Kittredge Cherry's Blog: Q Spirit, page 4

صلاة قوس قزح المسيح (Rainbow Christ Prayer in Arabic)

Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry Arabic and Hebrew translations of the Rainbow Christ Prayer are being posted simultaneously at Q Spirit to show support for LGBTQ people affected by the recent violence in Israel and Gaza. The prayer shows the many faces of the queer Christ. Here is an Arabic version […]

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Top 23 LGBTQ Christian books of 2023 named

Last Updated on December 3, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry Check out the top 23 LGBTQ Christian books of 2023 — including theology, Bible, memoir, church life and history by diverse authors. The list was announced today by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry at Qspirit.net. “Inflation and book bans didn’t stop readers from buying LGBTQ Christian […]

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National Cathedral service includes prayer by Kittredge Cherry of Q Spirit

Last Updated on December 1, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry is honored that her prayer was part of the Washington National Cathedral’s annual worship service for Matthew Shepard on Nov. 30, 3023. They also included her prayer in 2021 and 2022. The prayer begins, “Loving God of the rainbow promise,” and […]

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Matthew Shepard: Modern gay martyr inspired hate-crime laws

Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry Matthew Shepard is a modern gay martyr whose unusually cruel murder in October 1998 got international attention and inspired laws against anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. He was a 21-year-old openly gay student at the University of Wyoming at the time. Washington National Cathedral honored Shepard in a […]

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Trans Saints? Early cross-dressing monks and martyrs share similar lives

Last Updated on November 20, 2023 by

Early Christian cross-dressing monks are being reclaimed as possible transgender or LGBTQ saints. More than 20 saints share a similar story: They escaped their lives as women and lived as men, joining monasteries or becoming religious hermits. They usually spent the rest of their lives as men, often for decades. In most cases their biological sex was discovered by shocked communities after they died.

The church honors these queer saints for living holy lives, despite the Biblical prohibitions against women dressing as men in Deuteronomy 22:5. These intriguing saints were assigned female at death.  They are usually venerated as women by the official church, but today they are sometimes categorized as transgender men, butch lesbians, transmasculine, nonbinary or genderqueer people.

People from history never fit neatly into contemporary categories, but these saints do show that Christianity has accepted and even celebrated people who lived differently from the sex that was assigned to them at birth.

These were not the medicalized gender transitions of today, and female saints may have adopted male personas for reasons that differ from the 21st-century transgender path. Historians say that they may have crossed the gender barrier because men were considered more holy back then and it was safer to be a man when travelling or living in the wilderness. Historians have not yet identified any male saints who lived their lives as women.

The male-to-female counterpart may be eunuch saints, such as the Ethiopian eunuch who was welcomed as an early church convert in Biblical times, Cosmas the Eunuch of sixth-century Palestine, and Chusdazat of fourth-century Persia. There were also male saints who wrote and spoke (metaphorically) of being female. For example, Francis of Assisi described himself as a “poor woman” when he met with the Pope and liked to be called “Lady Poverty.” Jerome, the fourth-century saint who translated the Bible into Latin, imagined himself as Mary Magdalene or the woman in Song of Songs… and there is a legend about how he was tricked into wearing a dress as a joke. Theodora and Didymus are fourth-century male and female Christian martyrs who exchanged clothes to help Theodora escape a brothel. Another idea about the lack of male-to-female saints is that they are “hiding in plain sight” because elaborate clergy robes allowed queer men to satisfy their need to dress in feminine style.

Biographies of transgender or cross-dressing saints

Here are short biographies of saints who crossed gender lines. The headlines are linked to full articles about them on Q Spirit if available. Q Spirit’s goal is to do complete articles on all of them in the future.  Joan of Arc is a well known cross-dressing saint, but she is not included on this list because she never tried to pass as male.

Agnes of Moncada / Benjamin de la Cartuja
Agnes of Moncada (also known as Inés de Moncada and Inés Pedrós Alpicat) was a 15th-century Spanish saint who switched gender identities from female to male.  When she was four years old, Agnes had visions of the baby Jesus. She wanted to devote her life to God, so she escaped a heterosexual marriage planned by her parents, and tried to enter a monastery as a man in the Valencian region of Serra.  Rejection followed quickly when Agnes confessed.  They made an agreement that the saint-to-be could live in a nearby cave in solitude as a hermit.  Under the name Benjamin de la Cartuja, he lived and prayed there for 20 years until death in 1428 on his birthday, June 25. This holy person was not officially canonized, but is referred to as “Venerable.”

Anastasia / Anastasius the Patrician
Anastasia / Anastasius the Patrician of Alexandria is a sixth-century saint who was a lady-in-waiting to an empress before adopting a male identity as a eunuch monk in the Skete, an Egyptian desert region where many cross-dressing hermits lived. Anatasius lived in seclusion as a desert hermit for 28 years. The gender transition story came out to great acclaim after the saint’s death. This queer saint’s feast day is March 10.

Anna / Euphemianos of Constantinople
Anna / Euphemianos the New or Anna of Constantinople is an 8th-century saint who changed from female to male identity after her husband and children died. This saint’s feast day is Oct. 29. Adopting the male name Euphemianos, he joined a monastery and later lived in the wilderness of present-day Turkey.

Apollinaria / Dorotheos: Queer saint crossed gender line to become a monk in 5th-century Egypt  
Saint Apollinaria or Dorotheos has been called a transgender icon or a cross-dressing saint. Assigned female at birth, Apollinaria adopted the name Dorotheos and entered a monastery as a man in fifth-century Egypt.  Dorotheos’ father learned the secret when he accused the monk of getting his other daughter pregnant.  Otherwise Dorotheos lived as a monk until death, when the full story became public.  The story of Apollinaria / Dorotheos is similar to more than a dozen queer saints.  This saint is honored by churches on Jan. 5-6.

Athanasia / Athanasius of Antioch
Athanasia / Athanasius of Antioch / Egypt was a 6th- to 9th-century Syrian married saint who separated from husband Andronicus to live as a male hermit in the desert. Oct. 9 is the feast day of this queer couple in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. After 12 years apart, they reunited and lived as ascetics for 12 more years, but Andronicus never recognized his spouse until they were parted by death. A letter from “Father Athanasius” revealed the truth. Official accounts say, “The astonishment of Andronicus, as well as of the other hermits, was beyond description.”

Christina of Markyate
Christina of Markyate (c. 1096-1160), English anchoress who dressed as a man to escape heterosexual marriage. This queer saint’s feast day was probably Dec. 5.

Eugenia/Eugenios of Rome
Eugenia / Eugenios of Rome is an early Christian martyr who was raised female, became an abbot with a male identity, and was revealed to have a female body after false accusations of adultery. This queer saint’s feast day is Dec. 24-25.

Euphrosyne / Smaragdus of Alexandria
Euphrosyne / Smaragdus (Emerald) of Alexandria is a 5th-century saint who left life as a woman to become a monk in an Egyptian monastery. Today (Sept. 27) is this queer saint’s feast day in the Episcopal church. In an apparent acknowledgement of same-sex desire in monasteries, the abbot orders young Smaragdus to live in a separate cell to avoid arousing the other monks. After decades as a monk, Smaragdus was assigned to care for the saint’s own father, who still grieved the disappearance of his only child. He did not recognize Smaragdus’ as his own lost child until the saint revealed the truth to him shortly before dying. They reconciled and the father became a monk in the same monastery, living in Smaragdus’ old cell. The feast day for Euphrosyne / Smaragdus is Sept. 25 in the Greek Orthodox Church and Jan. 16 in the Roman Catholic church.

Euphrosyne the Younger / Johannes
Euphrosyne the Younger / Johannes (c. 854-923) avoided marriage to a man by putting on male clothing, adopting the name Johannes and sailing away on a ship to live as a monk and hermit. After many years this queer saint resumed a female identity, returned to Constantinople and lived as a celebrated wise woman and holy ascetic. This is NOT the same Saint Euphrosyne who adopted the male name Smaragdus. This queer saint’s feast day is Nov. 8.

Eusebia / Hospita / Xenia
Eusebia is a fifth-century saint who escaped marriage when she and two “maids” all adopted male identities. Eusebia asked to be called Hospita or Xenia, both names that mean a stranger. They left Rome and after much wandering they built a chapel in Milas (present-day Turkey) where they lived in community with religious women. Eusebia’s feast days are Jan. 24, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.

Galla of Rome and Benedicta: Queer Roman saints — and lovers?
Galla of Rome was a sixth-century widow who avoided remarriage by growing a beard. She founded a hospital and convent, and begged to have her female beloved Benedicta accompany her into heaven. Galla’s feast day is Oct. 5 and Benedicta’s is May 6.

Hilaria / Hilarion
Hilaria / Hilarion is a fourth-century Egyptian saint who was raised as the daughter of Emperor Zeno, but transitioned to a male identity and lived in the desert as a monk known as Hilarion the Eunuch. Hilarion helps cast a demon out of his sister, who does not recognize her sibling. Their father objects to their intimacy, so Hilarion reveals the secret to his family and returns to life as a monk. This saint’s feast day is Jan. 29 in the Coptic church.

