Queer Clergy Trading Cards bring visibility with humor

Queer Clergy Trading Cards bring visibility to LGBTQ ministers with humor and witty style.

The fun new online visual arts project has celebrated 50 ordained Christian clergy since it was launched in November 2015.

Update in 2018: Packs of Queer Clergy Trading Cards are now available on Amazon.com.

Queer clergy look cool on these virtual “trading cards.” Like the more familiar baseball trading cards, each card combines a portrait photo with written info about the individual.

Queer Clergy Trading Cards list each person’s strength (“super-power”), weakness (“kryptonite”) and their “walk-out song” for making a grand entrance. Some clergy are also given clever job titles such as “butch pastor,” ”femminster,” “renegade priest,” “spiritual directrix” and “inclusivator.”

Flipping through the pack of cards gives a welcome overview of the diversity and carefree spirit among today’s queer clergy. The multiracial group includes people of many ages and denominations. The cards showcase a huge variety of identities, including old-school butch dykes and liturgy queens; bisexual, transgender and genderqueer identities; and people who identify on other spectrums of gender.

“A friend was having a rough day and I wanted to help make them feel like a super hero. So I made a card! And then thought it would be fun to just... keep going,” says Rev. Chris Davies, creator of Queer Clergy Trading Cards. “The cards make queer clergy feel affirmed, and special. And it's networking us in an incredible way!”

Davies is a United Church of Christ minister who is working on her Doctor in Ministry degree in queer theology at Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts. Her ministry spills out over the church and into coffee shops, Pride celebrations, bars, queer spaces and the Internet.

Creator Chris Davies made a Queer Clergy Trading Card for herself too.

Queer Clergy Trading Cards are shared on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. “While not in print-- YET-- the possibility seems firmer that they will be with each passing day,” according to their Facebook page.

“I've heard people who are not religious say that this has opened their eyes up to ministry in totally different ways than they imagined ministry could be... from youth to adults inside queer spaces and out. And for that I'm so grateful,” Davies told the Jesus in Love Blog.

New cards will continue to come out sporadically, and the project may move to an interfaith expansion in the future.

Queer Clergy Trading Card’s Facebook page addresses one more burning question:

Oh you want to be a card?
1.) Be Queer
2.) Be Christian clergy-- licensed/ordained
3.) Message us!

Other recent projects have taken a serious look at queer clergy, such as “We Have Faith,” a museum-quality traveling exhibit with photos of well-known LGBT and allied clergy, and the 2014 book “Queer Clergy: A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism” by R.W. Holmen.

But nobody has ever made our lives look as fun as the Queer Clergy Trading Cards!

Take a moment to view the following examples and go to the Queer Clergy Trading Cards Facebook page to see them all.

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Related links:
Queer Clergy Trading Cards Give LGBTQ Faith Leaders Superhero Status (Hartford Courant)

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Special thanks for the news tip to Kyle Lovett, “chaplain to the rainbow people."

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts
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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 also highlights great queer artists from history, with an emphasis on their spiritual lives.

Cartoon: Jesus saves LGBT kids from jaws of clergy hat

“Life Savior” by Mr. Fish (clowncrack.com)

Carrying a gay child, Jesus walks on dangerous waters above the shark-like jaws of a clergy hat in a new cartoon by Mr. Fish.

Artist Dwayne Booth, who uses the pen name Mr. Fish, drew the cartoon to illustrate “The War on Gays” by Chris Hedges this week at truthdig.com. The article points out religious threats to LGBT youth through an extensive interview with Mel White, author of “Holy Terror: Lies the Christian Right Tell Us to Deny Gay Equality.”

Detail from Life Savior
by Mr. Fish

The cartoon shows Jesus carrying a gay child, signified by the rainbow flag on the child’s shirt. Lurking in the water below them is a gigantic mitre -- the tall, pointy cap worn by Popes, bishops and other clergy. The hat has two shield-shaped halves that open like the toothy jaws of a shark. Will Jesus save the child, or will they both be swallowed up by the holy terror of anti-LGBT religious oppression?

Booth is a cartoonist and freelance writer whose work can be seen most regularly on Harpers.org and Truthdig.com. Over the last 20 years his work has been published by many of the nation’s most prestigious magazines and newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice and the Advocate. A debut volume of his collected cartoons titled Go Fish: How to Win Contempt and Influence People was published in 2011.

