Daniel C. Mattson

"being gay" vs. just a man

"Same-sex attractions have as much power over my life as I allow them to have. This is one reason I have chosen not to be gay, and not to come out as a gay man. No doubt my same-sex attractions impact other areas of my life, but I believe I place them in a far healthier place by refusing to "come out" and thereby placing "being gay" at the center of my life. That holds no interest for me. I'd rather know myself — and be known — as just a man, just the way God created me." — Daniel C. Mattson

Daniel C. Mattson is a writer and a public speaker who proclaims the Good News of the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality and from time to time, he is invited to give his personal testimony to groups around the country. His story is told in the award-winning documentary Desire of the Everlasting Hills. A professional orchestral trombone player, Mattson has performed and presented master classes around the world, including at the famed St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. He also blogs under a pseudonym at LettersToChristopher.wordpress.com.

Publications

• Mattson first began writing about faith and homosexuality in 2012 in an article for First Things called "Why I Don't Call Myself a Gay Christian".
• In his 2017 frank memoir Why I Don't Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace, Mattson chronicles his journey to and from a gay identity, finding peace in his true identity, as a man, made in the image and likeness of God. Part autobiography, part philosophy of life, and part a practical guide in living chastely, the book draws lessons from Mattson's search for inner freedom and integrity, sharing wisdom from his failures and successes. His lifelong search for happiness and peace comes full circle in his realization that, above all else, what is true about him is that he is a beloved son of God, loved into existence by God, created for happiness in this life and the next. Mattson's book is for anyone who has ever wondered who he is, why he is here, and, in the face of suffering, where to find joy, happiness, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

See also

• ABC Theory of Emotion
• Ideomotor effect
• Metanoia
• Sexual abuse being a contributing factor for homosexuality