Homosexuality. It’s a subject whose various dimensions incite tempests of protest and moral indignation. The debate over gay marriage. Arguments over gay clergy. The clash over nature versus nurture. The causes of physical attraction, the expression of affection, love and sexual desire. The normalization of gay lifestyles in popular culture. The need for acceptance, affirmation, intimacy, community, family. The strength of Catholic doctrine. The compassion of Catholic teaching. Volatile issues all.
Issues, in fact, that caused disagreement among the magazine staff even as we planned this edition. Yet while we may not have found agreement on the points debated, we did reach a consensus on what to include in this selection of stories-although few will approve of all that is presented here.
While this package may not offer the definitive answer on the subject, it does provide some serious challenges for all of us, some provocative accounts from people brave enough to speak their minds. We believe it is the kind of treatment readers would expect from a faith-filled and intellectually vigorous Catholic university.
Despite the volatility of the subject, we thought it important to lend Notre Dame voices to the debates and discussions taking place throughout society.
Links to the stories are below.
-The Editors