LGBT-friendly online memorial for All Hallows' Eve, All Saints, All Souls and Day of the Dead

Rainbow candles on the altar for the LGBT Service of Remembrance at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Sacramento

Welcome to Jesus in Love’s LGBTQ-friendly online memorial. Many believe that the souls of the dead are visiting this weekend for All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), All Saints Day, All Souls and Day of the Dead. Everyone is invited to add names by leaving a comment.

Religion and society have often dishonored and desecrated queer lives. May all saints and all souls be restored to wholeness and holiness as we remember them.

We give thanks for the lives lost, and carry them in our hearts with the hope that we shall see them again. May perpetual light shine upon them as they rest in peace and in power. More info is at the end of the memorial.

Compassionate Spirit of God, unite us with the lives and visions of lesbian and gay heroes of our time… Unite us with all the souls living and dead, especially those souls taken by violence and AIDS. Unite us with all who boldly pioneered a way of pride and justice.
--from “Invocation for All Saints Day” by James Lancaster, published in Equal Rites

In memory of: Tyler Clementi, Leelah Alcorn, Haylee Fentress, Paige Moravetz, Seth Walsh, Jeanine Blanchette, Chantal Dube and all other LGBTIQ youths who have committed suicide. Gwen Araujo, Rita Hester, Brandon Teena and all others who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Harvey Milk, Matthew Shepard, FannyAnn Eddy, David Kato, Alan Schindler, and all others who were murdered in homophobic violence. Marcella Althaus-Reid, John Boswell, Peter Gomes, Bayard Rustin and all others who came out and supported LGBT people during their lifetimes. Mychal Judge, Henri Nouwen, Pauli Murray and all other religious leaders who worked for justice while keeping quiet about their sexual orientation. For Jeanne Manford, Adele Starr, and all others who stood as allies to LGBT family and friends. Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, Keith Haring, Alvin Ailey, Rev. Ron Russell-Coons, Rev. Jim Sandmire, Rev. Howard Wells and all others who died of AIDS. And for all saints and all souls, named and unnamed.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
--Hebrews 12:1

I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the God they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.
-- from “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” by Lesbia Scott, 1929

All Saints Day (Nov. 1) used to be called All Hallows Day, and the preceding evening was the Eve of All Hallows, now celebrated as Halloween. In Catholic and Protestant Christianity, the Feast of All Saints commemorates all saints, known and unknown. The following day, the Feast of All Souls, pays respect to the faithful departed who have not yet reached heaven. Prayers are offered to ask the saints to help the living, and to offer help to the souls of deceased friends and family.

All Souls Day is celebrated in Latin America as the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The holiday is especially popular in Mexico, where the happy celebration is one of the biggest events of the year. These holidays are associated with the Celtic Festival of the Dead (Samhain). They grow out of the pagan belief that the souls of the dead return to visit at this time of year.

___
Related links:

LGBT Saints Series

Why we need LGBT saints: A queer theology of sainthood by Kittredge Cherry

LGBT litany of the saints: Harvey Milk, pray for us; Joan of Arc, pray for us... by Rachel Waltz

Queering All Saints and All Souls, Celebrating the Queer Body of Christ by Adam Ackley (Huff Post)

A Litany of All the Saints by James Kiefer

____
This post is part of the LGBT Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, 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.

LGBTQ saints and martyrs added at Jesus in Love

Altar Cross of LGBTQ Martyrs from Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco

Eight new profiles have been added to the LGBTQ Saints page at JesusInLove.org in preparation for All Saints Day on Nov. 1.

They include both traditional saints and alternative figures not recognized by the institutional church.

In addition the Jesusinlove.org website was updated with 14 new articles in the Queer Christ series, six new entries in the Artists series, five holidays added to the LGBT calendar, and nine new  Spanish translations.

LGBT Saints page

With these new saints, the LGBT Saints series has grown to more than 70 profiles.  Along with official saints, there are martyrs, mystics, prophets, witnesses, heroes, holy people, humanitarians, deities and religious figures of special interest to LGBTQ people and our allies.

Here is a list of new saints who are welcomed to the LGBT Saints page today.

Traditional Christian

Malachy of Armagh

Blessed John of La Verna: Kissed by Jesus

Madre Juana de la Cruz: Transgender saint of 16th-century Spain?

Malachy of Armagh: Same-sex soulmate to Bernard of Clairvaux

Uganda Martyrs raise questions on homosexuality, religion and LGBT rights

New and alternative

Radclyffe Hall

Jeremy Bentham: Homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher

Malcolm Boyd: Pioneering gay Episcopal priest

Radclyffe Hall: Queer Christian themes mark banned book "Well of Loneliness"

Alan Turing: Codebreaker honored in queer spiritual art

Queer and LGBT saints are important because people are searching for alternative ways to lead loving lives. Churches have tried to control people by burying queer history. The LGBTQ saints show us not only their place in history, but also our own place -- because we are all saints who are meant to embody love. We can tap into the energy of our ancestors in faith. For some they become friends, helpers and miracle-workers. I created the LGBT Saints page to give people an easy way to find the spiritual resources that they seek. For more info, see my essay Why we need LGBT saints.

___
This article is illustrated with the Altar Cross of LGBTQ Martyrs. It was constructed by a congregant at Metropolitan Community Church of San Franscico for All Saints Day (All Hallows) worship services there. The cross features newspaper photos of Matthew Shepard and Harvey Milk. In the center of the cross is the fence where Shepard was tortured and murdered in Laramie, Wyoming.  He died on 10/12/88.

Other LGBTQ martyr named on the cross are:
Brian Wilmes – Hate Crimes Slaying 09/08/99 in San Francisco
Lawrence King – Hate Crimes Murder 02/12/08 in Oxnard, Ca.
Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill – Murdered 12-04-95 in Medford, Oregon
Harvey Milk – Assassinated - 11/27/78
Tyra Hunter – Medical Care Denied – 08/07/95 in Washington D.C.
Gwen Araujo – Hate Crimes Murder – 10/03/02 in Newark, Calif.
Thank you to Lynn Jordan for the photo and information about the Altar Cross of LGBTQ Martyrs.

