Press Release Summary = This is my memoir about my life and my struggle to find balance between my sexuality, my religion, and my individuality.
Press Release Body = ŠJerome Atputhasingam, January 2007
The last century has seen the women's rights movement, the civil rights movement, and many more. And as time glides across into the 21st century, it is clear that the gay right's movement is waiting to materialize.
Anyone who reads this probably knows by now that I am gay. I write today of my story, and my dream for the future.
Being born and raised in the war-torn island of Sri Lanka, I barely knew what being gay meant. In fact the first time I knew what the word "gay" meant was in 8th grade. When I realized I was homosexual, my world turned upside down, everything changed. I had to figure my life out when I was barely a teenager. I had to put together the broken pieces, and make sense out of my existence.
I didn't wake up one morning and decide to be gay. In fact, I never DECIDED to be gay. If every homosexual had the choice of whether to be straight or gay, I can assure the world that mostly everyone would be straight.
The world has this conception that gay people choose what their sexual orientation. But I can tell honestly that it is a very wrong perception. I don't know if I was born gay, or if I was socialized to be gay, but I do know that I can never make myself straight.
In the last four years of my life, I have done so much thinking about what life really is, what being gay is all about, and who I am in the world. It is an ongoing journey of mine to find more answers to such questions, but as of now, I am content, proud, and happy with my sexuality.
Being raised a Christian, I had a huge trauma trying to balance my strong belief in God and being homosexual. It would have been very easy for me to throw away my whole religion, but I decided to not let other humans tell me what I can and cannot be, rather I decided for myself. And I believe that being gay is not a sin, it is only perceived to be a sin because our society has such tight control over the thoughts of many of us.
And most importantly, I want the straight community to know, that when you judge a homosexual, or anyone for that matter, and tell them that the very person that they are is incorrect, or worse yet a sin, it is probably the most hurtful thing anyone could every say to somebody else. So step outside the box for a moment and imagine what it would feel like if you were the one who got told something like that.
Finally, my dream is that before I die, I want to see a world where gays and straights can live is harmony. Where sexuality is cherished and not submerged in guilt. A place where people understand that we are more similar to each other than we are different. And most importantly, a world where everyone, regardless of who they are or what they look like can be happy and live their lives with meaning, passion, dreams, and inner peace
2022
