Popular Nigerian gay clergyman, Jide Macaulay, says the true meaning of gay as he has come to understand, is ''God Adores You, God Accepts You, God Annoints You and God Assured You ''
Jide Macaulay said this in a fresh interview with The Huffington Post.
''Over the years, Gay has become powerful for me and as a person of faith, I believe that Gay means God Accepts You, God Adores You, God Annoints You and God Assured You'' he said.
The 54-year-old who was ordained an Anglican priest by the Church of England last year, recounted his upbringing in a conservative Nigerian home and how he found the bible text in Leviticus which abhors same-sex relationships. He said he struggled with it at the time but over the years, he began to reverse the biblical misunderstanding of that portion of the bible.
''Being a black gay man is never easy. My journey and education started at home. I was raised in a conservative Nigerian Christian Home and it was also around the time I also discovered the bible text on Homosexuality, particularly in Leviticus.
I struggled with it at the time but it took me years later for me to reverse the biblical or theological misunderstanding of who I am and what the bible says. The challenge for me is being able to communicate my feelings to my parents and also to my siblings. It did not happen until years later. '' he said.
Jide who founded the first gay church in Nigeria, House of Rainbow which has since been banned, also spoke of how he got married to a woman, had a child together with her, and then got divorced so he could live his life as a gay man.
My mental state during the time of my separation and divorce obviously over the fact that I had just come out as gay at the time, it was very difficult. And also as a black man in England, it was very difficult because at the time I didn't know many people who were black and gay and also Christians and quite proud about being a person of faith and their sexuality.
He said he hopes his life teaches queer people to believe that they are still God's children irrespective of their sexual preference.
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