friendship Archives

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...

Pavel Florensky and Sergei Troitsky: Russian theologian of same-sex love and his soulmate

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

Pavel Florensky was a Russian Orthodox priest and scientist who wrote a groundbreaking theology of same-sex love in the early 20th century. He was executed on Dec. 8, 1937 on false charges as part of a Soviet anti-religious campaign. Florensky (1882-1937) is...

Richard Sibbes: Queer Puritan theologian for the LGBTQ community?

by Kittredge Cherry | | Nov 16-30, Saints

Richard Sibbes was a 17th-century English Puritan who never married, nurtured close male friendships, wore extravagantly lacy clothing and preached a rather queer theology. Puritans have a (somewhat undeserved) reputation for being distinctly puritanical, but Sibbes...