As a former seminarian, I have witnessed the effects of men trying to cover their homosexuality and men that flaunt it openly first hand. I find both conditions to be equally destructive to the formation process and to the dignity of those men and the priesthood. Because they did not feel able to openly express their sexuality, I saw men turn to alcohol, eating disorders, seclusion, and even sexual acting out with females to “prove” themselves as hetero. I saw men scandalize other seminarians and the general public with flamboyant displays of their homosexuality in a kind of “In Your Face” attitude about chastity. I was sickened by both. Watching perfectly good candidates for the priesthood, men who really loved the Church and felt called to serve as her priests throw it all away because so much focus was placed on their sexuality was saddening and frustrating. Watching men use their position as seminarians as a soapbox for gay rights and the overall acceptance of the gay lifestyle was equally dismaying.
Jeff