Jan 1-15 Archives

Bayard Rustin: Gay saint of racial justice and non-violence

by Kittredge Cherry | | Aug 15-31, Jan 1-15, March 16-31, Saints

Bayard Rustin was a black gay activist and the genius behind the civil rights movement. He became the chief organizer of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington where where Martin Luther King gave his historic “I Have a Dream Speech.” A follower of the Quaker faith...

Aelred of Rievaulx: Gay saint of friendship

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 1-15, Saints

Aelred of Rievaulx is considered one of the most lovable saints, the patron saint of friendship and also, some say, a gay saint. He found divine love through friendships with other men. Aelred (1109-1167) was the abbot of the large, influential Cistercian abbey of...

Jeanne Cordova: Lesbian nun who “kicked the habit” to become an activist

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 1-15, Saints

Jeanne Cordova was a pioneering lesbian feminist activist and ex-nun who shook the world by revealing lesbian life in the convent. She died on Jan. 10, 2016 at age 67. Cordova told her story as contributor to the groundbreaking 1985 book “Lesbian Nuns: Breaking...

Jeanne Manford: PFLAG founder who loved her gay son

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 1-15, Saints

Jeanne Manford loved her gay son so much that she founded PFLAG, the first and now the largest organization for LGBTQ people and their parents, families, and allies. She died on Jan. 8, 2013 at age 92. Her son, the late Morty Manford, was beaten during a gay rights...

Queer Epiphany: Three kings or three queens?

by Kittredge Cherry | | Calendar, Jan 1-15

Reimagining the three kings as queer or female gives fresh meaning to Epiphany, a holiday celebrating the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus. It is observed on Jan. 6. Travelling from afar, the Magi symbolize that Christ was born for everyone from all parts of the...

Apollinaria / Dorotheos: Queer saint crossed gender line to become a monk in 5th-century Egypt

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 1-15, Saints

Saint Apollinaria of Egypt or Dorotheos has been called a transgender icon or a cross-dressing saint. Assigned female at birth, Apollinaria adopted the name Dorotheos and entered a monastery as a man in fifth-century Egypt. This saint is honored by churches on Jan....