ABSTRACT
I recently attended a local Catholic Charities Awards Dinner. Two friends of mine, Michael DiSalvo and Nick Orth, who founded a Catholic Worker house, The Friends of Dorothy, were honored for their care of people who suffer terminal AIDS-related illnesses. For years, they have opened their home and their hearts. Their gentle voices and touches have comforted many at the moment of death. I was thrilled that these two gay men were finally recognized for their remarkable work, but couldn’t help thinking as well that in a neighboring state another Catholic Charities had ceased their adoption services in response to the law insisting that they allow gay people to adopt. Having grown up queer and Catholic, I’m accustomed to such conflicting ideology.
