April 16-30 Archives

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Nun who loved a countess in 17th-century Mexico City

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Nov. 1-15, Saints

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th-century Mexican nun whose critically acclaimed writings include lesbian love poetry. She is considered one of the greatest Latin American poets, an early advocate of women’s rights, and some say, North America’s first lesbian...

Ethiopian eunuch and Philip: Early church welcomed queers in Bible story

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Aug 15-31, Oct 1-15, Saints

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...

Christina Rossetti: Queer writer of Christmas carols and lesbian poetry

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Saints

Christina Georgina Rossetti was a 19th-century English poet whose work ranged from Christmas carols to sensuous lesbian love poetry. A devout Christian who never married, she has been called a “queer virgin” and “gay mystic.” Her feast day is April 27 on the Church of...

Yook Woo-Dang: Gay Catholic South Korean poet who died to protest anti-LGBTQ discrimination

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Saints

Yook Woo-Dang was a gay South Korean poet, activist and devout Catholic who took his own life to protest discrimination against LGBTQ people by church and society. He died April 26, 2003, at age 18. “If they send me to hell, Jesus will rescue me,” he wrote in his...

Lesbian Visibility Week celebrated with Christian saints, art, books and resources

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Calendar

Lesbian visibility is celebrated at Q Spirit with lesbian Christian saints, books, art and other spiritual resources for Lesbian Visibility Day (April 26) and Lesbian Visibility Week (April 21-27, 2025). These events were created to recognize the contributions of...

Bangladesh LGBTQ martyrs: Xulhaz Mannan and Tanay Mojumdar

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Saints

LGBTQ activists Xulhaz Mannan and Tanay Mojumdar were hacked to death for being “pioneers of practicing and promoting homosexuality in Bangladesh” on April 25, 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The militant Islamist militant group Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility...

Earth Day: LGBTQ spirituality affirms the Earth

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Calendar, Saints, Theology

On Earth Day queer spirituality affirms that God’s all-inclusive love extends to the Earth itself. Many LGBTQ people join with others to care for creation on Earth Day (April 22). LGBTQ people have been involved in the environmental movement from the start, including...