Diversity Rules Magazine

Tony Guadagnino is a marke ng consultant. Located in New Jersey, his clients are based across the country, focus- ing on social media to build their pres- ence on the inter- net. He studied crea ve wri ng in college and is cur- rently working his first novel on the subject of bullying. He lives with his partner Mark. Now, there is a ques on that I am sure most of you never knew was asked. In researching the saint, I learned a few things that I am going to share. Let me start by sharing this li le dbit: We all know that St. Patrick's Day is March 17th, but did you know that was the day that St. Patrick died, not was born. Have you ever heard of a person whom we celebrate the day of his death, not his birth? King Jr, Lincoln, Washington, Columbus … we celebrate their birth- day, not the date of their demise. And, we all know the fable that St. Patrick rid Ireland of all its snakes. As the legend states, St. Patrick led all the snakes to the sea while he was under a ack by them during a 40 day fast. I am sorry to destroy this story for all of you, but it is false. St. Patrick lived during the fi h century, yet there is documented ev- idence that there were no snakes as early as the 3rd century. There is evidence that there were never any snakes way back when the glaciers melted away and life formed on land. Folklore gave him credit that he did not deserve. But, I digress! Now, how many of you know that Patrick was origi- nally living in Great Britain, but when he was sixteen years old, Irish pirates captured him and took him to Ireland as a slave. At that me, slaves were used not only to maintain the property but were also sex slaves to his owner. It took him six years to escape and return to his home, where he studied Chris an- ity, returning to Ireland as a missionary. It was here where he dived deeply into his religion, eventually becoming a bishop of Chris anity. Do you know how Patrick taught the Holy Trinity? It is also associated with St. Patrick's Day. It is the Shamrock. Yep, the three-leafed plant was used to illustrate the teaching of the three persons in one God (the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit). Patrick is o en depicted with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other. Now, what does that have to do with St Patrick possi- bly being gay? Well, I wanted to give a brief descrip- on of the man before I tell you the truth. There is no real hard evidence that St. Patrick was a member of the homosexual community. (Believe me, when I tell you, I looked for it.) We all know there were lots of people who buried themselves in their religions, spou ng the word of God and criminalizing same- sex rela ons, only to remove their holy robes at the church door and go to a gay sex party in the heart of the city, releasing their hypocri cal tendencies to a different audience. Whether you wish to believe that St. Patrick was gay is of personal choice. While you're out celebra ng this March 17th, whether you're ea ng corn beef and cabbage with a slice of soda bread, drinking the Shamrock Shake at McDonald's, or simply bar hop- ping across town in your sexy green ou it, remem- ber to honor St. Patrick for this holiday. 14 |Diversity Rules Magazine| Mar 2022 Was St. Patrick Gay? By Tony Guadagnino

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