Steven LaVigne: This review was first published in White Crane: A Journal of Gay Men's Spirituality in v.52 (Spring 2002). It is reprinted with permission from www.whitecranejournal.com online.
Having been through the Catholic educational experience in grade school, I was intrigued by Being Gay and Lesbian in a Catholic High School: Beyond the Uniform by Michael Maher Jr, PhD. This book addresses many of the same difficulties, from an earlier time, experienced in the modern day Catholic
High School. While my sister assures me that the Catholic Church is more receptive to GLBT people than it was in the past, Maher's interviews make it clear that the Church still has a long way to go.
My experience, of course, was different, because I went to school in the 1960s, before Vatican II, when Pope Paul VI made such radical changes. In the process of interviewing fifteen students, Maher asked the graduates to examine how they felt about separatism by having them make a list of safe and unsafe activities as they tried fitting in. Among the experiences described are harassment triggered by Catholic dogma, lack of adult sympathy or support, and the use of Christian teachings as a heterosexual weapon that's long been the norm.
One of the young men interviewed, for example, quoted comic Bob Smith, who describes Drama Club as “a head start program for gays.” This same young man associates sports activities with fears due to harassment. (Note: most of us have long felt the same.) This is only one way things haven't changed. He also wonders, as he experiences young gay adulthood, if those harassing ever really thought about what they were saying (did they ever question exactly what gay sex entails?) or if any of them would do anything significant past the glory of high school sports.
Maher's study is neatly divided into five sections, which he calls ‘dis-integrations': familial, social, institutional, spiritual and identity. There are three interviews and a reflection per section, through which, it's rather clear that GLBT people with a Catholic background maintain anger and guilt issues long after their school experiences have ended.
In the area of sex education, for instance, chastity is the aim, and forgiveness is emphasized. Catholic magisterium states homosexuality needs to be presented honestly, acceptance must be taught, and special groups at church need to be provided. Yet very little has been done to achieve these goals.
Many of those interviewed have a negative view of the gay community because that's how it portrays itself to the public. It's only when they actually participate in political activities that they see the positive side of things.
There are so many significant statements made in Being Gay and Lesbian in a Catholic High School: Beyond the Uniform. This is a fine book. The difficulties facing the issue of Catholic education are too large a topic to fit into 169 pages.
Complete with an extensive Appendix that includes doctrine, papers and statements, however, this book, while only a beginning, is a significant achievement. It will likely help those questioning their faith and their background to find some positive perspective on their Catholic indoctrination.
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