FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/14/2008

Christian De La Huerta To Speak At Bridgewater College

BRIDGEWATER, Va. — Christian de la Huerta, author of "Coming Out Spiritually," will speak on "Beyond Belief: the Importance of Religious Diversity in Today's World" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, in Cole Hall at Bridgewater College.

Publisher's Weekly named Coming Out Spiritually, De la Huerta's first book, as one of the top 10 religion books of 1999. He offers in the book a spiritual history of the queer community and information on many of the world's religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Sufism and Taoism.

De la Huerta was raised Catholic in communist Cuba, during a time when it was a risk to go to church. He thought for a time that he might become a priest, but his own religion's strong anti-gay views turned him completely away from religion for a time.

At age 29, De la Huerta realized that something was missing in his life. He sold everything and embarked on what he calls a "spiritual journey."

He began studying various religions and spiritual practices and ended up in San Francisco, where he found many spiritual teachers to assist him.

He founded Q-Spirit, a public benefit organization, and wrote for the Advocate, Genre, Hero, OUT and OutTraveler.

Graduating with honors in psychology from Tulane University, De la Huerta has been a seminar leader and group facilitator for the past 13 years. He speaks to and leads workshops with religious communities, and is a regular speaker on college campuses.

The convocation, sponsored by the Anna B. Mow Endowed Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.

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