Last Updated on January 6, 2024 by Kittredge Cherry
People are speaking out against bullying of LGBTQ youth for Spirit Day (Oct. 19, 2023).
On Spirit Day millions of people make a statement supporting LGBTQ young people by wearing purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Some also “go purple” by making their profile pictures purple on social media websites.
Spirit Day happens every year on the third Thursday of October. It was started in 2010 by Brittany McMillan, a 16-year-old Canadian girl, in response to high-profile suicides by young LGBTQ people such as Tyler Clementi. Since then it has grown into the largest, most visible LGBTQ anti-bullying campaign in the world.
Q Spirit marks Spirit Day by sharing books on LGBTQ youth ministry and posting Station 14 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud. The painting matches Jesus being laid in his tomb with images of LGBTQ youths who took their own lives. Recognizable faces include Tyler Clementi, Jamey Rodemeyer, Raymond Chase, and Seth Walsh. They represent countless other young LGBTQ people who committed suicide because they couldn’t bear life in a world that despises and discriminates against queer people.
New in 2022
“Pastoral Care to and Ministry with LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults” by Arthur David Canales.
New ways for churches to support God’s queer young people are offered in a book that weaves together queer theology and successful practice. The book critiques the Bible’s anti-LGBTQ “texts of terror” and provides liberating interpretations of scriptures on homosexuality and transgender from a marginalized perspective. It offers a practical framework for pastoral care and support serving sexual minorities. The author describes himself as “a Hispanic, Catholic, pastoral and liberation theologian who specializes in youth and young adult ministry” and proud LGBTQ ally. He is associate professor of pastoral theology and ministry at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Published by Wipf and Stock in 2022.
Spirit Day is promoted by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Visit Spirit Day for more info, including an interview with McMillan about why she founded Spirit Day.
“The purpose of the event was so that people who were being bullied at their schools could come to school on Spirit Day and look around at all the people wearing purple, all the people who they could trust, all the people who would support them….I honestly had a bit of a pessimistic view of it. I thought that I would only get a few hundred people wearing purple and then my school. I never thought it would get as big as it did,” she said.
Unfortunately Clementi’s experience is far from rare in the United States and around the world. In South Korea, gay Catholic poet Yook Woo-Dang took his own life at age 18 to protest discrimination against LGBTQ people. His death in 2018 shocked the nation and he became a national symbol of teenage sexual minorities, leading to some legal reforms for LGBTQ rights.
McMillan noted that Spirit Day is also a day to mourn the youths already lost. “A lot of events are always doing things for the present or the future, but they don’t really look back on the past. Spirit Day is a day where you can presently support LGBTQ teens, promise to stand up to homophobic bullying and also remember teens from the past,” she said.
Books for LGBTQ Christian youth
2020 BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens” by Leigh Finke (editor).
LGBTQ teens are assured that their queerness is part of God’s plan in this fun, enlightening and compassionate guide for young people ages 12 and up. A broad range of LGBTQ religious issues are covered, including Biblical arguments, church reactions, conversion therapy, and “queer icons of Christianity” such as saints Sebastian and Joan of Arc. Additional chapters cover definitions, self-care, coming out, consent, sex, being queer online and much more, with personal stories scattered throughout the text. The book ends with a helpful glossary and resource list. It is edited by religion writer Leigh Finke and written by a team of writers with expertise in ministry, mental health, art, education, and LGBTQ+ activism. Foreword by Jennifer Knapp, contemporary Christian music star who came out as lesbian. It is a companion book to “Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Teens.” Published by Beaming Books in 2020.
“Still Stace: My Gay Christian Coming-of-Age Story” by Stacey Chomiak.
A young woman makes peace with her lesbian identity and Christian faith in this young-adult illustrated memoir. It tells the true story of Chomiak’s teenage and young-adult years: finding love, wrestling with family conflicts, and trying to become ex-gay before reaching wholeness and a happy LGBTQ-Christian ending. Stacey Chomiak is a Canadian artist in the animation industry, getting her start on the well-loved series “My Little Pony” and currently art-directing for DreamWorks. Published by Beaming Books in 2021.
“The God Box” by Alex Sanchez.
Small-town gay Christian teen boys fall in love and struggle with the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality in a young-adult romance novel from a Lambda Literary Award-winning author. Published by Simon and Schuster in 2007.
Books on ministry with LGBTQ youth
“Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Youth” by Leigh Finke (editor).
Learn to affirm LGBTQ Christian teens as God does with this comprehensive guide. Topics include Biblical arguments, creating an affirming church culture, recognizing one’s own biases, definitions, dealing with parents, sex education, and much more. It is edited by religion writer Leigh Finke and written by a team of LGBTQ adults, with personal stories from queer youth. A section on “Queer People in the Early Church” has profiles of Aelred, Augustine of Hippo, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, and Joan of Arc. Foreword by bishop Kevin Strickland of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is the companion book to “Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens.” Published by Broadleaf Books in 2020.
BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth” by Cody J. Sanders.
How can a church’s youth ministry have a positive impact on adolescents who struggle to live out their faith and their LGBTQIA orientation/identity? This guide for affirming congregations includes practical advice and a glossary. The author is pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square. Published by Westminster John Knox Press.
“Making Space for Queer-Identifying Religious Youth” by Yvette Taylor.
A scholar charts the experiences, choices and identities of LGBTQ youth in inclusive churches. Sexuality and religion are seen as mutual paths that can help youth manage marginalization, discrimination and other issues. The author is education professor at the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom and has held posts at universities in Australia, Canada and the United States. Published by Palgrave.
Links related to Spirit Day and LGBTQ youth bullying and suicide
Trevor Project national suicide prevention group for LGBTQ young people
Visit thetrevorproject.org or call 866 4U TREVOR
Day of Silence Prayer: Stop bullying God’s LGBTQ youth (Q Spirit)
___
Top image credit:
LGBTQ youths driven to suicide appear as Jesus is laid in the tomb in Station 14 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button
____
This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in October 2017, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Oct. 19, 2023.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