Hildegund of Shönau
Hildegund of Shönau near Cologne (also called Hildegonde of Neuss) is a German saint who was assigned female at birth but adopted the name Joseph and joined the Cistercian monastery of Schoenau near Heidelberg as a man. Hildegund/Joseph’s died on April 20, 1188 and has a feast day on April 20.

Hugolina/Hugo (Ugolina/Ugone) of Vercelli / Novaro
Hugolina of Novara, also called Hugolina of Vercelli (1239 -1300, Italy) “disguised herself as a man” and lived as a desert hermit.  This queer saint’s feast day is Aug. 8.

Marinos / Marina the Monk: Transgender parenting role model and patron saint
Marinos or Marina the Monk has been called a patron saint of transgender parenting or a cross-dressing saint. Assigned female at birth, Marina adopted the name Marinos and entered a monastery as a man in fifth-century Lebanon. Marinos embraced a male identity from that point onward, even after being falsely accused of fathering a child. He adopted the boy and raised him as his own son. This queer saint is celebrated on June 18 in the Roman Catholic Church. Marinos is one of the most popular figures among about two dozen transgender or cross-dressing saints with similar stories. This queer saint is celebrated on June 17 in the Episcopal church, June 18 in the Roman Catholic Church and on other dates in other traditions.

Matrona / Babylas of Perge founded 4th-century convent of nuns who dressed as men
Matrona of Perge, who lived as a eunuch named Babylas, founded a convent where nuns dressed as men in 5th-century Constantinople. Nuns under the leadership of Matrona / Babylas were granted a unique privilege by the local abbott: “He did not give her woolen girdles and veils such as women were accustomed to wear, but men’s wide black leather belts and men’s white mantles. And these they wore continuously,” says an early source. The feast day of Matrona / Babylas is Nov. 9.

Papula of Gaul
Papula of Gaul is a sixth-century French saint who was beaten for being too religious while being raised as a girl, but escaped to join a monastery in Tours as a man. This queer saint’s feast day is Jan. 31. Gregory, bishop of Tours, praised Papula as “a man among men” (vir into viros) in a 6th-century hagiography. Papula was so virtuous that the other monks chose him as abbot. Papula spent 30 years at the monastery, keeping the secret until three days before dying, when he asked that women prepare his body for burial. Many miracles are said to have occurred at Papula’s tomb.

Pelagia/Pelagios
Pelagia / Pelagios (or Margaret) the Penitent was a sex worker of 4th- or 5th-century Antioch who converted to Christianity and then moved to the desert and lived as a male hermit in a cave at Jerusalem. People were shocked to discover when Pelagia died that the holy ascetic man had a female body.  This queer saint’s feast day is Oct. 8.

Susanna / John of Euthereoplis
Susanna / John of Euthereoplis was a deacon and martyr in third-century Palestine who left life as a woman to live as a male monk.  This queer saint’s feast day is Sept. 19 or Dec. 15.

Theodora / Theodorus of Alexandria
Theodora/Theodorus of Alexandria, embraced as male identity and joined a desert monastery as a man, but was found to be a woman after death. Jan. 5 is the Episcopal feast day. It is Sept. 11 in other traditions.

Thecla of Iconium
Thecla or Thekla of Iconium is a first-century saint who is usually described as a young noblewoman who cut her hair short and dressed as a man to travel and spread the gospel. The Apostle Paul himself sent Thecla home to Iconium in present-day Turkey to continue preaching. Thecla gained a huge following and was the most prominent symbol of female empowerment in the early church. Thecla has been called a “transvestite saint and woman apostle.” Thecla’s feast day is Sept. 23 in the Episcopal and Catholic churches.

Wilgefortis: Holy bearded woman fascinates for centuries
Wilgefortis prayed to avoid marriage to a pagan king — and her prayers were answered when she grew a beard! Represented as a bearded woman on a cross, Wilgefortis has been popular since the Middle Ages, despite church disapproval. Legend says that Wilgefortis was the teenage Christian daughter of a king in medieval Portugal. She probably originates more in popular imagination than in history, but Wilgefortis continues to be an object of devotion in folk religion and a favorite character queer culture. Images of the bearded woman on a cross are plentiful across Europe and in Latin American folk retablos. Her alternate names include Uncumber, Liberata, Liberadamm Liverade, Kummernis, Komina, Beauvais, Comera, Cumerana, Debarras, Ulfe, Ohnkummer, Ontcommen, Ontcommere, Dignefortis, Europia, and Reginfledis. This virgin martyr’s feast day is July 20.

Xenia / Andrei of St. Petersburg: 18th-century widow adopted husband’s identity to become a queer saint and “holy fool”
Xenia / Andrei of St Petersburg is a queer 18th-century saint who married a soldier and assumed his identity after he died, becoming a “holy fool” who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The female-to-male saint showed up at the funeral in the husband’s military uniform, insisting on being called by his name and claiming that Xenia, not Andrei, had died. The saint gave away the family fortune and helped the poor and sick as Andrei for 45 years until death. This queer saint’s feast days are Jan. 24 and Feb. 6.

Resources on transgender or cross-dressing saints

For this article and many others, Q Spirit is indebted to the pioneering work of historian Paul Halsall, who taught at North Florida University in Jacksonville before returning to Manchester, England.  He is known for the extensive network of history websites that he created in the 1990s, including the Calendar of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Saints, which is still the definitive resource on the subject.  It is part of his larger Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Catholic Handbook. Q Spirit also thanks Terence Weldon, a gay Catholic expert on queer saints who blogs at Queering the Church. His articles Trans saints? Cross-dressing monks and Trans in Faith: Early Cross-Dressing Saints and Martyrs are especially helpful

Medieval society was fascinated by female-to-male cross-dressing. “Clothes Make the Man: Female Cross Dressing in Medieval Europe” by Valerie R. Hotchkiss has a wonderful “Hagiographic Appendix” with short bios of no less than 34 “transvestite saints.” All of them involve some form of cross-dressing to serve God, protect their virginity or avoid marrying a pagan.

Another helpful article is “The Little Known History of Transgender Saints” in the Advocate. It is written by Roland Betancourt, art history professor at University of California, Irvine and author of the 2020 book “Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages.” The chapter titled “Transgender Lives” covers narratives of trans and gender-nonconforming monks plus gender-affirming practices by ascetic action and surgery.

“Saints’ Lives and the Rhetoric of Gender: Male and Female in Merovingian Hagiography” by John Kitchen puts “the female saint in a male corpus” into scholarly historical perspective.

Transgender Christian books: New in 2023

“Forward!: Thoughts of a Trans Woman on the Christian Journey” by Lynn Elizabeth Walker. Foreword by David E. Weekley. Published by Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock.

“Raising Kids beyond the Binary: Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children” by Jamie Bruesehoff. Published by Broadleaf Books.

“Josephine: A Trans Story of Biblical Proportions” by J Mase III (author) and Wriply Bennet (illustrator).

Joseph, a popular figure in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, is a gender-nonconformist in this creative retelling. The book provides modern counter-narratives to dismantle anti-trans Biblical rhetoric. The author is a black/trans/queer poet. Raised in a Christian and Muslim home, Mase won a Lambda Literary Award for transgender nonfiction in 2020 for “The Black Trans Prayer Book.” It also appears on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2020. Published by‎ Tell Them I Was a Poet L.L.C.

 

Transgender Christian books and gifts: New in 2022

“In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey with Scripture” by Shannon T. L. Kearns.

Biblical narrative blends with a transgender priest’s own life story in this trans reading of scripture. His experiences are woven together with Bible stories such as Jacob wrestling with the angel, Rahab and the Israelite spies, Ezekiel and the dry bones, and the transfiguration of Jesus. Raised in the fundamentalist evangelical tradition, Kearns was ordained as the first transgender priest in the North American Old Catholic Church and co-founded QueerTheology.com. His book “Queers the Word: A 40-Day Devotional for LGBTQ+ Christians” is on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2020. Foreword by Paula Stone Williams, pastor and LGBTQ advocate. Published by Eerdmans, August 2022.

 

“Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation” by Robyn Henderson-Espinoza.

A non-binary transqueer Latinx theologian, activist and scholar weaves together memoir with theological reflection. The critical analysis provides fresh insights on embodiment, a core theme of Christian spirituality. The book considers which bodies count and why, the healing power of somatics, and embodiment as a vision for democracy. Based in Nashville, the author holds a PhD in religion from the University of Denver, attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and founded the Activist Theology Project. Published by Broadleaf Books, 2022.

“Trans Saints Exist” shirt with Marinos the Monk by Dani.

Proclaim “Trans Saints Exist” with a stylish shirt featuring a new icon of Saint Marinos the Monk. “Trans people are beloved by God. God resides in all queer people too,” says the text. Marinos or Marina the Monk has been called a patron saint of transgender parenting. The design is as beautifully radical as the message. The shirt is created by Dani, an LGBTQ-affirming Catholic artist based in California. Assigned female at birth, Marina adopted the name Marinos and entered a monastery as a man in fifth-century Lebanon. Marinos embraced a male identity from that point onward, even after being falsely accused of fathering a child. He adopted the boy and raised him as his own son. The shirt and more icons by Dani are available at the And Her Saints shop on Etsy.

