Kittredge Cherry's Blog: Q Spirit, page 8

Tyler Clementi: Gay teen driven to suicide by bullies

Tyler Clementi (1992-2010) brought international attention to bullying-related suicide of LGBT youth by jumping to his death on this date (Sept. 22) in 2010.



Clementi’s highly publicized tragedy made him into a gay martyr whose untimely death put a public face on the problems of LGBT teenagers. His story sparked efforts to support LGBT youth, raise awareness of the harassment they face, and prevent suicide among queer young people. Another result is new legislation stiffening penalties for cyber harassment.



His parents once considered suing Rutgers over their son's death, but in February 2013 they announced that they were working with the university to form the Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers. It sponsors conferences and academic research to help students make the transition to college. They also established the Tyler Clementi Foundation to promote acceptance of LGBT youth and  more inclusive society.



Clementi was an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey when he was driven to suicide by his room mate's anti-gay cyber-bullying.





A talented violinist, Clementi came out to his parents as gay before leaving home for college. Three days before the suicide, Clementi’s room mate used a webcam to secretly record Clementi kissing another man in their dorm room and streamed the video live over the Internet. In messages posted online before he took his own life, Clementi told how he complained to authorities about the cyber-bullying and asked for a new room assignment. Then he jumped off the George Washington Bridge. It took a week to find his body.



The room mate, Dharum Ravi, also 18 at the time, was convicted on 15 counts, including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, in connection with Clementi’s suicide. Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail; 3 years of probation; 300 hours of community service; fined $10,000; and ordered to undergo counseling on cyberbullying and alternate lifestyles. His accomplice, Molly Wei, avoided jail time by agreeing to testify against Ravi.



Anti-LGBT statements by public figures are also partly responsible for Clementi’s death. They created the hostile environment that drove Clementi to suicide. Artist Louisa Bertman emphasizes this point in her powerful ink illustration, “Tyler Clementi, JUMP!” She makes visible the hateful voices that may have been in Clementi’s mind. In her drawing, his head overflows with people urging him to jump. They are politicians as well as the actual students who bullied him. Their names are listed in a stark statement at the bottom of the drawing:

“Message brought to you by Sally Kern, Kim Meltzer, Nathan Deal, Carl Paladino, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Tom Emmer, Jeremy Walters, Rick Perry, Bob Vander Plaats, Dharun Ravi, and Molly Wei.”

Bertman, an artist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is known for her non-traditional portraits.



Clementi helped inspire the founding of the It Gets Better Project and Spirit Day. The It Get Better Project aims to stop suicide among LGBT teens with videos of adults assuring them that “it gets better.” Spirit Day, first observed on Oct. 20, 2010, is a day when people wear purple to show support for young LGBT victims of bullying.



Unfortunately Clementi’s experience is far from rare. Openly lesbian talk show host Ellen Degeneres spoke for many in a video message that put his suicide into context shortly after he died:

“I am devastated by the death of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi….Something must be done. This month alone, there has been a shocking number of news stories about teens who have been teased and bullied and then committed suicide; like 13-year-old Seth Walsh in Tehachapi, California, Asher Brown, 13, of Cypress, Texas and 15-year-old Billy Lucas in Greensberg, Indiana. This needs to be a wake-up call to everyone: teenage bullying and teasing is an epidemic in this country, and the death rate is climbing.”

Help is available right now from the Trevor Project, a 24-hour national help line for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning teens. Contact them at 866 4U TREVOR or their website: thetrevorproject.org.



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Related links:



Tyler Clementi Foundation



Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers



Day of Silence Prayer: Stop bullying God’s LGBTQ youth



A Brother's Pledge: Standing Up For Love by James Clementi (Believe Out Loud)



“Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America” by Mitchell Gold and Mindy Drucker



“Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens” by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke



It Gets Better Project video by Kittredge Cherry



Image credits:



Top: “Tyler Clementi, JUMP!” by Louisa Bertman



Tyler Clementi’s webcam photo of himself (Wikimedia Commons)

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This post is part of the GLBT Saints series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. Saints, martyrs, mystics, heroes, holy people, deities and religious figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and queer people and our allies are covered on appropriate dates throughout the year.



Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.

http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/

Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts

Henri Nouwen: Priest and author who struggled with his homosexuality

Henri J. M. Nouwen was a Catholic priest and bestselling author who wrestled with his own homosexuality. He died 20 years ago on this date (Sept. 21, 1996).



Nouwen (1932-1996) remains one of the most popular and influential modern spiritual writers. He wrote more than 40 books, including The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and The Inner Voice of Love.



Known as a “gay celibate, he probably would have had mixed feelings about being included in this series on LGBT Saints. Nouwen never directly discussed his gay sexual orientation in his published writings, but he confided his conflict over it in private journals and conversations. These are documented in his outstanding and honest 2002 biography Wounded Prophet by Michael Ford. Despite his loneliness and same-sex attractions, there is no evidence that Nouwen ever broke his vow of celibacy.



His personal struggle with his sexual orientation may have added depth to his writing. “The greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity or power, but self-rejection,” he said.



Although Nouwen is not an officially recognized saint, his “spirituality of the heart” has touched millions of readers. Nouwen’s books have sold more than 2 million copies in over 22 languages. He emphasized relationships and social justice with core values of solitude, community and compassion.



Nouwen was born in Holland on Jan. 24, 1932. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1957 and went on to study psychology. He taught at several theological institutes in his homeland and in the United States, including the divinity schools at Harvard and Yale.



In 1985 he began service in Toronto, Canada, as the priest at the L’Arche Daybreak Community, where people with developmental disabilities live with assistants. It became Nouwen’s home until his sudden death in 1996 at age 64. He died from a heart attack while traveling to Russia to do a documentary.



The video below shows Nouwen speaking on "Being the Beloved" at the Crystal Cathedral in California in 1992. One of the  newest books about him is the 2012 biography “Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen” by Michael Higgins, Nouwen’s official biographer.



The icon of Nouwen at the top of this post was painted by Brother Robert Lentz, a Franciscan friar known for his innovative and LGBT-positive icons. During his lifetime Nouwen commissioned Lentz to make an icon for him that symbolized the act of offering his own sexuality and affection to Christ.





Christ the Bridegroom

by Robert Lentz

trinitystores.com
Research and reflection led Lentz to paint “Christ the Bridegroom” (left) for Nouwen in 1983. It shows Christ being embraced by his beloved disciple, based on an icon from medieval Crete. “Henri used it to come to grips with his own homosexuality,” Lentz explained in my book “Art That Dares,” which includes this icon and the story behind it. “I was told he carried it with him everywhere and it was one of the most precious things in his life.”



Lentz’s icon / portrait the top of this post shows Nouwen in an open-handed pose. It calls to mind a prayer written by Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life:

Dear God,

I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!

Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?

Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me to gradually open my hands

and to discover that I am not what I own,

but what you want to give me.

Nouwen gave the gift of his spiritual vision to generations of readers. He encouraged each individual to find their own mission in life with words such as these:

“When the imitation of Christ does not mean to live a life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived his, then there are many ways and forms in which a man can be a Christian.” -- from "The Wounded Healer"

“My hope is that the description of God's love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God's love in yours.” -- from “Here and Now: Living in the Spirit”

To watch the rest of the sermon, visit the following YouTube page with links to all 8 parts of Nouwen’s sermon on “Being the Beloved”:

http://www.youtube.com/user/belovedson12



A book “The Spiritual Life: Eight Essential Titles by Henri Nouwen” was published in 2016. It includes Intimacy, A Letter of, Consolation, Letters to Marc About Jesus, The Living Reminder, Making All Things New, Our Greatest Gift, Way of the Heart, and Gracias.



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Related links:

Henri Nouwen Society



“Henri's Wound with a View” by Chris Glaser



Chris Glaser on Henri Nouwen’s sexuality (Huffington Post)



Henri Nouwen, on Andrew Sullivan and the “Blessing” of Homosexuality (Queering the Church)



Top image credit:

“Henri Nouwen” by Br. Robert Lentz, trinitystores.com



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Icons of Henri Nouwen, Christ the Bridegroom and many others are available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at TrinityStores.com







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This post is part of the GLBT Saints series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. Saints, martyrs, mystics, prophets, witnesses, heroes, holy people, deities and religious figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and queer people and our allies are covered on appropriate dates throughout the year.



Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.

http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/

Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts

Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis: Medieval mystic and the woman she loved

Hildegard of Bingen was a medieval German nun, mystic, poet, artist, composer, healer and scientist. She founded several monasteries, fought for women in the church and wrote with passion about the Virgin Mary. Some say she was a lesbian because of her strong emotional attachment to women, especially her personal assistant Richardis von Stade. Hildegard was declared a doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. Her feast day is Sept. 17 (today).



The title “Doctor of the Church” is a rare honor, bestowed upon only a few saints whose writings have universal value to the church. Their “eminent learning” and “great sanctity” must be affirmed by the Pope. Currently the Roman Catholic Church has only 33 doctors, including three women.



The friendship -- or love story -- between Hildegard and Richardis is included in a 2009 film from German feminist director Margarethe von Trotta called Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen. Von Trotta is one of the world’s most important feminist filmmakers and a leader of independent German cinema. Von Trotta allows Hildegard to speak for herself by using a script based on Hildegard’s own writings and a soundtrack filled with Hildegard’s music. Watch a trailer at the end of this post.






Richardis von Stade (center, played by Hannah Herzsprung) and Hildegard (left, Barbara Sukowa) in the biopic “Vision” (from zeitgeistfilms.com)


Hildegard also inspired a play by lesbian feminist playwright Carolyn Gage. In the play “Artemisia and Hildegard,” Gage has two of history’s great women artists debate their contrasting survival strategies: Gentileschi battled to achieve in the male-dominated art world while Hildegard created women-only community to support her art by founding a nunnery.



Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), the tenth child of a noble family, was offered to the church as a “tithe” when she was very young. She was raised from the age of 8 in the hermitage that later became her Benedictine abbey. She founded two other convents where women performed her music and developed their artistic, intellectual and spiritual gifts. She spent almost all of her life in the company of women.






“Hildegard: The Vision” by Tricia Danby


She had visions throughout her life, starting at age 3 when she says that she first saw “the Shade of the Living Light.” She hesitated to tell others about her visions, sharing them only with her teacher Jutta.



When she was 42, Hildegard had a vision in which God instructed her to record her spiritual experiences. Still hesitant, she became physically ill before she was persuaded to begin her first visionary work, the Scivias (Know the Ways of God).






"St. Hildegard of Bingen" by Plamen Petrov


Hildegard was nursed in her illness and encouraged in her writing by Richardis von Stade, a younger woman who was her personal assistant, soul mate and special favorite. Whether or not they were physically intimate, Hildegard’s actions suggest that she was a lesbian in the sense that her primary love interest was in women.



In 1151, Hildegard completed the Scivias and trouble arose between her and her beloved Richardis. An archbishop, the brother of Richardis, arranged for his sister to become abbess of a distant convent. Hildegard urged Richardis to stay, and even asked the Pope to stop the move. But Richardis left anyway, over Hildegard’s objections.



Hildegard wrote intense letters begging Richardis to return: “I loved the nobility of your conduct, your wisdom and your chastity, your soul and the whole of your life, so much that many said: What are you doing?”



Richardis died suddenly in October 1151, when she was only about 28 years old. On her deathbed, she tearfully expressed her longing for Hildegard and her intention to return.





“The Universe”

by Hildegard of Bingen



Wikimedia Commons

Hildegard’s grief apparently fueled further artistic creation. Many believe that Richardis was the inspiration for Ordo Virtutum (“Play of Virtues”}, a musical morality play about a soul who is tempted away by the devil and then repents. According to Wikipedia, “It is the earliest morality play by more than a century, and the only Medieval musical drama to survive with an attribution for both the text and the music.”



In an era when few women wrote, Hildegard went on to create two more major visionary works, a collection of songs, and several scientific treatises. She was especially interested in women’s health. Her medical writings even include what may be the first description of a female orgasm.






“Hildegard of Bingen: Vision of Music” by Tricia Danby


As a church leader, Hildegard had to support its policy against homosexual behavior. But she often wrote about the divine feminine and the dignity of women, presenting sexuality in a generally positive way. She wrote, “Creation looks on its Creator like the beloved looks on the lover.” Many readers today delight in her erotic descriptions of marriage as a metaphor for the union of a soul with God. Hildegard writes:

The soul is kissed by God in its innermost regions.

With interior yearning, grace and blessing are bestowed.

It is a yearning to take on God's gentle yoke,

It is a yearning to give one's self to God's Way.

In the Symphonia, a collection of liturgical songs to Mary, Hildegard writes with ecstatic passion of her love and devotion to the Virgin Mary. She extols Mary as “greenest twig” and sings the praises of her womb, which “illuminated all creatures.”



Her songs to Mary are available for listening in the following video and on the Sequentia recording, “Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy.” Her music is still just as beautiful today.



Hildegard died on Sept. 17, 1179 at age 81. The sisters at her convent said they saw two streams of colorful lights cross in the sky above her room. She became a saint by popular acclamation.



The icon of Hildegard and Richardis at the top of this post was painted by Colorado artist Lewis Williams of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). He studied with master iconographer Robert Lentz and has made social justice a theme of his icons. This post also features images of Hildegard by artists Tricia Danby and Plamen Petrov.



Hildegard appears as a young woman in new portraits by Tricia Danby, a spiritual artist based in Germany and a cleric in the Old Catholic Apostolic Church. Her images reveal a sensuous side to Hildegard’s rapturous connection with God.



Stained-glass artist Plamen Petrov of Chicago is known for his window showing the male paired saints Sergius and Bacchus at St. Martha Church in Morton Grove, Illinois. His Hildegard window shows her illuminated with beautiful aquamarine colors.






“Hildegard von Bingen” by Tobias Haller


Hildegard was sketched in blue with intense blue eyes by Tobias Haller, an iconographer, author, composer, and vicar of Saint James Episcopal Church in the Bronx. He is the author of “Reasonable and Holy: Engaging Same-Sexuality.” Haller enjoys expanding the diversity of icons available by creating icons of LGBTQ people and other progressive holy figures as well as traditional saints. He and his spouse were united in a church wedding more than 30 years ago and a civil ceremony after same-sex marriage became legal in New York.






“Saint Hildegard of Bingen” by Robert Lentz


Robert Lentz, a Franciscan friar known for his innovative and LGBT-positive icons, portrays Hildegard with a wild rose. She used to dip a rose in the Rhine River and use it to sprinkle water on people as a blessing when she traveled between monasteries. Lentz is stationed at Holy Name College in Silver Spring, Maryland.



LGBT-affirming creation theologian Matthew Fox has written two books on the life and work of Hildegard. The newest is Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century, which presents her as an "eco-warrior" who meets such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Howard Thurman, Dorothee Soelle and Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Fox also wrote Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen.



Hildegard was the subject of a major sermon by Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori when the House of Bishops met in Taiwan on Sept. 17, 2014. “Hildegard speaks scientifically and theologically of divine creativity as viriditas, reflecting both greenness and truth… Hildegard’s vision motivates all healers of creation who understand the green web of connection that ties creation together in Wisdom’s body,” she said. (Thanks to Ann Fontaine at Episcopal Café for the news tip.)














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Related links:



Pope sets date to declare two new church doctors (Catholic News Agency)



Ritual to Honor Hildegard of Bingen by Diann L. Neu (WATER)



To read this post in Spanish / en español, go to Santos Queer:

Hildegarda de Bingen y Richardis: Una mística que amaba a otra mujer



To read this post in Italian / in Italiano, go to gionata.org:

La forza della visione. La vita della mistica Ildegarda di Bingen

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Top image credit: “St. Hildegard of Bingen and Her Assistant Richardis” by Lewis Williams, TrinityStores.com





This post is part of the GLBT Saints series at the Jesus in Love Blog. Saints and holy people of special interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people and our allies are covered on appropriate dates throughout the year.





The Hildegard icons are available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at TrinityStores.com

Mychal Judge, gay saint of 9/11 and chaplain to New York firefighters

Father Mychal Judge, chaplain to New York firefighters and unofficial “gay saint,” died helping others in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He was killed by flying debris while praying and administering sacraments at the World Trade Center. Father Mychal (1933-2001) was the first recorded victim of 9/11.



Father Mychal responded quickly when extremists flew hijacked planes into the twin towers. He rushed with firefighters into the north tower right after the first plane hit. Refusing to be evacuated, he prayed and gave sacraments as wreckage crashed outside. He saw dozens of bodies hit the plaza outside as people jumped to their deaths. His final prayer, repeated over and over, was “Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!”



While he was praying, Father Mychal was struck and killed in a storm of flying steel and concrete that exploded when the south tower collapsed. Father Mychal was designated as Victim 0001 because his was the first body recovered at the scene. More than 2,500 people from many nationalities and walks of life were killed. Thousands more escaped the buildings safely.



After Father Mychal’s death, some of his friends revealed that he considered himself a gay man. He had a homosexual orientation, but by all accounts he remained faithful to his vow of celibacy as a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan order.



The charismatic, elderly priest was a long-term member of Dignity, the oldest and largest national lay movement of LGBT Catholics and their allies. Father Mychal voiced disagreement with the Vatican’s condemnation of homosexuality, and found ways to welcome Dignity’s AIDS ministry despite a ban by church leaders. He defied a church boycott of the first gay-inclusive St. Patrick’s Day parade in Queens, showing up in his habit and granting news media interviews.



Many people, both inside and outside the LGBT community, call Father Mychal a saint. He has not been canonized yet by his own Roman Catholic Church, but some feel that he has already become a saint by popular acclamation, and the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America did declare officially declare him a saint. Here is a round-up of artwork, films and books about him.



A dramatic icon of Father Mychal against a backdrop of the burning buildings was painted by Father William Hart McNichols. He shows Father Mychal with St. Francis of Assisi as the World Trade Center burns behind them. The narrative that accompanies the icon describes Father Mychal as a Passion Bearer who “takes on the oncoming violence rather than returning it… choosing solidarity with the unprotected.” It is one of 32 McNichols icons included in “You Will Be My Witnesses: Saints, Prophets, And Martyrs” with text by John Dear. McNichols is a Roman Catholic priest based in New Mexico. He has a deep connection to New York City because he worked at an AIDS hospice there in the 1980s.






“Father Mychal Judge” by Brother Robert Lentz, trinitystores.com


Father Mychal carries his fire department hat in an icon by Brother Robert Lentz, is a Franciscan friar known for his innovative and LGBT-positive icons. It is one of 40 icons featured in the book “Christ in the Margins” by Robert Lentz and Edwina Gateley.  Lentz is stationed at Holy Name College in Silver Spring, Maryland. Both McNichols and Lentz have faced controversy for painting gay-affirming icons. They are two of the 11 artists whose life and work are featured in “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More ” by Kittredge Cherry.






“Mychal Judge” by Tobias Haller


A smiling Mychal Judge with a halo was sketched by Tobias Haller, an iconographer, author, composer, and vicar of Saint James Episcopal Church in the Bronx. He is the author of “Reasonable and Holy: Engaging Same-Sexuality.” Haller enjoys expanding the diversity of icons available by creating icons of LGBTQ people and other progressive holy figures as well as traditional saints. He and his spouse were united in a church wedding more than 30 years ago and a civil ceremony after same-sex marriage became legal in New York.






