1400s Archives - Q Spirit

Saint Wilgefortis: Holy bearded woman fascinates for centuries

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 16-31, Saints

Saint Wilgefortis prayed to avoid marriage to a pagan king — and her prayers were answered when she grew a beard! This “virgin martyr” virgin martyr has natural appeal for LGBTQ people. Her feast day is July 20. She was removed from the official Vatican calendar...

Joan of Arc: Cross-dressing warrior-saint and LGBTQ role model

by Kittredge Cherry | | May 15-31, Saints, Top saints

Joan of Arc was a tough cross-dressing teenage peasant who led the medieval French army to victory at age 17. Joan is a queer icon, girl-power hero and patron saint of France. Her belief that God was the source of her — or their or his — gender-bending...

Julian of Norwich: Celebrating Mother Jesus

by Kittredge Cherry | | May 1-15, Saints

Julian of Norwich is a medieval English mystic who celebrated “Mother Jesus” and had important relationships with women. Her feast day, May 8, always falls near Mother’s Day in the United States. She had some queer ideas about God, shared her hermit’s cell with...