A former activist in the gay rights movement who left homosexuality for a relationship with God in 2007 has drawn the ire of homosexual activists after marrying a woman on Oct. 26.
In a column for WND, Michael Glatze, who founded Young Gay America and was the editor of the group’s magazine, responded to the criticisms. He said the month of marriage to his wife, Rebekah, has been “the greatest month of [his] life thus far.”
He writes, “The purpose of writing this short piece is not to ‘rub my marriage in somebody’s face,’ as has been the all-too-prevalent suggestion by some in this great country of ours. My purpose in life is not to ‘rub my life’ in someone’s face.”
After developing a relationship with God following a health scare, Glatze stepped down as the co-founder of Young Gay America magazine by leaving a note on his office computer that read, “Homosexuality is death, and I choose life.”
In July 2007, he wrote a lengthy column explaining his transformation and his choice to become straight titled, “How a ‘Gay Rights’ Leader Became Straight.”
Since then, he has been closely watched by gay rights activists, such as Wayne Besen, founder and executive director of Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit that aims to “demolish the very foundation of anti-gay prejudice.”
Besen slammed Glatze and his new wife, referring to her as a “prop,” in a mocking post on his website earlier this month.
“I want to make a little ‘shout out’ to all of the angry homosexuals in our country who are currently spreading all sorts of hate and aggression on pro-homosexual blogs,” Glatze writes in the op-ed posted on Dec. 6. “Look, I am not interested in defending myself. I don’t really need to do that. I understand your plight, your point-of-view. I understand the desire to want me to be crazy, or lost in my head and mind, or confused. I understand that it would be just easier if I didn’t exist, or I would just crawl into a hole somewhere and die. But I’m not going to do that.”
Concerned for his and his wife’s safety, Glatze pleads, “I would like to ask that instead of desiring to plot my death, you may consider the possibility that I do have a legitimate right to life and a legitimate right to my own a) spiritual decisions, and b) life decisions—not to mention the wisdom and perspectives those decisions have given me.”
He adds, “I do believe that homosexuality is a flaw, a mistake, a distortion and something from which one can be completely restored. I do know that this viewpoint flies in the face of people’s personal decisions, as well as some popular politics in this world. And I am additionally aware that this viewpoint labels me as some kind of ‘right-wing fanatic’ who ought to just be ‘wiped out.’ I do pray to God for my safety every day.”
Glatze closes his column by writing, “I love my God. I love my life. I am grateful for every breath. I am grateful to God for humanity. And I am so grateful for Rebekah. I am not trying to ‘rub this in’ to anyone’s face, but I want to be clear … that I am not here to ‘force my agenda’ or my ‘lifestyle’ on anyone else. I am here to live a good, God-honoring life. And as a Christian, I would be a liar if I didn’t tell people Who God is, what He has done in my life and how He continues to provide for me (and now—thank God—my family) in ways that are more numerous than I can count.”
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