“Fr. Mychal Judge” at the Legacy Walk


In 2014 Father Mychal was inducted into the Legacy Walk in a Chicago. The outdoor public display celebrates LGBT history through a series of biographical bronze plaques with laser-etched photos located in a traditionally gay neighborhood along North Halsted Street.



In June 2015 a larger-than-life bronze statue was dedicated to him at St. Joseph’s Park in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the street from St. Joseph’s church, where he worked for several years. It was sculpted by nationally known artist Brian Hanlon, who has sculpted more than 300 public art pieces of religious, civic and sports figures.






“(Saint) Mychal Judge being Welcomed by the Franciscan Saints” by JR Leveroni


The priest's connection with others is emphasized in “(Saint) Mychal Judge being Welcomed by the Franciscan Saints” by JR Leveroni. Deliberately painted in the primitive style of folk art, it goes beyond the iconic news photo, sometimes called the “American Pieta,” that shows firefighters carrying Father Mychal’s limp corpse at Ground Zero. In Leveroni’s vision, saints replace the firefighters to carry Mychal onward to heaven. He holds his red firemen's helmet in his left hand. Leveroni has also painted gay martyrs Matthew Shepard and Saint Sebastian together. A variety of male nudes and religious paintings can be seen on Leveroni’s website (warning: male nudity).



Stories from the life of Father Mychal are presented in the book, “Mychal's Prayer: Praying with Father Mychal Judge” by Salvatore Sapienza, a former monk who worked with Father Mychal to build St. Francis AIDS Ministry in New York City. The book mixes prayers with stories from the chaplain’s life. It begins with Father Mychal’s own words, a text that has come to be known simply as “Mychal’s Prayer”:

Lord, take me where You want me to go;

Let me meet who You want me to meet;

Tell me what You want me to say; and

Keep me out of your way.

For an excerpt from the book, see my previous post 10 years later: Mychal Judge, gay saint of 9/11. Sapienza is also the author of Seventy Times Seven: A Novel, a novel about a young Catholic brother torn between his sexuality and his spirituality as an out and proud gay man.



The film Saint of 9/11 - The True Story of Father Mychal Judge is a complete and uplifting documentary on Father Mychal’s life, including his gay orientation and his support for LGBT rights.  Its producers include Brendan Fay, who directed “Taking a Chance on God,” a biopic about gay priest John McNeill.



Another gay man who died heroically helping others in the Sept. 11 attack was rugby champion Mark Bingham, who lost his life while fighting hijackers on Flight 93. His story is told in my previous post at this link.



An excellent interfaith selection of prayers for peace is available at WorldPrayers.org. It includes prayers by Father Mychal as well as Sister Joan Chittister, Dr. Maya Angelou, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Dr. Jane Goodall, Rumi, Lao-Tse, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad, Jesus and many more.



Mychal Judge is the first recorded victim of 9/11 -- and also the first saint in the GLBT Saints series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. The series began on Sept. 11, 2009, and has grown to include many saints, martyrs, mystics, prophets, witnesses, heroes, holy people, humanitarians, deities and religious figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and queer people and their allies. They are covered on appropriate dates throughout the year.



On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, may these images and stories inspire people with renewed dedication to peace and service to humanity.



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Related link:



Saint Mychal Judge Blog



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Top image credit:

“Holy Passion Bearer Mychal Judge and St. Francis of Assisi” by William Hart McNichols



Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.

http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/

Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts





The Mychal Judge icon is available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at TrinityStores.com

Basic LGBTQ Christian books: Where to start?

Where should beginners start with LGBTQ Christian books on theology, Bible and church? What books should every church have in their library?



People often ask me these questions, so I created this basic introductory list of 25 books. A full list with more than 200 books will be posted later.



This is a bare-bones, user-friendly list aimed primarily at the newcomers who tell me they are overwhelmed by the huge number of LGBTQ Christian books today. It tries to include something for everyone.



The list of basic LGBTQ Christian books is a work in progress, so please leave comments with your recommendations on what to add or change.



Fifty years ago it was almost impossible to find LGBTQ-affirming religious books, but now there are so many that it is tough to narrow them down to a manageable list. Important books inevitably get left out.



The explosion of LGBTQ Christian books is wonderful -- and almost dizzying. No wonder readers asked me to create a booklist advising them on where to start!



The wide diversity of authors is needed. Multiple viewpoints empower LGBTQ people to approach Christ by any means necessary! There are enough books to build specialized lists for various age groups, education levels and LGBTQ Christian identities: Catholic, evangelical, liberal Protestant, people of color, and many more.



When I asked for book recommendations on Facebook, I was surprised and moved by the many personal comments about how LGBTQ Christian books literally transformed lives and saved souls.



Within every group, individuals each have their own private “canon” of beloved books, and there is not a lot of overlap. For example, some people seek books that debunk the so-called “clobber passages” on homosexuality in the Bible, while others want queer ways of accessing other parts of the Bible.



Different generations were shaped by distinct. Older readers may be loyal to the classics, while younger readers may prefer millennial authors who focus more on same-sex marriage and use “queer” or “LGBT” instead of “gay,” “lesbian” or“homosexual.”



The publishers are as varied as the authors, ranging from self-publishing and small independent presses to mainstream mega-publishers.



One of the queer aspects of LGBTQ Christian books is that they tend to blend genres, often mixing theology, history and memoir.



Apologies to anyone and everyone who is not on this basic list -- and to all those whose favorite books are missing. There are hundreds of LGBTQ Christian books, and many are excellent.



Here I had to focus on those that meant the most to the largest number of readers. I limited it to one book per author (excluding edited collections). Preference is also given to books that are accessible in writing style and still in print at a reasonable price.



Actually a person can start anywhere and one book will lead to another according to your own spiritual needs and questions.



Thanks to the Facebook friends and groups who made recommendations, including the Queer Biblical Studies and Theologies group and the Whosoever group.



Basic LGBTQ Christian Books



Althaus-Reid, Marcella. The Queer God, Routledge, 2003.



A search for a different face of God leads to a courageous new theology from the margins of sexual deviance, racial injustice and economic exclusion. Born in Argentina, Marcella Althaus-Reid is an influential Latina bisexual theologian who became the first woman appointed to a chair in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2006.







Beardsley, Christina and Michelle O'Brien (editors). This Is My Body: Hearing the Theology of Transgender Christians, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd., 2016.



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.







Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century, University of Chicago Press, 1980.



This landmark book upended the popular misconception that homosexuality was universally condemned throughout church history. It shows that at least until the twelfth century, same-sex love was ignored or celebrated by the church. This National Book Award winner was written by Yale history professor John Boswell.







Cheng, Patrick S. Radical Love: Introduction to Queer Theology, Seabury Books, 2011.



First on many queer theology booklists, “Radical Love” provides a crystal-clear introduction to the topic using scripture, tradition, reason and experience. This user-friendly guide includes questions and exercises for group or individual study. Cheng is a gay theologian, attorney, and ordained minister who taught theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA.





Cherry, Kittredge. Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More, AndroGyne Press, 2007.



Art that dares to show Jesus as gay or female has been censored or destroyed. Eleven artists tell the stories behind their controversial images, and an introduction puts them into context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom. This Lambda Literary Award finalist was written by a lesbian art historian. Packed with color illustrations.







Cherry, Kittredge and Zalmon Sherwood (editors). Equal Rites: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies and Celebrations, Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.



Weddings, memorial services, healing rites, LGBT pride celebrations and more are drawn from diverse Protestant and Catholic sources. There’s even a motorcycle blessing. The treasury presents 50 liturgies by 30 spiritual leaders. Contributors include Malcolm Boyd, Chris Glaser, Carter Heyward, Elias Farajaje-Jones, Diann Neu, Troy Perry, Jane Spahr, and many more.







Cornwall, Susannah. Controversies in Queer Theology, London: SCM Press, 2011.



Questions discussed include: Questions include: Is “queer” just a white Western idea? Are queer theologies just about sex? Is the Christian tradition really queer? Should queer people stay Christian? The author is advanced research fellow at Exeter University in Britain.







Glaser, Chris. The Word Is Out: Daily Reflections on the Bible for Lesbians and Gay Men, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.



Inspirational daily meditations on the Bible for LGBTQ people and allies from a gay Presbyterian author who was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches.







Goss, Robert E. Queering Christ: Beyond Jesus Acted Up, Pilgrim Press, 2002.



Scholarly yet provocative and sometimes personal, this Lambda Literary Award finalist explores the queer Christ through such topics as erotic contemplatives and the heart-genital connection. Ordained as a Jesuit, Goss wrote the book when he was a religion professor at Webster University.







Guest, Deryn, Mona West, Robert Goss, and Thomas Bohache, (editors). The Queer Bible Commentary, SCM, 2006.



The definitive guide on the subject. A variety of writers cover every book of the Bible.







Gushee, David P. Changing Our Mind, David Crumm Media, 2014.



A leading evangelical ethics scholar calls for full acceptance of LGBT Christians in the church, using personal stories and a scholarly approach with a high view of the inerrancy of scripture.







Helminiak, Daniel. What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality, Alamo Square Press, 1994.



This bestseller clearly explains new scholarship showing that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. The author is a Catholic priest and psychology professor.







Heyward, Carter. Saving Jesus From Those Who Are Right: Rethinking What it Means to be Christian, Fortress Press, 1999.



A pioneering lesbian feminist Episcopal priest reveals the importance of Jesus for ecological, racial, economic, and gender justice. Her liberating Christology reconstructs the concepts of incarnation, atonement, evil, suffering, and fear.