 

Transgender Christian books: New in 2021

Interfaith
“Trans-Forming Proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence” by Liam Hooper.

Gender-transcendent peoples in the Bible are at the center of this genre-defying book. Original, well-informed scholarship is woven together with theology, memoir and poetry in a bold and unique structure. Texts sacred to both Christian and Jewish traditions are explored. The author is a transgender advocate with a master of divinity degree from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Formerly ordained clergy in the United Church of Christ, Hooper recently converted to Judaism. Published by Otherwise Engaged in December 2020.

 

“Trans Affirming Churches: How to Celebrate Gender-Variant People and Their Loved Ones” by Christina Beardsley and Chris Dowd.

Churches can improve their relationships with trans people by using this guide. It is based on first-hand interviews, the authors’ own experiences and scripture analysis. . Dowd has pastored multiple churches and Beardsley is a Church of England priest. Together they also co-authored “Transfaith: A Transgender Pastoral Care Handbook,” which was on Q Spirit’s 2018 top books list. Beardsley’s book “This Is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” was the number-one bestseller on Q Spirit’s 2016 top books list. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

 

“Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages” by Roland Betancourt.

Queer relationships and identities in medieval times are revealed. The chapter titled “Transgender Lives” covers narratives of trans and gender-nonconforming monks plus historical gender-affirming practices by ascetic action and surgery. The “Queer Sensation” chapter explores same-gender desire and homosocial and homoerotic relationships in monastic communities by looking at how they portrayed the gospel story of Doubting Thomas. The final chapter examines stereotypes of gender and ethnicity in portrayals of the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts. The radically intersectional book puts sexuality and gender into the context of discourses on race, sexual and reproductive consent, bullying and slut-shaming. The author is professor of art history and at the University of California, Irvine. Published by Princeton University Press.

 

Note: Print book price is more than $100. But an open access free download is available.
“Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography” by Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt (editors).

The 2021 scholarly book uses queer theory to examine medieval texts by and about gender non-conforming saints who resisted the standard gender binary. The collection showcases scholarship by emerging trans and genderqueer authors, as well as established writers. Whole chapters are devoted to Mother Juana de la Cruz, Joseph of Schonau, Saint Katherine of Alexandria, Patriarch Ignatios (Ignatius of Constantinople), Euphrosine, Marinos the Monk and much more. Alicia Spencer-Hall is a fellow at Queen Mary University of London (UK) and Blake Gutt is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Michigan. It was published by Amsterdam University Press.

More transgender Christian books

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Transfaith: A Transgender Pastoral Care Handbook” by Chris Dowd and Christina Beardsley with Justin Tanis.
This practical resource can help congregations welcome transgender people. Chapters cover terminology, church writings on trans people, theological reflections, Bible studies with discussion points, extensive bibliography, and liturgies such as a rite for preparation for surgery and a renaming ceremony, A chapter on transgender people in the United States is written by Tanis, who directs the LGBTQ center at Pacific School of Religion. Dowd has pastored multiple churches and Beardsley is a Church of England priest. Beardsley’s book “This is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” was the #1 bestseller on Q Spirit’s Top 35 LGBTQ Christian books of 2016. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd, 2018.

 

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians” by Austen Hartke.

Stories of Bible characters and transgender Christians alive today help equip readers to build a more inclusive church. The author is creator of the YouTube series “Transgender and Christian” and graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies. Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.

 

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Transfigured: A 40-Day Devotional for Gender-Queer and Transgender People” by Suzanne DeWitt Hall.

Be transfigured by the inclusive love and insights in this 40-day devotional for only $10. “Transfigured” is aimed at gender-queer and transgender people, but anyone will be blessed by its liberating scripture-based meditations. Meet “our gender-full God” and the Biblical eunuchs who became “non-binary heroes.” Discover how the Bible affirms gender complexity, transformation and freedom. Each day concludes with an inspirational quote from a variety of thinkers, from classics such as Saint Bonaventure and C.S. Lewis to contemporary trans trailblazers such as Austen Hartke and H. Adam Ackley. This is Volume 2 of the “Where True Love Is” series. The first volume was a bestseller on Q Spirit’s Top 25 LGBTQ Christian books of 2017. Foreword by Paula Stone Williams, a transgender woman, Colorado pastor and popular speaker on LGBTQ rights. The author is a freelance writer and HuffPost blogger who lives in Massachusetts with her wife. Published by DH Strategies, 2018.

 

BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“This Is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” by Christina Beardsley and Michelle O’Brien (editors).

Transgender Christians speak for themselves in this collection. They give voice to faith and theology grounded in specific yet diverse experiences beyond the usual gender identity imposed by church tradition. The book brings hope, anger and grace, plus a review of the latest theological, cultural and scientific literature. Many contributors come from the Sibyls, a confidential spirituality group for transgender people and allies in the United Kingdom. Foreword by Susannah Cornwall. Beardsley is a Church of England priest, hospital chaplain and activist for trans inclusion in the church. Raised Anglican, O’Brien does advocacy, research, lecturing and writing on intersex and trans issues. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd.

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BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“Transgender, Intersex and Biblical Interpretation” by Teresa Hornsby and Deryn Guest.

Biblical affirmation for LGBTQI people is presented by two well-known Bible scholars. They show that in the Bible, gender identity and sexual orientation are always dynamic categories that do, and must, transition. The book examines familiar (e.g., Gen 1; Revelation) and less familiar (2 Sam 6; Jer 38) scriptures to reveal the bias that makes heterosexuality and a binary two-gender system seem divinely ordained. They critique how biblical texts are used in Christian positional statements on transsexuality and provide statistic on violence against trans persons. Teresa Hornsby is religious studies professor at Drury University, Springfield, Missouri. Deryn Guest is lecturer in Biblical hermeneutics at the University of Birmingham, England. Published by SBL Press (Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880).

 

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“OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation” by Mx. Chris Paige.

A comprehensive look at gender-nonconforming people in the Bible is provided in this new guide. Scholarly yet accessible, the book synthesizes 25 years of transgender-affirming biblical scholarship. Sections cover creation, clobber passages, eunuchs, and Jewish and Christian traditions, with an epilogue on “Living OtherWise Ever After.” The author co-founded TransFaith and published “The Other Side” magazine. Published by Otherwise Engaged in 2019.

 

“The Bible and the Transgender Experience: How Scripture Supports Gender Variance” by Linda Tatro Herzer.

This clear, easy-to-read book shows how the Bible affirms transgender, queer and intersex people. Individual chapters examine eunuchs, Leviticus, cross-dressing, Jesus, creation, choice, gender-variant people in the Bible, and gifts that gender-variant people bring. It includes a helpful discussion guide and advice on “how to make your congregation or group trans friendly.” The author is an active ally who pastored a predominantly LGBTQI church where 10 percent of congregants identified as trans men, trans women, cross-dressers, or genderqueer. Published by Pilgrim Press.

 

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“Trans-Gender: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith” (2018 edition) by Justin Sabia-Tanis.

A classic is back. A trans clergy person explores the spiritual nature of transgender people and gives voice to their experiences with theological reflection on ministries by and for trans people. The book provides an intro to trans issues, an overview of gender variance and the Bible, guidance on how to build faith communities that welcome trans people, analysis of “gender as a calling” and transgender body theology. Scholarly yet accessible, the book was missed by many during the years it was out of print. The author is a United Church of Christ clergy who ministered at churches in Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco; and is now managing director of the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. The original 2003 edition was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and came from UCC publisher Pilgrim Press. The 2018 edition is published by Wipf and Stock.

 

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“Retreating Forward: A Spiritual Practice with Transgender Persons” by David Elias Weekley.

A model for transformational retreats is presented in this educational resource for individuals, spiritual leaders, and faith communities that support transgender people. A queer theology of radical love is explained and put into practice. The author is a United Methodist pastor, transgender advocate and member of the transgender community. Foreword by British equality activist David Watters. Published by Wipf and Stock.

 

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“Transgender Children of God” by Megan Rohrer.

Even a child can understand transgender identity with this heartwarming book aimed at kids ages 2 to 8. “Transgender children of God play with both dolls and trucks. No matter what you play with, God will love you,” it begins. The books goes on to proclaim God’s love regardless of what you wear, how you look or how you mix male and female. It also affirms transgender parents, although it can be read by any progressive family of faith. The author is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran Church. Published by Wilgefortis/Lulu Press. Available in both paperback and e-book versions. For more info and a sample page, see First-ever LGBT religious children’s books published.

Book: Trans-Gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry)[image error] by Justin Tanis

Book: Omnigender: A Trans-religious Approach[image error] by Virginia Mollenkott (2001)

Book: Transgendering Faith: Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality[image error] by Leanne Tigert (editor)

Related links

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Spiritual resources (Q Spirit)

Transgender Day of Visibility celebrated with art, books and resources (Q Spirit)

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit in September 2019, expanded with new material over time, underwent a major update on Nov. 18, 2022, and was most recently updated on Nov. 19, 2023.