Let us be inspired by the LGBT saints who surround us as a “great cloud of witnesses.”  May we commit ourselves to our own queer spiritual journeys.
___
Related links:

Why we need LGBT saints by Kittredge Cherry

An All Hallows' Eve Vigil to Begin Transgender Awareness Month by H. Adam Ackley (Huff Post)

A queer theology of sainthood emerges (99 Brattle blog of Episcopal Divinity School)

Feminism leads to a queer theology of sainthood (Feminism and Religion Blog)

Who are the "Queer Saints and Martyrs"? by Terence Weldon (Queering the Church)

LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints, All Souls and Day of the Dead

LGBT litany of the saints: Harvey Milk, pray for us; Joan of Arc, pray for us... by Rachel Waltz

A Litany of All the Saints by James Kiefer

Sanctity And Male Desire: A Gay Reading Of Saints by Donald Boisvert

Passionate Holiness: Marginalized Christian Devotions for Distinctive People by Dennis O’Neill

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

Why we need LGBT saints

Rainbow detail from St. John Altarpiece by Hans Memling (Wikipedia.com)

It’s time to welcome the queer saints. Many believe that saints and other souls will visit this weekend for Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). LGBT saints are important because people are searching for alternative ways to lead loving lives.

Churches have tried to control people by burying queer history. The LGBT saints show us not only THEIR place in history, but also OUR place -- because we are all saints who are meant to embody love. We can tap into the energy of our ancestors in faith. For some they become friends and helpers, working miracles as simple as a reminding us that “you are not alone.”

For a new version of this article, click this link to Qspirit.net:
Why we need LGBTQ saints: A queer theology of sainthood


At first I thought that LGBT saints were rare. Gradually I came to see that they are everywhere throughout all time and they are among us now. We have all met saints in our lives. They are ordinary people who are also extraordinary.

Calling someone a “queer saint” is a liberating act in two ways: The most obvious one is that revealing the hidden queer sexual orientation or gender identity of traditional saints liberates people from sex-negative, oppressive church dogmas. In addition, revealing the “saintliness” of LGBT people ignored by the church liberates people from the tyranny of the sacred/secular dichotomy. Phrases like “queer saint” make a nice shorthand for headlines -- neatly challenging the assumption that sainthood and LGBTQ identity are mutually exclusive.

As All Saints Day approaches, I offer reflections on what I have learned by writing more than 70 profiles in the LGBT Saints Series over the past eight years. This is my queer theology of sainthood.

Sergius and Bacchus
by Robert Lentz
TrinityStores.com

Who are the LGBT and queer saints? If you want some specific names of this rainbow tribe, visit the LGBT Saints page at http://jesusinlove.org/saints.php.

One of the greatest challenges has been to figure out who is a “saint” and who is “LGBT.” If the boundaries of sainthood are slippery, then the definition LGBT is even more fluid.

Most mainstream churches would not canonize any saints who were openly LGBT, so we must claim our own saints. It’s important to re-evaluate familiar figures as well as to recover those who have been lost and recognize the saints of our own time. The church may seem to have the power to decide who is a saint, but each individual can also choose for themselves. Paul urges us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Mitch Gould, a historian of queer and Quaker subjects, summed up the dilemma well when he told me, “Sainthood is a devilishly nuanced accusation.” Traditional stories of the saints tend to be overly pious, presenting idealized super-heroes who seem distant and irrelevant. Saints have been used to get people to passively accept oppressive situations. Too often the saints have been put on a pedestal to glorify virginity and masochistic suffering. The emphasis on miracles disrespects nature, the ongoing miracle of life.

Feminists have criticized saints as tools of the dominant morality, but with LGBT saints the opposite is true: They saints can shake up the status quo. We can restore the complex reality of saints whose lives are being hijacked by  hagiograpahies and hierarchy to enforce the status quo. Queer saints can help reclaim the wholeness, connecting sexuality and spirituality for the good of all.

Perpetua and Felicity
by Robert Lentz
TrinityStores.com

I began writing about LGBT saints after finishing a series of books on the queer Christ (Jesus in Love novels and Art That Dares). Many people told me that they couldn’t relate to a gay Jesus, but they liked the idea that LGBT people were among his followers. Church leaders have used saints to impose control from the top down, but the desire for saints springs naturally from the grassroots. People are drawn to the presence of spiritual power in the lives of the saints, and their willingness to use that power for others, even at great cost to themselves. Saints attract others with the quality of their love, even though their personal lives may not be “saintly.”

I was aware of new research and art about LGBT saints, so I was shocked to discover that it was not easily available online. Largely due to the church’s crackdown on LGBT spirituality, much of it was buried under obscure code names like “images that challenge” -- if it was available on the Internet at all.

As an independent blogger, I am free to put LGBT saints out there where more people can find and benefit from them. I decided to uncover and highlight holy heroes and role models to inspire LGBT people of faith and our allies. The positive response quickly affirmed that people are hungry to connect with queer people of faith who have gone before.

“The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs” by Fra Angelico, 1428-30, Wikimedia Commons

What is a saint?

My definition of who qualifies as a “LGBT saint” continues to expand. First I included saints officially canonized by the church, but I soon discovered that many have achieved “sainthood” by popular acclaim. The church didn’t even have a formal canonization process for its first 1,000 years.

Ultimately all believers, living and dead, can be called “saints,” a practice that began in the early church. In the New Testament, Paul used the word “saint” to refer to every member of the Christian community, a practice continued by Rev. Troy Perry, founder of Metropolitan Community Churches. One of my memories from working with him was that whenever he wrote a letter to MCC members, he addressed it as "Dear Saints." We always got back some responses from people protesting, "I'm not a saint!" But in a very real sense, we are all saints.

Dictionaries define a saint as “a holy person” or “an extremely virtuous person.” I rather like the concept of sainthood that emerged in comments on this blog during a discussion of the post “Artist shows sensuous gay saints.” Atlanta artist Trudie Barreras wrote: “My definition of saint has absolutely nothing to do with what the hierarchical church defines, and everything to do with the quality of love displayed.” Or, as gay author Toby Johnson commented, “Being a saint means creating more love in the world.”

Joan of Arc
by Robert Lentz
TrinityStores.com

Sainthood comes in many different forms. Some become saints by leading an exemplary life, but the surest path to sainthood is to risk or lose one’s for the good of others. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). Martyrs, from the Greek word for “to bear witness,” are a common type of saint.

Sometimes readers object that my LGBT saints series includes modern martyrs whose lives were not “saintly.” My understanding is that martyrs need not be role models, but they are honored simply because they were killed for a particular cause. Therefore I include people such as Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepard because they were killed for being gay and their deaths furthered the cause of LGBT rights, regardless of their flaws.

Whether or not they died as martyrs, the lives of the saints were indeed difficult. Our lives are difficult too -- and that can become a point of connection. Like today’s LGBT Christians, the saints sometimes faced opposition from within the church. Some martyrs, including cross-dresser Joan of Arc, were killed not FOR the church, but BY the church!

What is LGBT?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer did not exist as categories throughout most of the history in which the saints lived. A convenient way around this dilemma is to say that LGBT saints are those of special interest to LGBT people and our allies. The term “queer” is increasingly used to describe gender-variant people of the past, so I often use the phrase “queer saints.”

Harvey Milk
by Robert Lentz
TrinityStores.com

Some deny the existence of historical LGBT saints because it’s almost impossible to prove their sexual activity. However, same-sex love does not have to be sexually consummated for someone to be honored as an LGBT saint. Deep love between two people of the same gender is enough.

Homosexuality is more than sexual conduct. The American Psychological Association defines sexual orientation as “an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions.” The dominant Christian culture tried to suppress overt homosexuality, so any hint of homosexuality that survives in the historical record should be given extra significance. Many official saints were nuns or monks living in same-gender convents or monasteries.  Naturally their primary emotional attachments were to people of the same gender. Soon almost all saints seem LGBT!

Let us be inspired by the LGBT saints who surround us as a “great cloud of witnesses” and commit ourselves to our own queer paths toward sainthood.

___
Image credit: God is enthroned in concentric rainbows with 24 elders seated within the outer rainbow in a detail from the 15th-century St. John Altarpiece by Hans Memling (Wikipedia.com). The image is based on John’s vision of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation.

___
Related links:

I have expanded on the ideas presented here by writing theological reflections based on feminist and queer theology at the following two blogs:

Feminism and Religion Blog: Feminism leads to a queer theology of sainthood by Kittredge Cherry

99 Brattle (Episcopal Divinity School blog): A queer theology of sainthood emerges by Kittredge Cherry

To read this post in Spanish / en español, go to Santos Queer:
¿Por qué necesitamos santas y santos LGBT?

Who are the "Queer Saints and Martyrs"? by Terence Weldon (Queering the Church)

LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints, All Souls and Day of the Dead

An All Hallows' Eve Vigil to Begin Transgender Awareness Month by H. Adam Ackley (Huff Post)

LGBT litany of the saints: Harvey Milk, pray for us; Joan of Arc, pray for us... by Rachel Waltz

Queering All Saints and All Souls, Celebrating the Queer Body of Christ by Adam Ackley (Huff Post)

A Litany of All the Saints by James Kiefer

All Saints Day: Why We Need LGBT Saints by Kittredge Cherry (Believe Out Loud)

Sanctity And Male Desire: A Gay Reading Of Saints by Donald Boisvert
Spitting at Dragons: Towards a Feminist Theology of Sainthood by Elizabeth Stuart

Passionate Holiness: Marginalized Christian Devotions for Distinctive People by Dennis O’Neill

Special thanks to CJ, Sage, Terence, Dennis, Liz, Trudie, Toby, Mitch, Adam and Eric for comments and conversation that helped me develop this queer theology of sainthood.

Icons honor queer saints for All Saints Day

“Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus” by Robert Lentz

        

Sergius and Bacchus; Harvey Milk; and Perpetua and Felicity

Innovative Religious Art

from TrinityStores.com

It’s fun and enlightening to look at icons of queer saints as All Saints Day (Nov. 1) approaches. Reader favorites are posted today at the Jesus in Love Blog. All are available from TrinityStores.com.

Click the icons to browse and buy cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, and framed prints with these images and many more at TrinityStores.com. 

                

Polyeuct and Nearchus; Brigid and Darlughdach; Boris and George

             

Jonathan and David; Hildegard and Richardis; and Wenceslas and Podivan

All icons from TrinityStores.com by Robert Lentz or Lewis Williams

Robert Lentz is a Franciscan friar based in New York. Known for his innovative icons, he was rebuked by the church for making icons of LGBT saints and female images of God. Colorado artist Lewis Williams of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) studied with Lentz and has made social justice a theme of his icons.

Allen Schindler: Gay martyr in the military

The Murder of Allen Schindler by Matthew Wettlaufer

Allen Schindler (1969-1992) brought international attention to anti-gay hate crimes and gays in the military when he died on this date (Oct. 27) in 1992.

Maybe Allen Schindler is resting more peacefully now that the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy against gays and lesbians in the military ended on Sept. 20, 2011.

For a new version of this article, click this link to Qspirit.net:
Allen Schindler: LGBTQ role the military highlighted by murder of gay sailor


Today also happens to be Navy Day in the United States. Remembering the service of Allen Schindler is a fitting way to mark the day.

Allen R. Schindler, Jr.

Schindler was a U.S. naval petty officer who was brutally beaten to death because he was gay by two of his shipmates in a public restroom in Sasebo, Japan. Schindler’s murder was cited by President Bill Clinton and others in the debate about gays in the military that culminated in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The crime is portrayed in an epic painting by gay artist Matthew Wettlaufer, who makes connections between anti-gay violence and other human rights struggles in his art.

