Tomorrow is National Coming Out Day in the USA. While coming out can be seen as an ongoing process and not a one-day event it is a day that commemorates our being true to ourselves. And, if you haven't done it yet, or if you are still hoping to come out someday, tomorrow is an excellent reason to push yourself and get the hell out of your closet.

At a time when the Catholic church is planning to ban gay men from becoming priests, and many in the gay community overtly express their disdain for and/or reconsider their relationship with the Church, I have a rather inspiring story about the Church and coming out to share. It is part of my coming out story.

My parents could be considered to be rather typical and traditional Chinese parents (Oh and BTW, they are both devoted Catholics), and not surprising they weren't a bit supportive of my coming out. In fact that's a big of an understatement, they told me to die! Horrible, isn't it? Well as shocking as it might sound I know it wasn't an entirely uncommon reaction and I actually understood their harsh reaction and I chose to forgive them. They were in shock and I knew it. My dad even commented that that he would prefer me to be a druggie over a fag. (Do think about this for a second. Druggie vs. Fags.) My Dad then began sending me excerpts from the Bible, including the infamous Leviticus quote, "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13) FYI, my dad only converted to Catholicism a few years ago, while I was born Catholic and bought up Catholic. I was repulsed by his selective use of the texts, I threatened him that he would become a fundamentalist if he continued.