The post Trans Saints? Early cross-dressing monks and martyrs share similar lives appeared first on Q Spirit.

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Spiritual resources

Last Updated on November 19, 2023 by

Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20) commemorates those who were killed due to anti-transgender prejudice. Spiritual and religious resources that affirm transgender people are presented here.

The annual event serves the dual purpose of honoring the dead and raising public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people—that is, transsexuals, crossdressers, and other gender-variant people.

Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 to honor Rita Hester, an African American transgender woman murdered in Massachusetts on Nov. 28, 1998. The outpouring of grief and anger over her death led to the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a candlelight vigil in San Francisco. Since then it has grown into an international phenomenon observed around the world.  Some also consider it a day of resistance and resilience as well as remembrance.  Transgender Awareness Week is observed for the week leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR).

Transgender Day of Remembrance by Mikhaela Reidhttp://www.mikhaela.net/

Political cartoonist Mikhaela Reid pictures some of the more prominent victims of anti-transgender violence in the illustration above. The include transgender man Brandon Teena, whose 1993 murder is told in the popular movie “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Some transgender murders were connected to U.S. immigration enforcement.  In 2019, Johana Medina Leon, a transgender woman from El Salvador seeking U.S. asylum, died four days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement released her to a hospital in Texas, and Camila Diaz Cordova was killed in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

Religious violence against queer or transgender people goes back at least as far as Biblical times and continued in the Middle Ages.  A few of the many examples are saints Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake for cross-dressing and Wilgefortis, who was crucified for being a bearded woman.

Living as trans is a holy act

For Transgender Day of Remembrance, artist Angela Yarber painted the icon at the top of this post. It was inspired by a former congregant named Emily, a respected doctor who could not imagine being outed or transitioning in the medical community where she served.

Her tribute to the transgender woman who committed suicide was painted for the Tehom Center (formerly called Holy Women Icons Project) , where Yarber is founder and creative director. She is a painter, author, scholar, dancer, minister and LGBTQ-rights activist based in Hawaii and North Carolina. She earned a Ph.D. in art and religion from the Graduate Theological Union at the University of California in Berkeley. In 2020 she started a Holy Drag Queens series that “elevates the amazing queens who do sacred work in reminding all humanity of our dignity, fabulousness, and self-worth.” Nearly 50 color images of her folk feminist icons included in her book “Holy Women Icons.”

“Emily taught me what it means to remain faithful when the world and the church is unfaithful to you,” Yarber wrotes in an article about the painting. The reflection describes how Yarber painted the icon to honor the life and witness of Emily and other transgender people:

“In a world where trans people are demeaned, excluded, exoticized, invalidated, legislated against, and killed—the courage it takes for trans people to live fully into who they are is worthy of respect and honor. I dare say it is a holy act.”

Since 2009, Yarber has painted more than 100 Holy Women Icons. These colorful, folk feminist icons are displayed in homes and galleries all over the world. They are featured in her “Holy Women Icons” book and contemplative coloring book. For more info on Yarber, see my previous post “Artist paints holy lesbians and other women.”

Transgender teenager Gwen Araujo’s murder in 2002 also got national attention and led to the passage of the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act in California. The law restricts the use of the gay/trans panic defense by criminal defendants.

Araujo is commemorated in “The Transfigured Body: A Requiem in Celebration of Gwen Araujo” by New-Age composer Christopher A. Flores and gay lyricist/priest Adrian Ravarour.  They have joined forces on a variety of musical compositions on sacred LGBTQ themes. “The Transfigured Body” premiered in 2003 at Founders Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles.

Transgender Pride Flag

Other spiritual resources for Transgender Day of Remembrance are available at TransFaith. Their previous website included this prayer by Rabbi Reuben Zellman, who became the first openly transgender person accepted to the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati in 2003:

God full of mercy, bless the souls of all who are in our hearts on this Transgender Day of Remembrance. We call to mind today young and old, of every race, faith, and gender experience, who have died by violence. We remember those who have died because they would not hide, or did not pass, or did pass, or stood too proud. Today we name them: the reluctant activist; the fiery hurler of heels; the warrior for quiet truth; the one whom no one really knew.

As many as we can name, there are thousands more whom we cannot, and for whom no prayers may have been said. We mourn their senseless deaths, and give thanks for their lives, for their teaching, and for the brief glow of each holy flame. We pray for the strength to carry on their legacy of vision, bravery, and love.

And as we remember them, we remember with them the thousands more who have taken their own lives. We pray for resolve to root out the injustice, ignorance, and cruelty that grow despair. And we pray, God, that all those who perpetrate hate and violence will speedily come to understand that Your creation has many faces, many genders, many holy expressions.

Blessed are they, who have allowed their divine image to shine in the world.

Blessed is God, in whom no light is extinguished.

The list of people killed for being transgender is long and continues to grow. Let us remember them in prayer and in power.

In memory of: Gwen Araujo, Rita Hester, Brandon Teena, Leelah Alcorn, Chanelle Picket, Nakia Ladelle Baker, Debra Forte, Tyra Hunter, Joe Stevens, Logan Smith, Jessica Mercado, Terrianne Summers, Venus Xtravaganza, Chanel Chandler, Camila Diaz Cordova, Muhlaysia Booker, Layleen Cubilette-Polanco, Johana Medina Leon, Jazzaline Ware, Jordan Cofer… and all others who died due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

The Altar Cross of LGBTQ Martyrs from Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco features photos of transgender woman Gwen Araujo, Matthew Shepard, Harvey Milk, and others.

Trans Saints? Early cross-dressing monks and martyrs

Early Christian cross-dressing monks are being reclaimed as possible transgender or LGBTQ saints.  They share a similar story: They escaped their lives as women and lived as men, joining monasteries or becoming religious hermits. Their biological sex was usually discovered by shocked communities after they died. The church honors these queer saints for living holy lives, despite the Biblical prohibitions against cross-dressing.  For all their biographies and more info, go to: https://qspirit.net/trans-saints-cross-dressing-monks/

Transgender Christian books: New in 2023

“Forward!: Thoughts of a Trans Woman on the Christian Journey” by Lynn Elizabeth Walker. Foreword by David E. Weekley. Published by Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock.

“Raising Kids beyond the Binary: Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children” by Jamie Bruesehoff. Published by Broadleaf Books.

“Josephine: A Trans Story of Biblical Proportions” by J Mase III (author) and Wriply Bennet (illustrator).

Joseph, a popular figure in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, is a gender-nonconformist in this creative retelling. The book provides modern counter-narratives to dismantle anti-trans Biblical rhetoric. The author is a black/trans/queer poet. Raised in a Christian and Muslim home, Mase won a Lambda Literary Award for transgender nonfiction in 2020 for “The Black Trans Prayer Book.” It also appears on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2020. Published by‎ Tell Them I Was a Poet L.L.C.

 

Transgender Christian books: New in 2022

“In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey with Scripture” by Shannon T. L. Kearns.

Biblical narrative blends with a transgender priest’s own life story in this trans reading of scripture. His experiences are woven together with Bible stories such as Jacob wrestling with the angel, Rahab and the Israelite spies, Ezekiel and the dry bones, and the transfiguration of Jesus. Raised in the fundamentalist evangelical tradition, Kearns was ordained as the first transgender priest in the North American Old Catholic Church and co-founded QueerTheology.com. His book “Queers the Word: A 40-Day Devotional for LGBTQ+ Christians” is on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2020. Foreword by Paula Stone Williams, pastor and LGBTQ advocate. Published by Eerdmans, August 2022.

 

“Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation” by Robyn Henderson-Espinoza.

A non-binary transqueer Latinx theologian, activist and scholar weaves together memoir with theological reflection. The critical analysis provides fresh insights on embodiment, a core theme of Christian spirituality. The book considers which bodies count and why, the healing power of somatics, and embodiment as a vision for democracy. Based in Nashville, the author holds a PhD in religion from the University of Denver, attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and founded the Activist Theology Project. Published by Broadleaf Books, 2022.

 

Transgender Christian books: New in 2021

Interfaith
“Trans-Forming Proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence” by Liam Hooper.

Gender-transcendent peoples in the Bible are at the center of this genre-defying book. Original, well-informed scholarship is woven together with theology, memoir and poetry in a bold and unique structure. Texts sacred to both Christian and Jewish traditions are explored. The author is a transgender advocate with a master of divinity degree from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Formerly ordained clergy in the United Church of Christ, Hooper recently converted to Judaism. Published by Otherwise Engaged in December 2020.

“Trans Affirming Churches: How to Celebrate Gender-Variant People and Their Loved Ones” by Christina Beardsley and Chris Dowd.

Churches can improve their relationships with trans people by using this guide. It is based on first-hand interviews, the authors’ own experiences and scripture analysis. . Dowd has pastored multiple churches and Beardsley is a Church of England priest. Together they also co-authored “Transfaith: A Transgender Pastoral Care Handbook,” which was on Q Spirit’s 2018 top books list. Beardsley’s book “This Is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” was the number-one bestseller on Q Spirit’s 2016 top books list. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

 

“Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages” by Roland Betancourt.

