What’s new? 2026 brings new LGBTQ spiritual art and updates to Q Spirit
As a new service, Q Spirit is listing the most important new additions to the website. LGBTQ spirituality articles are continually updated as new research, artwork and other resources become available. This list of highlights will be updated regularly too. The Q...
2026 brings new LGBTQ Christian books
New LGBTQ Christian books are being published in 2026, 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...
On stage with Troy Perry at the 1993 March on Washington for LGBTQ rights
Gay-rights pioneer Troy Perry spoke to a crowd of a million people at the 1993 March on Washington for LGBTQ rights -- and I was there on stage with him as his photographer and publicist. It was one of the peak experiences in my life. Troy thrilled the crowd by...
Historic articles document Kittredge Cherry’s LGBTQ ministry and activism
Historical news articles show Kittredge Cherry’s international LGBTQ ministry and activism in Metropolitan Community Churches in the 1990s, decades before she founded Q Spirit. The seven articles are all illustrated with photos that include Kittredge Cherry. She is...
Matthew Shepard: Modern gay martyr inspired hate-crime laws
Matthew Shepard is a modern gay martyr whose unusually cruel murder in October 1998 got international attention and inspired laws against anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. He was a 21-year-old openly gay student at the University of Wyoming at the time. Shepard (1976-1998) was...
Spiritual resources honor National Coming Out Day
Every year on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day encourages LGBTQ people and allies to be open about who you are and your support for LGBTQ equality. Oct. 11 also happens to be the feast day of Saint Philip the Evangelist, who welcomed a queer black man into the church...
Vida Dutton Scudder: Lesbian saint, reformer and teacher
Vida Dutton Scudder is an American social reformer, professor, prominent lesbian author -- and an officially recognized saint in the Episcopal Church. Her feast day is Oct. 10. Her ideas on economic inequality are especially relevant amid the financial crises of our...
Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Two-spirit Native Americans bridge genders
Two-spirit Native Americans are honored at Q Spirit for Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct 12, 2026). It is an alternative to the U.S. national holiday Columbus Day, which commemorates the arrival of European explorer Christopher Columbus in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492....
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 widespread speculation that he was gay. Newman’s feast day is Oct. 9 in the Roman Catholic church, Feb. 21 in the Episcopal...
Metropolitan Community Churches: Ministering in the LGBTQ community since 1968: Historic MCC photos from Kittredge Cherry
Metropolitan Community Churches, the first denomination to affirm LGBTQ people, was founded on Oct. 6, 1968 by Troy Perry. Dozens of my photos from more than 35 years of MCC history are posted today in honor of the anniversary. The photos posted here show highlights...
Sergius and Bacchus: Paired male saints loved each other in ancient Roman army
Saints Sergius and Bacchus were third-century Roman soldiers, Christian martyrs and men who loved each other. Their story is told here in words and images for their feast day on Oct. 7. They are by far the best documented, most widely worshiped and most influential...
Galla and Benedicta: Queer Roman saints — and lovers?
Saint Galla of Rome was a sixth-century widow who avoided remarriage by growing a beard. She founded a hospital and convent, and begged to have her female beloved Benedicta accompany her into heaven. Galla’s feast day is Oct. 5 and Benedicta’s is May 6. Galla was...
Francis of Assisi: Queer side revealed for saint who loved creation, peace and the poor
Historical records reveal a queer side to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved religious figures of all time. The 13th-century friar is celebrated for loving animals, hugging lepers, embracing poverty and praying for peace, but few know about his love for...
Ethiopian eunuch and Philip: Early church welcomed queers in Bible story
A queer black man was welcomed as an early Christian convert in Biblical times, according to progressive Bible scholars. He was a triple outsider -- a gender-variant foreigner from a racial minority -- and his story shows that the early Christians welcomed all kinds...
Desmond Tutu: Anti-apartheid Archbishop who stood for LGBTQ equality
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a Nobel Peace Prize-winning South African activist for racial and LGBTQ equality. He was born Oct. 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp, in the South African state of Transvaal. Tutu famously fought apartheid, but he also worked passionately to support...
Rumi: Poet and Sufi mystic inspired by same-sex love
Rumi is a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose love for another man inspired some of the world’s best poems and led to the creation of a new religious order, the Whirling Dervishes. He was born Sept. 30, 1207 in Afghanistan. With sensuous beauty and deep...
FannyAnn Eddy: Lesbian martyr in Africa
FannyAnn Eddy was a major activist for LGBTQ rights in her native Sierra Leone and the rest of Africa. She was murdered on Sept. 29, 2004. Nobody was ever convicted of the crime. She founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association in 2002 and advocated for LGBTQ...
Good (Gay?) King Wenceslas loved his page Podiven
There’s good reason to believe that Good King Wenceslas was gay. Yes, the king in the Christmas carol. His feast day is Sept. 28. Saint Wenceslaus I (907–935) was duke of Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The carol "Good King Wenceslas" is based on a legend about...
Euphrosyne / Smaragdus of Alexandria: Queer saint crossed gender divide in 5th-century Egypt
Euphrosyne / Smaragdus (Emerald) of Alexandria is a 5th-century saint who left life as a woman to become a monk in an Egyptian monastery. Raised as the daughter of a wealthy couple, the future saint ran away from home at age 18 to avoid heterosexual marriage....
Virginia Mollenkott: Trailblazing queer theologian and feminist Bible scholar
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott was a trailblazing feminist Bible scholar and queer theologian whose 13 books liberated countless LGBTQ lives. She died peacefully in her home in New Jersey on Sept. 25, 2020, at age 88. Mollenkott shook the religious world with her...
Tyler Clementi: Gay teen driven to suicide by bullies
Tyler Clementi (1992-2010) brought international attention to bullying-related suicide of LGBTQ youth by jumping to his death on Sept. 22, 2010. Clementi’s highly publicized tragedy made him into a gay martyr whose untimely death put a public face on the problems of...
John McNeill: Pioneering gay priest who inspired LGBTQ people of faith
John McNeill was a pioneering gay priest, psychotherapist, author, theologian and Jesuit scholar who inspired countless LGBTQ people of faith and their allies. He died on Sept. 22, 2015 in a hospice in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his partner of 49 years, Charles...
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 in an intolerant church. He died on Sept. 21, 1996. Nouwen (1932-1996) remains one of the most popular and influential modern spiritual writers. He wrote more than...
Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis: Medieval mystic and the woman she loved
Hildegard of Bingen was a medieval German mystic, poet, artist, composer, healer and scientist -- and likely lesbian. She loved another nun named Richardis and wrote with ecstasy about the Virgin Mary. She celebrated God’s green web of life as “viriditas.” Her feast...
All-time favorites at Q Spirit
Top 22 LGBTQ Christian books of 2025 named
Check out the top 22 LGBTQ Christian books of 2025 — 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. “Creativity was this year’s hottest...
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. At least 30 saints share a similar story: They escaped their lives as women and lived as men, joining monasteries or becoming religious hermits. Often they were desperate...
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 2026 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 and art will be shared online daily from Palm Sunday through Easter (March 29 - April 5, 2026). All 24 paintings in the original version of Douglas Blanchard’s “The Passion of...
Black Jesus, Latinx Jesus, Asian 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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Art That Dares
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| Art That Dares:
Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, And More
By Kittredge Cherry Packed with color art by 11 contemporary artists "An amazing, disconcerting, and sacred book" |
Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision
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| The Passion of Christ:
A Gay Vision
Meet Jesus as a gay man in a modern city "Accessible but profound" |
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