Customer Reviews

Coming Out Spiritually: The Next Step

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This book is easy to read and yet full of precise scholarly prose. A must-read for those of the LGBT community who are spiritual or are struggling with spiritual issues.

As a bisexual woman, I found that this book included me instead of the trend of a lot of books on gay issues which cater specifically to the male community. I was very impressed with Christian's style and evocative language. Having met him recently at the SF Book Festival, I found that as a speaker, he is equally as eloquent and feels very strongly about his work in the LGBT community.

Anyone wondering about what religions really feel about homosexuality? Check out Appendix 1 which includes "snapshots" of many religions.

I recommend this book to anyone in the LGBT community or someone who has a loved one in the LGBT community and is wondering about spiritual issues.

"Coming Out Spiritually" by Christian de la Huerta was named one of its top ten religion books of 1999 by Publisher's Weekly. Now in its eighth printing, the book has provided gay and lesbian people and their friends and allies with a thorough and thoughtful synthesis of their queer and spiritual selves.

Born in Cuba, de la Huerta is a passionate proponent of the special role he sees gays and lesbians playing in today's society. He believes that gays and lesbians are meant to be catalysts for the world's spiritual evolution, and that the time has come for them to embrace this joyous responsibility. Graduating with honors from Tulane University, the author has been a therapist and group facilitator for the past dozen years and is founder and president of "Q-Spirit", an international network of gays and lesbians in spirituality.

For many years, de la Huerta contends, gays and lesbians have been forced by organized religion to separate their sexual identities from their spiritual identities. The resulting spiritual fragmentation, according to the author, has been devastating to gay people and barely less costly to their larger community. This book discusses a number of ways of "coming out," focusing on a spiritual foundation for that process.

De la Huerta begins his book with a story from taken from a meeting of people from around the world intending to form an organization known as United Religions (a faith-based analogue of the United Nations), with a purpose of finding common ground among the world's religious traditions. At this conference the author spoke about the "Wild Faith," the queer spiritual tradition and about including gay people in the orgaization's efforts. From the positive reception de la Huerta received, he continued discussions and developed a methodology and resources for this book

According to de la Huerta, homosexual and other gender-variant people have always served a spiritual function in their communities, particularly in times of radical social transformation. Like physicians, they are (and always have been) there to preside over the death of the old, assuring a peaceful and pain-free passing; like midwives, they attend the birth of the new, assuring a safe delivery and a welcome into the world. The author elaborates ten specific ways in which gay people and other gender-variant folk have for millenia lent their spiritual gifts to the world, presenting evidence of these roles (copiously documented and substantiated with a wealth of footnotes) throughout history and in different cultures: these archetypes include the Transformer, the Outsider, the Risk-Taker, the Sacred Clown, the Preserver of Beauty, the Caregiver, the Mediator, the Priest/Shaman, the Divine Androgyne and the Gatekeeper.

"Coming Out spiritually" introduces readers to many of the world's religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Sufism, and Taoism, and investigates the teachings of these traditions and their attitudes towards homosexuality. The large majority of books published on the subject of queer spirituality are written from an exclusively or predominantly Christian or Judaeo-Christian point of view.

Happily, in this book there is included an exploration of a wide variety of faiths and belief systems. This is one of the few books encountered that doesn't use the adjectives "religious" and "spiritual" as interchangeable synonyms, clarifying the fact that spirituality is a quality that comes from within rather than - as is the case with 'religion' - from without, a phenomenon tied to the trappings of dogma and creeds that institutionalized religions expound. Because of the great - often, lethal - injury that some organized religions have inflicted (and continue to inflict) upon sexual minorities, many in our community have closed themselves off to the very essential and very human spiritual sides of themselves. In essence, by associating spirituality only with religion, our kindred have metaphorically "throw the baby out with the bathwater."

This is one of the most important books I have read on the subject of queer spirituality, or spirituality generally, in a good many years. I heartily recommend it to students of queer history, particularly in its spiritual aspect, for individuals curious as to what they (we) bring to the world in terms of distinctive and important spiritual gifts, and - particularly - for queer folk who have been injured by protracted exposure to all-too-abundant toxic religion and have turned their attention away from their spiritual selves.