Queer relationships and identities in medieval times are revealed. The chapter titled “Transgender Lives” covers narratives of trans and gender-nonconforming monks plus historical gender-affirming practices by ascetic action and surgery. The “Queer Sensation” chapter explores same-gender desire and homosocial and homoerotic relationships in monastic communities by looking at how they portrayed the gospel story of Doubting Thomas. The final chapter examines stereotypes of gender and ethnicity in portrayals of the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts. The radically intersectional book puts sexuality and gender into the context of discourses on race, sexual and reproductive consent, bullying and slut-shaming. The author is professor of art history and at the University of California, Irvine. Published by Princeton University Press.

 

Warning: Price is more than $100.
“Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography” by Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt (editors).

The 2021 scholarly book uses queer theory to examine medieval texts by and about gender non-conforming saints who resisted the standard gender binary. The collection showcases scholarship by emerging trans and genderqueer authors, as well as established writers. Whole chapters are devoted to Mother Juana de la Cruz, Joseph of Schonau, Saint Katherine of Alexandria, Patriarch Ignatios (Ignatius of Constantinople), Euphrosine, Marinos the Monk and much more. Alicia Spencer-Hall is a fellow at Queen Mary University of London (UK) and Blake Gutt is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Michigan. It was published by Amsterdam University Press.

Transgender Christian books

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians” by Austen Hartke.

Stories of Bible characters and transgender Christians alive today help equip readers to build a more inclusive church. The author is creator of the YouTube series “Transgender and Christian” and graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies. Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Transfaith: A Transgender Pastoral Care Handbook” by Chris Dowd and Christina Beardsley with Justin Tanis.
This practical resource can help congregations welcome transgender people. Chapters cover terminology, church writings on trans people, theological reflections, Bible studies with discussion points, extensive bibliography, and liturgies such as a rite for preparation for surgery and a renaming ceremony, A chapter on transgender people in the United States is written by Tanis, who directs the LGBTQ center at Pacific School of Religion. Dowd has pastored multiple churches and Beardsley is a Church of England priest. Beardsley’s book “This is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” was the #1 bestseller on Q Spirit’s Top 35 LGBTQ Christian books of 2016. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd, 2018.

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BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
BARGAIN ALERT: Lowest-priced book on the list
“Transfigured: A 40-Day Devotional for Gender-Queer and Transgender People” by Suzanne DeWitt Hall.

Be transfigured by the inclusive love and insights in this 40-day devotional for only $10. “Transfigured” is aimed at gender-queer and transgender people, but anyone will be blessed by its liberating scripture-based meditations. Meet “our gender-full God” and the Biblical eunuchs who became “non-binary heroes.” Discover how the Bible affirms gender complexity, transformation and freedom. Each day concludes with an inspirational quote from a variety of thinkers, from classics such as Saint Bonaventure and C.S. Lewis to contemporary trans trailblazers such as Austen Hartke and H. Adam Ackley. This is Volume 2 of the “Where True Love Is” series. The first volume was a bestseller on Q Spirit’s Top 25 LGBTQ Christian books of 2017. Foreword by Paula Stone Williams, a transgender woman, Colorado pastor and popular speaker on LGBTQ rights. The author is a freelance writer and HuffPost blogger who lives in Massachusetts with her wife. Published by DH Strategies, 2018.

 

BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“This Is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians” by Christina Beardsley and Michelle O’Brien (editors).

Transgender Christians speak for themselves in this collection. They give voice to faith and theology grounded in specific yet diverse experiences beyond the usual gender identity imposed by church tradition. The book brings hope, anger and grace, plus a review of the latest theological, cultural and scientific literature. Many contributors come from the Sibyls, a confidential spirituality group for transgender people and allies in the United Kingdom. Foreword by Susannah Cornwall. Beardsley is a Church of England priest, hospital chaplain and activist for trans inclusion in the church. Raised Anglican, O’Brien does advocacy, research, lecturing and writing on intersex and trans issues. Published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd.

 

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BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“Transgender, Intersex and Biblical Interpretation” by Teresa Hornsby and Deryn Guest.

Biblical affirmation for LGBTQI people is presented by two well-known Bible scholars. They show that in the Bible, gender identity and sexual orientation are always dynamic categories that do, and must, transition. The book examines familiar (e.g., Gen 1; Revelation) and less familiar (2 Sam 6; Jer 38) scriptures to reveal the bias that makes heterosexuality and a binary two-gender system seem divinely ordained. They critique how biblical texts are used in Christian positional statements on transsexuality and provide statistic on violence against trans persons. Teresa Hornsby is religious studies professor at Drury University, Springfield, Missouri. Deryn Guest is lecturer in Biblical hermeneutics at the University of Birmingham, England. Published by SBL Press (Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880).

 

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“Trans/Formations” by Marcella Althaus-Reid and Lisa Isherwood (editors
This collection offers theological reflections on transgender experience from a broad range of contributors, including Elizabeth Stuart and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. They question not only churches and theologians but at times also gender and sexuality theorists. Althaus-Reid was theology professor at New College andIsherwood is a theology professor at the University of Winchester.

 

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“OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation” by Mx. Chris Paige.

A comprehensive look at gender-nonconforming people in the Bible is provided in this new guide. Scholarly yet accessible, the book synthesizes 25 years of transgender-affirming biblical scholarship. Sections cover creation, clobber passages, eunuchs, and Jewish and Christian traditions, with an epilogue on “Living OtherWise Ever After.” The author co-founded TransFaith and published “The Other Side” magazine. Published by Otherwise Engaged in 2019.

 

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“Christian Faith and Gender Identity: An OtherWise Reflection Guide” by Chris Paige.

This seven-day devotional gently introduces gender identity for transgender, intersex and other gender-variant people and allies. It invites reflection on seven scriptures (Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, John, Acts, and Galatians) with stories such as Moses at the burning bush, Joseph and the coat of many colors, and Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Each chapter ends with reflection questions for individuals or group discussion. The author is a long-time transgender organizer who wrote “OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation,” the companion volume that was also released in 2019. Published by Otherwise Engaged.

 

“The Bible and the Transgender Experience: How Scripture Supports Gender Variance” by Linda Tatro Herzer.

This clear, easy-to-read book shows how the Bible affirms transgender, queer and intersex people. Individual chapters examine eunuchs, Leviticus, cross-dressing, Jesus, creation, choice, gender-variant people in the Bible, and gifts that gender-variant people bring. It includes a helpful discussion guide and advice on “how to make your congregation or group trans friendly.” The author is an active ally who pastored a predominantly LGBTQI church where 10 percent of congregants identified as transgender men, transgender women, cross-dressers, or genderqueer. Published by Pilgrim Press.

 

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“Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies” by Tara K. Soughers.

How and why to affirm trans people in church are the focus of this new guide. The author is a parent of a trans young adult and an Episcopal priest in Massachusetts. The book includes theological reflection and questions for discussion and/or journaling. Published by Church Publishing Inc, an official publisher for the Episcopal Church.

 

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“God Doesn’t Make Mistakes: Confessions of a Transgender Christian” by Laurie Suzanne Scott.

Contradictions between being transgender and Christian are reconciled through God’s acceptance in this popular memoir by a Texas transgender woman in the tech industry. Published by the author.

 

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“Trans-Gender: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith” (2018 edition) by Justin Sabia-Tanis.

A classic is back. A trans clergy person explores the spiritual nature of transgender people and gives voice to their experiences with theological reflection on ministries by and for trans people. The book provides an intro to trans issues, an overview of gender variance and the Bible, guidance on how to build faith communities that welcome trans people, analysis of “gender as a calling” and transgender body theology. Scholarly yet accessible, the book was missed by many during the years it was out of print. The author is a United Church of Christ clergy who ministered at churches in Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco; and is now managing director of the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. The original 2003 edition was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and came from UCC publisher Pilgrim Press. The 2018 edition is published by Wipf and Stock.

 

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“Retreating Forward: A Spiritual Practice with Transgender Persons” by David Elias Weekley.

A model for transformational retreats is presented in this educational resource for individuals, spiritual leaders, and faith communities that support transgender people. A queer theology of radical love is explained and put into practice. The author is a United Methodist pastor, transgender advocate and member of the transgender community. Foreword by British equality activist David Watters. Published by Wipf and Stock.

 

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“Transgender Children of God” by Megan Rohrer.

Even a child can understand transgender identity with this heartwarming book aimed at kids ages 2 to 8. “Transgender children of God play with both dolls and trucks. No matter what you play with, God will love you,” it begins. The books goes on to proclaim God’s love regardless of what you wear, how you look or how you mix male and female. It also affirms transgender parents, although it can be read by any progressive family of faith. The author is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran Church. Published by Wilgefortis/Lulu Press. Available in both paperback and e-book versions. For more info and a sample page, see First-ever LGBT religious children’s books published.

