But, you know, it can be boring when most of your friends - well, I'm black. MICHAEL ARCENEAUX: One thing I will say about the Catholic Church that I actually enjoyed was kind of the pageantry of it. So you were raised Catholic, and you say the traditions associated with the black church were different from the church traditions you grew up with. He writes for The Root and Essence and has an advice column on Into, which describes itself as a digital magazine for the modern queer world. Over time, he says he's tried to unlearn every damaging thing he's seen and heard about his identity. Arceneaux abandoned the Catholic Church about 16 years ago, in what he describes as an act of self-preservation after deciding he was no longer willing to be part of an institution that condemned him for who he was.
It's called 'I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, And Other Reasons I've Put My Faith In Beyonce.' It's a collection of personal essays about his early years growing up in Houston black, Catholic and gay. My guest Michael Arceneaux has written a new book whose title will give you an idea of his sense of humor.