Jan 16-31 Archives

Paul the Apostle: Did his homosexuality shape Christianity?

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 16-31, June 16-30, Saints

Struggle against his own homosexual desires in an intolerant society may have inspired Paul the Apostle to write sublime Biblical teachings on unconditional love and inclusivity — and also a few “clobber passages” used by anti-LGBTQ bigots. Both Paul’s sense of...

Holocaust Remembrance: We all wear the triangle

by Kittredge Cherry | | Calendar, Jan 16-31, Saints

International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27) honors the victims of the Nazi era, including the estimated 5,000 to 60,000 sent to concentration camps for homosexuality. The United Nations set the date as the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau,...

David Kato: Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist and martyr

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 16-31, Saints

David Kato, Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist, is considered a father of Uganda’s gay rights movement. He was beaten to death on Jan. 26, 2011 in a case that some blame on anti-gay religious rhetoric. The anniversary of his death has become an annual event called Kuchu...

Saint Sebastian: History’s first gay icon?

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 16-31, Saints, Top saints

Saint Sebastian has been called history’s first gay icon and the patron saint of homosexuality. Sebastian was an early Christian martyr killed in 288 in Rome on orders from the Roman emperor Diocletian. His feast day is Jan. 20. He is the subject of countless artworks...

Mary Oliver: Lesbian poet, mystic of nature

by Kittredge Cherry | | Jan 16-31, Saints

Lesbian poet Mary Oliver, winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, is a mystic of nature who became an LGBTQ saint by popular acclaim. She died on Jan. 17, 2019, at age 83. Her poetry expresses intimacy with nature and compassion for humanity, using...