Book: Trans-Gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith (Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry)[image error] by Justin Tanis

Book: Omnigender: A Trans-religious Approach[image error] by Virginia Mollenkott (2001)

Book: Transgendering Faith: Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality[image error] by Leanne Tigert (editor)

Links to transgender spiritual and religious resources

Transgender Day of Visibility celebrated with art, books and resources (Q Spirit)

A prayerful lament + vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance (Holy Spit Blog)

Trans Saints? Early cross-dressing monks and martyrs (Q Spirit)

Transspirit.org (Jo Inkpin)

TransChristians

Nancy Ledins became first transgender Roman Catholic priest in 1979 (Q Spirit)

William Dorsey Swann: Ex-slave fought for queer freedom in 1880s as America’s first drag queen (Q Spirit)

Transgender women asylum seekers: Detention led to death for Roxsana Hernandez and Johana Medina (Q Spirit)

Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) Transgender Day of Remembrance Resources

A Kaddish Prayer for International Transgender Day of Remembrance by H. Adam Ackley (HuffPost)

An All Hallows’ Eve Vigil to Begin Transgender Awareness Month by H. Adam Ackley (Huff Post)

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Top image credit:
“Emily (Transgender Day of Remembrance 2016)” by Angela Yarber

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit in November 2016, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Nov. 18, 2023.

The post Transgender Day of Remembrance: Spiritual resources appeared first on Q Spirit.

Club Q martyrs: Five killed in shooting at LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by

Five people were killed in a mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Nov. 19-20, 2022.

Police identified the dead as Daniel Davis Aston, 28; Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; Derrick Rump, 38; Raymond Green Vance, 22.  At least 18 others were injured by gunfire before Club Q patrons tackled and stopped the gunman.

The shooting happened on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Club Q was hosting a drag performance that night.  Two of the dead identified as transgender.  The deadly attack came at a time when conservative U.S. politicians were ramping up anti-transgender rhetoric.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, age 22, pled guilty to the shooting on June 26, 2023, and was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 2,211 years. This included pleading no contest to two counts of bias-motivated (hate) crimes. Adding complexity to the situation, Aldrich’s attorney said that the shooter is non-binary, uses “they/them” pronouns, and prefers to be addressed as “Mx. Aldrich.”

Icon honors Club Q victim Daniel Aston

Among those shot dead was Daniel Aston, a transgender man who worked at Club Q as a bartender and entertainer. He is memorialized in an icon from the Queer Saints Project by Jason Tseng, a Chinese American non-binary illustrator based in New York City. Tseng connected Aston as a transgender man and the crucified Christ when he posted a description of the icon:

“Naked torso with his top surgery scars displayed without shame or embarrassment—triumphant yet wounded. I couldn’t help but see the stigmata—miraculous embodiments of Christ’s bodily wounds he suffered during the crucifixion—in Daniel’s body… wounds that contributed to a transformation, both physical and spiritual.”

Aston’s halo is filled with Colorado blue columbine, the state flower of Colorado. The Queer Saints Project honors queer ancestors as modern-day saints of the LGBTQ movement. The series began when Judson Memorial Church commissioned Tseng to create icons of LGBTQ figures to carry in the Queer Liberation March. Tseng honors their contributions and celebrate their inherent divinity by combining images of nature, Christian sacred iconography, and historical photography. The collection continues to grow as Tseng’s artistry “canonizes” more queer saints.

Club Q martyrs remembered in art and prayers

The five Club Q martyrs stand out like stars in the night sky with rainbow halos in a memorial artwork by North Carolina artist Jeremy Whitner. He is a queer Christian iconographer in process for ministry with the Disciples of Christ. He attends Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. His icons appear frequently on Q Spirit and are available at Whitner’s Fine Art America shop.

“The Martyrs of Club Q” by Jeremy Whitner

Martyrs are those killed for a cause. May the souls of those killed at Club Q be welcomed to heaven by God and all the saints, including the LGBTQ saints, and by history’s many queer martyrs who were killed for their sexual orientation or gender expression.

These lines were added to Q Spirit’s Litany of Queer Saints:

Martyrs of the Club Q shooting in Colorado, who died when gunfire shattered love and dancing, pray for us.

May your memories be a powerful call to action.

On Twitter a pastor responded to the Club Q murders by tweeting the entire Litany of Queer Saints, broken down into 39 short tweets. Matt Nightingale, pastor of The Quest, a progressive church in Novato, California, tweeted them with the comment, “Take a moment, maybe light a candle, and scroll through these names. We are not alone, friends. We are stronger together, and we are surrounded by a great rainbow-tinged cloud of witnesses. 🙏🏼❤️🏳️‍🌈 .”

The litany lit up Twitter with “likes” and responses such as: “I feel like I might just spend today reading @JesusInLoveBlog’s Litany of Queer Saints over and over. 😢”

The shooting also inspired a potent prayer by Ashley Horan, organizing strategy director at Side With Love, a public advocacy campaign sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association. “A Queer Prayer after Colorado Springs” by Horan includes these lines:

May deep rest be the companion of your grief.
And, beloveds, remember:
All of us–
the high femmes, the faeries, the twinks, the gender transgressors, the panromantics,
the dykes, the bears, the studs, the butches, the homos, the androgynes,
the aces, the demibois, the zaddies, the graysexuals, the baby queers –
all the delicious, unexpected, gorgeously beloved incarnations of us –
we are made from stardust and and leather and honey
and Love.

Other acts of violence and harassment at LGBTQ bars

Previous mass murders of LGBTQ people occurred at LGBTQ bars during Pride Month: The Pulse massacre in Orlando, Florida, which killed 49 people on June 12, 2016, and the UpStairs Lounge arson fire, which killed 32 people in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 24, 1973.

Sadly both of these mass murders came during LGBTQ Pride Month, which marks the 1969 Stonewall rebellion at another gay bar: the Stonewall Inn in New York City.

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Top image credit:
“St. Daniel Aston” by Jason Tseng

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit on Dec. 7, 2022, and was most recently updated on Nov. 17, 2023.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

The post Club Q martyrs: Five killed in shooting at LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs appeared first on Q Spirit.

Gay Catholic priest reveals his journey in cartoon-style memoir “My Life” by Jan Haen

Last Updated on November 17, 2023 by

A gay Roman Catholic priest reveals his adventurous life and ministry in the cartoon-style memoir “My Life: as a Boy, Priest, Gay Man, and Artist” by Jan Haen. During more than a half-century of priesthood, Jan Haen found surprising ways to unite his inclusive spirituality, queer sexuality, and monumental artistry across the globe in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Click here  to purchase the book.

Jan Haen is a Dutch visual artist and openly gay Roman Catholic priest in the Redemptorist order. Born in 1944, he ministered in the Netherlands and South Africa, sailed the Caribbean as a Dutch naval chaplain, and painted nearly 200 mural projects around the world. He sparked both admiration and controversy by showing same-sex couples in his religious art. His previous books include “Heavenly Homos, Etc: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion and History” and its sequel, “Heavenly LGBTQ+.”

Released in fall 2023 for his 80th birthday, the new autobiography covers a lifetime of experiences. He was born in the Netherlands and moved with his family to South Africa at age 9.  After ordination in 1969, Haen discovered his gay identity against the backdrop of a tradition-bound church.

Jan Haen describes his struggles as a gay Catholic priest on this page from his memoir “My Life.”

His struggles led him through a transformative personal odyssey, including a period of vulnerability when he became a mental-health patient at the same hospital where he once served as chaplain. Guided by faith and bolstered by support from the Redemptorist order in the Netherlands, Haen found courageous, creative ways to live authentically. At the heart of his narrative is his enduring partnership with a man named Ton, his beloved companion of nearly four decades.

Jan Haen and his life partner Ton travelled as a couple in Thailand.

Haen spent decades working with local people to paint murals in churches (Catholic and otherwise), schools, and public spaces, often amplifying untold stories. All in all, he completed 198 wall painting projects in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa between 1994 and 2017.

One of Jan Haen’s many art projects was teaching participants to design and paint a large mural at Tsholofelo Community College in Boitekong, South Africa.

The book documents his historically important religious murals with LGBTQ-affirming imagery — including at least one that was removed due to objections by ultra-conservatives. The LGBTQ Catholic organization Dignity USA praised Haen’s work as “unique and intellectually stimulating.” His art appears online frequently in the LGBTQ Saints series at Q Spirit.

A gay man decided not to commit suicide when he saw Jan Haen’s painting of a cross with two men kissing at a cathedral in Montelimar, France.

Beyond his religious and artistic endeavors, Haen’s legacy is advocacy and action. He stood up for racial justice in South Africa and was declared persona-non-grata by the racist apartheid regime. Short, accessible prose lets the pictures tell his inspiring journey of gay faith.

“My Life” (ISBN 1958061549) is published by Apocryphile Press, a publisher and purveyor of fine books on religion, spirituality, philosophy and poetry. Their stated goal is to bring to market “books that ‘normal’ religious publishers wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole.” John Mabry is founder and editor-in-chief. Based in Hannacroix, New York, Apocryphile has published more than 300 books since 2004 — including “Art That Dares,” “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision” and other books by Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry.

