A Gay Christmas Carol

Pat did not fall asleep after the Ghost of Christmas Present departed, because he could feel the presence of the final spirit long before he saw it.  He dropped to his knees and remained in that position as soon as the next apparition appeared.  It was dressed entirely in black and its head was cover with a hood as it gracefully drifted toward him.  This spirit didn’t speak and Phelps was unable to make out any features on its face. 

“Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, I fear you more than the other spirits that have visited me tonight, because you are about to show me things that have not happened yet.”

The specter nodded and pointed, and when Phelps turned in that direction the first scene began to come into view.  Franklin saw himself holding up a newspaper with a headline that announced a constitutional amendment had been passed that upheld traditional marriage and denounced gay marriage.  As he scanned the article, he discovered the Supreme Court had also ruled that civil unions, or domestic partnerships, were also illegal and struck down state laws claiming otherwise.  Couples could no longer be considered to be husband and wife unless they’d been married by a member of the clergy or a lay person authorized to conduct such services. 

The same court had ruled that sodomy laws were also constitutional and could be reinstated in the states where they’d previously been struck down.  The court extended that rule and claimed that each state had the ultimate right to set standards of morality for its citizens and the Federal government could not interfere.  Phelps understood the era of excessive permissiveness had come to an end. 

As Franklin was considering this momentous occurrence, the scene suddenly shifted again.  This time, Franklin watched as his older self was mobbed by his devoted and appreciative followers, because they knew it was due to his efforts that this historic change had come about.  The organization he led had been the driving force behind the call for these changes, and now he was hailed by those who believed as he did. 

“We’re once again a God fearing country,” one of his followers shouted in delight. 

“You’ve stopped this nation from becoming an immoral wasteland,” another cried out. 

Both Franklin’s older and younger self were beaming with pride over what he’d been able to accomplish, and he was reveling in the praise he was receiving from his acolytes.  This was the vision of the country that he’d been striving for. 

Without warning, the scene suddenly changed again and this time Phelps found himself back at Riley’s home.  He was obviously alone and typing a message on his computer. 

“Mom and Dad, I can’t take it any more.  Conversion therapy was psychological and emotional torture.  I was willing to do anything to get them to stop, so I agreed to change and not be a homosexual any longer, but I know that’s not possible.  I realize I won’t be able to fool you for much longer and I can’t handle the thought of going through conversion therapy again, so I’m doing the only other option I have.  I’m sorry you were so disappointed in me and couldn’t accept me for who I am.”

After he finished writing, he frantically began searching for something.  He knew his father was a big proponent of the Second Amendment, so he kept looking until he found what he was after. 

“You’ve got to stop him!” Franklin shouted, but the spirit merely shook its head and pointed toward the boy so Franklin would turn his attention to him. 

Being considerate and not wishing to mess up the house, Riley carried the weapon out to the garage and it was there that he ended his life.  Franklin felt sick when he saw it happen. 

‘Why would the boy choose to kill himself, rather than accept a normal sexual orientation?’ he thought.  ‘Why wouldn’t he choose to be a regular boy instead, with natural and healthy desires?”

He didn’t have long to pursue these thoughts, however, because the scene suddenly changed again.  This time he was observing the raven haired youth he had visited twice before, but this time Chase appeared to be living in an abandoned building.  Chase’s face was gaunt and his body emaciated, and his clothes were not only filthy, but they were also threadbare.  It seemed that the other items the boy had taken with him had either been stolen or sold a long time ago. 

As Franklin studied the boy more closely, he noticed Chase was covered in bruises, and those were just in the areas that Franklin could see.  Some of the bruises appeared recent, while others looked to be considerably older, which indicated that the boy had been assaulted on a fairly regular basis

Since Chase looked malnourished, Franklin couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since he’d last had a decent meal.  As he was considering Chase’s situation, the words he had spoken earlier came back to haunt him. 

“It sounds as if he was given a fair warning and didn’t comply, so whatever he endures will be of his own making.  He should have listened to his father and heeded his warning, seeing his dad was merely making a reasonable request to protect him.”

