Gay saint John Henry Newman and his “earthly light” Ambrose St. John shared romantic friendship
John Henry Newman, a 19th-century British scholar, theologian and cardinal, was canonized by the Pope as a Roman Catholic saint in 2019 amid rampant speculation that he was gay. Newman’s feast day is Oct. 9 in the Roman Catholic church, Feb. 21 in the Episcopal Church...
Peter Gomes: Gay black Harvard minister preached “scandalous gospel”
Peter Gomes was a gay black Baptist minister at Harvard and one of America’s most prominent spiritual voices for tolerance. He came out in 1991 and used his national celebrity as a “gay minister” to make the religious case for LGBTQ people, even though he reportedly...
Malcolm Boyd: Pioneering gay Episcopal priest who ran with Jesus
Malcolm Boyd is a pioneering gay Episcopal priest, activist and author who died at age 91 on Feb. 27, 2015. His best-known book is “Are You Running with Me, Jesus?” a collection of conversational prayer-poems with a million copies in print. The 1965 classic includes...
Saint Avertanus and Blessed Romeo: Monks shown as AIDS patrons
Saint Avertanus and Blessed Romeo are 14th-century French monks, traveling companions and “patrons of the AIDS pandemic” who died together of the plague and share the same coffin. They can also provide inspiration during other public health emergencies, such as the...
Andy Warhol: Pop artist inspired by hidden Catholic faith and queer sexuality
Pop artist Andy Warhol kept his homosexuality hidden and his Christian faith even more secret. The truth is coming out since his death on Feb. 22, 1987. Warhol is famous for painting Campbell's soup cans, but he made hundreds of other works, including avant-garde...
Marcella Althaus-Reid: Queer theology pioneer
Marcella Althaus-Reid was a queer theologian who sparked controversy with books such as “Indecent Theology” and “The Queer God.” Born and raised in Argentina, she became the first woman appointed to a chair in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh,...
Sylvia Rivera: Latina transgender woman at Stonewall Uprising
Sylvia Rivera was a Latina transgender woman activist and one of those credited with starting the Stonewall Rebellion that propelled the LGBTQ liberation movement forward. She was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, which sprang up quickly in 1969 as a...
Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus: Brothers by affection
Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus were Roman soldiers in 3rd-century Armenia and “brothers by affection.” They are a prime example of same-sex lovers in the early church. Polyeuct’s feast day is Feb. 13. The earliest account of Polyeuct’s martyrdom, a 4th-century Armenian...
Saint Valentine: Marriage equality role model
Marriage equality has a surprising role model in Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman priest who defied the restrictive marriage laws of his era to bless couples who were forbidden to marry. His feast day is, of course, Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). Saint Valentine was...
Ibrahim Farajajé: Queer theologian, AIDS activist, interfaith scholar, spiritual leader
Ibrahim Abdurrahman Farajajé was a queer theologian, HIV/AIDS activist, interfaith scholar, multi-ethnic artist, and spiritual leader. He died on Feb. 9, 2016 at age 63 in Oakland, California. Formerly known as Elias Farajajé-Jones, he was born on Dec. 19, 1952 and...
Xenia / Andrei of St. Petersburg: Widow adopted husband’s identity and became a queer saint
Xenia of Saint Petersburg is a 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. This queer saint’s feast days are Jan. 24 and Feb. 6. Xenia (c. 1719-1730 -...
Madonna of Montevergine: Patron of LGBTQ people since medieval times
The Madonna of Montevergine has a reputation for helping queer people since medieval times -- including the miraculous rescue of a male couple left to die in Italy more than 750 years ago. Processions to her shrine have been called “ancestral gay pride” marches and...
Brigid and Darlughdach: Celtic saint loved her female soulmate
Brigid of Kildare and her soulmate Darlughdach were sixth-century Irish nuns who brought art, education and spirituality to early medieval Ireland. They each served as abbess in Kildare with authority over several monasteries. Brigid (c. 451-525) shares her name and...
It-talba ta’ Kristu l-Qawsalla (Rainbow Christ Prayer in Maltese)
A Maltese translation of the Rainbow Christ Prayer shows the many faces of the queer Christ. Il-bandiera LGBT tikxef lil Kristu queer L-ilwien tal-bandiera tal-qawsalla jikxfu l-bosta uċuh ta’ Kristu queer f’din it-talba li ġejja ta’ Kristu l-Qawsalla miktuba...
2025 brings new LGBTQ Christian books
New LGBTQ Christian books are being published in 2025, including theology, Bible, history, memoir, church life and spirituality by diverse authors. Q Spirit presents summaries of LGBTQ Christian books released this year, plus lists of titles that are coming soon or...
Gay centurion: Jesus heals a soldier’s boyfriend in the Bible
Jesus praised a gay centurion in the Roman army as a model of faith and healed his male lover in the gospels, according to some Bible experts. The centurion’s story has gotten surprisingly little attention throughout history considering that Jesus himself was...