Reviews of Jan Haen’s books

“Jan Haen has written a unique and intellectually stimulating book … and it is indeed a ‘heavenly’ read. Thank your lucky stars for a book that features such a vast array of saints, people in the Bible, writers, scientists and so forth—inclusivity is the keyword in this fascinating book. Beautifully drawn artwork by artist Haen informs the pages of this book which is drenched in page after page of beautifully drawn human figures who represent hope for the LGBTQ community.”
— Dignity USA book review by David Friscic

 

“What must be considered essential reading for all members of the LGBTQ community (and those who love them), ‘Heavenly Homos, Etc.: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion, and History’ is a singularly original, informative, and effective way to learn about the history of homosexuality and religion/spirituality.”
— Midwest Book Review, September 2022

 

Links related to Jan Haen as author, artist and priest

New illustrated book “Heavenly LGBTQ+” reveals queer icons from religion and history

New illustrated book “Heavenly Homos, Etc” shows queer icons from LGBTQ religion and history

An artist who communicates to the wounded world through colours (profile of Jan Haen in Redemptorists Scala News)

Jan Haen page at Apocryphile Press

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Top image credit:
by Jan Haen book cover and printed book open to pages on Simon Tseko Nkoli.
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit on Nov. 16, 2023.

The post Gay Catholic priest reveals his journey in cartoon-style memoir “My Life” by Jan Haen appeared first on Q Spirit.

Dance of the 41 Queers: Police raid Mexican drag ball in 1901

Last Updated on November 17, 2023 by

Police arrested 41 people at a Mexico City drag ball known as the Dance of the 41 Queers in a notorious police raid on Nov. 17-18, 1901. Now the Dance of the 41 is being reclaimed by the LGBTQ community, and same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City.

The raid caused a huge scandal with lasting repercussions against LGBTQ people. The incident was widely reported and was used thereafter to justify years of police harassment, including more raids, blackmail, beatings and imprisonment. The number 41 entered popular culture in Mexico and continues to be used as a negative way to refer to gay men, evoking shame.  The number is so taboo that  in Mexico many buildings have no 41st floor, no army battalion is named 41, and many hotels and hospitals have no room 41.

About half of the people at the Dance of the 41 were described as men in female clothing, with European-style silk and satin dresses, elegant wigs, jewelry and make-up.  The rest of the group wore expensive tailcoats and white gloves.  Police raided the private house where the “transvestite ball” was underway. They never released the names of those arrested because they came from the upper-class elite of Mexican society. Reportedly a 42nd guest was allowed to go free because he was the president’s son-in-law.  The guests at the Dance of the 41 are usually described as gay or homosexual, but recently some are identifying the cross-dressers as transgender.

All the facts and the full context concerning the Dance of the 41 are examined by scholars and activists in the book “The Famous 41: Sexuality and Social Control in Mexico.”

The lives and reputations of the 41 detainees were ruined. Those dressed in women’s clothing were forced to sweep the streets of Mexico City in female attire. Some were imprisoned and another group was forced into the army, where they dug ditches and cleaned latrines in the Yucatan. A lesbian gathering in Santa Maria was raided soon after on Dec. 4, 1901, but it received much less publicity.

The event is known in Spanish as simply as “el baile de los cuarenta y uno” (the dance of the forty-one) or with an added anti-gay insult “el baile de los cuarenta y uno maricones” (the dance of the forty-one queers).

“El baile de los 41” a Spanish-language feature film about the Dance of the 41, premiered in theaters in 2020. It was dubbed into English and premiered worldwide on Netflix in May 2021 as “Dance of the 41.”   It was directed by David Pablos, written by Monika Revilla and filmed on location in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Even the video trailer is fascinating because it shows what the fateful ball might have been like.

Artists portray the Dance of the 41

A gay Mexican artist celebrates the Dance of the 41 in the painting at the top of this post: “El Baile de los 41” by Felix d’Eon. “I painted a scene from the party, in which the men enjoy a beautiful evening, of happiness, friendship, and love, before their lives are ruined forever, at the ‘Dance of the 41,’” he explains. Based in Mexico City, D’Eon describes himself as a “latinx painter and activist dedicated to the art of queer love, romance, and sensuality,” Prints of this and his other art are available at Art of Felix d’Eon Etsy shop.

“Los 41 Maricones” (The 41 Queers) by Jose Guadalupe Posada, 1901 (Wikipedia)

The vivid reports of the Dance of the 41 included a famous series of caricatures by popular Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada. One of his satirical images is revitalized in a colorful painted drawing by Ralfka Gonzalez. He is a self-taught Chicano artist and gay Latino activist who divides his time between Oaxaca, Mexico and San Francisco. Gonzalez often paints Mexican and/or gay themes in a folk-art style. Some of the dancers wave rainbow fans in his “Los 41 Homosexuals de Mexico.” He intends to turn it into a limited-edition print to raise funds for queer causes.

“Los 41 Homosexuals de Mexico” by Ralfka Gonzalez

The mocking images also stand in contrast to the LGBT Stations of the Cross by Mary Button, whose paintings connect police raids of queer bars with the suffering of Jesus. The raid on the Dance of the 41 is an example of police harassment that happened in many countries and continues in some.

Dance of 41 is being reclaimed

Mexico’s 41 queer dancers were condemned as sinners, but they are included in the LGBTQ Saints series because their arrest and humiliation has contributed to LGBTQ visibility and pride. They represent the courage of all who were punished because of the queer ways that they lived and loved.

Mexico City became the first Latin American jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009 — before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality. The law took effect on March 4, 2010.

A non-profit organization called “Honor 41” honors and celebrates Latinx LGBTQ individuals who are role models. Their English-language video on the Dance of the 41 gives an accessible overview of the history.

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Related links:
Baile de invertidos (Homosexual balls) (Wikipedia Spanish)

To read this post in Spanish / en español, go to Santos Queer:
El baile de los cuarenta y uno: Recordando el momento en que la policía allanó un baile queer en México

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Top image credit:
“El Baile de los 41” by Felix d’Eon. Prints are available at his Etsy shop.

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and  allies.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit in November 2016, expanded with new material over time, and most recently updated on Nov. 17, 2023.

The post Dance of the 41 Queers: Police raid Mexican drag ball in 1901 appeared first on Q Spirit.

Michael B. Kelly: Queer theologian, author and “Erotic Contemplative” teacher

Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by

Michael Bernard Kelly was an internationally renowned queer theologian, author, educator, activist, retreat leader and spiritual counselor based in Melbourne, Australia. He died on Nov. 14, 2020 at age 66. He is best known as creator of the “Erotic Contemplative” lecture series and author of “Christian Mysticism’s Queer Flame.”

Kelly (July 27, 1954 – Nov. 14, 2020) publicly challenged the church’s mistreatment of LGBTQ people by co-founding Australia’s Rainbow Sash Movement in 1998.  He taught as an adjunct research associate at the Centre for Religious Studies of Monash University in Melbourne. He was ordained and served as a bishop within the Independent and Old Catholic traditions. His activism for LGBTQ religious rights was grounded in study and contemplative practice.

Kelly was a guest speaker at a wide variety of universities and religious institutions around the world, including Union Theological Seminary in New York, the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, Quest in London, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, Dignity San Francisco and Founders Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles. He was scholar-in-residence at Easton Mountain Retreat Center in upstate New York in 2005-06, and led many retreats there.

 

New in 2023: Artist sketches icon of Kelly

Kelly appears with symbols of his LGBTQ ministry in a new icon by Maine artist James Day.  He drew it in 2023 as a preliminary sketch for a future full-color icon.  Kelly holds a eucharistic wafer, and this holy bread of life bears the image of a same-sex couple kissing. “This grows out his various writings about the sacredness of sexuality and his focus on the queer world,” Day told Q Spirit. “My hope is that people will understand the connection between same sex love and sacrament.”

A swirling rainbow appears behind Kelly to signify his leadership in the Rainbow Sash Movement.  The background also includes the Southern Cross constellation, which appears in the sky above his native Australia.  He is depicted in a bishop’s chasuble and miter to show his religious role, while his name appears on his halo with the title “Dr.” to emphasize his academic side as author and educator.

He studied liturgical art and queer theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning a Master of Arts degree in theology before returning home to central Maine. When not caring for care for his aging mother and disabled partner, he puts his hands to a variety of visual and fiber arts, primarily focused on queer spirituality.

Books by and about Kelly explore his spirituality

Reflections on his life and work are gathered in “Into Your Hands: Essays Inspired by Mystic, Prophet, and Activist Michael Bernard Kelly,” edited by Andrew Brown with the close involvement of Kelly’s family and friends.  This collection includes academic essays, personal and theological reflections, and tributes to both honor and celebrate the personal impact that Kelly had on the lives of many, and to preserve and advance his work in the areas of spirituality, sexuality and activism. It launched on June 19, 2022 and is published by Clouds of Magellan Press.

A transcript of his “Erotic Contemplative” lecture series was published for the first time in November 2021 for the first anniversary of his death.  The book is titled “The Erotic Contemplative: Reflections on the Spiritual Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian.”  In addition to the six lectures, it includes a study guide to the series prepared by Kelly.  LGBTQ people are encouraged to reclaim and reimagine their spiritual lives in this profound guide.

