"The Amazing Story of the Televangelist and his Gay Grandson"

[suebee]

This is the story of Randy Roberts Potts, a gay man who just happens to be Oral Roberts' grandson. He knew that being gay would get him ejected from the family, so he married and had three kids before he decided he had to come out and live who he was. He is now doing a campaign of awareness, called "The Gay Agenda". From the article:

"With folded arms and befuddled frowns, the onlookers try to make sense of the scene—to the right, atop rugs laid directly on the concrete, there's a farm table and a bookcase stocked with cans of black-eyed peas and stewed tomatoes; to the left, a leather couch sits before a black-and-white television on which a silvery episode of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is flickering. A few of them lean in to read a printed explanation affixed to a coatrack up front.THE GAY AGENDA, it explains, IS PERFORMANCE ART DESIGNED TO FOSTER LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE. Huh. They glance up at Randy—he's dipping a spoon into the slow-cooker now, or studying the half-done puzzle—and then lower their gaze back to the paper. In capital letters, they see: THE GAY AGENDA AS CONCEIVED SHOULD BE INCREDIBLY BORING TO WATCH."

He also talks about growing up on Oral Roberts University campus, and the other gay members of his family: His uncle, Ronnie - who was Oral Roberts' son. (who died by suicide), and his own brother, Stephen. He talked about he and his brother being prevented from going to his grandmother's funeral by armed guards, and his own mother's condemnation of him from the platform of his grandfather's eulogy.

Full article here.

The reality of what our lives are like - 99% mundane - exactly like our hetero brothers and sisters - is something that has always fascinated me: that society-at-large doesn't seem to realize that we're just ordinary people.

The other aspect of the article - religious fervour resulting in the rejection of gay family members has also been a head-scratcher for me. The only way I can understand it is in context of a sort of "brain-washing".

I thought this article had a lot of elements that might be interesting to planeteers, and might spark some lively conversation. Any observations to share anyone?

Sue

[suebee]

~Bumpity-bump~