Gay and Catholic
Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith
by Eve Tushnet
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Pub Date Oct 20 2014 | Archive Date Jan 20 2015
Description
Eve Tushnet was among the unlikeliest of converts. The only child of two atheist academics, Tushnet was a typical Yale undergraduate until the day she went out to poke fun at a gathering of political conservatives, who happened also to be Catholic. Instead of enjoying mocking what she termed the “zoo animals,” she found herself engaged in intellectual conversation with them and, in a move that surprised even her, she soon converted to Catholicism. Already self-identifying as a lesbian, Tushnet searched for a third way in the seeming two-option system available to gay Catholics: reject Church teaching on homosexuality or reject the truth of your sexuality. Gay and Catholic is the fruit of Tushnet’s searching: what she learned in studying Christian history and theology and her articulation of how gay Catholics can pour their love and need for connection into friendships, community, service, and artistic creation.
Advance Praise
“By turns hilarious, thoughtful, constructive, and searingly honest, Gay and Catholic
is a must-read for anyone who believes the terms are mutually
exclusive, for anyone who thinks seriously about Catholicism and the
pastoral care of the homosexual person, for anyone who thinks they’ve
already figured it all out. Eve Tushnet has written a humane, brave, and
groundbreaking book that demolishes assumptions. If you think you know
what she is going to say, you don’t. So you need to read this.”
Elizabeth Scalia
Author of Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life
“I
know that some people somewhere may consider this a controversial book,
but it is hard for me to think of anything so kind, honest,
non-doctrinaire, commonsensical, and good-humored as controversial. [My
situation as husband, father, and grandfather is obviously quite
different than the author’s, but] as a Catholic I found material for
self-reflection on virtually every page. This book was a real grace for
me, as it will no doubt be for many others trying to live as disciples
of Jesus.”
Peter Steinfels
Codirector of the Center on Religion and Culture
Fordham University
“I
recommend Eve Tushnet’s new book, not because I agree with everything
in it—I don’t—but because I learned a lot from it. I believe others
will learn from it, too. Unlike just about everyone else who writes on
issues of sexuality, morality, and marriage, Eve is impossible to
classify. She’s a devout Catholic, but scarcely qualifies as a
‘conservative.’ She self-identifies as ‘gay,’ but most others who
identify themselves in that way will not find themselves sympathizing
with her ideas and arguments. Still, few have thought as deeply or as
creatively as has she about same-sex attraction and its existential
significance for persons who experience it. Readers across the spectrum
will be informed and challenged by her reflections.”
Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Princeton University
“Eve Tushnet’s conversion story and subsequent gradual surrender to the
faith make for a fascinating read—full of wry humor, practical advice,
humility, and best of all, deliciously pungent word craft. Full of
insight, there is plenty to chew on in Gay and Catholic, which is part memoir, part guidebook, and honest to the core.”
Simcha Fisher
Author of The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning
“Eve
Tushnet puts a human face on Church teaching. With unassuming but total
candor, she describes her experience of the challenge and joy of living
as an openly lesbian woman who is deeply attached to her Catholic
faith. Her account will open a new window on human and Christian
experience for many people inside and outside the Church.”
Rev. Louis Cameli
Author of Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality
“Honest,
fresh, and tremendously helpful, Eve Tushnet’s new book offers a
roadmap for Catholics experiencing same-sex attraction. Using her own
experiences as a gay, celibate Catholic convert, Eve shows how the
celibate vocation offers both a cross and a crown. For a firsthand look
at this challenging but grace-filled path, as well as practical tips for
helping same-sex attracted friends and family, read this book.”
Brandon Vogt
Author of Saints and Social Justice
“Eve
Tushnet has written a book that’s hard to read and that challenges
every assumption you might have never known you had. Open your mind and
bare your heart with her, because what you have in your hands might just
be the most important book of our age. It’s raw and honest and
critical, with some laughter and tears on top. Truly a book that’s not
just a keeper, but a sharer, too.”
Sarah Reinhard
Blogger at Snoring Scholar
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781594715426 |
| PRICE | $15.95 (USD) |
Average rating from 11 members
Featured Reviews
Bethanie R, Reviewer
I, a straight married woman with a young child, learned something and got inspired by this book. I mention that right off the bat because I want to make it clear that you don’t have to be gay and Catholic to get this book.
Gay and Catholic written by well-known blogger Eve Tushnet in part chronicles her discovery of her sexuality and her conversion to the Catholic faith. This is not the majority of the book, but it sets the foundation for everything she says later on. She’s been there. She is one of a very few gay Catholics who openly talk about their struggles being faithful in a world that approaches chastity with suspicion or disdain.
As a fellow convert to the Catholic Church, I could relate to the story of her conversion. Like her, I led a very different life prior to becoming Catholic. I, frankly, hated Christianity. When I converted, it put tremendous strain on my relationships and many of them broke. No one in my family understood my new-found faith, they just had to somewhat grudgingly accept that I was Catholic now. Having experienced conversion as a liberal, non-Christian, I can only imagine converting as a gay, liberal, non-Christian.
Like her, the turning point for me was my first experience of Eucharistic Adoration. She says, “I felt that I was, finally, at home; I was in my place.” I had the same experience. I felt like everything in my life had been geared to get me to that exact moment. Although I had never met any of my fellow adorers before, I felt like I had known them all of my life.
Of all of her advice for gay Christians and their friends and neighbors, one point in particular hit close to home for me: the importance of community and friendship. We are all so wired, we are losing fundamental social skills. In all of the battles for the nuclear family, friends and even extended family are lost in the fray. Everyone, gay or straight, white or black, rich or poor, can benefit from being part of a close community. Bonds made by community can be just as powerful as bonds made by blood. As she says:
It’s possible to recognize the importance of marriage and family unity while also looking for all the other places in our lives where we can build a civilization of love.
This leads me directly to her beautiful, open-ended definition for “vocation”:
In my view everyone has a vocation, and probably more than one. A vocation is the path or way of life in which God is calling us to pour out our love for him and for other particular human beings. Vocation is always a positive act of love, not a refraining-from-action.
In Catholic circles, you hear the word “vocation” thrown around a lot. It almost always means the priesthood or religious life, although sometimes it means marriage as well. We are just beginning to understand the vocation of unconsecrated single-hood. This book is a thorough exploration of just that vocation and like all vocations, understanding one better helps you understand and appreciate the others.
Gay and Catholic offers valuable advice for gay Catholics and those who care about them. But I got even more out of it than that. Tushnet helps us to better understand the vocation to love that we all share and the importance of community.
Gay and Catholic will be published in October 2014. I have been given the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review. I thank Ave Maria Press for this opportunity.
I was able to do this through my membership with NetGalley. If you’d like the opportunity to read good books and review them for your audience, membership to NetGalley is completely free and easy to sign up! I highly recommend it!
Sharon M, Reviewer
I am Catholic, but not gay, and I was intrigued when I saw the title of this book. I was even more intrigued when I did some quick research and learned that Eve Tushnet was not born a Catholic, but converted as a young adult. What would make a young lesbian decide to join a religion is not generally open to gay and lesbian individuals?
Tushnet's approach to being a practicing Catholic who remains within the parameters of the Church's teachings is to embrace a life of celibacy while acknowledging that she is and always will be attracted to women. Certainly, her approach is not for everyone and she acknowledges that many bishops, schools and churches have much room for improvement when it comes to their treatment of gays, lesbians and same sex attracted individuals.
Tushnet is very knowledgeable and an entertaining writer. I would recommend this book to any Catholic.
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