After decades devoted to integrating spirituality with LGBTQ experience, he focused in his final years on making his work freely available online for new generations and a wider audience. He relaunched his classic “Erotic Contemplative” lecture series in a newly digitized format in 2019. He placed the full lecture series, totaling eight hours, online for free at the Erotic Contemplative YouTube channel. Kelly also revised the companion study guide. It was published in 2020 as an e-book and made available for free download as a PDF file.

Kelly was also eager to tell the world that his book “Christian Mysticism’s Queer Flame: Spirituality in the Lives of Contemporary Gay Men” became newly affordable with the release of a paperback edition in 2020. His other book is “Seduced by Grace: Contemporary Spirituality, Gay Experience and Christian Faith.” Kelly’s body of work is marked by intellectual rigor, academic quality, and spiritual depth based on lived experience and solid contemplative practice.

Kelly followed a spiritual call to come out as gay

Born on July 27, 1954, to a devout Irish Catholic family, he was raised in Melbourne. His personal, spiritual, theological and educational background remained mostly within Roman Catholic contexts. Inspired by Francis of Assisi, he joined the Franciscans at age 17 after high school graduation.

Tension between his faith and his sexuality led him to leave the order two years later. More details about this and other parts of his life story are covered in his essay “Over the Rainbow” in his book “Seduced by Grace.” For the next 17 years he worked within the church as a religious education specialist, campus minister and lay chaplain in Catholic schools and universities, both in Australia and the United States.

Michael B. Kelly, center front in a rainbow sash, speaks in front of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne during a Rainbow Rite action (wearing the rainbow sash while seeking communion). The sign says, “Open the gate to justice.” Photo courtesy of Ivan Tchernegovski.

Then in 1993 he followed what he understood to be a spiritual call and came out publicly as a gay man. This bold move ended his 17-year career in Catholic education. Since then he committed himself to developing creative new forms of ministry with LGBTQ people.

Kelly makes an impact with “Erotic Contemplative”

The next year he recorded the six lectures in his “Erotic Contemplative” series. “In 1994 Dr. Joseph Kramer of Erospirit Research Institute in California asked me if I would record some reflections that might support and encourage gay and lesbian Christians in reclaiming and re-imagining their spiritual lives. I was honoured by the invitation and excited by the project,” Kelly said.

The lectures were recorded live in Oakland, California, in September and October 1994, and published by the Erospirit Institute in both video and audiotape formats the next year. All six lectures were digitized and re-released on the Erotic Contemplative YouTube channel in 2019 on the 25th anniversary of the original recordings.

Michael Bernard Kelly in a video still from his “Erotic Contemplative” YouTube series. This image comes from the first video, “The Truth of Our Experience.”

“The Erotic Contemplative” series had an important and lasting impact. It was hailed as “the most powerful and insightful study of gay spirituality that I know of,” by pioneering gay Jesuit priest John McNeill, author of the landmark 1976 book “The Church and the Homosexual.” The audience has included Trappist monks, feminist theologians, sex workers, LGBTQ activists, academics, priests and ministers from many denominations, and people both inside and outside Christian tradition.

The full transcript of all six lectures plus a study guide was published in November 2021 as “The Erotic Contemplative: Reflections on the Spiritual Journey of the Gay/Lesbian Christian.”  The first lecture is “The Truth of Our Experience.” It is followed by “2. Re-Visioning Sexuality and Spirituality” and “3. Exodus and Awakening.” Next comes “4. The Desert and the Dark,” which was by far the most popular lecture on the original Erotic Contemplative YouTube channel. The final lectures are “5. Liberation and Union,” followed by “6. The Road from Emmaus.”  A smaller book with just the study guide wass also available, providing a user-friendly set of 10 “Questions for Reflection and Discussion” for each lecture.

Kelly kept the original subtitle, with “gay/lesbian,” which was considered boldly inclusive at a time when “queer” was just beginning to be reclaimed and “LGBTQ” was unknown.

In the study guide he explained, “Much in these lectures remains relevant and even, I hope, important. It surprises me, for example, that 25 years on, no-one else has really attempted to do what I aim to do in these tapes—which is to reframe and reimagine the traditional Christian mystical path in the context of the lives of self-affirming, fully open, sexually expressive queer people of faith.”

Kelly’s books integrated queer sexuality and mysticism

Kelly expanded on these themes late in life with his book “Christian Mysticism’s Queer Flame.” It is based on Kelly’s doctoral thesis. He earned a doctorate in Christian mysticism from Monash University in Melbourne in 2015. Sexual and spiritual journeys of gay men today are illuminated by the Christian mystical tradition in this scholarly study. Kelly interviewed eight self-affirming gay theologians and spiritual leaders of deep, mature faith for the book. He examined their lived religion in light of the stages of mystical development as outlined by Evelyn Underhill and others.

“He argues that the (frequently) conflict-ridden negotiations of sexuality and spirituality give birth to, and fuel, the lives and faith journeys of gay men who refuse to relinquish either their sexual identities or sense of God…. What is remarkable about this book is its use of Christian mysticism as an analytical framework for interpreting the journeys of gay men of faith. The seamless marriage of the mystical and the ethnographic in one elegant volume truly sets it apart as a valuable resource with abiding relevance for readers interested in progressive theologies, Christian mysticism, gay spirituality, and queer studies,” Joseph Goh wrote in an in-depth review for the American Academy of Religion.

Kelly speaks about his spirituality in a “Portrait in Faith” video.

His other writings are collected in his first book, “Seduced by Grace.” A detailed review at White Crane Journal states: “A potent collection of thoughtful writings by Kelly, the noted Australian Catholic dissident, Seduced by Grace gathers essays, articles, letters and talks he has produced over almost a decade, from late 1998 to May 2004, that are at once an acutely accurate critique of the shortcomings of the Church and a poignant testimonial to the heroic spirit that has, at times, invigorated it.”

Michael Kelly: A friend who loved art

Michael was a personal friend and we were working on an interview for this Q Spirit blog in the last months before he died. Much of the content in this tribute comes from material he sent me to go with the interview.

He enjoyed reflecting with me about the role of art in his spiritual journey. “I have become very aware that we have very few images, symbols and icons of the Resurrection — compared with so many, many, many, images, rituals and symbols around the passion and crucifixion. I, too, have no shortage of those — and I love them dearly. However, at this stage of my life it is the Resurrection that draws me, and I want to focus on symbols and icons that express this,” he wrote in a recent email.

“Risen Christ” by James Day

Michael’s last words in this final email to me were about a resurrection image that was painted for him by James Day, the same artist who sketched the icon of Kelly.  Previously he impressed Q Spirit readers with his “Pulse Christ” commemorating those killed at the Pulse gay bar in 2016. He sent Michael his painting of a  warmly human Risen Christ. With dark skin and a crucifixion wound, Christ beckons the viewer to come closer.

After receiving Day’s painting, Michael wrote to me, “It is really quite a stunning image of the Risen Christ, and I am finding it to be a profound consolation and inspiration for me as I walk this path. It is a remarkable example of the power of spiritual art, of Jesus in love, of the grace you too so generously share with our communities.”

A final blessing for a “rainbow splendour gift from God”

Kelly died on Nov. 14, 2020 in a local palliative care unit after an illness.  His funeral and burial took place on Nov. 23 on a beautiful part of the Australian coast he loved.

Michael Bernard Kelly’s gravestone (Photo by Grant Samson)

Visitors to Kelly’s grave in Sorrento, Australia, are amazed by the unique beauty of his gravestone.  Intertwined white branches are carved into a black stone with an asymmetrical, rough-hewn shape.  The inscription reads:

“Man of beauty, justice, priesthood, prayer
His final ‘fiat’ here in Boon Wurrung country.
My Beloved is mine and I am His.”

Note: The Boon Wurrung are an Aboriginal people whose homeland includes part of what is now Melbourne.)

The gravestone is a work of art in itself, with drawings by local artist Anne Lawson. The trees etched into the stone are moonah trees, which are native to the the area around his grave in Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. “Michael loved these trees – their twisted, windswept shapes and their limbs which become wonderfully gnarly and textured as they mature,” said his sister, Noelene Kelly. A Franciscan Tao cross is etched on the bottom right to honor Kelly’s enduring love for Francis of Assisi.

His friend Ivan Tchernegovski shared this blessing with Q Spirit:

Michael we are all sad to lose your company.
May you fall into the mind and heart of God where all there is only pure love for us all.
We honour, thank and celebrate your life especially in the Fringe Dwellers, Rainbow Sash and Emmaus Community.
May you enter into the realm of your ancestors…into the place of legends, reminiscing, storytelling and myth… may you long be remembered.
May you enter into the realm of our past gay visionaries and warriors.
We bless you as a true, once only, unique, rainbow splendour gift from God.

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Related links:
Queer Saint Michael Bernard Kelly by Eureka (Michael O’Hanlon)

Michael B. Kelly page at Clouds of Magellan Press

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Top image credit:
Preliminary drawing for an icon of “Dr. Michael Bernard Kelly” by James Day

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

This article was originally published on Q Spirit on Nov. 15, 2020, was expanded with new material over time, and most recently updated on Nov. 13, 2023.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

The post Michael B. Kelly: Queer theologian, author and “Erotic Contemplative” teacher appeared first on Q Spirit.