At first mention, religion and homosexuality don't seem to be words that go together in most societies. We all know that if you're religious: a) you aren't gay; b) you are homophobic; c) you are pulling out your Bible right now to pray for me.

By now, I hope you can sense my sarcasm. It's a societal norm to think or believe that the words gay and religion have no co-existence. That is simply not true.

I'm sure you've heard of the controversy brewing in Boulder, Colorado. If not, let me catch you up. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School will not be allowing a pre-school student back into school next year. The reason?  The child's parents' sexual orientation.  According to 9 News in Denver, the Archdiocese of Denver says, "No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school's philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese."

At first, I wondered how the Church could do this to an innocent child. What was the reason behind the decision? Then my thought process went to the parents: Why on earth would a lesbian couple choose to put their own child in a private Catholic school? It's almost like setting the child up for failure-or at the very least, confusion. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is wrong.

The parents didn't contact the press; it was a teacher at the school who decided to talk publicly about it. When the couple was asked about it, they didn't want to talk about it, wanting to protect the Church. They don't consider themselves to be gay activists, nor are they on a mission to change the Church. To them, being Catholic is what's important to them-not standing out in society. They never drew attention to themselves, never walked in any gay pride parades.

The couple has a deep, personal history with the Catholic Church and Catholic education and wanted the same for their child. The children were baptized in the Catholic Church and attend Sunday school and mass on a regular basis. They weren't interested in what society-gay or straight-had to say about the choices they made. It was a choice they made for their family.

So if the parents are religious, does that make what the Church did OK? While debating this thought in my head, I heard a viewpoint from a person that I never thought I'd agree with: Bill O'Reilly from FOX News. (Yes, I said it. Mark it down, chalk it up; it won't happen again!) O'Reilly made a very valid point about the situation in Boulder while interviewing Father Jonathan Morris. If the Church wants to kick a child out of their school because their parents don't conform to what the Church believes, then why only the children with homosexual parents? What about the divorced straight couples? What about parents who are adulterers? A sin is a sin.

It doesn't matter what my opinion is, what your opinion is, or even what Mr. O'Reilly thinks. The Catholic religion is, was, and will continue to be important enough to this lesbian couple in Boulder that they will remain devout Catholics, even if their children aren't accepted into the Catholic school of their choice. In America, religion is a choice. And it's a choice, believe it or not, even people of the gay community choose.

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