Jennings, Theodore W., Jr. The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives from the New Testament, Pilgrim Press, 2003.



The historical Jesus defied gender roles, supported same-sex relationships—and probably had a male lover himself. A Chicago Theological Seminary professor tells all. The ultimate book on Biblical evidence for a gay Jesus.







Jordan, Mark. The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology, University of Chicago Press, 1997.



The evolution of “sodomy” as a concept is traced from medieval times to the present with an analysis of its impact on sexual ethics then and now. The author is a Washington University religion professor who taught at Harvard.







Lee, Justin. Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate, Jericho Books, 2012.



Memoir with practical advice from a gay evangelical who experienced the ex-gay movement on the way to self-acceptance. The author is founder and executive director of The Gay Christian Network.







Lightsey, Pamela R. Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology, Pickwick Publications, 2015.



With the “Black Lives Matter” protests as a backdrop, the book uses womanist and queer liberation theological approaches to explore the impact of oppression against black LGBTQ people. Contemporary debates such as same-sex marriage and ordination rights are covered. The author is assistant professor of contextual theology at Boston University and a queer lesbian ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.







Loughlin, Gerard (editor). Queer Theology: Rethinking the Western Body, Blackwell, 2007.



Hidden aspects of queerness in Christian tradition are rediscovered in this creative collection of specially commissioned essays from Anglo-American scholars. Diverse authors reflect on the Trinity, saints, sacraments and other aspects of how bodies and their erotic desires are understood through religion.







McNeill, John. Taking a Chance on God: Liberating Theology for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Lovers, Families, and Friends, Beacon Press, 1988.



A pioneering gay Jesuit priest writes about LGBTQ liberation, self-acceptance and spiritual maturity. John McNeill was a psychotherapist and priest who began ministering to lesbian and gay Catholics in the 1970s, helping give birth to Dignity in 1974. He was silenced by the Vatican and expelled from the Jesuit order for coming out and promoting LBGTQ rights in church and society.







Mollenknott, Virginia Ramey. Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach, Pilgrim Press, 2001.



An accessible approach to transgender Christian lives and related themes. The common understanding of gender as two opposite sexes is shown to be inaccurate and harmful in this helpful guide. Scripture and church history can provide new visions of a more flexible gender paradigm that honors the experience of transgender, transsexual, intersex and other non-binary identities. The author draws on a lifetime of writing and teaching about gender issues.







Rohrer, Megan. Faithful Families, Wilgefortis Press, 2016.



This children’s book reminds kids that God loves them, no matter what their family looks like -- even if they have two mommies or two daddies. It is aimed at children up to 8 years old. The author is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran Church. For more info and a sample page, see First-ever LGBT religious children's books published.







Sanchez, Alex. The God Box, Simon and Schuster, 2009.



Small-town gay Christian teens fall in love and struggle with the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality in a young-adult romance novel from a Lammy-winning author.







Vines, Matthew. God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, Convergent Books, 2014.



An evangelical LGBT activist uses clear Biblical arguments and his own story to establish that the Bible supports loving, monogamous same-sex unions. Born in 1990, Vines founded the Reformation Project, which is hugely popular, especially with millennials.







White, Heather Rachelle. Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights, University of North Carolina Press, 2015.



One of the few histories of LGBTQ religious movements. Religion tends to get downplayed in LGBTQ history. A religion professor challenges the prevailing secular narrative and recovers the forgotten history of liberal Protestants' role on both sides of the debates on sexual orientation and identity. White teaches in the religion department and gender and queer studies program at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.





White, Mel. Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America, Simon and Schuster, 1994.



This is the bestselling autobiography of Mel White, a high-ranking insider in the evangelical Protestant movement in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Mel White ghostwrote autobiographies for such famous right-wing televangelists as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham. Meanwhile he was trying to “cure” his homosexuality with “ex-gay” therapy, including prayer, fasting, exorcisms and even electroshock treatment. Then he came out as gay in 1993, transferred his clergy credentials to Metropolitan Community Church and became a national media sensation. Later he founded Soulforce to end religious and political oppression of LGBTQ people by using non-violent resistance in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Christ.





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Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts

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The newsletter covers LGBTQ saints and the queer Christ, with an emphasis on visual art and books. Cutting-edge artists, authors and theologians are introduced.



The LGBTQ Saints series expands the meaning of holiness with a diverse group of contemporary and historical figures on appropriate dates throughout the year.



Jesus in Love promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.



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JL News: Aug 2016  (8/8/2016)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eberhard Bethge: anti-Nazi theologians and soulmates, pioneering lesbian minister Nancy Wilson retires, bearded woman saint Wilgefortis, holy fool Symeon of Emesa loved hermit John, Kuan Yin as queer Buddhist Christ figure, four women reformers honored from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, sisters Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women.
JL News: July 2016  (7/4/2016)
Clergyman Robert Wood picketed for LGBT equality in Fourth of July 1965-69 Annual Reminder protests, Pulse Orlando shooting kills 49 at gay nightclub, “I first saw the rainbow flag in a church” reflection, Virgin Mary's lesbian kiss on Spanish poster,

artist Stephen Mead seeks suggestions for LGBT history series, 32 killed in UpStairs Lounge arson fire, civil rights champion / queer priest Pauli Murray, preacher Jemima reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend,” saints of Stonewall inspire LGBT justice and artists, homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham
JL News: June 2016  (6/5/2016)
Rainbow Christ Prayer translated to 10 languages, LGBTQ Methodist protest art, Julian of Norwich, Harvey Milk, Joan of Arc, Uganda Martyrs, Madre Juana de la Cruz, Pentecost, congrats to new grads, Painter Rosa Bonheur honored “androgyne Christ,” new books.
JL News: May 2016  (5/1/2016)
First-ever LGBTQ religious books for children, LGBT activists murdered in Bangladesh, Biblical same-sex love in “David and Jonathan” painting by Edward Hicks, Christina Rossetti wrote Christmas carols and lesbian poetry, Day of Silence Prayer to stop bullying God's LGBTQ youth, 1992 LGBT protest at National Council of Churches, Nun Sor Juana de la Cruz who loved a countess in 17th-century Mexico City, RIP Bill Rosendahl (early supporter of LGBT Christians through TV “God Squad”), Italian translations.
JL News: Easter/April 2016  (3/27/2016)
Happy Easter with risen rainbow Christ, gay Passion of Christ series ends, Facebook ad rejection, Perpetua & Felicity, John Boswell, gay Centurion.
JL News: Good Friday 2016  (3/25/2016)
JL News Palm Sunday 2016  (3/20/2016)
JL News: March 2016  (3/4/2016)
Gay love stops hiding from church oppression in new music video: “Hiding” by Ray Isaac, Advocate.com covers gay Passion of Christ censorship on social media, Level Ground Fest uses art for LGBT faith dialogue, RIP queer theologian Ibrahim Farajaje, paired male saints Polyeuct and Nearchus, pioneering gay priest Malcolm Boyd, queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, Valentine list of 15 ways to celebrate LGBT Christian love, Harvard minister Peter Gomes taught "scandalous gospel."
JL News: Feb 2016  (2/4/2016)
Saint Walatta Petros was a nun who shared a lifetime bond with a female partner in 17th-century Ethiopia, Saint Sebastian, history's queer martyrs rise for Ash Wednesday, David Bowie as queer messiah, Holocaust remembrance, Celtic saint Brigid and her female soulmate Darlughdach,gay saint of friendship Aelred, Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato, PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford, books.
JL News: New Year's Eve / Jan 2016  (12/31/2015)
Jesus in Love January Newsletter is out! Gay wedding of Jesus and beloved disciple John at Cana in art by Christopher Olwage, Bridge of Light ceremony honors LGBT culture on New Year's Eve, David and Jonathan, queer Epiphany.
JL News Christmas 2015  (12/24/2015)
Rainbow baby Jesus, queer Kwanzaa, Lazarus as beloved disciple, Ruth and Naomi, John of the Cross, Guadalupe, straight allies, new books.
JL News Dec 2015  (12/6/2015)
Gay Jesus appears in photo from Brazilian performance group Transeuntes, Top 25 LGBTQ books of 2015, intersex trial of Thomas(ine) Hall in colonial America, Bernardo de Hoyos' mystical same-sex marriage with Jesus, queer Nativity scenes, LGBTIQ guide to American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting (AAR - SBL), spiritual resources for World AIDS Day, Mexico's Dance of the 41 Queers, St. Malachy of Armaugh, Advent, queer cheer for Christmas.
JL News Nov 2015  (11/1/2015)
New art film on St Sebastian, queer saints and homophobic violence by British artist Tony O'Connell, why we need LGBT saints, 8 new LGBT saints added, LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints/All Souls Day
JL News Oct 2015  (10/14/2015)
Cosmic Christ art with LGBT symbols by Doyle Chappell, gay saints Sergius & Bacchus, Kim Davis cartoon by David Hayward, Pope’s visit has mixed messages for LGBT people, RIP pioneering gay priest John McNeill, lesbian saint Vida Dutton Scudder, historic photos for 47th anniversary of Metropolitan Community Churches, queer Francis of Assisi, LGBT martyrs (Matthew Shepard, FannyAnn Eddy, Tyler Clementi), two-spirit Native Americans bridge genders on Columbus Day, Henri Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality, Sufi poet/mystic Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Hildegard of Bingen and her beloved Richardis, good (gay?) King Wenceslas, new LGBTQ Christian books. 
 