‘Why would this young man choose to live like this, rather than give up his unnatural ways?’ Franklin wondered.  He couldn’t help but feel sorry for Chase, considering the pain and hardships he had endured, but at the same time he felt the boy had done this to himself.  This is when he had another thought.  Was the last spirit correct when it stated that you can’t change who a person is attracted to?  Franklin wanted to stay longer and learn more about the boy, but the specter lifted its arm and the scene changed again. 

This time they were standing in an alley and Franklin could see a young man as he entered an extremely large cardboard box.  Phelps wasn’t sure if the boy was living in it or merely trying to hide there temporarily.  As Franklin stepped forward to investigate the situation further, he was in total shock and gasped when he recognized who the young man was. 

“What is my son doing here?  He can’t possibly be living like this!” 

His guide merely lifted its arm again and the vision shifted once more.  This time Franklin was standing in the shed behind the parsonage and he saw his son engaged in a sixty-nine position with one of his male school friends. 

‘How can Tim be a homosexual?’ he wondered, and then he tried to mentally determine if he or his wife had made any mistakes while raising him that would have led to Tim doing such things.  He didn’t think they had, so it caused him to wonder if the things the other spirit had said were true.  ‘Were people actually born with their sexual identity predetermined?’ 

He didn’t have time to consider this further, because the scene shifted once more.  This time they were in his church and he was giving one of his notorious fire and brimstone sermons about the sinfulness of being gay and loving someone of the same sex.  Unlike at other times, this time Franklin was able to watch his son in the pew as he gave his sermon.  He watched Tim squirm in his seat as he tried to justify the desires he felt for other males with the enormity of the sin his father claimed he was committing.  Franklin could see how difficult this was for his son and how he was struggling with the conflicting feelings, and he realized his sermon was making it even more difficult for Tim. 

He wanted to think about this in more depth, but he suddenly found himself standing in his son’s bedroom, possibly later the same day.  This time Tim was hurriedly packing some things in his backpack before he slipped out the window.  He was obviously running away from home, just like the raven haired boy had done. 

Franklin could not deny the impact he’d inadvertently had upon his son that prompted Tim to run away, and it tore him up inside.  All this time he was convinced that everyone was able to make a conscious choice about their sexual orientation, but now he began to question his own beliefs. 

“Are these the things that MUST be, or only the things that MIGHT be?” he asked the dreadful spirit, but he received no reply. 

Before he could determine what he was going to do next, Franklin found himself standing before the throne of God while waiting to receive his final judgment. 

“Did I not command you to love one another as I love you?” the Son of God asked.

“Yes, you did, but I didn’t think it meant we should accept any abomination.”  Although he sounded confident, he was feebly attempting to justify his actions. 

“Did you think my words meant that you should browbeat those you didn’t agree with?  Did you believe I wanted you to harass those individuals until they either killed themselves or withdrew completely from the rest of society?  Did you truly feel that I wanted you to incite others into hating those your words condemned?  Did I not teach you that love is the greatest gift of all?” 

Phelps did not respond and merely hung his head in shame. 

“It is because of you and others like you, that many of my gay children have not been able to enjoy the life I gave them.  Those lives were either cut prematurely short or they died alone, totally neglected and stripped of any feelings of self-worth.  Why would anyone think I would condone such hatred toward your fellow man or espouse violence to coerce them to change their ways?  My gay children will be welcomed into my heavenly kingdom, while those who resorted to hatred and violence to correct these perceived wrongs will not.  The latter group is far worse than those they sought to change, and for that reason they will spend eternity in the pits of hell, and you are part of that group.”

No sooner had these words escaped the Son of God’s lips than Phelps felt himself falling, and this continued until he found himself in the depths of hell.  He started to scream, since he was unwilling to believe that God would condemn him to suffer this fate.  He’d always believed he was doing God’s will and would be rewarded for his efforts.  He was still flailing about and screaming when his wife began to shake him gently.  Slowly, he returned to his senses and realized his time with the spirits had come to an end. 

“The spirits wouldn’t have shown me these things if they couldn’t be changed,” he reasoned while mumbling to himself. 

His behavior, however, brought a very puzzled and concerned expression to his wife’s face.