by James Parker, Christian Today
Gay activism was my passion. I felt suicidal throughout my teens. It was only when overcome with a crippling depression in 1985 that I broke down and came out to my parents when aged 17. Dad and Mum were amazing – merciful, kind, understanding.
I came out in high school at a time when no one admitted publicly to being gay. Then at 18 I was the first person to be openly gay in my London university. I wasn’t just gay – I was 110 per cent gay. Everybody saw this and affirmed it to be true about me. Privately, I also struggled with believing I was a woman trapped in a man’s body.
I preached homosexuality. I saw it as my vocation to sermonise that people were born gay.
I fought for lesbians and gays to be wholly accepted, for churches to change their teaching about homosexuality, and for laws to be made to reflect equal rights across the board for same-sex attracted persons.
I had hundreds of sexual partners before settling down with my perfect man, Steve. He and I entered into a monogamous, long-term committed relationship, fighting together for gay rights.
During our relationship, a fellow student at university – a man of prayer – asked me if I wanted more love in my life. I responded yes – who wouldn’t? He invited me to a young adults’ gathering where each person noticeably had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Within three weeks, I had made a simple prayer of repentance and had asked God’s Spirit to control my life.
I felt nothing but, believing in faith that God now lived in my heart, I began to silently pray a few minutes every day and was discipled by the man of prayer.