JL News Sept 2015  (9/9/2015)
Divine love transforms presidents Obama and Putin into gay saints in art by Jim Lyngvild, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, black gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Mary’s lesbian goddess roots with Artemis, Blessed John Henry Newman’s romantic friendship with priest Ambrose St. John, Black Madonna becomes lesbian defender: Erzuli Dantor and Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Jesus kiss of medieval friar John of La Verna, love between Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, and Christ and Krishna.
JL News August 2015  (8/7/2015)
Erotic gay soul explored in new books "HomoEros" and "Internal Landscapes," Christa art show, queer 1776 preacher Jemima Wilkinson reborn as Public Universal Friend, holy fool Symeon of Emesa and John, sisters Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, bearded holy woman Wilgefortis, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women.
JL News July 2015  (7/2/2015)
Gay Vatican art tours, seminary course on queer Christ in art, UpStairs Lounge fire and poem, Pauli Murray, motorcycle blessing at gay leather bar, Uganda martyrs
JL News June 2015  (6/4/2015)
“Queer Icons” show LGBTQ people of color today in art by Gabriel Garcia Roman, Joan of Arc, Harvey Milk, resurrection song, Rainbow Christ Prayer, saints of Stonewall, Julian of Norwich, Rosa Bonheur, new books
JL News May 2015-B  (5/5/2015)
New queer martyrdom book discussed by author Dominic Janes, Ethiopian eunuch, new queer Christ videos, Christina Rossetti, green LGBT theology on Earth Day, new LGBTQ Christian books, Day of Silence Prayer re anti-LGBT bullying, Madre Juana de la Cruz of Spain, Sor Juana de la Cruz of Mexico, Kuan Yin as a queer Buddhist Christ figure.
JL News Easter/April 2015  (4/5/2015)
Happy Easter with murals of Los Angeles, gay Passion of Christ series ends, blasphemy debate, Perpetua & Felicity, John Boswell, Esther & Vashti, gay Centurion, Adrienne Rich.
JL News Palm Sunday 2015  (3/29/2015)
JL News March 2015  (3/1/2015)
Sacred gay union with Christ evoked by music of New-Age “Passion of Mark” by Christopher Flores and Adrian Ravarour, gay Jesus painting by Christopher Olwage shown in New Zealand, pioneering gay priest Malcolm Boyd dies at 91, Queer Clergy Trading Cards feature Kittredge Cherry, queer martyrs rise from the ashes on Ash Wednesday, paired saints Polyeuct and Nearchus served as Roman soldiers, queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, gay black Harvard minister Peter Gomes preached "scandalous gospel,” latest LGBTQ Christian books.
JL News Feb 2015  (2/8/2015)
Top LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2014, Queer Clergy Trading Cards, Je Suis Charlie. queer black Jesus icon by David Hayward, Saint Sebastian, Saint Brigid and Darlughdach, Holocaust Remembrance, Beloved Disciple John the Evangelist, David Kato, and David and Jonathan.
JL News Xmas 2014 / Jan 2015  (12/24/2014)
Merry Christmas with minimalist Nativity scene, queer holiday cheer, Lazarus, Ruth and Naomi, Bridge of Light ceremony honors LGBT culture on New Year's Eve, three kings or three queens on Epiphany.
JL News December 2014  (12/14/2014)
Top 25 LGBT Christian books of 2014, LGBTIQ scholars meet at American Academy of Religion, AIDS saints Vivaldo and Bartolo, queer art showing Our Lady of Guadalupe, John of the Cross, book video for "The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision."
JL News November 2014  (11/20/2014)
Alan Turing pilgrimage by artist Tony O'Connell, Mexico's Dance of the 41 Queers, Facebook censors gay Passion of Christ book, why we need LGBT saints, St. Malachy of Armaugh, LGBTIQ guide to American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting (AAR - SBL)
Passion Book Announcement  (10/16/2014)
JL News October 2014  (10/15/2014)
Gay Passion of Christ book published, modern gay martyr Matthew Shepard, paired saint Sergius and Bacchus, 19th-century lesbian saint Vida Dutton Scudder, Francis of Assisi’s queer side revealed, medieval nuns Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis, Henri Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality, Africa’s lesbian martyr FannyAnn Eddy, Good (Gay?) King Wenceslas,. 1000th newsletter subscriber.
JL News September 2014  (9/14/2014)
Radclyffe Hall's queer Christianity in her life and 1928 novel “The Well of Loneliness.” Gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, Mel White stands for LGBT justice at National Council of Churches, black gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Mary’s Feast of Assumption has lesbian goddess roots, Blessed John Henry Newman’s romantic friendship with priest Ambrose St. John, Black Madonna becomes lesbian defender: Erzuli Dantor and Our Lady of Czestochowa, love between Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, Christ and Krishna.
JL News August 2014  (8/9/2014)
Blessed John of La Verna (medieval Italian friar kissed by Jesus), queer Jesus poem by Louie Clay (ne Louie Crew), "Art That Dares" on Advocate.com, Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, Jacob wrestling with angel symbolizes sexuality struggles, bearded holy woman Wilgefortis, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women, artist David Wojnarowicz mixed gay and Christian imagery, Holy fool Symeon of Emesa and John
JL News July 2014  (7/9/2014)
Rainbow Crucifix and Rainbow Madonna by Richard Stott, Rainbow Christ Prayer goes nationwide, queer 1776 preacher Jemima Wilkinson reborn as Public Universal Friend, UpStairs Lounge fire martyrs recalled in new film etc, queer saint Pauli Murray
JL News June 2014  (6/3/2014)
Uganda Martyrs, LGBT Pride / saints of Stonewall, Joan of Arc, religious role of gay bars described in new book "Baby You Are My Religion" by Marie Cartier
JL News May 2014  (5/15/2014)
Homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Madre Juana de la Cruz as genderbending saint of 16th-century Spain, Sacred Heart icon of bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, Julian of Norwich celebrates "Mother Jesus," Easter photo of MCC founder Troy Perry and Jesus in Love founder Kittredge Cherry
JL News, Easter 2014  (4/20/2014)
JL News April 2014  (4/13/2014)
Gay Passion of Christ series begins on Palm Sunday, mystical same-sex marriage affirmed in Renaissance art, black Jesus appears in liberating Way of the Cross, Jesus heals a centurion’s boyfriend, Kuan Yin as a queer Buddhist Christ figure, lesbian poet Adrienne Rich, LGBT Stations of the Cross by Mary Button
JL News March 2014  (3/12/2014)
Art museums explore queer Christian themes ("In His Own Likeness" in Florida and "Sinful Saints" in Los Angeles), remembering queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, LGBT martyrs rise on Ash Wednesday, Brian Day poetry book explores "lust for the holy." Peter Gomes, Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus
JL News Feb 2014  (2/12/2014)
Top 10 stories of 2013, spiritual art supports Russian LGBT people during Olympics, 3 recent deaths (Robert Nugent, Otis Charles and Mark Shirilau), Saint Sebastian, Saint Brigid and Darlughdach, Holocaust Remembrance, Beloved Disciple John the Evangelist, David Kato, and David and Jonathan.
JL News Xmas 2013 / Jan 2014  (12/24/2013)
Christmas chant honors Christ the bridegroom: Cum ortus fuerit sol de Caelo; Some children see Him queer or gay: New rainbow version of Christmas carol "Some Children See Him," queer Nativity debate, Queer Lady of Guadalupe, Lazarus as Jesus' beloved disciple, Ruth and Naomi, John of the Cross
JL News Dec 2013  (12/8/2013)
Gay Israeli artist Adi Nes humanizes Bible stories, queer Advent, cartoon on how LGBT people know God loves us, mystical marriage of Bernardo de Hoyos, World AIDS Day, Harvey Milk, gay and lesbian Nativity cards, list of Christmas favorites
JL News Nov 2013  (11/7/2013)
Photos of same-sex kisses in church censored (Gonzalo Orquin), All Saints Day, Bible and homosexuality, lesbian saint and teacher Vida Dutton Scudder, same-sex soulmate St. Malachy of Armagh
JL News Oct 2013  (10/7/2013)
Sergius and Bacchus, queer creation, Francis of Assisi' queer side, Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis, Henri Nouwen's gay struggle, Rumi insipred by another man
JL News Sept 2013  (9/12/2013)
Gay artist Richard Stott paints "Intimacy with Christ," Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, Proud Jesus blesses LGBT Pride parades, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, John Henry Newman and Ambrose St. John, lesbian goddess roots of Mary's Feast of the Assumption, civil rights champion Bayard Rustin, Christ and Krishna
JL News August 2013  (8/4/2013)
Black Madonna and lesbian defender Erzulie Dantor, gay Russian saints Boris and George, Wojnarowicz art and religion, LGBT resurrection by Mary Button, new translator at Santos Queer, bearded woman saint Wilgefortis
JL News July 2013  (7/6/2013)
Queer religious art list resource list: (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Paganism), UpStairs Lounge fire 40 years later, Pauli Murray (queer saint and first black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest), Saint Symeon and John (holy fool and hermit who loved each other), Jemima Wilkinson (queer preacher reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend”)
JL News June 2013  (6/5/2013)
Will Roscoe on Jesus and the shamanic tradition of same-sex love, cross-dressing painter Rosa Bonheur honors "androgyne Christ," Hidden Perspectives interviews Kittredge Cherry on LGBT religion, Adam and Steve welcome marriage equality, Joan of Arc, Rainbow Christ Prayer, Julian of Norwich
JL News May 2013  (5/2/2013)
Photos of LGBT saints today by Tony O'Connell, LGBT vs Christian cartoon by Carlos Latuff for Day Against Homophobia, LGBT Litany, Christina Rossetti, Sor Juana de la Cruz, new books
JL News Easter / April 2013  (3/31/2013)
Happy Easter, gay Passion of Christ series ends when Jesus rises and appears to Mary, marriage equality vigil, queer Buddhist Christ figure Kuan Yin, lesbian poet Adrienne Rich
JL News: Palm Sunday 2013   (3/24/2013)
Gay Passion of Christ paintings by Douglas Blanchard with text by Kittredge Cherry, LGBT Stations of the Cross by Mary Button, right-wing rants against queer Christ
JL News Mar 2013  (3/2/2013)
Artist Ria Brodell paints history's butch heroes, queer martyrs rise on Ash Wednesday, Polyeuct and Nearchus, Queen Esther, new books
JL News Feb 2013  (2/9/2013)
Top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2012, LGBT clergy at Inauguration, Saint Sebastian, Lesbian Virgin Mary poster protested in Croatia, Beloved Disciple, Holocaust Remembrance with pink triangle art, Brigid and Darlughdach, David and Jonathan, Ugandan LGBT maryr David Kato
JL News Xmas 2012 / Jan 2013  (12/24/2012)
Queer baby Jesus, gay Nativity in Columbia, artist Eric Martin paints naked young man from Mark's gospel, John of the Cross, ad shows Pope blessing same-sex marriage, Bridge of Light holiday for New Year
JL News December 2012  (12/4/2012)
Divine lesbian art by Verlena Johnson, Advent, blasphemy charges for Greek gay Jesus play, Top 20 gay Jesus books, gay King Wenceslas, mystical same-sex marriage of Bernardo de Hoyos, queer Christmas gift ideas
