Luke Harlan (I'm From Fayetteville, AR) -- True Gay Stories
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- After enduring ex-gay counseling and his Southern Baptist roots, Luke finally finds happiness by being true to himself.
(Gay | Coming Out | Suppression | Religion | Self-Realization) [TV-PG]
www.imfromdriftwood.com Is a compilation of true stories by gay people from all over in an attempt to help LGBTQ teens feel not so alone. Please pass the link along to anyone who might benefit from, contribute to, or simply enjoy the site, stories and videos. Thanks!
Here I am, 9 years after you posted your video watching it for the first time. I wish I had known you back in 2011, Luke. I would have shared my thoughts with you. Back in 1961, I discovered that I, too, needed "more". I did not understand what I felt and I turned to the ONLY source of comfort I had - my father confessor!!! But I ended up SURPRISED!!! His advice to me was, "God has put you on a path in life. It is up to you to make the BEST out of that path and the BEST includes YOUR happiness and YOUR psychological well-being. So what I heard in your video is that you FINALLY traveled the path that GOD put you on and now you're complete. God doesn't hate you because you're homosexual. He doesn't even talk about homosexuality - EVER. It was MEN, yes MEN, who wrote those things in scripture and "claimed" they were the word of God. They weren't. God would not do a cruel thing to you. He loves you!
He looks like a really hot professor, surrounded by books in his knitted sweater and everything...*swoon*
God Loves you sweet man and always remember it
God made you Gay. It's a gift. Never forget that
the emptyness is a result of having to pretend all the time ... which is a result of being brainwashed - by religious fanatics in his case ... you did it, Luke! You overcame the oppression and found your way back to your true and happy self ...
but how many gay men and women never do???
I'M SO GREATFUL 4 A CELL PHONE,UA-cam,& GOD'S CHILDREN LIKE U,I'M 56 & JUST WALKED DOWN THAT PATH W/MY PARENTS & MYSELF! SO MUCH BETTER NOT LIVING YR LIFE A LIE,I JUSG
Great story, Luke...a lot like my own, minus the "ex-gay" part...no ex-gay for me!! I REALLY wanted to be accepted and loved, so,...I got married....TO A WOMAN!! YIKES!! Well, I had what I "wanted" for a while...ministry, family, love from my church...and then, the emptiness started to take over... Good for you for NOT giving in!! God bless, and, by the by,...I do hope some equally handsome guy has come to his senses and married you!! But, if by some krazy chance you're still lookin'...
Is it possible to be too attractive? Cause i think he is. Lol
What is ex-gay counseling? These churches should be ashamed of themselves
for me being gay is AWRSOME :D im a freshman in highschool i go out to vlubs with my friends all the time and have a hot football player boyfriend yesssss
@soundscape718 I'm guessing that in his case it simply fear of losing his family.
Fayetteville is one of the Wildest College towns I've ever been in....I lived there in the late 80s and the sexual escapades on the local campuses we're off the charts. I might as well have been in the Castro in San Francisco.🤩
That is the most magnificent goddamn nose I have ever seen!
@soundscape718 Well you said it right there. "Warped state-of-mind". Unless you grew up with a similar experience to this man - I did - you might not understand just how screwed up you can become. Like people who plead inanity in court, it is not always "you" in control of your decisions even if you are the one making them. Living every day of your life in this heightened religious setting you start to lose a sense of reality and it's like you become a completely different person.
Lucky...
Watch the fear and hurt in Luke’s eyes at 2:20
To be gay and to pretend is so bizarre. So much of your life is “acting”. I lived 40 years like that 40 years! What a waste it was. Don’t do this to young ppl please. Individuals have so much to offer. Do u really want life to be beige and vanilla ?PEACE
Something a little strange about his eyes/gaze.
I Know! I Know! Call Me Shallow But He Is Gooooooorgeous!!!
you're shallow.
creek boie sorry me too, he is beautiful, and southern gent, checked my boxes
Thanks for sharing a very relatable story. It's very invigorating to live your life as you wish. Cheers from Little Rock, Arkansas.