Christian de la Huerta has authored a masterful, indispensable, tool for gay self-empowerment.

Coming Out Spiritually is a book I've been trying to find for a long time. Many of the books on queer spirituality I've read previously are written from an exclusively Christian point of view. But in this book, there is an effort to include all faiths and belief systems. This is one of the first books I've found that doesn't use the words "religious" and "spiritual" synonomously. In fact, it makes clear that spirituality is a quality that comes from within rather than something that is tied to the trappings of dogma and creeds that organized religions expound.

In addition to being a thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting book, the appendixes with information on all major faiths' and religions' teachings on gays and lesbians is very informative and helpful.

Christian de la Huerta's book perfectly expresses my personal experience of spirituality as a gay man. What has taken me years to sift through and distill, he beautifully shapes in this highly inspiring, as well as practical, guide to the development of the gay/lesbian/human spirit.

As a psychologist, I have often found that because of the great harm that some organized religions have heaped upon sexual minorities, many in our community have closed themselves off to the very essential and very human spiritual sides of themselves. In essence, by associating spirituality only with religion, they metaphorically "throw the baby out with the bathwater". Mr. de la Huerta's book offers the promise of not only reviving lost spirituality for those abused by religion, but he also offers clear direction for those of us who avidly pursue healthy spiritual growth. Bravo Mr. de la Huerta!

This book is a must read for all GLBT people seeking a spiritual life. It is very empowering. Christian describes the many roles GLBT people have played throughout history. The way he explains the difference between spirituality and religion in a way that will help anyone get over their ideas that being spiritual means selling out to the Christian Right. Please read this book. We CAN change the world.

Christian has managed to make me believe and understand what I somehow knew but had either forgotten or could not fully express even to myself.

I have always considered myself spiritual, but my sexual orientation conflicted with my religious upbringing. And although I had heard of homosexual shaman in the American Indian culture, I never saw myself as having a sacred calling or history until I read this book. The book or some of its content needs communicated to all people. Almost everyone in the GLBT community should be able to see themselves in at least one of the ten sacred archetypes described. The book had a profound impact on me and I hope it will for you too.

I feel that the author has made a signifcant positive contribution in my journey of self acceptance and self love as a gay person. The book puts into perspective the worlds's religions. It shows that religion and sexuality are not mutually exclusive. It serves as another portal to understanding religion undiluted by messages of self hatred and guilt.

I would recommend this book to anyone (especially members of the gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender community) looking to find a deeper spiritual path. I especially enjoyed the well-written accounts of queer archtypes in various spiritual traditions.

This book discusses a number of ways of "coming out." But de la Huerta concentrates on a spiritual foundation for this. He begins his book with a story from a meeting of people from around the world forming United Religions. The purpose is to find common ground among the world's religious traditions. At this conference he spoke up about including gay people. From some of the positive reception Huerta received, he continued discussions and developing research for this book .

In chapter one he names ten ways gay people are spiritual gifts to the world. He presents evidence of these roles throughout history and in different cultures. He stresses that being gay includes these types of dispositions, such as the caregiver, the risk taker, etc. It is true that gay people experience these ten dispositions, but so do straight people. Yet in numerous cultures the one who plays two sexes or changes their way of being is viewed as a manifestation of the presence of God in their society and they are respected and their advice followed.

Huerta explores the background of many of the world's religions. Through them he discusses different spiritual disciplines people could practice to become aware of their own spirituality and connection to God. That chapter becomes somewhat tedious in that everything presented is not going to be for everyone reading the book. That chapter is best skimmed over and passages resonating with the reader can be explored.

The last chapter of the book stresses doing things. He presents a number of stories of people in traditional religions, non-traditional religions and in non-sectarian services. He tries to show how these gay people find their spiritual well-being by putting their spirituality to work. This sounds like a Protestant/Catholic faith/works dialogue. What Huerta is stressing is that there are needs in the world around us, our neighborhoods and cities. Gay people do have disposition for service and leadership. They can find spiritual health as well as personal well-being in taking part. Sometimes this can lead to understanding.

There are some interesting discussions of spirituality in this book by several people Huerta has interviewed. Other people's stories of coming out are touching and challenging. This is a good book to read for information. His index in the back offers lists of religions and services for gay people to consider.