Seraphim Rose: Encyclopedia II - Seraphim Rose - Homosexuality

Seraphim Rose - Homosexuality

During his junior year at college, Eugene acknowledged his homosexuality and began a secret sexual relationship with Finnish-born Jon Gregerson. Eugene came out to his closest friends after his mother discovered letters penned between her son and Gregerson. He wrote to Larry McGilvery on June 17, 1956, "My mother had discovered, rather illegitimately (I shall tell you of it later), that I am a homosexual; If you have not surmised the fact already, it is time you know of it."^{[citation needed]} Eugene's mother disapproved in the early stages of what would become a decade-long relationship but Eugene's father accepted Gregerson. Gregerson said, "Once when we were in Carmel and we were leaving, his father took me aside. He said, 'I'm glad Eugene has a good friend like you.' He was a kind man."^{[citation needed]} Eugene shed his identity as a gay man as he slowly accepted Orthodoxy, eventually ending his long relationship with Gregerson.

There is no evidence that Eugene continued his homosexual behaviour after converting to Orthodoxy and becoming a monk. There are some persons who were close to Fr. Seraphim (such as Fr. Alexey - now Hieromonk Ambrose - Young) who assert they do not believe in his previous-to-conversion homosexuality^{[citation needed]}, and some of these (such as Fr. Lawrence of The Blessed Seraphim Hermitage in Etna) contest the authenticity of his homosexual letters^{[citation needed]}. Others such as Archbishop Lazar Puhalo claim that Fr. Seraphim continued to be a homosexual even after his conversion to orthodoxy^{[citation needed]}.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Homosexuality", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki