Maybe I could have been more open

The posting by Rosemary has inspired me to write being slightly older at 63 wondering about adolescents who are in conflict between church teaching and their sexuality and how the current debate on homosexuality could affect their lives.

In a previous life, when I was a teenager at 16, a David Palmer was little older than me at 18 who regularly attended Evensong. David was slightly effeminate and would attend after church fellowship but no one would engage with him in conversation so always stood alone holding his cup of tea. One Sunday he attended, at usual, Evensong and the very next morning was found murdered in a local park. Would David still be alive today if he were welcomed by church members where he needed to seek illicit sexual encounters to overcome his isolation? I personally still feel guilty over this because I was just as guilty as other church members but also the incident opened a can of worms as everyone in the gay community were naming names and I was 'outed' by the police to my parents who visited my home checking whether I had blood on my clothes.

There was Kevin also in conflict who, as a teenager, committed suicide. Is this happening with adolescents today who are confused by this condemnation of homosexuals. As a mental health professional who has undertaken many mental health assessment on adolescents at Accident and Emergency units who have either self harmed or made very serious suicide attempts on their lives the question of sexuality and religious influence never arises during the assessment particularly if drug or alcohol induced psychosis is involved. I doubt colleagues would explore this area but do feel it perhaps could be one area that should be given serious thought where they may also feel they are not 'welcomed'.

Just a thought.

Derick