JL News November 2012  (11/1/2012)
More LGBTQ saints added for All Saints Day, LGBTQ guide to American Academy of Religion - Society of Biblical Studies meeting, Cardinal John Henry Newman loved Ambrose St. John, Angela Yarber paints portrait of Kittredge Cherry, gay martyrs Sergius & Bacchus, We Wha of Zuni, Jesus in Love's 7th anniversary
JL News October 2012  (10/4/2012)
Queer Saint Francis of Assisi, Henri Nouwen struggles with his homosexuality, Dr. Hildegard of Bingen loved women, Jesus in rainbow shroud, Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Leviticus and religion-based violence
JL News September 2012  (9/3/2012)
Tony De Carlo's art (gay saints, Adam and Steve, marriage equality), gay Christ by Latuff, gay civil-rights saint Bayard Rustin, Mary's lesbian goddess roots
Kittredge Cherry Update, Sept 2012  (9/25/2012)
Sample issue of KC Update, a monthly e-newsletter with timely reflections on LGBT spirituality and art plus a report on her latest activities. KC Update is available only to paid subscribers for $25 per month.
JL News August 2012  (8/2/2012)
Queer grace with art by Felicia Follum, marriage of Jesus and Freddie Mercury by Mr. Fish, Pauli Murray voted into sainthood, blasphemy charge from Americans for Truth, queer saints Wilgefortis, Boris & George, Artemisia Gentileschi
July 2012  (7/1/2012)
Queer saint for Independence Day: Jemima Wilkinson was reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend,” Rainbow Christ Prayer by Kittredge Cherry and Patrick Cheng, cartoon shows Jesus walking on dangerous waters carrying LGBT kid, my first LGBT Pride march
June 2012  (6/6/2012)
Stonewall paintings by Sandow Birk, Sweden's first LGBT altar by Elisbeth Ohlson Wallin, resurrection images from Gay Passion of Christ with art by Doug Blanchard and text by Kittredge Cherry, 2 new gay Jesus books, Joan of Arc, LGBT Pride prayers
May 2012  (5/3/2012)
Ethiopian eunuch shows early church welcomed queers, gay teen wins right to wear "Jesus is not a homophobe" shirt on Day of Silence, lesbian poet Christina Rossetti, gay Jesus makes news in the Guardian, Sor Juana de la Cruz loved a countess
Easter 2012  (4/8/2012)
Happy Easter with Queer Resurrection by Andrew Craig Wiliams, Gay Passion of Christ series by Douglas Blanchard ends, Queer Christ article in Huffington Post by Kittredge Cherry -- and conservative attacks on it
April 2012  (4/1/2012)
Gay Passion of Christ series with art by Douglas Blanchard and new text by Kittredge Cherry, gay Jesus kiss behind the scenes at "Corpus Christi," Queens Esther and Vashti, gay centurion, new queer Christ book by Patrick Cheng
March 2012  (3/1/2012)
Angela Yarber paints holy lesbian icons and other women, "Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" protested, executions for sodomy, closeted Jesus in "Dark Knowledge," Polyeuct and Nearchus, St. Valentine: marriage-equality role model
February 2012  (2/3/2012)
Top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2011, police investigate attack on gay / lesbian Nativity scene at California church, Ugandan LGBT rights activist David Kato remembered one year later, St. Brigid and her female soulmate, Kittredge Cherry starts writing for Huffington Post
Christmas 2011 / New Years 2012  (12/24/2011)
Christmas greetings, LGBT Nativity contest, queer saints on Huffington Post, Clinton tells UN that gay rights are human rights, Bridge of Light LGBT New Year ceremony
December 2011  (12/7/2011)
History's gay couples by artist Ryan Grant Long, mystical same-sex marriage of Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos and Jesus, LGBT Nativity contest, LGBTQ guide to American Academy of Religion
November 2011  (11/1/2011)
All Saints Day reflection on why we need LGBT saints, new LGBT spirituality resource pages, All Saints / All Souls memorial, author Hartman on gay Jesus, We'wha of Zuni (two-spirit Native American)
October 2011  (10/7/2011)
Sergius and Bacchus in new art, Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Tyler Clementi and bullying of LGBT youth, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi
September 2011  (9/10/2011)
Gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, civil-rights hero Bayard Rustin, Mary's lesbian-goddess roots with Artemis, Cardinal John Henry Newman, innovative icons.
August 2011  (8/6/2011)
Gay angel weeping and other art by Wes Hempel, conservatives attack our lesbian/gay Nativity scenes, same-sex marriage saints Boris and George, Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women, Jacob wrestling, Mary Magdalene
July 2011  (7/6/2011)
Sensuous gay saints by artist Ted Fusby, blasphemy charges against Our Lady by Alma Lopez, John McNeill and LGBTs vs. the Vatican, reimagining God the Father.
June 2011  (6/7/2011)
Lady Gaga's queer spirituality, gay priest John McNeill shakes up Rome, Joan of Arc, Hunky Jesus contest, Pentecost, saints of Stonewall, LGBT pride prayers and hymns
May 2011  (5/8/2011)
Julian of Norwich celebrates Mother Jesus, Holocaust remembrance, Gay Passion of Christ series climax.
Easter 2011  (4/24/2011)
Gay Passion of Christ series (art by Douglas Blanchard, text by Kittredge Cherry), Easter videos
April 2011  (4/8/2011)
Gay Passion of Christ series, female Christa, queer martyrs rise from ashes
March 2011  (3/4/2011)
Erotic Christ interview with Hunter Flournoy, Bible's "Unprotected Texts" on sex, LGBT affirming poetry contest, Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus
February 2011  (2/8/2011)
Top LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2010, Uganda's gay martyr David Kato, Queer Lady of Guadalupe, Smithsonian censorship, acrobats strip for Pope
Christmas 2010  (12/24/2010)
December 2010  (12/2/2010)
Rethinking Sin and Grace for LGBT People: Liberator Christ and Out Christ, LGBT Jerusalem photos, protests end queer Jesus exhibit in Spain, banned photo of gay Christ, gay King Wenceslas, Christmas video message brings hope
November 2010  (11/1/2010)
LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints All Souls, It Gets Better video for LGBT youth, inclusive art built from anti-gay DVDs, LGBT church history photos, Sally Gearhart on fighting the right with love, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, blog birthday, gay and lesbian Nativity scene cards, holiday gift ideas
October 2010  (10/4/2010)
St. Francis with Islamic sultan and gay Jesus, church fires artist for transforming anti-gay DVD, John Henry Newman's queer path to sainthood, Dirk Vanden's gay Jesus vision, Hildegard of Bingen's love for women, pet portraits, memorial candles
September 2010  (9/2/2010)
Krishna and Christ, Queer disciples in the Bible, Pride photo with gay Jesus sign, women's spirituality art book by Janet McKenzie, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge
August 2010  (8/5/2010)
Ex-gay movement as genocide, To Anne Rice: You can be pro-gay AND Christian, St. Wilgefortis (bearded woman), St. Boris and George, Mary and Martha: sisters or lesbian couple?
July 2010  (7/9/2010)
Queer spiritual art in Tikkun magazine, saints of Stonewall, If Jesus Were Gay poems, LGBT Pride songs and prayers, Hands around the God Box
June 2010  (6/4/2010)
How to unite sexuality and spirituality, Jesus has male lover in Marien Revelation, International Day Against Homophobia, transgressing gender in the Bible, spirit-centered male nudes by Peter Grahame
May, 2010  (5/1/2010)
Black lesbian prayers and art, gay Holocaust, Mexican nun who loved a countess (Sor Juana), Houston Chronicle gay Jesus interview, is this a sexy Jesus?
Easter 2010  (4/4/2010)
Happy Easter, Foreplay to Eternity prayer, Kuan Yin as androgynous spirit of compassion
April 2010  (4/1/2010)
GLBT Holy Week series, Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, AIDS crucifixion, Twitter
March 2010  (3/2/2010)
Paintings honor gay martyrs, lesbians infiltrate anti-gay church in documentary, homoerotic Jesus poems, Sts. Polyeuct & Nearchus, great sermon says "We ARE light"
February 2010  (2/1/2010)
Top GLBT spiritual art stories of 2009, St. Brigid & Darlughdach, blasphemy charge aids queer Jesus photo project, Epiphany, David & Jonathan, 2009 fundraising goal met
Christmas 2009  (12/24/2009)
Good (gay?) King Wenceslas, GLBT nativity video, Xmas excerpt from new trans Jesus play, Jesus tells Xmas story to animals, lesbian Madonna art
JL News, Dec 2009  (12/1/2009)
World AIDS Day, Advent, 300 protest transsexual Jesus play, Harvey Milk, Thanksgiving
JL News, Nov 2009  (11/4/2009)
Noah's gay wedding cruise, erotic encounter with the divine, Equality March video, transvestite Jesus, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, animal blessing, gay-friendly Jesus billboards
JL News, Sept 2009  (9/11/2009)
Gay saint of 9/11, National Equality March video, Jesus as lover, Mary's ecstasy, queer poem, cool new T-shirts, $185 needed, new books
JL News, Summer 2009  (7/1/2009)
Comic video jests about gay Jesus, Ruth and Naomi painting, "Jesus Never Married" poster, same-sex marriage not new, Eros & Christ series starts soon
JL News, April 2009  (4/5/2009)
Easter video with wildflowers, Gay Holy Week series, gay Passion photos by Recker, lesbian poet laureate, reflection on love and loss
JL News, Feb 2009  (2/10/2009)
Erotic angel art, video valentine on same-sex marriage, gay bishop prays at inauguration, Prayers for Bobby, Milk & coming out, Ted Haggard, gay Holy Week, new books & DVDs
Special alert: AltXmasArt, Dec 2008  (12/25/2008)
Alternative Christmas Art (all 12 images), top 5 stories of 2008.
JL News, Dec 2008  (12/1/2008)
Protests for same-sex marriage, AltXmasArt (alternative Christmas art), AIDS art, GLBT history, video faves based on Bible, donors honored, holiday gift idea
JL News, Oct 2008  (10/1/2008)
God politics art, GLBT Buddhists, lesbian folksinger, Jesus novels
JL News, Aug 2008  (8/12/2008)
Gay spirituality vs everybody spirituality, nursing Madonna, homoerotic Jesus T-shirt
JL News, July 2008  (7/9/2008)
Gay artist paints inspiring Jesus, Polish coming-out guide, gay pride march, video of 2 queer authors
JL News, June 2008  (6/5/2008)
Lammy Awards, funny gay Jesus music video, gay marriage stamp censored, video of Kitt Cherry on glbt Christian art, new glbt books
JL News, May 2008  (5/3/2008)
Austria censors gay Last Supper, Join Kitt at Lammy finalist reading 5/8, A lesbian Christian visits Israel, Art That Dares up for award, new glbt spirituality titles
JL News, April 2008  (4/8/2008)
Lammy finalists, Black Jesus & Obama, Kitt does reading May 8, Gay Easter bonnets, Holy Week blog, Top 5 glbt arts books
Special Alert: Holy Week readings  (3/16/2008)
A queer version of Christ’s Passion covers Palm Sunday, the Last Supper and the 1st Easter.
JL News, March 2008  (3/5/2008)
Gay Mohammad art, Queer Christian art in Tikkun, Video prayer by author, Holy Week blog, At the Cross on sale
JL News, Feb 2008  (2/4/2008)
"At the Cross" is published, Conservatives blast Christmas card, see video of progressive spiritual fest
JL News, Jan 2008  (1/12/2008)
2007's top 5 stories, Happy new year video, Queering the Last Supper, Sex & spirit mix on German book cover
JL News, Dec 2007  (12/7/2007)
Gay Jesus art sparks violence in Sweden, See new videos on glbt rights, Give "Art That Dares" for Christmas, New vision statement

New in Sept: LGBTQ Christian books “Liberating Sexuality," “The Secret Love Letters of Saint Paul,” “The Good News about Conflict" and "Faithful Families"

Liberating sexuality, the Apostle Paul's gay love affair and church conflict over LGBTQ people are explored in new books this month -- plus a new children's book affirms God's love for all, including queer families.



The books are “Liberating Sexuality: Justice Between the Sheets” by Miguel A. De La Torre, “The Secret Love Letters of Saint Paul” by Bern Callahan, “The Good News about Conflict: Transforming Religious Struggle Over Sexuality” by Jenell Paris and “Faithful Families” by Megan Rohrer.



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“ Liberating Sexuality: Justice Between the Sheets ” by Miguel A. De La Torre.



An ethicist gives a liberating new Biblical look at sexuality -- including androgynous Jesus, heterosexism, masturbation, and confronting racism in one’s sexual desires. Chapters have titles such as: “Why Does God Need a Penis?” and “Confessions of a Latino Macho: From Gay Basher to Gay Ally.” The intersections of religion with sexuality, gender, race, and class are explored in a highly readable book. Overcoming oppressive traditions of Biblical interpretation leads to healthy sex and discovering the goodness of our created, embodied selves. Born in Cuba and raised in the Catholic and Santeria traditions, the author is an ordained Southern Baptist minister who teaches Christian social ethics at Iliff School of Theology. Published by Chalice Press.









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“ The Secret Love Letters of Saint Paul ” by Bern Callahan.



Same-sex romance blossoms between the Apostles Paul and Timothy of the New Testament in a daring and suspenseful novel. The gay historical romance switches between their love affair soon after the death of Christ and a story set in the near future, when young priest Finn McDonagh finds the secret love letters from Paul to Timothy. The discovery of the letters leads to intrigue in the in the homophobic corridors of the Vatican. The fictional format allows for exploration of Paul’s inner contradictions as a charismatic preacher with a reputation for being sex-negative as he opened up the Roman Empire to Christianity. The author brings a rare insider/outsider viewpoint as a former Roman Catholic priest who embraced Buddhism and became a meditation teacher. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with his partner. Published by Booklocker.com.









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“ The Good News about Conflict : Transforming Religious Struggle Over Sexuality” by Jenell Paris.



New ways to face church conflict over homosexuality and LGBTQ issues are presented with depth and sensitivity by an anthropology professor from Messiah College in Pennsylvania. She suggests peacemaking practices that will ease the stalemate by cultivating maturity. Foreword by Doug McConnell, provost of Fuller Seminary. Endorsed by theologian Megan DeFranza and many evangelical LGBTQ-affirming authorities, including Alan Manning Chambers and Samantha Curley of Level Ground. Published by Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock.









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“ Faithful Families ” ” by Megan Rohrer.

BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE



This children’s book reminds kids that God loves them, no matter what their family looks like -- even if they have two mommies or two daddies. It was inspired by the many families and children at the child care center of San Francisco's Grace Lutheran Church, where the author is pastor. Rohrer co-wrote it with Pamela Ryan, director of the center for more than 30 years. It is illustrated by Ihnatovich Maryia and aimed at children up to 8 years old. Rohrer is the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran Church. Published by Wilgefortis Press. For more info and a sample page, see First-ever LGBT religious children's books published.





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Related links:



New in August 2016: LGBTQ Christian books "Same-Sex Marriage in Renaissance Rome," "Transgender Children of God," "The Prince's Psalm," “Christianity and Controversies Over Homosexuality in Contemporary Africa"



New in July 2016: LGBTQ Christian books “Transgender, Intersex and Biblical Interpretation,” “Religious Freedom and Gay Rights,” “Holy Women Icons” and “Is It a Boy, a Girl, or Both?”



New in June 2016: LGBTQ Christian books "This is My Body," "Queer Virtue," "Mr. Grumpy Christian," Uganda's bishop Senyonjo, Mother Juana de la Cruz



New in May 2016: LGBTQ Christian books "Stand By Me," "Speak Its Name" and "Joan of Arc"



New in April 2016: LGBTQ Christian books "Justice Calls" and "Signs and Wonders"



New in March 2016: LGBTQ Christian books "The Firebrand and the First Lady" and "Space at the Table"



New in Feb 2016: LGBTQ Christian books “Brother-Making in Late Antiquity" and “Two Pews from Crazy”



Top 25 LGBTQ Christian books of 2015 named (Jesus in Love)



Top 25 LGBTQ Christian books of 2014 named (Jesus in Love)



Top 20 Gay Jesus books (from Jesus in Love)



Queer Theology book list (from Patrick Cheng)



Jesus in Love Bookstore (includes LGBT Christian classics)



15 LGBTQ Christian Valentine’s Day books, movies and gifts (Jesus in Love)

“Two Natures” explores sexuality and spirituality during AIDS crisis

A gay fashion photographer who was raised Southern Baptist moves to New York City for a sexual and spiritual odyssey during the AIDS crisis of the early 1990s in “Two Natures” by Jendi Reiter.



This stylish debut novel from a gifted poet is a rare combination of erotic gay romance and intelligent reflection on Christian faith. Narrator Julian Selkirk seeks glamor and often-fleeting affairs to replace the religion that rejected him. He learns by experience to look beyond shame, surface attractions and short-term desires.



In the five-year period covered chronologically by the novel, he has relationships with three men who embody different archetypes: immature personal trainer Phil Shanahan, cosmopolitan editor Richard Molineux, and earnest activist Peter Edelman.



The dense and varied literary coming-of-age novel ranges from comic scenes that could easily become a hit movie to the explicitly sexual and the touchingly tragic. Reiter brings alive LGBTQ touchstones of the era: the visit from out-of-town and out-of-it parents to their closeted son, the AIDS death and awkward funeral, and so on.



Jendi Reiter is a first-class poet and essayist, and her Reiter’s Block is one of my all-time favorite blogs. While reading "Two Natures," I sometimes wished for more of her incisive interpretations rather than her narrator’s witty voice leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.



Female characters and experiences such as abortion are also portrayed well in “Two Natures.” Perhaps this is not surprising for an author who recently came out as a “genderqueer femme” on her blog.



