Resurrection added to LGBT Stations of the Cross: Jesus rises with marriage equality

“Station 15: The Resurrection Of Christ” from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

Jesus rises from the dead as the Supreme Court rules for marriage equality in a new painting that completes the series “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button.

The Tennessee artist unveiled the 15th and final painting in series last week. The first 14 paintings made their debut earlier this year during Lent, but Button waited until the Supreme Court decision before creating the last picture.

It shows the risen Christ greeting Mary Magdalene against a kaleidoscope of scenes related to the Supreme Court’s June 26 decisions legalizing same-sex marriage. Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case, marry each other at a wedding that finally gives legal status to their love. Edie Windsor, plaintiff in the Defense of Marriage Act case, is shown with her late partner Thea Spyer, whose bequest prompted the landmark lawsuit. Behind Jesus is text from the Supreme Court ruling: “DOMA’s principal effect is to identify a subset of state-sanctioned marriages and make them unequal….” Jesus even appears to be holding a rainbow banner.

The resurrection image provides a celebratory and suitable ending for the LGBT Stations series, which shows that Jesus suffers with LGBT people. Button juxtaposes his journey to Calvary with milestones from the last 100 years of LGBT history, including Nazi persecution, the Lavender Scare, the Stonewall Rebellion, the assassination of gay politician Harvey Milk, the AIDS pandemic, the murder of transgender woman Rita Hester, and LGBT teen suicides.

Resurrection scenes are the rarest images in queer Christian art. Button’s version makes the glorious connection between the crucified Christ coming out of the tomb to new life and persecuted queer people coming out of the closet to celebrate our love with weddings that are just as valid as any other. The resurrection of Christ is the ultimate act of God’s triumph over the forces of death and destruction. Likewise the legalization of same-sex marriage is a contemporary example of love’s victory over hate. The idea of a gay or lesbian couple getting married used to be unthinkable. It seemed as unlikely as a dead man rising from the tomb.

“The grouping of Perry, Stier, Windsor and Spier with Mary Magdalene carries with it a deep theological significance,” Button wrote in her reflection on the painting at Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. She points out that Mary Magdalene was a trusted disciple and “apostle to the apostles” who has been unjustly stigmatized as a harlot.

“It is only fitting that Mary Magdalene would accompany the women in this painting, who together challenged systematic discrimination against LGBT people in our nation’s highest court,” Button concludes. “With faith, I pray that this image will signify a greater shift in public opinion as we move beyond baseless stigmatization of the LGBT community to embrace our diversity as a blessed gift from God.”
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Related links:

“The Resurrection Of Christ: Mary Magdalene Meets Supreme Court Plaintiffs” reflection by Mary Button (Believe Out Loud)

LGBT Stations of the Cross show struggle for equality (Jesus in Love)
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Special thanks to Colin for the news tip.

This post is part of the Artists series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. The series profiles artists who use lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer spiritual and religious imagery. It is also included in thee Queer Christ that series gathers together visions of the queer Christ as presented by artists, writers, theologians and others.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts

Station 14: Jesus in tomb / LGBT youth suicides

Jesus is laid in his tomb as LGBT youths commit suicide in Station 14 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud
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2010: A string of high profile suicides of gay teenagers makes national news, sparking debate on the high rates of suicide among LGBT youth and the culture of bullying that exists in many American schools. Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller found the It Gets Better Project.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:


LGBT people who were driven to suicide watch as Jesus is laid in his tomb. Jesus is not separate from humanity, but with us even in death. These queer martyrs join the “great cloud of witnesses” who surround us and encourage us to run the race ahead (Hebrews 12:1).

Names of LGBT youth who killed themselves include Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase, Asher Brown, Cody J. Barker, Harrison Chase Brown, Caleb Nolt; Billy Lucas, Jeanine Blanchette, and Chantal Dube.
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LGBT Stations of the Cross come together like a patchwork quilt in this image from Believe Out Loud

The LGBT Stations of the Cross ends here -- but only temporarily! After Easter artist Mary Button plans to paint Station 15 showing the resurrection. “I’m hopeful that the Supreme Court will rule DOMA unconstitutional and I'll be able to create a Resurrection piece about the ruling!” she told the Jesus in Love Blog.
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. The entire series is available now for free download from Believe Out Loud's Flickr site.

Here is a complete list of Button’s LGBT Stations of the Cross with mini-commentaries by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian. Click the titles below to view individual paintings and text.

