<![CDATA[Growing Up Gay and Amish]]>James Schwartz was raised in an Amish community in Michigan. In a segment on HuffPost Live, he shared his struggle to fit into this group when he realized he was gay.

"If an Amish youth comes out to his parents and says 'I'm gay', then they really don't have any choice," he said. "They're going to have to leave. Unless they choose, of course, to stay in the closet."

James eventually made the decision to leave his first home. "Going to my first gay club, I sort of felt for the first time that sense of community, and others that were like me," he shared. "They really gave me the courage and strength to decide to live life for me instead of making a lot of other Amish people happy."

Schwartz joined host Nancy Redd to discuss growing up in homophobic communities along with Nate Phelps, LGBT and anti-abuse advocate and son of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, Bob Pardon, Executive Director of Meadowhaven, a long-term recovery center for survivors of high-control organizations, and Libby Jane, who grew up a member of the Vision Forum/Quiverfull movement.

Video @ hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/05/growing-up-gay-and-amish_n_1942538.html?1349448596&icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl24|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D216245

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/topic/5984/growing-up-gay-and-amishRSS for NodeWed, 08 Apr 2026 09:07:26 GMTSat, 06 Oct 2012 19:57:49 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Growing Up Gay and Amish on Thu, 30 Oct 2014 11:52:40 GMT]]>I always find these situations fascinating. I cant imagine how hard it must be for those people living in communities like that. but glad he found the strength to live for HIM and not for others.

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/post/110967https://community.gaytor.rent/post/110967Thu, 30 Oct 2014 11:52:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Growing Up Gay and Amish on Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:48:32 GMT]]>🙂

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/post/108000https://community.gaytor.rent/post/108000Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:48:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Growing Up Gay and Amish on Mon, 28 Jul 2014 04:52:00 GMT]]>i met one time at a sex party in NY a hassidic jewish.

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/post/101397https://community.gaytor.rent/post/101397Mon, 28 Jul 2014 04:52:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Growing Up Gay and Amish on Wed, 02 Jul 2014 17:32:14 GMT]]>::)

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/post/99882https://community.gaytor.rent/post/99882Wed, 02 Jul 2014 17:32:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Growing Up Gay and Amish on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 19:00:43 GMT]]>This sounds like a gay film script in 2014 :cheesy2:

]]>https://community.gaytor.rent/post/90205https://community.gaytor.rent/post/90205Mon, 02 Sep 2013 19:00:43 GMT