Lesbian educator Sally Miller Gearhart died on July 14, 2021 in Ukiah, California at age 90. Her books include the 1974 classic “Loving Women / Loving Men: Gay Liberation and the Church.” She is best known for her leadership with Harvey Milk and as the first open lesbian to receive a U.S. tenure-track faculty position. This article features excerpts from two of her speeches to church groups: “The Lesbian and God-the-Father” in 1972 and “Fight Fundamentalists -- with Your Love” in 1990. More info

Some see the prophet Daniel and the chief eunuch Ashpenaz as a same-sex couple. In a hotly contested translation, the Bible describes the “favor and tender love” that he bestowed on Daniel. He and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who all may have been eunuchs, refused a king’s orders to stop worshiping God, and were miraculously rescued from execution. More info

“Feminist Forum: Feminism in Japan and the World” was an influential international monthly magazine. It was produced in Tokyo from 1979-85 and became a rare source of news on lesbians in Japan.  Covers and other content are posted online today for the first time. Audrey Lockwood was one of its editors, and it featured writing by her spouse, Kittredge Cherry, who later founded Q Spirit. More info

Patrick Leuben Mukajanga, known by many as Mleuben Maccarthy, was a gay Ugandan pastor and LGBTQ activist. He died in a motorcycle accident while riding from Kampala to his home in Ibanda town on July 31, 2021 at age 43. A memorial portrait of Mukajanga was created and donated to his family by Italian artist Dario Picciau. More info

Two new books are added this month to Q Spirit's 2021 LGBTQ Christian book summaries:

“Holy Censorship or Mistranslation? Love, Gender and Sexuality in the Bible” by Renato Lings.

“Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer: Church and the Famine of Grace” by Jarel Robinson-Brown.

Hands Around the God Box was an interfaith prayer vigil to end religious homophobia. It happened on June 24, 1994 at the Interchurch Center in New York City . More than 500 people from 15 LGBTQ religious groups joined hands and were linked by a rainbow ribbon that completely encircled the box-shaped headquarters of the World Council of Churches and U.S. National Council of Churches. The historic event was coordinated by Kittredge Cherry and Kim Byham of Integrity. More info

Mary and Martha of Bethany were two of Jesus' closest friends. The Bible calls them "sisters" who lived together, but reading the Bible with queer eyes raises another possibility. Maybe Mary and Martha were a lesbian couple. More info

Sixth-century Syrian monks Symeon and John were joined in a same-sex union and lived together as desert-dwelling hermits for 29 years. After a tearful split-up, Symeon went on to become known as the Holy Fool of Emesa. More info

Nancy Ledins made national headlines as “America’s first female Roman Catholic priest” after gender confirmation surgery in 1979. She died on July 18, 2017, at age 82 in North Carolina. She left the Catholic church, but ministered in her later years at Wedgewood Church, a Baptist church in Charlotte, North Carolina. More info

Kuan Yin, the genderfluid spirit of compassion in Buddhism, is sometimes thought of as a queer Christ figure or LGBTQ role model. Buddhists celebrate the enlightenment of Kuan Yin in August this year. Transcending gender identity, Kuan Yin appears in whatever form is necessary to help people in need: sometimes female, sometimes male, sometimes androgynous. Artist Tony O'Connell created a new rainbow version in 2021. More info

St. Wilgefortis prayed to avoid marriage to a pagan king -- and her prayers were answered when she grew a beard!  This "virgin martyr" has natural appeal for LGBTQ people.  Her popularity has continued since the Middle Ages despite opposition from church officials.  More info

Boris is one of the most popular Russian saints, but his same-sex love story has been buried until recent years. Boris confided in George, prayed with him and gave him a gold necklace. When assassins attacked, George laid down his life and they died together. More info

Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi inspires people with her paintings of strong Biblical women -- created despite the obstacles that she faced as a woman in 17th-century Italy. Many LGBTQ people and allies can relate to her battles against discrimination and sexual violence. More info

Dear Friend

I celebrate the life of Sally Gearhart, who summed up her theology when she wrote, “Love is the universal truth lying at the heart of all creation.”

Blessings,

Founder, publisher and editor

Q Spirit and Jesus in Love

Gay Spirituality: Gay Identity and the Transformation of Human Consciousness by Toby Johnson is a bold declaration of the place of gay consciousness in the modernization of religious and spiritual thinking. Here’s Johnson’s answer to what Gay People are here for!

“Nomad for God” by Dusty Pruitt

Raised in a fundamentalist home, Dusty came out as a lesbian in her 20s, sued the US Army to serve as an openly gay officer, and pastored in the LGBTQ community. Her memoir reveals lessons learned as she reconciled God, gays and the Bible.

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"The Unicorn" by Janet Mason weaves together theological debate and unforgettable characters, including queer nuns and their secret cat companion. Mason blends myth and history to conjure up a spellbinding vision." --Kittredge Cherry, Publisher, Qspirit.net

(The novel tells the untold mystery of the unicorn tapestries. -- Adelaide Books – New York/Lisbon)

See A GAY FAIRY TALE now. What happens when a Prince truly loves another Prince?

“THEY: A Biblical Tale of Secret Genders” by Janet Mason.

Gender-fluid and gender-nonconforming characters act on their passions in this Bible-based novel, narrated from the point of view of Tamar from the Scriptures. The story is lifesaving for the LGBTQ community and liberating to others. Adelaide Books (New York/Lisbon).

Not the tiniest booklet for 25 years. When Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941, Pius XII told Lucia Santos to put into writing the Lady’s dialogue of 1917. Lucia explains how it is possible ‘Fatima 1917’ is a carbon copy of José Silva’s 1916 bestseller ‘Short Mission’…

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