Lars Clausen | Into the Wild

November 24, 2007

Interview with Lars Clausen (Thanksgiving) [11:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

LARS CLAUSEN is a former pastor, activist, author and Guinness World Record holder. He speaks with us about the importance of family on holidays, about his experiences off the beaten path, and about the new movie Into the Wild, based on Jon Krakauer’s novel. Lars’ award-winning books are available from his website at www.straightintogayamerica.com

His entire book is available at no cost for a limited time as a PDF download. Visit his website for more details. Here is Lars’ brief description of his journey from the front page of his site:

During 5 weeks and 1,000 miles of unicycling for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equal rights:

No one cited Biblical injunctions against me unicycling on the road.

No one studied the constitution to see what to do with my one wheel preference.

No one said to me. “We have our place. You have your place.”

No one forced me to ride in a closet.

What if we celebrated LGBT difference as easily as the difference between bicycling and unicycling, as a gift to be thankful for among all the standard wheel arrangements?

I rode my unicycle to collect everyday stories, to show that queer people live normal lives, that there’s nothing to be afraid of from gay people, that the friendships I’ve developed through the years can be found everywhere, and that the church’s damnation of gay people is all wrong. I rode as a pastor to argue a point. (Read more from the Introduction)