2008’s top 5 queer-spirit arts stories named

“After the Rainbow Ceremony” by Peter Grahame illustrated the year's top story

Debate about the need for a unique gay spirituality is the top story for 2008, JesusInLove.org announced today. “Gay spirituality vs. everybody spirituality: A new closet?” generated the year’s largest number of comments at the Jesus in Love Blog on queer spirituality and the arts. JesusInLove.org, an online resource center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) spirituality and the arts, has announced its picks for 2008’s top five stories. Here’s a round-up of the year’s top five queer spiritual art news stories. 1. “Gay spirituality vs. everybody spirituality: A new closet?” was the most popular story of 2008 with 40 comments. A big spirituality weekend finds that many, especially young people, don’t recognize the “unique spiritual gifts” that go with being GLBT. 2. “No on Prop 8 protest for gay marriage” was the most popular video of 2008 with more than 2,000 views. The video shows more than 500 people protesting the ban on same-sex marriage at the “Stop the H8” rally against Proposition 8, in Pasadena, California, on Nov. 15. 3. “Gay Mohammad art censored” generated the longest debate, with passionate comments continuing on both sides for 10 months. Gay Mohammad images by Iranian-born artist Sooreh Hera were censored from a Dutch art exhibit. The artist says that her art is an expose of Islamic hypocrisy on homosexuality. 4. “Lammy Awards: GLBT authors laugh, cry and get awards” received the most links from other websites. The Lambda Literary Awards ceremony is “more than a dream come true” as it carries on the sacred literary tradition of gay and lesbian writers. 5. “New novel shows Passion of a Queer Christ” received the most heartfelt response through emails and comments. “WOW! I'm speechless!” was among the respsonses to a queer Christ’s journey in “Jesus in Love: At the Cross” by Kittredge Cherry. “2008 was an outstanding year for queer spirituality and the arts,” says Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and founder of JesusInLove.org. “People cared passionately about gay spirituality, same-sex marriage, GLBT literature and making gay-friendly images of the divine -- including gay Jesus and gay Mohammad.” Founded three years ago, JesusInLove.org presents a positive vision of GLBT spirituality and tracks censorship of queer religious art. It has grown from a single website into an online network that includes a blog, videos, e-newsletter and an image archive. It has reached thousands of people all over the world, won many honors -- and gotten a lot of hate mail from conservative Christians “The ongoing religious bigotry proves that Jesus in Love is needed now as much as ever,” Cherry says. “Christian rhetoric is being misused to justify hate and discrimination against GLBT people, but Jesus taught love for all.”

Queer authors do lively video interview

I met a fabulous drag-queen author at the reading for Lambda Literary Awards finalists recently at A Different Light Bookstore in West Hollywood. James St. James read from Freak Show, his novel for teenagers about a teen drag queen who explodes into a conservative high school. I read from Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More. The theme of James’ teenage outcast has spiritual resonance. I enjoyed his entertaining, exuberant writing style and his delivery was phenomenal, so I did a quick video interview with James after the reading. We also made a video of James reading. Hailed by Newsweek Magazine as a celebutante, James makes numerous appearances on TV shows such as America’s Next Top Model and Tyra. He also produces a daily show called the WOW report. Click here for his recent interview with Christopher Rice, who moderated the Lammy finalists’ reading. ________ Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.

LGBT authors laugh, cry and get honored at Lambda Literary Awards

Malcolm Boyd and Kittredge Cherry share a smile at the Lammy Awards.

[Note: Guest blogger Audrey Lockwood captures the excitement of the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony in the following personal account. The event was held May 29, 2008 in West Hollywood. More photos at end.]

Both Kitt and I loved every minute of the evening. Kitt was nominated for a prestigious "Lammy Award" that honors gay and lesbian authors. Her book Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ and More was one of five books chosen in the LGBT Arts and Culture category. Unfortunately, the book didn't win, but just being there was huge! (For the list of winners, click here.)

It was an incredible celebration. There’s a photo of the two of us posing proudly in front of the podium with the Lammy Logo on it. The nation's very best and brightest stood at that podium last night, and it was more than a dream come true to be there.

LGBT authors laugh, cry and get honored at Lambda Literary AwardsIt was fantastic to be in an auditorium with all the most famous and sacred gay and lesbian authors of all time! Magic was in the air last night. At the at the pre-awards reception, I went up to the bar and got a lovely glass of red wine...included in the ticket price surprisingly, and put a $5 tip on the counter. The gay barman's face lit up, and I smiled to myself as the other gay men put down $1 bills. Single handedly, I was going to put to rest the stereotype of the "cheap" lesbian tippers!!!

One of the great things about an LGBT awards event is that you’re presented with new problems. Like what do you do when a drag queen sits down two rows ahead of you and is blocking your view with a fabulous feather headdress? You gotta love it!

It was a room full of our peers, and the entire ceremony was a real vision of equality of men and women. Not the fake equality that men believe exists, but real. Kitt and I had been worried previously when we had seen almost all men listed as the entertainment. There was a little bit of "penis humor" as we call it, but not overdone and very muted. A lesbian comic troupe called "The Gay Mafia" performed a lesbian science fiction scene that was hysterical, and our sense of humor was for once not overshadowed by gay male obsessions.

So this evening was a chance to see what lesbians with power and stature are really like. Everyone was friendly and loving. We were amazed, no snobbishness, no standoffishness, and there was actually a lot of older lesbian and gay male representation there. Youth was there, but not taking over or being overly queeny. It was thoughtful people, quietly generous. No pornography, no sexual display, just the cream of the crop of gay and lesbian men and women of letters.

Nobody was competitive, and everyone was really happy to be honored even if they didn't win. All the local authors from the Lammy finalists’ reading in West Hollywood rooted for each other. We clapped and yelled when each of us was announced. None of them won, but we all were happy to see each other again. Lots of great authors got standing ovations.

There was a deeply moving "In Memoriam" slide show, which had all the authors who had died in the past 20 years -- 1988 to 2008, since it was the 20th anniversary of the Lammys. Everyone was holding back tears and trying to be dignified as all our heroines’ and heroes’ faces came up on the screen. I saw this on the program, but it took me a while to figure out the whole thing was about the past 20 years, not the last year. I knew almost every author who had died. I'd either read their books or met them in person, and I was wildly clapping for almost every picture of an author. Somehow, the very essence of that person came out to us on that giant white screen; it was as if they were all there in spirit with us. I was shocked to feel this, and hadn't experienced this since the dark days of the AIDS epidemic when all our friends were dying, and when Kitt got her ministry training doing funerals.

Even Valerie Solanas came on screen, and I think I was about the only one in the audience who clapped for her. (She was the radical feminist who wrote "Scum Manifesto" and who shot Andy Warhol). There were a lot of authors on the slide show, who I could tell few people in the audience had ever read or even knew about.

Was there a moment I will always remember? Well, one of the moments came as Charles Flowers, the executive director, got on stage. He was magic and gracious and kind; a great gay man of style and passion. You could see him struggling not to cry when he mentioned how he never cries at the Oscars for the "In Memoriam" section, but how he was crying over this. Suddenly the room was totally quiet... It was a stunned and sacred silence as we all honored our beloved dead. All of us know how hard it is to do that without crying. In a quiet moment of recognition, I realized I felt the same way. This was our people and our culture and our greatest heroes, and you could truly feel, instead of being the distanced outsiders indifferent to the straight world!

Another moment of this sacred silence came upon the room when Katherine V. Forrest presented a Pioneer award to Ann Bannon, who wrote lesbian novels in the 1950s, and whom every lesbian of a certain age has read and revered. Her famous lesbian character Beebo Brinker lives on as legend. Katherine was struck silent as well. People waited, she struggled not to cry, she reached down for a bottle of water and recovered enough to say that Ann Bannon’s books had saved her life.

Ann Bannon is this lovely women, probably in her 60s or 70s who had a fabulous smile that lit up the room. When we went up later with congratulations she seemed to know Kitt. One author always recognizes another I guess!

These silences that came upon the room were incredible; the deepest and most profound silence you have ever heard. This is what a lot of people experience in churches I think, but I always feel nothing in those patriarchal homophobic places. This was the sacred space of authors, and gay and lesbian letters are perhaps the oldest gay and lesbian tradition that lives on that we know. Each author has a lineage to look back upon, a sacred history. Everything else in gay life might be relatively new, but writing is our forte.

Another Pioneer award went to Malcolm Boyd, who is going to be 85 years old. He’s one of the grand old gay men of letters. He's also is a revered Episcopal priest. In his acceptance speech, he said how precious it was to be recognized and honored. You could see the depth of his feeling, the 85 year old who dared to be brave, when almost his entire generation lived in closeted silence. He risked everything to come out as a gay man. Other gay men of his generation lived in fake marriages, they never ever did anything to begin a gay culture, they sat on the sidelines of history, but he had not!

Afterward, elegant desserts were served. Cream puffs and strawberry tarts. Kitt found fresh squeezed orange juice. I had the best cup of coffee in the world!! Only decaf was served, I guess they wanted to protect the poor hyped up authors from getting further jazzed that night!

We made quite the distinguished lesbian couple in our elegant suits. Kitt was her gray-haired and gray-suited best, I had on my dark blue suit and lighter blue vest. Usually we never fuss over what we wear, but somehow, this evening, we spent time discussing what looked good. We had become distinguished as the years have gone by, and everyone came up to us to talk. I took a photo of one of the Pioneer award winners, Malcolm Boyd, who has always been generous and wonderful to Kitt. She had his writing in Equal Rites, a gay Christian anthology she wrote many years ago. So I got a photo of the two of them together. Privately, when he, Kitt and I were talking, Malcolm said how deeply he felt to be truly honored by his peers. Christopher Rice was lovely, and we all happily posed for pictures together. He is the new president of Lambda, and Katherine V. Forrest was the outgoing president. Katherine was one of the great lesbian writers and I love her classic lesbian novel Curious Wine. She was kind and generous and spent quite some time talking to both of us.

John Morgan Wilson, my absolute favorite gay mystery writer, came right over and boy was he surprised to discover that I was one of his biggest Los Angeles fans!! I could talk about all his books. He created Benjamin Justice, the very first gay male hero with HIV. He told the story of his life, and I asked him about certain favorite passages.

Since I was the devoted "reader" all the authors loved me! And I had read all their books, and knew what to say, and how to comment on gay literature in general. I always managed last night to effortlessly say the right thing at the right time with the right person. As a devoted reader and person who has supported Kitt's writing career since 1975, and whose parents were writers as well, this was a group of people and a profession I deeply understood.

Kitt and I felt that at last our peers are there for us, and we are a part of this. Kitt's little book that could, that emerged out of inspiration made it all the way to the top of the gay and lesbian list. She had arrived! No foundations or academic institutions funded this book, and I don't even think it will make a profit. It was a labor of true inspired love! Art That Dares luckily found a gay publisher. No one else would touch this book, and even the usual anti-Christian bias of the gay world did not prevent it from being honored. Wow!

The ceremony itself is now 20 years old. All of us have worked so hard in our movement, and when you get to celebrate with your special literary peers, well as they always say "words fail me."

It's hard to put into words just how amazed we were, and how proud we felt of our entire little lesbian and gay community. We especially appreciate all the hard work, millions of hours, and pure gay heroism that the Lambda Literary Foundation displayed in helping make this a reality.

The level of professional care and graciousness are unmatched in the gay and lesbian world. The two of us have planned and been in so many gay and lesbian events over the last 25 years or so, that we really appreciate greatness when we see it.

There is so much more to say about the Lammys and all the wonderful people who were there. The organization has moved to Los Angeles, and I hope that somehow I'll be able to support it or go to the places I most love -- the worlds of gay and lesbian writers, the true creators, preservers, and the celebrators of a unique group of people, who came to consciousness AS A PEOPLE in the mid-20th century. Those people are still alive with us, just as all those authors we remembered are alive in their art forever.

Authors are about vision, and we are all a people supremely ahead of our time. But we are also a people who can live so completely in the present moment, so -- thank you Lambda Literary Foundation for bringing this about. And welcome to Los Angeles, the brave new world! How lucky we are to have you in our back yard!!

Kittredge Cherry, left, and Audrey stand at the Lammy podium where the world's best GLBT authors spoke at the 20th annual awards ceremony.

After the Lammys were handed out, authors relaxing at the dessert reception include, from left, John Morgan Wilson, Christopher Rice and Kittredge Cherry. Katherine V. Forrest, left, greets Audrey and Kittredge Cherry at the Lammy reception.



________
Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.

Lammy finalists do queer reading

Bestselling gay novelist Christopher Rice introduced Kittredge Cherry (left) and six other Lambda Literary Awards finalists in a reading at A Different Light Bookstore in West Hollywood on May 8, 2008. Lots more photos below.

She got the honor for writing Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More. The awards recognize excellence in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature.




Kitt can't help smiling about being a Lammy finalist.




James St. James reads from his novel Freak Show. Other finalists include, from left, Frederick Smith (Right Side of the Wrong Bed), Jeff Hobbs (The Tourists), Victor Bumbalo (Niagara Falls) and Kittredge Cherry (Art That Dares).

Don’t miss the artwork on the upper right. It’s Jesus and Lord Rama by Alex Donis from my book Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.




Other Lammy finalists at the reading include, from left, Thom Bierds (Forgiving Troy), Myriam Gurba (Dahlia Season) and Frederick Smith (Right Side of the Wrong Bed).

It’s not too late to get tickets for the big Lammy awards ceremony May 29 in West Hollywood. For more info, visit LambdaLiterary.org.

________
Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.

‘Art That Dares’ excites audience

An enthusiastic audience listened as I participated in the reading for Lambda Literary Award finalists last week at A Different Light Bookstore in West Hollywood. I read from Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More, which is a finalist in the LGBT Arts and Culture category. Six other finalists also read from their books. It was fun to hear the audience reactions and answer their questions about queer Christian art. The most dramatic moment came when I unveiled a large print of Jesus kissing Lord Rama by Alex Donis, which is featured in the book. Christopher Rice, novelist and Lambda Board member, did an unobtrusively brilliant job introducing each finalists and moderating questions. Winners will be announced at the big Lammy awards ceremony May 29 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. For tickets and more info, visit LambdaLiterary.org. The following is my speech, with notes in brackets about audience reaction. _________ Artists are making amazing images of a gay Jesus and a female Christ. But they’re being censored and destroyed by Christian conservatives. So I compiled them into a book to make sure they’d be available for people to see. My book Art That Dares is FULL of color images by 11 contemporary artists from the U.S. and Europe. The artists tell the stories behind the images, and my introduction puts them into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom. Being named a Lammy finalist is a great honor -- but it also can make you a target for homophobia. [Other Lammy finalists looked surprised.] I recently had an ugly experience while I was getting ready for tonight’s reading. I decided to get some new business cards made to hand out tonight and at the Lammy Awards ceremony later this month with my website, JesusInLove.org. It has a lot of material from the book. Easy, right? No, not when your book is about queer Christian art. I called a printer who had worked with my life partner for years. At first he agreed to print the cards. Then he checked my website. The next morning he refused to do print the cards on the grounds that he’s a born-again Christian. [Loud gasps from the audience! They were a lot more shocked than I expected. It was a younger crowd, so maybe they think that the fight against discrimination has already been won?] Well, the artists in this book have a much more inclusive, diverse view of Jesus. So, let’s look at some of what got the printer so upset. I’ll start by reading from the introduction. [I read the section that ends, “The gay Jesus and the female Christ are not a reaction. They’re a revelation.”] Now I’m going to reveal one of the actual prints from the book. [I pulled away a cloth to reveal a large print of Jesus kissing Lord Rama by Alex Donis. The audience burst into applause. Someone called out, “I like that! ” Some stood and craned their necks to get a good look at it.] This the actually the first image that got me excited about the topic. You’re fortunate to get to see this print because the original was destroyed during exhibition in San Francisco. [“In San Francisco?!!” someone exclaimed aloud in disbelief. They listened, laughing at Donis’ humor, then turned sober when I read from the section about Alex Donis and how vandals destroyed his Jesus and Rama artwork.] There are lots more fascinating stories in this book. All the artists dared to follow their vision, even when they faced opposition. I feel that I share this Lammy award with them because they touched me. They are my role models and inspiration, even in small things like business cards. [Audience laughter.] I kept on looking for a printer until I found one who would print mine. I’ve got my new business cards! [I hold them up in triumph to laughter followed by applause.] So let me know if you want one, and thanks for being an audience who dares! [Applause] ________ Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.

Top 5 LGBT Arts and Culture books named

My book Art That Dares is one of five finalists in the LGBT Arts and Culture category for this year’s Lambda Literary Awards. The awards recognize excellence in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature. Lammy winners will be announced May 29 at a gala ceremony in West Hollywood, CA. I’ll also be participating in a reading for Lambda Literary Award finalists at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 at A Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. The five books in the Arts and Culture category are: The recent flowering of queer visibility in popular culture is examined by scholars in Media Queered. Packed with color illustrations, Art That Dares profiles a diverse group of 11 artists whose art has been called blasphemous. The world’s leading queer filmmakers and screenwriters discuss their challenges in interviews in The View From Here. Feeling Backward, a book of literary criticism, weighs the costs of moving into the mainstream for GLBT culture. An insightful journalist writes profiles and personal essays on gay themes in popular culture in Other Men’s Sons. For tickets and more info, visit LambdaLiterary.org. ________ Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.

Join Kitt at Lammy finalist reading May 8

Come hear Kittredge Cherry and other Lambda Literary Award finalists read from their books at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 in West Hollywood, CA.

The reading is hosted by A Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Kitt will read from Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More, which is one of five finalists in the LGBT Arts and Culture category.

Christopher Rice, novelist and Lambda Board member, will be doing the introductions. Authors scheduled for the West Hollywood reading are:

•Niagara Falls, Victor Bumbalo (Broadway Play Publishing)
•Art That Dares, Kittredge Cherry(AndroGyne Press)
•Dahlia Season, Myriam Gurba (Manic D Press)
•The Tourists, Jeff Hobbs (Simon & Schuster)
•Right Side of the Wrong Bed, Frederick Smith (Kensington)
•Freak Show, James St. James (Dutton Children's/Penguin)

The Lambda Literary Foundation sponsors readings around the country prior to the Lammy Awards ceremony. This year’s 20th anniversary ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 29 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. For tickets and more info, visit LambdaLiterary.org.

Other readings are planned for New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago and Seattle.

‘Art That Dares’ named Lammy finalist

My book Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More has been named a finalist for the 20th annual Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the Lammies.

The awards recognize excellence in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature. They are considered to be the highest honor for a book from the GLBT community.

Lammy winners will be announced May 29 at a gala ceremony in West Hollywood, CA. The glamorous event is the queer literary version of the Academy Awards.

More than 80 judges -- writers, journalists, booksellers, librarians, professors -- chose 107 finalists in 21 categories this year. Finalists were chosen from 463 books nominated by 190 publishers.

Art That Dares is one of five finalists in the LGBT Arts and Culture category. It’s up against Harvard University Press among others -- quite an accomplishment for a small start-up queer press.

Three legendary figures of the LGBT literary community will receive Pioneer Awards at this year’s ceremony. They are Ann Bannon, author of the Beebo Brinker lesbian fiction series; Mark Thompson, author of Gay Soul; and Malcolm Boyd, Episcopal priest and author of Are You Running With Me, Jesus?

I will also participate in a reading by Lammy finalists in West Hollywood in early May. Details will be announced later.

Becoming a Lammy finalist makes me feel honored and grateful to the 11 contemporary artists who share their art in my book, which is packed with color illustrations. Art that dares to show Jesus as gay or female has been censored or destroyed. I gathered these beautiful, liberating, sometimes shocking images into a book to ensure that they would be available. In the book, the artists tell the stories behind the images. My introduction puts them into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.

I’d love to see some of my supporters at the Lammy ceremony. For tickets and more info, visit LambdaLiterary.org.

________
Kittredge Cherry blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts. She offers GLBT and progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.