This man is FINE and BEAUTIFUL!
Handsome as HELL!!!!
Could turn me -
Very handsome and hot!
"Supressing" is the word when I was a teenager. One day you get too sick of supressing and when you find a place in the world is just a relief. There's nothing wrong with any gay men. Thank you for your words.
Coming out gay like being born again. You start living your life the way you want to live, not living it for others. Because of my Catholic upbringing, I grew up confused about sex and my feelings towards other men. I came out in my early 40’s and have never looked back.
Update: This man is now a film director.
not to mention this guy is so freaking cute! 0.0 Blow me a candle...
It is so painful to watch this incredibly handsome, intelligent and articulate young man and know that his suffering and torment were far greater than his played down version. If one knows the bible belt and that mentality then you know his battle was horrific.
What was his mother doing going through his rucksack? He left out the back lash. I can only imagine. One point....... he uses the word "them" for "him". It struck me because for my generation this was natural. Neutralizing the gender. It shows how deep is the unconscious brainwashing and paranoia about who we are. So despite the incredible visibility of videos like this many of us are still plagued in subtle ways with a defensive feeling and discomfort in stating the truth.
I am not sure where and when this book of mythology called scripture took precedence over love, kindness, compassion, and understanding. I don't use the word tolerance because we are not to be tolerated as though there is something wrong. We are to be accepted for who we are as human beings.
From the intolerant and merciless world I grew up in and lived in USA to watch this is like a shift in the universe. The world still remains quite merciless regarding homosexuality but they will no longer be able to force us back into invisibility.
And Ps, I join the other comments ....... Luke is someone one could easily fall in love with. I hope he finds true love, belonging and companionship.
+globalman Well said. Parents do not own their children. Some think they do. "I cannot imagine a god who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own --- a god, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." -Albert EinsteinBelief is about ego and self love to the detriment of your offspring, --- parents putting THEMSEVES before their children. They ought to be ashamed to call themselves parents. It's not their kids they care about, it's themselves.
Ray Rothermel
Thank you for this comment. Although it is 2 years since I left my comment your words come at a good moment and are very validating and consoling. I agree with all you wrote and believe the same. cheers
It should be equally "painful" even if he wasn't "incredibly handsome."
@@bluejt77 that was my first thought when I began reading the comment. Well said !
@@bluejt77 i believe that was a token of admiration and not a statement centered around appearance granting further sympathy.
Great story. I'm really impressed how well he came through all of that. I hope his parents didn't choose their religion over their own flesh and blood. Sadly, that seems to be the way these stories go. The parents are SO indoctrinated into religion, they are unable to break free from it. I wish Luke all the best. (I have to say... very handsome man. I wish I looked that good at his age.)
He has a voice like a movie star
Much of what you said parallels my own life. It's sad that we had to do that and to an extent I find myself still in that kind of life. I wish you the best in this life.
Great story. That's what it's all about. Being who you are and not letting other people dictate how you should live. It's YOUR life, not theirs. "I can't abide by people imposing their values on me." -Chinese gay man to Chinese court seeking right to marry If we (gays) can't marry than you (heterosexuals) can't divorce. Check your bible.