Introduction to the LGBT Stations of the Cross

Station 1: Jesus is condemned to death
1913: The word "faggot" first appears in print

Station 2: Jesus carries his cross
1924: America's first homosexual rights group forms

Station 3: Jesus falls the first time
1933: Nazis ban homosexual groups

Station 4: Jesus meets his mother
1945: LGBT prisoners are kept in concentration camps after Allied liberation

Station 5: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross
1950: LGBT people fired from US government during Lavender Scare

Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
1954: Gay computer scientist Alan Turing commits suicide

Station 7: Jesus falls the second time
1967: LGBT people protest police raid on Black Cat gay bar

Station 8: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
1969: Stonewall Rebellion

Station 9: Jesus falls the third time
1978: Gay politician Harvey Milk assassinated

Station 10: Jesus is stripped of his garments
1981: First official report on AIDS

Station 11: Crucifixion
1992: NARTH founded to promote ex-gay conversion therapy

Station 12: Jesus dies on the cross
1998: Transgender woman Rita Hester murdered

Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross
2004: Same-sex marriage banned in 15 states

Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb
2010: Suicides by LGBT youth make news

LGBT Stations: Click to see whole series in order

Station 13: Jesus removed from cross / same-sex marriage ban

Jesus is taken down from the cross as same-sex marriage is banned in Station 13 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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2004: In sweeping homophobic legislative measures same-sex marriage is banned in Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

A map of states banning same-sex marriage forms a colorful backdrop as Jesus is taken down from the cross. Denying legal rights to lesbian and gay couples is another insult to the body of Christ. Is the body of Christ buried in states without marriage equality?

For Americans, it's powerful to see Jesus with a map of the USA.  Jesus was crucified in ancient Jerusalem, but this image brings home the message that the Christ is alive here and now.
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 12: Jesus dies / transgender people murdered

Jesus dies as transgender woman Rita Hester is murdered in Station 12 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1998: On November 28, 1998 a transgender African American woman named Rita Hester was murdered in Allston, MA. The outpouring of grief and anger over her death inspired the founding of the International Transgender Day of Rememberance. The background image in this piece is from one of these vigils.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Jesus’ death on the cross is boldly identified with the murder of Rita Hester, an African American transgender woman. A banner carried by people at a Transgender Day of Remembrance march stretches across Jesus on the cross: “How many transgenders have to die before you get involved?” The text on the banner comes from an actual news photo.

Another high-profile murder victim was transgender man Brandon Teena, subject of the movie “Boys Don’t Cry,” who was killed in 1993. The list of unlawfully killed transgender people is long and still growing. Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.”

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 11: Crucifixion / therapy to “cure” homosexuality

Jesus is nailed to the cross as queer people are hooked to electrodes for a “cure” in Station 11 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1992: The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality is founded. The organization opposes the mainstream medical view of homosexuality and aims to "make effective psychological therapy available to all homosexual men and women who seek change." Radical forms of reparative therapy involve electroshock treatment.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

As Jesus is nailed to the cross, queer people are hooked to electrodes for electroshock therapy meant to “cure” homosexuality. I find this one of the most powerful combinations of imagery in the whole LGBT Stations series. Electroshock and other ex-gay “conversion” or “reparative” treatments are part of the continuum of oppression by those who aim to purge society of sexual minorities. Jesus befriended sexual outcasts and taught love for all, and they killed him for it. Some of this last words were, “Forgive them, God, for they know not what they do.”
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 10: Jesus stripped / AIDS spreads

Jesus is stripped of his garments as AIDS spreads in Station 10 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1981: The first official documentation of GRID (Gay Related Infectious Disease, later renamed AIDS) was published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The images in this station are ones that illustrate the HIV virus.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Jesus being stripped of his garments is a scene of loss… and the LGBT community lost thousands of people due to AIDS. I like the way the AIDS virus forms a halo for Jesus in this painting. We are the body of Christ, and we have AIDS.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 9: Jesus falls 3rd time / Harvey Milk assassinated

Jesus falls for the third time as gay politician Harvey Milk is assassinated in Station 9 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud
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1978: Former Supervisor Dan White assassinates openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone. Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office in California
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Whenever anyone commits violence against another, Christ is crucified again -- including when gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk was shot. He has been called a martyr for LGBT rights -- and for all human rights. “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country,” Milk once said. Two bullets did enter his brain, and his vision of equality is also coming true.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 8: Jesus meets women / Stonewall Rebellion

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem and the Stonewall Riots happen in Station 8 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1969: After a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, a series of spontaneous violent demonstrations took place. The first Gay Pride march in U.S. history took place on the first anniversary of the riots.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

A chain of oppression stretches from the crucifixion of Christ to police harassment of LGBT people at the Stonewall Inn. Women of Jerusalem wept when Jesus passed by them carrying his cross. He urged them not to grieve for him, but for their own descendants: “If they do this to me, what will they do to others in the future?” I see a hint of the resurrection here in this image. When LGBT stood up for themselves at Stonewall in 1969, they started a liberation movement that is still on the rise.
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

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Related links:

Saints of Stonewall inspire LGBT justice -- and artists (Jesus in Love)

Book: “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution” by David Carter

Book: “Stonewall” by Martin Bauml Duberman

Video: “American Experience: Stonewall Uprising”

Station 7: Jesus falls 2nd time / police raid Black Cat gay bar

Jesus falls for the second time and police raid the Black Cat gay bar in Station 7 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud
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1967: The Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles is raided on New Year’s Day by 12 plainclothes police officers who beat and arrested employees and patrons. The resulting campaigns and protests pre-date the Stonewall riots by two years.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Jesus really seems to be walking with the gay protestors in this painting. Stonewall was the turning point, but lesser-known protests paved the way. I live near the Silverlake neighborhood where the Black Cat Tavern is still located -- now declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The protest there also helped inspire Troy Perry to found the LGBT-affirming Metropolitan Community Churches.

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Related link:

List of LGBT actions in the United States prior to the Stonewall riots (Wikipedia)
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 6: Veronica wipes Jesus’ face / gay scientist driven to suicide

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus while a gay computer scientist is driven to suicide in Station 6 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

1954: Mathematician Alan Turing commits suicide by cyanide poisoning, 18 months after being given a choice between two years in prison or libido-reducing hormone treatment as a punishment for homosexuality. Turing was instrumental in the British intelligence services during World War II and he is widely considered the father of computer science.

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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

The queer circumstances of Alan Turing’s death were hidden for 20 years until the Gay Liberation Front broke the silence. The convenience of our computerized world is built on oppression of the LGBT people who helped build it. For more details, read Alan Turing: Gay codebreaker's defiance keeps memory alive (BBC News).

The presence of Veronica makes this of the few Stations highlighting the role of women in Christ’s Passion, so I add this piece of lesbian history:

1955 – The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was founded in San Francisco in 1955 by four lesbian couples (including Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon) and was the first national lesbian political and social organization in the United States.[73] The group's name came from "Songs of Bilitis," a lesbian-themed song cycle by French poet Pierre Louÿs, which described the fictional Bilitis as a resident of the Isle of Lesbos alongside Sappho. DOB's activities included hosting public forums on homosexuality, offering support to isolated, married, and mothering lesbians, and participating in research activities.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 5: Simon helps carry cross / LGBTs fired in Lavender Scare

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross while LGBT people fired during the Lavender Scare in Station 5 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

1950: 190 individuals in the U.S. are dismissed from government employment for their sexual orientation, commencing the Lavender Scare. The fear and persecution of homosexuals in the 1950s paralleled the anti-communist scare campaigns of McCarthyism.

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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

LGBT people were fired from US government jobs in the 1950s because supposedly the “Reds” (communists) could blackmail them into becoming spies. Jesus continues carrying his cross through another scene in the history of persecution faced by LGBT people. I love the colors of this image, like a rainbow flag in the background.
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 4: Jesus meets his mother / LGBT prisoners kept in concentration camps

Jesus meets his mother and LGBT prisoners are kept in Nazi concentration camps after Allied liberation in Station 4 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1945: Upon liberation of Nazi concentration camps by Allied forces, those interned for homosexuality are not freed, but required to serve out the full term of their sentences under Paragraph 175.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Nazis and Allies were enemies, but they agreed that homosexuals should be locked up. The Allies liberated everyone else, but kept those who wore the pink triangle in prison! In Jesus’ time Romans and Jews were enemies, but they agreed that the man who loved without limits should die. The Nazis used pink triangles to identify prisoners sent to concentration camps for homosexuality. It was part of a system of triangles labeling people they deemed “undesirable.” Originally intended as a badge of shame, the pink triangle has become a symbol of pride for the LGBT movement.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the history of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 3: Jesus falls 1st time / Nazis put queers in concentration camps

Jesus falls the first time and Nazis ban homosexual groups in Station 3 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1933: The National Socialist German Workers Party bans homosexual groups under Paragraph 175. Homosexuals are sent to concentration camps.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

This is one of my personal favorite paintings in the series because it shows tenderness between men: When Jesus falls, a man helps him back to his feet.  A male couple watches, clinging to each other for comfort.  This is how we can rise again from horrors such those inflicted by the Nazis.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the sufferings of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 2: Jesus carries cross / police harass LGBT rights group

Jesus carries his cross and America's first homosexual rights group forms in Station 2 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1924: The first homosexual rights organization in America is founded by Henry Garber in Chicago – the Society for Human Rights. The group exists for a few months before disbanding under police pressure. The charter of the organization makes up the background of this station.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

I knew that police harassed gay bars, but they even shut down our human rights group! Anti-LGBT police harassment is a heavy cross to bear.

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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the sufferings of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week.  Click for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry lesbian Christian author and art historian.

Station 1: Jesus condemned / Anti-gay hate speech

Jesus is condemned to death and “faggot” first appears in print in Station 1 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud

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1913: The word "faggot" is first used in print in reference to gays in a vocabulary of criminal slang published in Portland, Oregon. The drawings in this station come from the cover of one such dictionary of slang.
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Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:

Putting the death sentence of Jesus with the first use of "faggot" reveals a harsh truth: Words are often the first step on the continuum of violence.  In the beginning was the word.

When I was growing up, the word "queer" was just as insulting as "faggot," but now queer has been reclaimed... Resurrection is coming.
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“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the sufferings of LGBT people.

Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.

The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.