At first the Navy tried to cover up the circumstances of Schindler’s death. The movie “Any Mother’s Son” tells the true story of how his mother, Dorothy Hadjys-Holman, overcame her own homophobia and Naval cover-up attempts to get justice for her gay son. She also spoke at the 1993 March on Washington for LGBT Rights.

Wettlaufer discusses his painting of Schindler and his other gay-related political art in my previous post “New paintings honor gay martyrs.”

___
Related link:

American Veterans for Equal Rights
_________
This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

Invite a friend: Free newsletter on LGBT spirituality and the arts

Invite your friends to sign up for a free subscription to the Jesus in Love monthly newsletter on LGBT spirituality and the arts.

More people need to hear that God loves all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

*Share this invitation with your friends. You can use this share button.

Readers call it inspiring, empowering, courageous, “always informative” and “always fabulous.”

The newsletter covers LGBTQ saints and the queer Christ, with an emphasis on visual art and books. Cutting-edge artists, authors and theologians are introduced.

The LGBTQ Saints series expands the meaning of holiness with a diverse group of contemporary and historical figures on appropriate dates throughout the year.

Jesus in Love promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Publisher Kittredge Cherry is passionately committed to the Jesus in Love Newsletter because it grew out of her own personal journey as a lesbian Christian author, historian and minister.

See for yourself. Visit the newsletter archive or use the following list to view nine years of past newsletters online.

P.S.: Please donate for the newsletter annual fee.

JL News: Aug 2016  (8/8/2016) Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eberhard Bethge: anti-Nazi theologians and soulmates, pioneering lesbian minister Nancy Wilson retires, bearded woman saint Wilgefortis, holy fool Symeon of Emesa loved hermit John, Kuan Yin as queer Buddhist Christ figure, four women reformers honored from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, sisters Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women. JL News: July 2016  (7/4/2016) Clergyman Robert Wood picketed for LGBT equality in Fourth of July 1965-69 Annual Reminder protests, Pulse Orlando shooting kills 49 at gay nightclub, “I first saw the rainbow flag in a church” reflection, Virgin Mary's lesbian kiss on Spanish poster, artist Stephen Mead seeks suggestions for LGBT history series, 32 killed in UpStairs Lounge arson fire, civil rights champion / queer priest Pauli Murray, preacher Jemima reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend,” saints of Stonewall inspire LGBT justice and artists, homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham JL News: June 2016  (6/5/2016) Rainbow Christ Prayer translated to 10 languages, LGBTQ Methodist protest art, Julian of Norwich, Harvey Milk, Joan of Arc, Uganda Martyrs, Madre Juana de la Cruz, Pentecost, congrats to new grads, Painter Rosa Bonheur honored “androgyne Christ,” new books. JL News: May 2016  (5/1/2016) First-ever LGBTQ religious books for children, LGBT activists murdered in Bangladesh, Biblical same-sex love in “David and Jonathan” painting by Edward Hicks, Christina Rossetti wrote Christmas carols and lesbian poetry, Day of Silence Prayer to stop bullying God's LGBTQ youth, 1992 LGBT protest at National Council of Churches, Nun Sor Juana de la Cruz who loved a countess in 17th-century Mexico City, RIP Bill Rosendahl (early supporter of LGBT Christians through TV “God Squad”), Italian translations. JL News: Easter/April 2016  (3/27/2016) Happy Easter with risen rainbow Christ, gay Passion of Christ series ends, Facebook ad rejection, Perpetua & Felicity, John Boswell, gay Centurion. JL News: Good Friday 2016  (3/25/2016) JL News Palm Sunday 2016  (3/20/2016) JL News: March 2016  (3/4/2016) Gay love stops hiding from church oppression in new music video: “Hiding” by Ray Isaac, Advocate.com covers gay Passion of Christ censorship on social media, Level Ground Fest uses art for LGBT faith dialogue, RIP queer theologian Ibrahim Farajaje, paired male saints Polyeuct and Nearchus, pioneering gay priest Malcolm Boyd, queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, Valentine list of 15 ways to celebrate LGBT Christian love, Harvard minister Peter Gomes taught "scandalous gospel." JL News: Feb 2016  (2/4/2016) Saint Walatta Petros was a nun who shared a lifetime bond with a female partner in 17th-century Ethiopia, Saint Sebastian, history's queer martyrs rise for Ash Wednesday, David Bowie as queer messiah, Holocaust remembrance, Celtic saint Brigid and her female soulmate Darlughdach,gay saint of friendship Aelred, Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato, PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford, books. JL News: New Year's Eve / Jan 2016  (12/31/2015) Jesus in Love January Newsletter is out! Gay wedding of Jesus and beloved disciple John at Cana in art by Christopher Olwage, Bridge of Light ceremony honors LGBT culture on New Year's Eve, David and Jonathan, queer Epiphany. JL News Christmas 2015  (12/24/2015) Rainbow baby Jesus, queer Kwanzaa, Lazarus as beloved disciple, Ruth and Naomi, John of the Cross, Guadalupe, straight allies, new books. JL News Dec 2015  (12/6/2015) Gay Jesus appears in photo from Brazilian performance group Transeuntes, Top 25 LGBTQ books of 2015, intersex trial of Thomas(ine) Hall in colonial America, Bernardo de Hoyos' mystical same-sex marriage with Jesus, queer Nativity scenes, LGBTIQ guide to American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting (AAR - SBL), spiritual resources for World AIDS Day, Mexico's Dance of the 41 Queers, St. Malachy of Armaugh, Advent, queer cheer for Christmas. JL News Nov 2015  (11/1/2015) New art film on St Sebastian, queer saints and homophobic violence by British artist Tony O'Connell, why we need LGBT saints, 8 new LGBT saints added, LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints/All Souls Day JL News Oct 2015  (10/14/2015) Cosmic Christ art with LGBT symbols by Doyle Chappell, gay saints Sergius & Bacchus, Kim Davis cartoon by David Hayward, Pope’s visit has mixed messages for LGBT people, RIP pioneering gay priest John McNeill, lesbian saint Vida Dutton Scudder, historic photos for 47th anniversary of Metropolitan Community Churches, queer Francis of Assisi, LGBT martyrs (Matthew Shepard, FannyAnn Eddy, Tyler Clementi), two-spirit Native Americans bridge genders on Columbus Day, Henri Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality, Sufi poet/mystic Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Hildegard of Bingen and her beloved Richardis, good (gay?) King Wenceslas, new LGBTQ Christian books.    JL News Sept 2015  (9/9/2015) Divine love transforms presidents Obama and Putin into gay saints in art by Jim Lyngvild, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, black gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Mary’s lesbian goddess roots with Artemis, Blessed John Henry Newman’s romantic friendship with priest Ambrose St. John, Black Madonna becomes lesbian defender: Erzuli Dantor and Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Jesus kiss of medieval friar John of La Verna, love between Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, and Christ and Krishna. JL News August 2015  (8/7/2015) Erotic gay soul explored in new books "HomoEros" and "Internal Landscapes," Christa art show, queer 1776 preacher Jemima Wilkinson reborn as Public Universal Friend, holy fool Symeon of Emesa and John, sisters Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, bearded holy woman Wilgefortis, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women. JL News July 2015  (7/2/2015) Gay Vatican art tours, seminary course on queer Christ in art, UpStairs Lounge fire and poem, Pauli Murray, motorcycle blessing at gay leather bar, Uganda martyrs JL News June 2015  (6/4/2015) “Queer Icons” show LGBTQ people of color today in art by Gabriel Garcia Roman, Joan of Arc, Harvey Milk, resurrection song, Rainbow Christ Prayer, saints of Stonewall, Julian of Norwich, Rosa Bonheur, new books JL News May 2015-B  (5/5/2015) New queer martyrdom book discussed by author Dominic Janes, Ethiopian eunuch, new queer Christ videos, Christina Rossetti, green LGBT theology on Earth Day, new LGBTQ Christian books, Day of Silence Prayer re anti-LGBT bullying, Madre Juana de la Cruz of Spain, Sor Juana de la Cruz of Mexico, Kuan Yin as a queer Buddhist Christ figure. JL News Easter/April 2015  (4/5/2015) Happy Easter with murals of Los Angeles, gay Passion of Christ series ends, blasphemy debate, Perpetua & Felicity, John Boswell, Esther & Vashti, gay Centurion, Adrienne Rich. JL News Palm Sunday 2015  (3/29/2015) JL News March 2015  (3/1/2015) Sacred gay union with Christ evoked by music of New-Age “Passion of Mark” by Christopher Flores and Adrian Ravarour, gay Jesus painting by Christopher Olwage shown in New Zealand, pioneering gay priest Malcolm Boyd dies at 91, Queer Clergy Trading Cards feature Kittredge Cherry, queer martyrs rise from the ashes on Ash Wednesday, paired saints Polyeuct and Nearchus served as Roman soldiers, queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, gay black Harvard minister Peter Gomes preached "scandalous gospel,” latest LGBTQ Christian books. JL News Feb 2015  (2/8/2015) Top LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2014, Queer Clergy Trading Cards, Je Suis Charlie. queer black Jesus icon by David Hayward, Saint Sebastian, Saint Brigid and Darlughdach, Holocaust Remembrance, Beloved Disciple John the Evangelist, David Kato, and David and Jonathan. JL News Xmas 2014 / Jan 2015  (12/24/2014) Merry Christmas with minimalist Nativity scene, queer holiday cheer, Lazarus, Ruth and Naomi, Bridge of Light ceremony honors LGBT culture on New Year's Eve, three kings or three queens on Epiphany. JL News December 2014  (12/14/2014) Top 25 LGBT Christian books of 2014, LGBTIQ scholars meet at American Academy of Religion, AIDS saints Vivaldo and Bartolo, queer art showing Our Lady of Guadalupe, John of the Cross, book video for "The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision." JL News November 2014  (11/20/2014) Alan Turing pilgrimage by artist Tony O'Connell, Mexico's Dance of the 41 Queers, Facebook censors gay Passion of Christ book, why we need LGBT saints, St. Malachy of Armaugh, LGBTIQ guide to American Academy of Religion / Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting (AAR - SBL) Passion Book Announcement  (10/16/2014) JL News October 2014  (10/15/2014) Gay Passion of Christ book published, modern gay martyr Matthew Shepard, paired saint Sergius and Bacchus, 19th-century lesbian saint Vida Dutton Scudder, Francis of Assisi’s queer side revealed, medieval nuns Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis, Henri Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality, Africa’s lesbian martyr FannyAnn Eddy, Good (Gay?) King Wenceslas,. 1000th newsletter subscriber. JL News September 2014  (9/14/2014) Radclyffe Hall's queer Christianity in her life and 1928 novel “The Well of Loneliness.” Gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, Mel White stands for LGBT justice at National Council of Churches, black gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Mary’s Feast of Assumption has lesbian goddess roots, Blessed John Henry Newman’s romantic friendship with priest Ambrose St. John, Black Madonna becomes lesbian defender: Erzuli Dantor and Our Lady of Czestochowa, love between Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, Christ and Krishna. JL News August 2014  (8/9/2014) Blessed John of La Verna (medieval Italian friar kissed by Jesus), queer Jesus poem by Louie Clay (ne Louie Crew), "Art That Dares" on Advocate.com, Mary and Martha as lesbian couple, Jacob wrestling with angel symbolizes sexuality struggles, bearded holy woman Wilgefortis, Russian saints Boris and George, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women, artist David Wojnarowicz mixed gay and Christian imagery, Holy fool Symeon of Emesa and John JL News July 2014  (7/9/2014) Rainbow Crucifix and Rainbow Madonna by Richard Stott, Rainbow Christ Prayer goes nationwide, queer 1776 preacher Jemima Wilkinson reborn as Public Universal Friend, UpStairs Lounge fire martyrs recalled in new film etc, queer saint Pauli Murray JL News June 2014  (6/3/2014) Uganda Martyrs, LGBT Pride / saints of Stonewall, Joan of Arc, religious role of gay bars described in new book "Baby You Are My Religion" by Marie Cartier JL News May 2014  (5/15/2014) Homosexuality of Jesus explored by 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Madre Juana de la Cruz as genderbending saint of 16th-century Spain, Sacred Heart icon of bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, Julian of Norwich celebrates "Mother Jesus," Easter photo of MCC founder Troy Perry and Jesus in Love founder Kittredge Cherry JL News, Easter 2014  (4/20/2014) JL News April 2014  (4/13/2014) Gay Passion of Christ series begins on Palm Sunday, mystical same-sex marriage affirmed in Renaissance art, black Jesus appears in liberating Way of the Cross, Jesus heals a centurion’s boyfriend, Kuan Yin as a queer Buddhist Christ figure, lesbian poet Adrienne Rich, LGBT Stations of the Cross by Mary Button JL News March 2014  (3/12/2014) Art museums explore queer Christian themes ("In His Own Likeness" in Florida and "Sinful Saints" in Los Angeles), remembering queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, LGBT martyrs rise on Ash Wednesday, Brian Day poetry book explores "lust for the holy." Peter Gomes, Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus JL News Feb 2014  (2/12/2014) Top 10 stories of 2013, spiritual art supports Russian LGBT people during Olympics, 3 recent deaths (Robert Nugent, Otis Charles and Mark Shirilau), Saint Sebastian, Saint Brigid and Darlughdach, Holocaust Remembrance, Beloved Disciple John the Evangelist, David Kato, and David and Jonathan. JL News Xmas 2013 / Jan 2014  (12/24/2013) Christmas chant honors Christ the bridegroom: Cum ortus fuerit sol de Caelo; Some children see Him queer or gay: New rainbow version of Christmas carol "Some Children See Him," queer Nativity debate, Queer Lady of Guadalupe, Lazarus as Jesus' beloved disciple, Ruth and Naomi, John of the Cross JL News Dec 2013  (12/8/2013) Gay Israeli artist Adi Nes humanizes Bible stories, queer Advent, cartoon on how LGBT people know God loves us, mystical marriage of Bernardo de Hoyos, World AIDS Day, Harvey Milk, gay and lesbian Nativity cards, list of Christmas favorites JL News Nov 2013  (11/7/2013) Photos of same-sex kisses in church censored (Gonzalo Orquin), All Saints Day, Bible and homosexuality, lesbian saint and teacher Vida Dutton Scudder, same-sex soulmate St. Malachy of Armagh JL News Oct 2013  (10/7/2013) Sergius and Bacchus, queer creation, Francis of Assisi' queer side, Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis, Henri Nouwen's gay struggle, Rumi insipred by another man JL News Sept 2013  (9/12/2013) Gay artist Richard Stott paints "Intimacy with Christ," Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Malachy, Proud Jesus blesses LGBT Pride parades, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, John Henry Newman and Ambrose St. John, lesbian goddess roots of Mary's Feast of the Assumption, civil rights champion Bayard Rustin, Christ and Krishna JL News August 2013  (8/4/2013) Black Madonna and lesbian defender Erzulie Dantor, gay Russian saints Boris and George, Wojnarowicz art and religion, LGBT resurrection by Mary Button, new translator at Santos Queer, bearded woman saint Wilgefortis JL News July 2013  (7/6/2013) Queer religious art list resource list: (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Paganism), UpStairs Lounge fire 40 years later, Pauli Murray (queer saint and first black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest), Saint Symeon and John (holy fool and hermit who loved each other), Jemima Wilkinson (queer preacher reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend”) JL News June 2013  (6/5/2013) Will Roscoe on Jesus and the shamanic tradition of same-sex love, cross-dressing painter Rosa Bonheur honors "androgyne Christ," Hidden Perspectives interviews Kittredge Cherry on LGBT religion, Adam and Steve welcome marriage equality, Joan of Arc, Rainbow Christ Prayer, Julian of Norwich JL News May 2013  (5/2/2013) Photos of LGBT saints today by Tony O'Connell, LGBT vs Christian cartoon by Carlos Latuff for Day Against Homophobia, LGBT Litany, Christina Rossetti, Sor Juana de la Cruz, new books JL News Easter / April 2013  (3/31/2013) Happy Easter, gay Passion of Christ series ends when Jesus rises and appears to Mary, marriage equality vigil, queer Buddhist Christ figure Kuan Yin, lesbian poet Adrienne Rich JL News: Palm Sunday 2013   (3/24/2013) Gay Passion of Christ paintings by Douglas Blanchard with text by Kittredge Cherry, LGBT Stations of the Cross by Mary Button, right-wing rants against queer Christ JL News Mar 2013  (3/2/2013) Artist Ria Brodell paints history's butch heroes, queer martyrs rise on Ash Wednesday, Polyeuct and Nearchus, Queen Esther, new books JL News Feb 2013  (2/9/2013) Top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2012, LGBT clergy at Inauguration, Saint Sebastian, Lesbian Virgin Mary poster protested in Croatia, Beloved Disciple, Holocaust Remembrance with pink triangle art, Brigid and Darlughdach, David and Jonathan, Ugandan LGBT maryr David Kato JL News Xmas 2012 / Jan 2013  (12/24/2012) Queer baby Jesus, gay Nativity in Columbia, artist Eric Martin paints naked young man from Mark's gospel, John of the Cross, ad shows Pope blessing same-sex marriage, Bridge of Light holiday for New Year JL News December 2012  (12/4/2012) Divine lesbian art by Verlena Johnson, Advent, blasphemy charges for Greek gay Jesus play, Top 20 gay Jesus books, gay King Wenceslas, mystical same-sex marriage of Bernardo de Hoyos, queer Christmas gift ideas JL News November 2012  (11/1/2012) More LGBTQ saints added for All Saints Day, LGBTQ guide to American Academy of Religion - Society of Biblical Studies meeting, Cardinal John Henry Newman loved Ambrose St. John, Angela Yarber paints portrait of Kittredge Cherry, gay martyrs Sergius & Bacchus, We Wha of Zuni, Jesus in Love's 7th anniversary JL News October 2012  (10/4/2012) Queer Saint Francis of Assisi, Henri Nouwen struggles with his homosexuality, Dr. Hildegard of Bingen loved women, Jesus in rainbow shroud, Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Leviticus and religion-based violence JL News September 2012  (9/3/2012) Tony De Carlo's art (gay saints, Adam and Steve, marriage equality), gay Christ by Latuff, gay civil-rights saint Bayard Rustin, Mary's lesbian goddess roots Kittredge Cherry Update, Sept 2012  (9/25/2012) Sample issue of KC Update, a monthly e-newsletter with timely reflections on LGBT spirituality and art plus a report on her latest activities. KC Update is available only to paid subscribers for $25 per month. JL News August 2012  (8/2/2012) Queer grace with art by Felicia Follum, marriage of Jesus and Freddie Mercury by Mr. Fish, Pauli Murray voted into sainthood, blasphemy charge from Americans for Truth, queer saints Wilgefortis, Boris & George, Artemisia Gentileschi July 2012  (7/1/2012) Queer saint for Independence Day: Jemima Wilkinson was reborn in 1776 as “Publick Universal Friend,” Rainbow Christ Prayer by Kittredge Cherry and Patrick Cheng, cartoon shows Jesus walking on dangerous waters carrying LGBT kid, my first LGBT Pride march June 2012  (6/6/2012) Stonewall paintings by Sandow Birk, Sweden's first LGBT altar by Elisbeth Ohlson Wallin, resurrection images from Gay Passion of Christ with art by Doug Blanchard and text by Kittredge Cherry, 2 new gay Jesus books, Joan of Arc, LGBT Pride prayers May 2012  (5/3/2012) Ethiopian eunuch shows early church welcomed queers, gay teen wins right to wear "Jesus is not a homophobe" shirt on Day of Silence, lesbian poet Christina Rossetti, gay Jesus makes news in the Guardian, Sor Juana de la Cruz loved a countess Easter 2012  (4/8/2012) Happy Easter with Queer Resurrection by Andrew Craig Wiliams, Gay Passion of Christ series by Douglas Blanchard ends, Queer Christ article in Huffington Post by Kittredge Cherry -- and conservative attacks on it April 2012  (4/1/2012) Gay Passion of Christ series with art by Douglas Blanchard and new text by Kittredge Cherry, gay Jesus kiss behind the scenes at "Corpus Christi," Queens Esther and Vashti, gay centurion, new queer Christ book by Patrick Cheng March 2012  (3/1/2012) Angela Yarber paints holy lesbian icons and other women, "Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" protested, executions for sodomy, closeted Jesus in "Dark Knowledge," Polyeuct and Nearchus, St. Valentine: marriage-equality role model February 2012  (2/3/2012) Top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2011, police investigate attack on gay / lesbian Nativity scene at California church, Ugandan LGBT rights activist David Kato remembered one year later, St. Brigid and her female soulmate, Kittredge Cherry starts writing for Huffington Post Christmas 2011 / New Years 2012  (12/24/2011) Christmas greetings, LGBT Nativity contest, queer saints on Huffington Post, Clinton tells UN that gay rights are human rights, Bridge of Light LGBT New Year ceremony December 2011  (12/7/2011) History's gay couples by artist Ryan Grant Long, mystical same-sex marriage of Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos and Jesus, LGBT Nativity contest, LGBTQ guide to American Academy of Religion November 2011  (11/1/2011) All Saints Day reflection on why we need LGBT saints, new LGBT spirituality resource pages, All Saints / All Souls memorial, author Hartman on gay Jesus, We'wha of Zuni (two-spirit Native American) October 2011  (10/7/2011) Sergius and Bacchus in new art, Rumi inspired by same-sex love, Tyler Clementi and bullying of LGBT youth, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi September 2011  (9/10/2011) Gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge, civil-rights hero Bayard Rustin, Mary's lesbian-goddess roots with Artemis, Cardinal John Henry Newman, innovative icons. August 2011  (8/6/2011) Gay