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Special thanks to Mr. Fish for permission to share his cartoon here at Jesus in Love. And thanks to Paul Hartman for alerting me to this powerful cartoon.
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Related links:
Jesus and Freddie Mercury: Marriage Made in Heaven cartoon supports equality

Cartoon shows Pope mad at nuns and Jesus for not condemning homosexuality

Cartoon shows GLBT religious rights on the cross

Holy Terror: Lies the Christian Right Tells Us to Deny Gay Equality by Mel White

Cartoon shows Pope mad at nuns and Jesus for not condemning homosexuality

“Vatican crackdown” by Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A new cartoon uses humor to shed light on the latest controversy pitting the church against homosexuality.

“Vatican Crackdown” by Steve Sack shows a grouchy Pope warning a nun, “I’m very upset with you for not speaking out against homosexuality.”

In the next panel, Jesus appears beside the nun. “Same goes for your friend,” the Pope hisses.

So true! Jesus said nothing against homosexuality in the Bible. It’s a maddeningly inconvenient truth for conservatives like the Pope.

Vatican officials are cracking down on U.S. nuns for supporting LGBT rights, women’s ordination and healthcare reform. The Vatican recently issued a harsh report criticizing the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents the majority of the 57,000 Roman Catholic nuns in the United States.

Thanks, Steve, for permission to share your cartoon here! Thanks, Trudie, for alerting me to this cartoon!
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Related link:

Vatican Crackdown On Nuns Over Social Justice Issues, Women Ordination (Huffington Post)

Conservatives protest “Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” for lesbian Virgin Mary

Ad for “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” from Queen City Theatre Company

Conservative Christian protestors couldn’t stop a North Carolina production of “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” a gleefully queer play based on the Bible. Despite protest letters and prayer vigils, the comedy is running through Feb. 18 in Charlotte, NC.

(Update: Another controversy arose in April 2017 when a Out Front Theatre Company in Atlanta prepared to stage the play.)

“The implication that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a lesbian is gravely offensive to Catholics and to all Christians,” bishop Peter J. Jugis wrote in a Jan. 31 letter asking the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center to cancel the show. Jugis heads Charlotte’s Roman Catholic diocese.

As a lesbian Christian, I must disagree with the bishop. The play uses witty LGBT-oriented humor to express love and the explore human connection to God. I find it appropriate and even inspiring for a play to suggest that the Virgin Mary was a lesbian.

A long-running off-Broadway hit, “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” was written by Paul Rudnick in 1998. It puts a flamboyantly gay twist on the creation story with two same-sex couples: Adam and Steve -- and Jane and Mabel! They share adventures together through the centuries, including a hilarious time on Noah’s Ark and slavery in Egypt under an effeminate Pharaoh who won’t let them go because of his crush on Moses.

The second act finds the foursome in contemporary New York City on Christmas Eve at a party thrown by Adam and Steve as Jane and Mabel wait for their child to be born. When Mabel gives birth, it echoes Mary’s virgin birth, leading to the accusations of blasphemy.

Rudnick is a gay Jewish American writer whose other credits include Jeffrey and Addams Family Values.

About 100 Charlotte Catholics held a peaceful protest in front of the theater on opening night (Feb. 2). The protest is covered in the news video below. Conservatives plan to continue “Holy Hour of Reparation” prayer vigils in homes and chapels during every performance.

Queen City Theatre Company, producer of the play, defended it in a statement quoted in news reports. They say it will “celebrate love, faith, belief, God, and the right to question why we exist and why are on this earth. This production will not be stopped out of fear or pressure.”

Thank you, Queen City Theatre Company! You are making God more accessible to LGBT people of faith and our allies. The protests only prove how important it is to present this vision of the story that is indeed the most fabulous every told.
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Related links:

Play Featuring Gay Versions Of Bible Stories Causes Outrage: An Atlanta theater defended its staging of “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” (Huffington Post, April 18, 2017)

Catholics protest 'blasphemous' play (Charlotte Observer)

Book: “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” by Paul Rudnick

Lesbian couple portrays Madonna (art by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin)

Lesbian Madonna, lover and son affirm Christmas (art by Becki Jayne Harrelson)

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

Our Lady and Queer Saints art attacked as blasphemy (art by Alma Lopez)

Noah’s Ark: Queer views of a rainbow story

“Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” by Paul Richmond

www.paulrichmondstudio.com

Queer visions of Noah’s Ark sail into view today for Shabbat Noach, the day when the story of Noah’s Ark is read in synagogues. This year it falls on Oct. 28-29.

LGBT perspectives on Noah’s journey are offered by Paul Richmond, who painted “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise,” and by the Objective Queer Bible Scholar, who wonders: When God told Noah to take “two of every kind” on the ark, did that mean two lesbians, two gay males, two bisexuals, two transsexuals, two heterosexuals, and so on?

Rainbows are a symbol of the LGBT community, and they play a big role at the end of the passage about Noah. God promises that floods will never again destroy all life, and sets a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant.

Happy gay and lesbian animal couples mingle under the rainbow with today’s LGBT celebrities in “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise,” a painting by Ohio artist Paul Richmond. Same-sex pairings of cuddling elephants, giraffes, penguins, chimps, and flamingos cuddle on board his gay version of Noah’s ark. Human couples include Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Elton John and David Furnish, and Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter.

Elsewhere on Richmond’s queer cruise ship, Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie come out of the closet to watch from a porthole as a “God hates fags” sign sinks beneath the waves, along with opponents of LGBT rights such as Ann Coulter, Ken Starr, Pat Boone, Fred Phelps, and even Larry Craig with his toilet!

“I chose to symbolize our inevitable victory in the fight for marriage equality by painting my own adaptation of the biblical flood,” Richmond says. For more info and detailed images, see our previous post “Noah’s gay wedding cruise pictured.”

Other queer twists on Noah’s story are offered by the Objective Queer Bible Scholar at the BW16 Blog: “This classic Sunday school tale includes a number of LGBT motifs, my favorite being the command from God to Noah to ‘take two of every kind’ on the ark (6:20), presumably this would include couplings of heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, and pan-sexuals.” For more of his analysis, see BW16’s post “Two of Every Kind” Intercourse Texture in Noah’s Ark.

Related links:
Noah’s Ark Bible text: Genesis 6:1 - 9:17

Blessing Our Pets: In The Spirit Of St. Francis And Judaism by Jon M. Sweeney (Huffington Post)

Rapture humor: Jesus comes for the gay Christians

From “Evading Rapture” cartoon by Justin Pierce

Enjoy a gay-friendly cartoon about the Rapture that DIDN’T happen as predicted on May 21.

I can relate to a Jesus who says, “Gay Christians have remained faithful to me, despite being bashed by my followers in my name. If that’s not devotion, I don’t know what is.”

The cartoon comes from “The Non-Adventures of Wonderella” by Justin Pierce and it is reposted by permission.

To see a larger view of the whole “Evading Rapture” cartoon, click the image below or see the original at www.nonadventures.com.

Hunky Jesus contest: Liberating or offensive?

Brokeback Mountain Jesus (photo by Xero Britt)

For me as a lesbian Christian, there’s a lot to love about the Hunky Jesus contest held every Easter in San Francisco by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of “queer nuns” who do street theater for charity.

First and most important, it makes me feel like Jesus is right here with us, queer or not -- living up to his name Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

Happy crowds attend the costume competition every year to see the sexy side of Jesus exposed by contestants with nicknames such as Stimulus Package Jesus, Gym Bunny Jesus and Victoria’s Secret Jesus.

Hunky Jesus contestant,
photo by Xero Britt

The Hunky Jesus contest is packed with living, breathing gay Jesuses -- or “Jesi,” as they are called. Many of the Hunky Jesus photos are wonderful, and a few favorites are posted here. See more photos below.  I put a lot of energy into promoting images of a queer Christ in order to heal the damage done by homophobes in Jesus’ name. You can see them on this blog and in my book “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.” The Hunky Jesi can free people who feel left out when Jesus is presented as a straight man. Maybe they can even enlarge the way some people see God.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence say that the Hunky Jesus contest is a fun way to promote the ideal of a loving God who has a sense of humor. It’s also a birthday party for their organization, which has raised more than $1 million for LGBT groups, AIDS service organizations, and other non-profits that don’t see a penny from conservative Christians.

Classic Jesus and Roma,
photo by Xero Britt

It’s no surprise that the Hunky Jesus contest offends the religious right. But even gay Christians are denouncing it in the news media this year. Some LGBT Christians and our allies fear that such events could provoke a backlash. Political commentator Andrew Sullivan, a gay Catholic, attacked it as “the tired, lame bigotry of some homosexuals” and gay Catholic priest Donal Godfrey of San Francisco called it “sacrilege” at Queerty.com.

I wouldn’t go that far, but parts of it do disturb me. I decided against posting the recent 2011 Hunky Jesus contest video here because it includes nudity, the f-word and simulated gay sex. A link to the video is at the end of this article.

