Gay Spirit Warrior

A practical blend of stories, discussion, and practical exercises guides men to find their own answers about what it means to live and love fully, create satisfying relationships, and celebrate their whole being.

The Uncommon Spiritual Warrior is one GLBT man's spiritual, psychological, and physical search for peace, mental health, and right relationship. Bo Sebastian opens his arms and heart to reveal his transparent work toward a more holistic and authentic life.

A groundbreaking collection of essays and stories by, about, and selected by gay American Indians from over twenty North American tribes. From the preface by Randy Burns (Northern Paiute): Gay American Indians are active members of both the American Indian and gay communities. But our voices have not been heard. To end this silence, GAI is publishing Living the Spirit: A Gay American Indian Anthology. Living the Spirit honors the past and present life of gay American Indians. This book is not just about gay American Indians, it is by gay Indians. Over twenty different American Indian writers, men and women, represent tribes from every part of North America. Living the Spirit tells our story---the story of our history and traditions, as well as the realities and challenges of the present. As Paula Gunn Allen writes, “Some like Indians endure.” The themes of change and continuity are a part of every contribution in this book---in the contemporary coyote tales by Daniel-Harry Steward and Beth Brant---in the reservation experiences of Jerry, a Hupa Indian---in the painful memories of cruelty and injustice that Beth Brant, Chrystos, and others evoke. Our pain, but also our joy, our love, and our sexuality, are all here, in these pages. M. Owlfeather writes, “If traditions have been lost, then new ones should be borrowed from other tribes,” and he uses the example of the Indian pow-wow---Indian, yet contemporary and pantribal. One of our traditional roles was that of the “go-between”---individuals who could help different groups communicate with each other. This is the role GAI hopes to play today. We are advocates for not only gay but American Indian concerns, as well. We are turning double oppression into double continuity---the chance to build bridges between communities, to create a place for gay Indians in both of the worlds we live in, to honor our past and secure our future. Published by Stonewall Inn Editions in partnership with St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

I'll always remember the day my sister Carole asked me, "Ray, why would God call you to be a priest knowing that you're gay?"A gay former Catholic priest journeys from his secret to freedom.To live a "normal gay life" with a God of unconditional love, I needed a spirituality outside the religious box that I'd been born into. I needed to transcend that box and discover my true self.My spiritual epiphany was possible when I saw my spiritual journey, not as the price I had to pay, but rather as the grace I was given to live it out. Over the years my spirituality has evolved into a daily mantra:1. To accept myself2. To respect others3. To give gratitude to my Higher PowerTo move forward and gain balance and harmony, my outlook and attitude shifted to that place of gratitude. I became thankful and proud of my life as a gay man and felt free to celebrate publicly that God truly loves me unconditionally. This structural framework for life has helped me transcend and enjoy a life of peace and happiness that so many long for in the midst of demanding lifestyles, injustices and longings of the heart.This has become my life story as written about in this book.

The author explores a mystic Christian spirituality and describes numerous practical steps that gay men and women can take in order to connect with and express their innate spiritual nature.

"Reconciliation in Action" gives a synoptic view of her intense belief of sanctity toward humanity in her written thoughts on person-to-person interactions. Sadie Williams believes that the realities of the journey through life should be treated with the best possible commonsense attitude in order to maintain a well balanced focus toward a positive direction. She believes that individuals should accept accountability of their thought process that reflects behavioral conduct. Sadie believes that personal conduct is a state of mind that can revel itself in spoken words of harmonious, or contemptuous behavior. She refers to the thought process as being very individually unique within itself, therefore the individual needs to be first, "true to self", in order to accept reality as truth. Sadie applauds respect in dealing with issues of differences or indifference that relates to settling disputes: because there are always two sides to a story that needs to be heard and given its due rewards. Her idea is that it is good for the individual to have and maintain a peaceful mindset that is good for both the mind as well as physical well-being. "Reconciliation in Action" is a book packed with great food-for-thoughts-ideas that is designed to have a delightful impact on its readers.

In 1978, Harvey Milk asked Gilbert Baker to create a unifying symbol for the growing gay rights movement, and on June 25 of that year, Baker's Rainbow Flag debuted at San Francisco's Gay Liberation Day parade. Baker had no idea his creation would become an international emblem of freedom, forever cementing his place and importance in helping to define the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Rainbow Warrior is Baker's passionate personal chronicle, from a repressive childhood in 1950s Kansas to a harrowing stint in the US Army, and finally his arrival in San Francisco, where he bloomed as both a visual artist and social justice activist. His fascinating story weaves through the early years of the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights, where he worked closely with Milk, Cleve Jones, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Baker continued his flag-making, street theater and activism through the Reagan years and the AIDS crisis. And in 1994, Baker spearheaded the effort to fabricate a mile-long Rainbow Flag—at the time, the world's longest—to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. Gilbert and parade organizers battled with the newly elected Mayor Giuliani for the right to carry it up Fifth Avenue, past St. Patrick's Cathedral. Today, the Rainbow Flag has become a worldwide symbol of LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusiveness, and its rainbow hues have illuminated landmarks from the White House to the Eiffel Tower to the Sydney Opera House. Gilbert Baker often called himself the "Gay Betsy Ross," and readers of his colorful, irreverent and deeply personal memoir will find it difficult to disagree.

Gay spirituality represents a hidden strand in Western thought that was only publically declared from the Gay Liberation of the 1970s. Since "coming out", expressions of gay spirituality have proliferated in both number and diversity. Beginning with gay theology within Christianity, the phenomenon has now reached as far as Buddhism and neo-paganism. But, so far, critical analysis of the movement has been very limited largely because gay spirituality has been treated as a political and social movement arguing for rights and acceptance within religious circles. 'A Special Illumination' offers an indepth analysis and argues that gay spirituality should be placed at the heart of religion.