Marielle Franco: Brazilian LGBTQ activist fought for human rights
Marielle Franco was a queer Afro-Latina Brazilian politician and LGBTQ activist who fought for human rights. She was assassinated on March 14, 2018. Franco identified as bisexual. She and her partner, Mônica Tereza Benício, were planning to marry later that year....
Symeon the New Theologian wrote queer spiritual imagery
Symeon the New Theologian was an influential 10th-century monk who used homoerotic imagery to describe human connections with God. His feast day is March 12. He lived in Galatia (modern-day Turkey). A chapter on “Homoerotic Spectacle and the Monastic Body in Symeon...
Feminist Forum: International magazine covered women in Japan and the world
“Feminist Forum: Feminism in Japan and the World” was an influential international monthly magazine covering women in politics, culture, religion and language. It was produced in Tokyo from 1979-86 and became a rare source of news on lesbians in Japan. Audrey...
Perpetua and Felicity: Patron saints of same-sex couples, early Christian martyrs and friends to the end
Perpetua and Felicity are 3rd-century North African paired saints who were executed together for their Christian faith. Some consider them lesbian saints or patrons of same-sex couples. Transgender people also draw inspiration from Perpetua because she had a queer...
Ash Wednesday: Queer martyrs executed for homosexuality rise from the ashes
(Trigger warning: violience.) On Ash Wednesday queer martyrs rise from the ashes as Q Spirit recalls the thousands who were executed for homosexuality throughout history. Many executions were fueled by religion-based hate. This is not just a historical issue. The...
All-time favorites at Q Spirit
Top 24 LGBTQ Christian books of 2024 named
Check out the top 24 LGBTQ Christian books of 2024 — including theology, Bible, memoir, church life and history by diverse authors. The list was announced today by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry, founder of Qspirit.net. “Literary books were this year’s...
Trans Saints? Early cross-dressing monks and martyrs share similar lives
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. Often they were...
Litany of Queer Saints
LGBTQ saints and martyrs are remembered in the Litany of Queer Saints from Q Spirit. The prayer was created by Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry. She also wrote a major essay on why we need LGBTQ saints. Both traditional and alternative saints are featured. It is a...
Why we need LGBTQ saints: A queer theology of sainthood
It’s time to welcome the queer saints. Many believe that saints and other souls will visit for Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The LGBTQ saints are important because people are searching for alternative ways to lead...
Kittredge Cherry: Christianity inspired me to come out as a lesbian
I am celebrating my birthday on Oct. 21 by re-posting this reflection on my coming-out story and life journey as a lesbian Christian. During my birthday month, I try to appreciate my own accomplishments and reflect on my dreams for the future. My 2024 birthday wish:...
Rainbow Christ Prayer: LGBTQ flag reveals the queer Christ
Colors of the LGBTQ rainbow flag reveal the many faces of the queer Christ in the following Rainbow Christ Prayer by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry and gay theologian Patrick S. Cheng. The Rainbow Christ Prayer honors the spiritual values of the LGBTQ...
Gay Passion of Christ blog series starts Palm Sunday at Q Spirit
A gay vision of Christ’s Passion will run during Holy Week here at Q Spirit. Reflections will be shared daily from Palm Sunday through Easter (April 13-20, 2025). All 24 paintings in the original version of Douglas Blanchard’s “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision”...
Black Jesus, Latinx Jesus, female Christ and other liberating visions join the gay Passion of Christ
Liberating visions of Jesus as black, Latinx, Native American or female join with the gay Passion of Christ series to help people experience God more fully. “All people are made in God’s image, so it is important to envision Jesus as queer, black, brown, female and...
Queer Nativity scenes show love makes a family
I create my own queer Nativity scenes for the Christmas season. One has two Marys at the manger with the baby Jesus, and the other features two Josephs with the Christ child. I put Mary with Mary and Joseph with Joseph—just like putting two brides or two grooms on top...
Sign up: Free newsletter on LGBTQ spirituality and the arts
You are invited to sign up for a free subscription to the monthly Q Spirit newsletter on LGBTQ spirituality and the arts from Jesus in Love. The e-newsletter covers LGBTQ saints and the queer Christ, with an...
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Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision
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This month’s most popular posts
Saint Valentine: Marriage equality role model- Paul the Apostle: Did his homosexuality shape Christianity?
- Henri Nouwen: Priest and author who struggled with…
Madonna of Montevergine: Patron of LGBTQ people…- John the Evangelist: Beloved Disciple of Jesus…
Brigid and Darlughdach: Celtic saint loved her…
The Two Rebeccas: Queer black pair founded Shaker…
Litany of Queer Saints- Saint Sebastian: History’s first gay icon?
Perpetua and Felicity: Patron saints of same-sex…