I’m sure that Jesus felt sexual attractions for both men and women, but the more extreme Hunky Jesus contestants express it in a hyper-sexual way that seems, well, unChristlike. Even many progressive Christians will be offended.

Still, the critics are wrong when they say that the hunky Jesus contest is hate speech against Christians. As Sister Zsa Zsa wrote in her recent defense of the event, “Offending prudes and tyrants is not our purpose, but we consider it a bit of a bonus.” In my opinion, the real purpose is reclaiming Jesus from bigots who have attacked LGBT people in Christ’s name. We are the body of Christ, ALL of us, of every sexual orientation and gender identity. The contest is also about healing the split between sexuality and spirituality. And that can get messy, very messy.

Vintage Jesus,
photo by Xero Britt

Let’s not forget that Jesus himself was accused of blasphemy. It was one of the charges leading to his crucifixion. He broke rules, hung out with prostitutes and other “sinners,” taught that God loved everybody, and got killed for it. The Christ who appears at the Hunky Jesus contest is not an object of worship, but he does remind me of the Jesus who angered the Pharisees by eating and drinking with “sinners.” In the Bible, Jesus is always trying to demystify God, comparing God to some ordinary, even vulgar thing like yeast or a poor woman desperate to find a lost coin.

Founded in 1979, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have a vision statement that says, “We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”

Surely Jesus, hunky or otherwise, is with them.

Hunky Jesus Contest, photo by Jere Keys, www.jerekeys.com

Before and After Jesuses, photo by Xero Britt

Double-Crossed Jesi and Roma, photo by Xero Britt

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Here are additional resources on the Hunky Jesus contest:

Video of the 2011 Hunky Jesus contest
(Warning: contains profanity, male nudity and simulated gay sex.)

More photos! The photos by Xero Britt come from the following sets:
2008    2009    2011

It Ain't Easy Being Queer and Christian by Douglas Blanchard (aka Counterlight)

Caught in the Crossfire by Terence Weldon

Vatican’s gayest event? Acrobats strip for Pope

It looked like Gay Day at the Vatican when male acrobats stripped and performed topless for Pope Benedict XVI recently.

The startling true-life event was captured on video. Watch with queer eyes and wonder.

Here is the official description from Russia Today, a Moscow-based news channel that posted the video on YouTube in December: “A usually staid weekly Papal audience was spiced up this week with an acrobatic performance by a troupe of topless men. The four performers dressed in white suits walked across the stage towards the Papal throne and surprised the Pope by whipping off their shirts before beginning an acrobatic performance on Tuesday. The Pope looked on as the men hoisted each other into the air, one on top of the other, three high.”

What a mix of sexuality and spirituality! The nuns seem to be enjoying the spectacle too.

The acrobats, known as Fratelli Pellegrini (Pellegrini Brothers in Italian), have performed around the world.

P.S. on 1/11/11
News reports this week confirm that the acrobats are LGBT-friendly. Thanks to the Queering the Church Blog for reporting that “the performers are definitely gay aligned, if not specifically gay men themselves. It seems that they formed part of the gay circus, which performed as part of the Euro gay games in Barcelona, 2008.”

Lesbian Madonnas speak

What did the lesbian Madonna say to the dog in the gingerbread house?

The ever-witty blogger Madpriest gives a funny answer by fixing up one of our gay and lesbian Nativity cards.

“We were all set to go with the artificial insemination option, but…”

Thanks, Madpriest, for making us smile!

Madpriest blogs from a queer Christian perspective at Of Course I Could Be Wrong.

It’s not too late to buy or get more info on our Christmas cards with gay and lesbian Nativity scenes. You can watch the video too.

I got a nice surprise this morning when I saw the list of the week’s most popular posts here. Shooting up to Number Four is “Can you imagine? A gay Nativity scene” from two years ago. It has video and commentary about Amsterdam’s “Pink Christmas” gay Nativity scene with live actors.

Cartoon shows GLBT rights on the cross

Gay Jesus cartoon by Mike Ritter from Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook

Jesus embodies GLBT civil rights as he is crucified by Christian fanatics in a political cartoon from Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook.

The cartoon uses art and humor to support LGBT equality and poke fun at the rightwing Christians who oppose our civil rights.

“Quit squirming! You’re oppressing our religious freedom!” shouts the priest who nailed Jesus to the cross.

Jesus wears a shirt labeled “GLBT civil rights.” He’s not passively accepting crucifixion, but kicks at the angry mob carrying a torch, a pitchfork and Bibles.

The cartoon does a great job of illustrating how fundamentalists seem to feel threatened by the idea of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. LGBT Christians really drive them crazy!

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Update on Feb. 24, 2014: It took years to track down the name of the artist, but he was finally identified today by an anonymous source. I am in the process of contacting Mike Ritter for permission to share his cartoon here.

Noah’s gay wedding cruise pictured

“Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” by Paul Richmond, 2009
Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
www.paulrichmondstudio.com

Happy gay and lesbian animal couples mingle with today’s GLBT celebrities in “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” by Ohio artist Paul Richmond.

His gay version of Noah’s ark even has drowning sinners -- opponents of gay rights such as Ann Coulter, Ken Starr, Pat Boone, Fred Phelps, and even Larry Craig with his toilet! Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie come out of the closet to watch from a porthole as a “God hates fags” sign sinks beneath the waves. Elsewhere on the cruise ship, human couples include Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Elton John and David Furnish, and Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter. Even the fictional cowboys of “Brokeback Mountain” get another chance at love.

“I chose to symbolize our inevitable victory in the fight for marriage equality by painting my own adaptation of the biblical flood,” Richmond says.

He was moved to create the work after California’s Proposition 8 banned same-sex marriage last fall. Demonstrations across the United States in support of marriage equality inspired Richmond to paint a wickedly funny satire on the classic Bible story.

In Genesis 6-9, God commands Noah to gather his family and heterosexual pairs of animals into a boat to rescue them from the global flood sent to destroy human evil and the violence of nature. After the flood, a rainbow appears as a symbol of God’s promise never again to destroy all life on earth.

How appropriate that the rainbow has become a symbol of GLBT pride! Richmond puts a fresh twist on the Biblical epic with his sweeping vision of a gay-positive new world. A rainbow flag flies high on the mast of Noah’s gay cruise ship. “As the clouds begin to part, a heavenly rainbow appears in the sky to remind hopeful voyagers that full legal recognition and acknowledgement of same-sex love is just over the horizon,” Richmond explains.

His vision is artistically beautiful, politically meaningful -- and packed with visual jokes and pop-culture references that are great fun to find.

One of my favorite scenes is Larry Craig clinging to a toilet for dear life (detail below). The former Idaho Senator voted against gay-rights laws… and then got arrested for soliciting gay sex in a men’s restroom.

“Larry Craig was the first part I painted because I just couldn’t wait to throw that toilet at him!” Richmond told me.

The painting also satisfies my longing for GLBT-positive images of animals. Richmond painted wonderful same-sex pairings of cuddling elephants, giraffes, penguins, chimps, and, of course, flamingos. (Another detail below.)

The painting was well received (except by religious conservatives) and was named “the gayest painting of our time” by towleroad.com.

Richmond, now 29, came out as gay after graduating from Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. “My work is an exploration of sexuality and identity through narrative painting,” he says. “I draw inspiration from my own experiences as a young gay man from a conservative environment to break down the social constructs that exist around sexual orientation and gender roles. Through colorful, illustrative, and sometimes humorous paintings, I expose the grey areas that become overshadowed by black and white moral codes.”

“Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” is available as a limited-edition giclee print from the artist’s online shop at etsy.com. I bought one for our collection and am delighted with its quality, artistry and message.

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P.S. “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” has been selected for inclusion in this year’s OUTAuction benefiting GLAAD and celebrating their Top 100 Artists of the Year on Nov. 15. The artist says, “I’m so excited to have been chosen, and especially to be able to contribute that particular painting. Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise is getting ready to set sail for it’s last voyage! :)”
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Update on Sept. 16, 2011: BW16 of the Objective Queer Bible Scholar blog offers another queer interpretation of the Noah’s Arc story: “This classic Sunday school tale includes a number of LGBT motifs, my favorite being the command from God to Noah to ‘take two of every kind’ on the ark (6:20), presumably this would include couplings of heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, and pan-sexuals.” For more info, see BW16’s post “Two of Every Kind” Intercourse Texture in Noah’s Ark.

Larry Craig hangs on to his toilet while other homophobes drown.

Ellen and Portia lead the way as lesbian elephants and gay flamingos snuggle.

Brokeback cowboys, Rosie and Kelli and gay giraffes all have a chance at love under the rainbow flag.

Ann Coulter sinks with a “God hates fags” sign.

The following links may be used to place an order:

12” x 15” giclee prints of “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise”:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21465325

16” x 20” giclee prints of “Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise”:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23454918