Feb 16-29 Archives

Gay saint John Henry Newman and his “earthly light” Ambrose St. John shared romantic friendship

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Oct 1-15, Saints

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...

Peter Gomes: Gay black Harvard minister preached “scandalous gospel”

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Saints

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

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Saints

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

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Saints

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

by Kittredge Cherry | | Artists, Feb 16-29, Saints

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...

Ash Wednesday: Queer martyrs executed for homosexuality rise from the ashes

by Kittredge Cherry | | Calendar, Feb 16-29

(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...

Marcella Althaus-Reid: Queer theology pioneer

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Saints

Marcella Althaus-Reid was a queer theologian who sparked controversy and opened minds 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...

Sylvia Rivera: Latina transgender woman at Stonewall Uprising

by Kittredge Cherry | | Feb 16-29, Saints

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...