The second time I told my Mom who I was/am she kept going to get the Bible, but instead of her overpowering me mentally this time,as she did in the past, I had the Holy Spirit & The Lord (I had prayed,fasted,& put it in the Lord's Hands for so many years since my 1st approach,I actually was a senior in high school) So 40 years later I had kept the faith, altho I didn't go to Church very often, I knew This Time it was Between God & I,Not God,Mom,& I,& I told her Good Did Not Make A Mistake When He Created Me,(if I could tell you about my birth, just to lengthy, I don't understand how a Mother could shun her Child) l told her I knew what the Bible says & is interpreted by most,But God Doesn't Make Mistakes,& I Know Without A Doubt,& In My ❤️ Heart,God Loves Me, and So She Needed to Stop listening to mankind and Take it To The Lord and Savior and Open Her Heart & Soul like Never before and God would open her eyes.She didn't speak to me (one really harsh voicemail telling me my Insurance was due,no bye Love you, just hung up) until 3months later,she was at my front door, early on a Sunday morning, and she had to tell me Because my Father couldn't muster up the strength to get out the vehicle to tell me,that my only Nephew, their only Grandson was thrown out of his truck and it had rolled on top of him and taken his life.She isn't accepting of my lifestyle, but it is just not brought up,she says she Loves me, but I don't think she is letting God in her❤️, she's very mindset & won't admit her faults,so I just live a lonely life because of the age I am now,& not being accepted by my Mother & Sister,my Father may not even know, I didn't tell him, I doubt my Mother did either. Sorry if this kinda jumps around but I did good to get this written down.
*Good was supposed to have said Good, I didn't go back over it or I'd never sent it.
You're someone I wish I knew and could talk to.
When do some mothers learn about boundaries? There are still boundaries and those grow as your offspring gets older.
Respect! Wish you a life of love and happiness!
NEVER LIVE YOUR LIFE HOW OTHER PEOPLE WANT YOU TO LIVE IT..........BE YOURSELF AND BE FREE
This is a touching interview, and reaches me as a woman who was forced into ex-gay counseling. I did not realize I felt so much self-loathing until then. Perhaps I was forced by these Southern Baptists to loathe myself. But what's most important to me is that I have not abandoned God, and he has not abandoned me.
How do you know with certainty that God has not abandoned you?
Every time I watch these videos, I get a heaviness in my Heart ! To hear what these young individuals have had to go through, just to be their true selves.
It’s heartbreaking that in this very day and age, Parents continue to demonize their Gay children. Thank God, it’s not all Parents !
As if it’s not difficult enough in the teen years, in general. But realizing your gay as well.
It’s no surprise, why some teens don’t have an open dialect, with their Parents
!
My hope is, this young man can live his life, with an abundance of Love and unwavering support ! He is deserving, he’s a child of God. 🌈
Luke thanks for sharing your story. I'm so glad and happy for you that you are living your life as you want. It's incredibly liberating to be able to stop pushing your feelings back.
Luke ..you are beautiful!!!
I wonder if for someone who was not born into a religious family it is easier to come out and accept themselves.
Whoa he's gorgeous.
I hope his life has been happy since taking that huge step
But what happened next?
My ears and eyes are in a tub-a-war; you sound so nice, but you look so fine.
I mean damn-call me
Not good memories are they ! Sad and pervasive among gays ....... GOD bless.
I hope his family was able to find it in their hearts to be happy for him and to accept his as he is rather than the person they wanted him to be.
I love this.
OMG he's hot...
He's handsome
WOW!! IS HE A VERY HANDSOME MAN!!! BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL!!!
Ah, what was she doing looking through your belongings at your age?
I love this x
luigi3duran If your shallow so am I ! lol
Is the interviewer not allowed to show any emotion? He look petrified! Also looks like Dr. Sheldon Cooper (lol).
A handsome sweet man with great dignity
@XxCrisisCoreFreakxX HAHAHA I could see it! nice catch!
I FEEL LIKE I WAS JUST REBORN! /
At the risk of being considered shallow,he is a very attractive man with a gorgeous voice! On a much deeper level,'cause I can do deep,lol,his story should encourage all those LGBT folk who's lives seem blighetd by the confusion of their sexuality & their faith! You CAN have both!
"So I broke up with my girlfriend" 😂😂😂 you go, Luke!
So great that you could take control. ❤️
The stone of hatred gets cast back and forth by some Christian and some LGBTQ groups who despise Gay Christians bruised in the crossfire. The Healer is best received by those who are the most persecuted.
+Greg Z Grow up.
I agree with you Ray. He really needs to grow up.
Good post, Greg.