Raised by two mothers on the Lower East Side of New York City, Reiter is able to portray New York with the casual realism of a native. Now living in western Massachusetts, she is a member of the Episcopal church and experienced first-hand how LGBTQ issues tore apart church groups, including the writing group where she was working on the earliest drafts of “Two Spirits.”



Religious references in her novel are subtle… as are the allusions to AIDS in most of the first half of the 374-page novel. Julian finds no easy answers as he wrestles with his faith.



The title is based upon the two natures of Christ, who is fully human and fully divine in the eyes of believers. Julian observes:

If what the preachers said about Christ's two natures was true, I didn't know how he could stand his life anyhow, being split down the middle between the part of him that remembered heaven and the human part that would have touched me back.

I did find myself wondering sometimes whether gay men actually thought like her narrator Julian. I dared to explore this same challenging territory myself, writing as a lesbian author from the viewpoint of a queer male Christ in my “Jesus in Love” novels.



I can only say that “Two Natures” got rave reviews from gay male reviewers whom I respect. Toby Johnson called it “a pleasure to read” and Amos Lassen declared, “We all know someone like Julian and many of us see ourselves in him… You owe it to yourselves to read this wonderful novel.”



As art historian, I especially enjoyed the way that some of Julian’s spiritual reflections were provoked by art. For instance, Julian’s inner spiritual conflict is portrayed at first through his responses to “Piss Christ,” a controversial photograph by Andres Serrano.



The novel is also significant as an example of how a new generation tries to make sense of an AIDS crisis that they were too young to experience firsthand. I happened to read “Two Natures” at the same time that I was rereading my own journals for an oral history interview about doing AIDS ministry at Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco in the late 1980s. Perhaps no novel can capture the agony, ecstasy and desperate intensity of those times.



Julian never found the kind of LGBTQ-affirming church home that we provided at MCC-SF. Sadly that may be true for many young gay men in the early 1990s, and even now. But there’s good news: Reiter is already working on a sequel. Julian will have another chance to find long-term love and a gay-positive spiritual community, with readers invited along for the ride.



Available now to preorder at Amazon



Two Natures

By Jendi Reiter

Paperback: 376 pages

Publisher: Saddle Road Press

Publication date: Sept. 15, 2016

ISBN: 978-0996907422

Black Madonna becomes lesbian defender: Erzuli Dantor and Our Lady of Czestochowa

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, one of the most famous Catholic icons, is the model for a Haitian Vodou goddess who protects lesbians.



Traditional images of Erzulie Dantor, the Vodou defender of lesbians, are based on the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, whose feast day is today (Aug. 26). They even share the same two scars on the dark skin of the right cheek.



Aug. 26 also happens to be Women’s Equality Day -- the date when women got the right to vote in the United States back in 1920.



Every year more than 100,000 people view the original Black Madonna of Czestochowa icon in Poland at one of the most popular Catholic shrines on the planet. John Paul II, the Polish pope, was devoted to her. Few suspect that the revered icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a lesbian connection.



Our Lady of Czestochowa is among dozens of Black Madonna icons remaining from medieval Europe. The reason for their dark skin is unknown, but people speculate that the images may have been created black to match the color of indigenous people or they turned black due to smoke and aging. Some see her dark skin as a metaphor for the earth or a reference to the lover in Song of Songs who declared, “I am black but beautiful.”



Black Madonnas are said to embody the shadow side of the Divine Feminine, the unconscious and unpredictable aspects that are usually buried or kept in darkness. Erzulie Dantor reveals Mary’s hidden bonds with lesbians.



Legend says that the Czestochowa portrait of Mary was painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist while she told him the stories about Jesus that he later wrote in his gospel. The icon traveled from Jerusalem through Turkey and Ukraine, ending up in Poland in 1382. The painting is considered so important that it even has its own feast day: Aug. 26, the date that it was installed at its current home. In the 15th century looters pried two jewels off her cheek, leaving a characteristic pair of marks.



Events in Haiti soon took Our Lady of Czestochowa in a new direction. In the 18th century hundreds of thousands of slaves were brought from Africa to Haiti, where they were forced to do heavy labor and convert to Christianity. Through the process of syncretism, they developed a hybrid form of Christianity mixed with Vodou, an ancestral folk religion from West Africa.



Copies of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa were brought to Haiti by about 5,000 Polish soldiers who fought on both sides of the Haitian Revolution starting in 1802. She was transformed into Erzulie Dantor when Haitians merged her with Vodou.



Erzulie Dantor is a loa or lwa (Vodou spirit) who is recognized as a patron of lesbians. Her name has many alternate spellings such as Ezili Danto. She fiercely loves and defends women and children, especially lesbians, independent businesswomen, unwed mothers, and those who experience domestic violence. She has a reputation for taking revenge on abusive husbands and unfaithful lovers. Scar-faced warrior Erzulie Dantor liberated slaves by helping to start and win the Haitian Revolution. She is fond of knives, rum and unfiltered cigarettes.






“Erzulie Dantor” by Christie Freeman (christystudios.com)


Like Our Lady of Czestochowa, she holds a child with a book. But instead of the infant Jesus with the gospels, the baby on her lap is her daughter Anais. The Catholic Church in Haiti identifies these images as neither Erzulie Dantor nor Mary, but “Saint Barbara Africana.” Erzulie Dantor is a single mother who has given birth, but some believe she is bisexual or lesbian herself.



The two scars on her cheek are explained either as tribal scarification or wounds from a fight with Erzulie Freda, her light-skinned and coquettishly feminine sister. Erzulie Freda, the goddess of love and sexuality, is the patron of gay men, especially drag queens and those who are effeminate. She is associated with images of the grieving Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows.



Erzulie Dantor and Erzulie Freda are among many Vodou spirits who appear to be LGBT, androgynous or queer. Many others are described in detail in “Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African-Inspired Traditions in the Americas” by Randy P. Conner and David Hatfield Sparks.



These queer Vodou deities include La Sirene, a pansexual mermaid who rules the seas; La Balen, her mysterious butch lesbian intimate companion who is often depicted as a whale; transgender divinity Mawu-Lisa, patron of artists and craftspeople; androgynous Legba, a Christ figure who mediates between the living and the dead; Ayido Wedo and Danbala, a married pair of queer rainbow serpents who bring prosperity, joy and peace; the sexually complex Gede family that oversees the transition to the afterlife; and many more. Each loa or spirit can possess or engage in spiritual marriage with Vodou practitioners of either gender, leading to many queer possibilities.



Black Madonna figures continue to inspire folk artists and fine artists such as Christie Freeman of Springfield, Illinois, who shares her painting here at the Jesus in Love Blog. One of the best known and most controversial contemporary versions is the 1996 painting “The Holy Virgin Mary” by British artist Chris Ofili. He surrounded a stylized black Madonna with mixed media including elephant dung and images from pornography and blaxploitation movies. While using shock value to critique definitions of sacred and profane, he enraged the religious right.






“Erzulie and Devotee” by Brandon Buehring


Artist Brandon Buehring sketched a contemporary “Erzulie and Devotee” in his “Legendary Love: A Queer History Project.” He uses pencil sketches and essays “to remind queer people and our allies of our sacred birthright as healers, educators, truth-tellers, spiritual leaders, warriors and artists.” The project features 20 sketches of queer historical and mythological figures from many cultures around the world. He has a M.Ed. degree in counseling with an LGBT emphasis from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He works in higher education administration as well as being a freelance illustrator based in Northampton, Massachusetts.



Throughout history some church officials have attacked images such as Erzulie Dantor as illegitimate and incompatible with Christianity. But many Haitian Christians today see Vodou as a way to enhance their faith. Meanwhile Our Lady of Czestochowa is celebrated for revealing the dark face of God’s own mother.

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Related links:



“Black Madonnas and other Mysteries of Mary” by Ella Rozett (interfaithmary.net)



Queer Lady of Guadalupe: Artists re-imagine an icon (Jesus in Love)



Mary, Diana and Artemis: Feast of Assumption has lesbian goddess roots (Jesus in Love)



Christianity and Vodou (Wikipedia)



Read online: “Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African-Inspired Traditions in the Americas” by Randy P. Conner and David Hatfield Sparks



To read this article in Polish translation, visit the Don’t Shoot the Prophet website:

Czarna Madonna zostaje obrończynią lesbijek: Erzuli Dantor i Matka Boża Częstochowska



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Related books:

“The Moonlit Path: Reflections on the Dark Feminine” edited by Fred Gustafson (9 of 16 essays are on the Black Madonna with authors such as theologian Matthew Fox)



“Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: The Art of Janet McKenzie,” edited by Susan Perry, includes many black Madonnas in an art book to nourish devotion to Mary with reflections by diverse women.



“Mother of God Similar to Fire” with icons by William Hart McNichols and reflections by Mirabai Starr presents a wide of variety of liberating icons of Mary, including a black Madonna. McNichols is a New Mexico artist and Catholic priest who has been rebuked by church leaders for making icons of LGBT-affirming martyrs and saints not approved by the church.



“Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology” by Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow. Two pioneering leaders in the study of women and religion discuss the nature of God / Goddess.



“Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary” by cultural historian Marina Warner shows how the figure of Mary was shaped by goddess legends and other historical circumstances, resulting in an inferior status for women.



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Top images, left: Ezili Danto Prayer Card from the Vodou Store. Right: The original Black Madonna of Czestochowa



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This post is part of the LGBT Saints series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. Saints, martyrs, mystics, prophets, witnesses, heroes, holy people, humanitarians, deities and religious figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) and queer people and our allies are covered on appropriate dates throughout the year.



Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.

http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/

Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts