Scottish Bishop reveals his teenage love for another man
A Scottish Bishop has revealed that he was in love “unexpectedly” with another boy when he was a teenager.
Earlier this month, the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church took steps to allow clergy to marry same-sex couples, by taking a preliminary vote on the issue.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Scotland in December last year – but the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church and the Scottish Episcopal Church all currently remain opposed to equality.
The Right Reverend Mark Strange told the Press and Journal that: “Love is love regardless of gender and it affects people unexpectedly.”
He said that in his teenage years, he had fallen in love with two people – a man and a woman.
He went on: “I was unable to shape that emotion, however complicated it might be, and on both occasions that love was not returned.
“But I am always aware that things might have been different and that I would have been devastated if the church I belonged to had cast me aside because of who I happened to be in love with.
“I would therefore urge the church to move towards allowing those who love each other to make that declaration of love and commitment in church, without distinction of gender.
“For some the fluidity of their sexuality is a part of that creation, which I believe is from God.”
Bishop Strange is married to a woman, and has three children. He also spoke out in defence of adoption by same-sex couples, saying that while the adoption process should be “understandably stringent,” it should make no distinction about the sex of the prospective parents.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has warned clergy not to defy rules and begin marrying gay couples.
The first Pagan wedding took place in January this year, when a gay Hedge Witch couple literally tied the knot in Edinburgh.
