February 2018

Q Spirit Newsletter LGBTQ spirituality and the arts

Dear Friend, Welcome to our new look and new name! A fresh mobile-friendly newsletter format is introduced here. It has the same great info, but the Jesus in Love Newsletter is now called the Q Spirit Newsletter to emphasize its diverse content. Q stands for queer spirituality, questioning spiritual assumptions, and commitment to quality.

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New icons of Queer Saints created by artist Katy Miles-Wallace A queer Lutheran artist launched a new series of Queer Saints icons recently. Traditional saints with queer traits and heroes of the LGBTQ community are presented with rainbow halos by seminarian Katy Miles-Wallace in her colorful “Queer Saints” series. She discusses her icons in an in-depth interview today at Q Spirit. More info (Credit: "David and Jonathan" by by Katy Miles-Wallace. Icons available on her website. Zazzle and Etsy)

Conservatives attack Q Spirit article on Saint Sebastian as gay icon A conservative Catholic website recently accused Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry of promoting “gay porn” with her article on Saint Sebastian, but supporters said, “You're doing God's work!” Cherry pledged, “Far-right attacks won’t stop me from sharing art that affirms LGBTQ people as part of God’s good creation.” More info

St. Brigid loved her female soulmate St. Brigid and her soulmate Darlughdach were 6th-century nuns who brought art, education and spirituality to early medieval Ireland. Brigid's feast day is Feb. 1. They were so close that they slept in the same bed. Brigid shares her name and feast day with a Celtic goddess.  More info (Brigid and Darlughdach prints are available from Tir Anam)

Saint Sebastian: History's first gay icon St. Sebastian has been called history's first gay icon and the patron saint of homosexuals. He was an early Christian martyr. Countless artworks show him as a near-naked young man being shot with arrows. Little is known about his love life, so his popularity with gay men is mostly based on how he looks. (This article was recently accused of promoting "gay porn.") More info

New theology book: “Meaningful Flesh” “Meaningful Flesh: Reflections on Religion and Nature for a Queer Planet” by Whitney Bauman (editor). Both religion and nature are surprisingly queer, according to this collection of queer theology essays. The editor is associate professor of religion at Florida International University in Miami. Published by Punctum Books.  More info

Holocaust: We all wear the triangle International Holocaust Remembrance Day honors the victims of the Nazi era, including LGBTQ people. Nazis used the pink triangle as a badge to identify gay prisoners in concentration camps. Among them was an anonymous gay priest killed in Sachsenhausen, Germany. Nazi persecution of queers is matched with Jesus falling under his cross in a painting by Mary Button.   More info

Lesbian nun "kicked the habit" to become an activist Jeanne Cordova was a pioneering lesbian feminist activist and ex-nun who revealed her lesbian life in the convent. She died on Jan. 10, 2016 at age 67. Many have written about her as an activist, writer and publisher. Q Spirit focuses on her experiences with the church and how they shaped her into an effective activist for LGBTQ rights. More info

New book: “Leonardo da Vinci” Leonardo da Vinci’s life as an openly gay Renaissance man is included in a major new biography by historian Walter Isaacson. In addition to painting Christian masterpieces such as “The Last Supper,” Da Vinci had a string of younger male companions, drew many sensuous male nudes and was twice accused of sodomy. Published by Simon and Schuster. More info

Aelred: Gay saint of friendship Saint Aelred is one of the most lovable saints, the patron saint of friendship and also, some say, gay. He was the abbott of a Cistercian abbey in 12th-century England. "There can be little question that Aelred was gay and that his erotic attraction to men was a dominant force in his life," wrote Yale historian John Boswell. More info

David Kato: Ugandan LGBTQ martyr David Kato, Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist, helped launch Uganda's LGBTQ rights movement. He was beaten to death in 2011 in a case that some blame on anti-gay religious rhetoric. More info

Thanks to 50 donors in Dec-Jan! A big thank-you to all 50 people who supported Q Spirit and Jesus in Love with gifts to the Year-End, Christmas and December offerings for Kittredge Cherry! You can still give now.

Queer Epiphany: 3 kings or 3 queens? Reimagining the three kings as queer or female gives fresh meaning to Epiphany. The holiday celebrates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus. Often called “three kings,” the Magi were high-ranking officials and possibly eunuchs. Medieval images startle today’s viewers by showing the three kings together in one bed.  More info

Jeanne Manford: PFLAG founder who loved her gay son Jeanne Manford, founder of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), died on Jan. 8, 2013, at age 92. Her support for her gay led her to start PFLAG in 1973. It has grown to 350 chapters with 200,000 members. More info

This year Ash Wednesday happens to be on Valentine’s Day -- and Easter is on April Fool’s Day. May you be blessed by the holy synchronicities of life, love and faith! Blessings,

Kittredge Cherry Founder, publisher and editor Q Spirit and Jesus in Love

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A debut poetry collection that explores faith and sexuality. Humming with inspired metaphors and everyday relevance, these poems are gems. - Kirkus Reviews (starred)   This is the eye of a poet looking to her work for redemption and grace. Mosaic of the Dark is a beautiful book. - Jericho Brown

Witness his first brush with homosexuality as a young seminarian, to the time he ordered hospitals to admit partners of homosexuals into ICUs... On the day he became a cardinal, he was asked by a reporter: "What is your secret of success?"  The Vatican Murders

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The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision By Kittredge Cherry with art by Douglas Blanchard Reflect on Jesus as a gay man in a modern city "Accessible but profound"

Qspirit.net Jesusinlove.org Q Spirit and Jesus in Love promote spirituality with LGBTQ history, art and books. Founded by Kittredge Cherry, they foster religious and artistic freedom by teaching love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

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