Posted June 21st, 2011 by outerlimits
Acceptance of being gay is important to our happiness
Gay people have not always felt well served by the pioneering psychology of Carl Gustav Jung ( 1875- 1961 ) who came to take a radically different path to the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, which embraced the wider realm of faith and religion, alchemy and mysticism. He viewed the goal of life with the insights of his system of analytical psychology as a process of individuation towards wholeness.
From a Jungian perspective, it is essential to have the courage to fully accept ourselves as gay individuals, so coming out properly is a most important step towards wholeness. Jung’s approach to homosexuality was one of social acceptance and tolerance: being gay did not in any way devalue anyone as a member of society, and he was against any laws being passed against it. He also recognised that homoseuality was a part of all times and cultures worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted June 2nd, 2011 by outerlimits
A gay new world at every stage of our lives
To be young was once highly prized on the gay scene, but a whole generation has reached maturity since the first performance of the musical ‘Hair’ announced the dawn of a new age of peace, love, and beneficent social revolution. By 2017 in the UK, there will be more of us over 65 than children under 5, for the first time. Where is the gay population heading with its wealth of accumulated experience, and how can we get the best out of this braver, newer society? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted May 6th, 2011 by outerlimits
As a gay man I’ve held a long fascination and attachment to James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon (first published in 1933), and I want to examine its deeper meaning for me (and for us as gay people), apart from any literary merit it may possess. The book has enjoyed huge popularity over the years, boosted by major film adaptations, but, as far as I know, no one has looked at it in this way until now. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted February 22nd, 2011 by outerlimits
What really makes gay people happy? The coalition goverment has proposed a happiness index, which will assess the general psychological wellbeing of the country. Defining happiness is a very complicated exercise, however, and I’d like to think for a moment about what really makes us as gay people happy.
When Terry Sanderson’s book, How To Be A Happy Homosexual was published in 1986 , it dealt with practical matters and gave encouragement to those feeling oppressed. With the relative liberation past decades have brought us and increased self-belief, it’s useful to look at what makes us happiest now. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted February 6th, 2011 by outerlimits
Edward I, the father of a gay king, founded the East Yorkshire port of Hull on the Humber Estuary in 1299. His son, the Prince of Wales (Edward II), though married to Queen Isabella, found a guy called Piers Gaveston much more to his liking. Poor Piers was executed on crossing the Earl of Warwick, homosexuality then being a capital crime.
There’s a kind of poetic justice then in the fact that Hull’s post-2004 gay scene has played its own special part in reviving the region’s fortunes after severe job losses amongst seafarers and trawlermen. There’s a subterranean courage here, aptly symbolized by a huge, stylish aquarium (The Deep), that would have made both Edwards proud. Read the rest of this entry »
