port Elizabeth