(Editor’s note: As the World Bank announces a landmark research project on the economic costs of homophobia, the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle reflects on what it feels like to be on the first-ever LGBT panel at the world Bank’s Spring Civil Society meetings this week.)

Five-hundred civil society organizations are gathering from all over the world this weekend at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. to engage in discourse with the World Bank staff.

I conducted a workshop a couple of weeks ago in Milwaukee, Wisc. based on my book, “Coming Out To Ourselves … Admitting, Accepting Who We Truly Are.” The title of the workshop is “It’s My Story, and It’s Sticking to Me.”

Much of the workshop has to do with what we believe and tell ourselves, about our past, other people, and even God (Spirit, the Universe, our Higher Power).

America’s most high-profile Catholic official, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, says that gays and lesbians are “entitled to friendship” with each other, but that “sexual love” is intended only between a man and a woman.

In 2013, we aren’t always very patient.

Fax machines aren’t fast enough, so we scan and then email whatever it is. And the email better be there in the blink of an eye (or faster), or we will be looking for a new service provider.

We don’t want to get dressed to go to the ATM to deposit a check, so we can scan it on our smart phone and the funds go right into our bank account.
We stand in front of the microwave and yell “hurry!” (Well, at least I do, but don’t tell anyone.)