angel weeping and other art by Wes Hempel, conservatives attack our lesbian/gay Nativity scenes, same-sex marriage saints Boris and George, Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women, Jacob wrestling, Mary Magdalene July 2011  (7/6/2011) Sensuous gay saints by artist Ted Fusby, blasphemy charges against Our Lady by Alma Lopez, John McNeill and LGBTs vs. the Vatican, reimagining God the Father. June 2011  (6/7/2011) Lady Gaga's queer spirituality, gay priest John McNeill shakes up Rome, Joan of Arc, Hunky Jesus contest, Pentecost, saints of Stonewall, LGBT pride prayers and hymns May 2011  (5/8/2011) Julian of Norwich celebrates Mother Jesus, Holocaust remembrance, Gay Passion of Christ series climax. Easter 2011  (4/24/2011) Gay Passion of Christ series (art by Douglas Blanchard, text by Kittredge Cherry), Easter videos April 2011  (4/8/2011) Gay Passion of Christ series, female Christa, queer martyrs rise from ashes March 2011  (3/4/2011) Erotic Christ interview with Hunter Flournoy, Bible's "Unprotected Texts" on sex, LGBT affirming poetry contest, Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus February 2011  (2/8/2011) Top LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2010, Uganda's gay martyr David Kato, Queer Lady of Guadalupe, Smithsonian censorship, acrobats strip for Pope Christmas 2010  (12/24/2010) December 2010  (12/2/2010) Rethinking Sin and Grace for LGBT People: Liberator Christ and Out Christ, LGBT Jerusalem photos, protests end queer Jesus exhibit in Spain, banned photo of gay Christ, gay King Wenceslas, Christmas video message brings hope November 2010  (11/1/2010) LGBT-friendly memorial for All Saints All Souls, It Gets Better video for LGBT youth, inclusive art built from anti-gay DVDs, LGBT church history photos, Sally Gearhart on fighting the right with love, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, blog birthday, gay and lesbian Nativity scene cards, holiday gift ideas October 2010  (10/4/2010) St. Francis with Islamic sultan and gay Jesus, church fires artist for transforming anti-gay DVD, John Henry Newman's queer path to sainthood, Dirk Vanden's gay Jesus vision, Hildegard of Bingen's love for women, pet portraits, memorial candles September 2010  (9/2/2010) Krishna and Christ, Queer disciples in the Bible, Pride photo with gay Jesus sign, women's spirituality art book by Janet McKenzie, gay saint of 9/11 Mychal Judge August 2010  (8/5/2010) Ex-gay movement as genocide, To Anne Rice: You can be pro-gay AND Christian, St. Wilgefortis (bearded woman), St. Boris and George, Mary and Martha: sisters or lesbian couple? July 2010  (7/9/2010) Queer spiritual art in Tikkun magazine, saints of Stonewall, If Jesus Were Gay poems, LGBT Pride songs and prayers, Hands around the God Box June 2010  (6/4/2010) How to unite sexuality and spirituality, Jesus has male lover in Marien Revelation, International Day Against Homophobia, transgressing gender in the Bible, spirit-centered male nudes by Peter Grahame May, 2010  (5/1/2010) Black lesbian prayers and art, gay Holocaust, Mexican nun who loved a countess (Sor Juana), Houston Chronicle gay Jesus interview, is this a sexy Jesus? Easter 2010  (4/4/2010) Happy Easter, Foreplay to Eternity prayer, Kuan Yin as androgynous spirit of compassion April 2010  (4/1/2010) GLBT Holy Week series, Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, AIDS crucifixion, Twitter March 2010  (3/2/2010) Paintings honor gay martyrs, lesbians infiltrate anti-gay church in documentary, homoerotic Jesus poems, Sts. Polyeuct & Nearchus, great sermon says "We ARE light" February 2010  (2/1/2010) Top GLBT spiritual art stories of 2009, St. Brigid & Darlughdach, blasphemy charge aids queer Jesus photo project, Epiphany, David & Jonathan, 2009 fundraising goal met Christmas 2009  (12/24/2009) Good (gay?) King Wenceslas, GLBT nativity video, Xmas excerpt from new trans Jesus play, Jesus tells Xmas story to animals, lesbian Madonna art JL News, Dec 2009  (12/1/2009) World AIDS Day, Advent, 300 protest transsexual Jesus play, Harvey Milk, Thanksgiving JL News, Nov 2009  (11/4/2009) Noah's gay wedding cruise, erotic encounter with the divine, Equality March video, transvestite Jesus, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, animal blessing, gay-friendly Jesus billboards JL News, Sept 2009  (9/11/2009) Gay saint of 9/11, National Equality March video, Jesus as lover, Mary's ecstasy, queer poem, cool new T-shirts, $185 needed, new books JL News, Summer 2009  (7/1/2009) Comic video jests about gay Jesus, Ruth and Naomi painting, "Jesus Never Married" poster, same-sex marriage not new, Eros & Christ series starts soon JL News, April 2009  (4/5/2009) Easter video with wildflowers, Gay Holy Week series, gay Passion photos by Recker, lesbian poet laureate, reflection on love and loss JL News, Feb 2009  (2/10/2009) Erotic angel art, video valentine on same-sex marriage, gay bishop prays at inauguration, Prayers for Bobby, Milk & coming out, Ted Haggard, gay Holy Week, new books & DVDs Special alert: AltXmasArt, Dec 2008  (12/25/2008) Alternative Christmas Art (all 12 images), top 5 stories of 2008. JL News, Dec 2008  (12/1/2008) Protests for same-sex marriage, AltXmasArt (alternative Christmas art), AIDS art, GLBT history, video faves based on Bible, donors honored, holiday gift idea JL News, Oct 2008  (10/1/2008) God politics art, GLBT Buddhists, lesbian folksinger, Jesus novels JL News, Aug 2008  (8/12/2008) Gay spirituality vs everybody spirituality, nursing Madonna, homoerotic Jesus T-shirt JL News, July 2008  (7/9/2008) Gay artist paints inspiring Jesus, Polish coming-out guide, gay pride march, video of 2 queer authors JL News, June 2008  (6/5/2008) Lammy Awards, funny gay Jesus music video, gay marriage stamp censored, video of Kitt Cherry on glbt Christian art, new glbt books JL News, May 2008  (5/3/2008) Austria censors gay Last Supper, Join Kitt at Lammy finalist reading 5/8, A lesbian Christian visits Israel, Art That Dares up for award, new glbt spirituality titles JL News, April 2008  (4/8/2008) Lammy finalists, Black Jesus & Obama, Kitt does reading May 8, Gay Easter bonnets, Holy Week blog, Top 5 glbt arts books Special Alert: Holy Week readings  (3/16/2008) A queer version of Christ’s Passion covers Palm Sunday, the Last Supper and the 1st Easter. JL News, March 2008  (3/5/2008) Gay Mohammad art, Queer Christian art in Tikkun, Video prayer by author, Holy Week blog, At the Cross on sale JL News, Feb 2008  (2/4/2008) "At the Cross" is published, Conservatives blast Christmas card, see video of progressive spiritual fest JL News, Jan 2008  (1/12/2008) 2007's top 5 stories, Happy new year video, Queering the Last Supper, Sex & spirit mix on German book cover JL News, Dec 2007  (12/7/2007) Gay Jesus art sparks violence in Sweden, See new videos on glbt rights, Give "Art That Dares" for Christmas, New vision statement