ABSTRACT
The recent and unprecedented confirmation of an openly gay Episcopal bishop, Gene Robinson, as well as the accompanying protests and fears of schism point to the tensions frequently associated with trying to integrate religion and sexuality. Much press surrounding this event has pointed to the "grief beyond words" (Sawyer Allen, 2003) many heterosexual members, including bishops, feel, as well as to concurrent fears churches might split over this very issue. Less press and less attention has been given, however, to how gay people themselves try to reconcile or to find a place for both (I) religiosity, and (2) their own sexual orientation. This paper will demonstrate how many gay men go about trying to integrate these deeply human and innate parts of themselves, using a developmental perspective first articulated by Robert Kegan (1982). lt will at·gue that such integration is possible, that clinicians can assist in this process, and that this effort often results in psychological and spiritual growth. The product of this work is often a reappropriation of religious symbols, which can be seen even in how ones own coming out story often becomes a sort of "parable," guiding metaphor, or "lesson learned."
