Q Spirit Newsletter
LGBTQ spirituality
and the arts
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From Kittredge Cherry / Jesus in Love
| | Queer side of Saint Francis revealed | |
Historical records reveal a queer side to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved religious figures of all time. The 13th-century friar is celebrated for loving animals, hugging lepers, and praying for peace, but few know about his love for another man and his gender nonconformity.
More info | Animal blessing prayer
| | | Matthew Shepard: Gay martyr remembered |
Matthew Shepard brought international attention to anti-LGBTQ hate crimes when he was murdered in October 1998. He was a 21-year-old gay student at the University of Wyoming when he died. Shepard has become a cultural icon, inspiring dozens of paintings, films, plays, songs and other artistic works. He is under consideration for sainthood in the Episcopal church, with Oct. 12 as his feast day. More info
| | | Kitt's birthday wish: Give to Q Spirit | Say happy birthday to Kittredge Cherry in October with a gift for her LGBTQ spirituality project: Q Spirit. Donate now. $315 is still needed for the newsletter annual fee. | | Many thanks to 14 donors last month for the newsletter annual fee! | | New LGBTQ Christian books in October | |
Two books are added this month to Q Spirit's list of LGBTQ Christian books published in 2025. More info and summaries
“Abomination: The Story of David and Jonathan” by Jeza Belle.
“Body Problems: What Intersex Priest Sally Gross Teaches Us About Embodiment, Justice, and Belonging” by M. Wolff.
| | | Christianity inspired me to come out as a lesbian | "I am what many people believe is impossible: a lesbian Christian. My Christian faith gave me the strength to come out as a lesbian in 1985. As soon as I experienced God, I knew without a doubt that God loved all of me, including my queer sexuality." Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry shares her life story and faith journey in a reflection. More info | | | LGBTQ-affirming rainbow Mary art sparks praise and protests | Rainbow icons of Mary highlight her compassionate connection to the LGBTQ community -- evoking both controversy and celebration. Protests against rainbow Mary occurred in Poland and Kentucky. More info | | | Carl Bean: Black LGBTQ church founder who sang “I Was Born This Way” | Carl Bean was the founding archbishop of the Unity Fellowship Church Movement in the black LGBTQ community and an early AIDS activist. Bean founded Unity Fellowship in 1982 in Los Angeles and sang the 1977 Motown gay-liberation anthem “I Was Born This Way.” He died Sept. 7, 2021 at age 77. More info
| | | Euphrosyne/Smaragdus crossed gender divide in 5th-century Egypt | Euphrosyne/Smaragdus of Alexandria is a 5th-century saint who left life as a woman to become a monk in an Egyptian monastery. Switching to male clothing, he presented himself as a eunuch was accepted as a monk. Decades later, shortly before his father died, the saint revealed the truth to him. More info
| | | Hildegard and Richardis: Medieval nuns who loved each other | Hildegard of Bingen is a medieval German mystic, artist, composer and scientist who loved another nun named Richardis and wrote with ecstasy about Mary. Hildegard celebrated God’s green web of life as “viriditas,” the divine greening force of nature expressed in a combination of Latin words for “green” and “truth.” More info
| | | Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality | Henri Nouwen was a Catholic priest and bestselling author who wrestled with his homosexuality in an intolerant church. Nouwen never discussed his gay sexual orientation in his 40 books, but he confided his conflict over it in private journals and conversations. Some say that this struggle added depth to his books such as “The Return of the Prodigal Son” and “The Wounded Healer.” More info | | | Same-sex love inspired Sufi poet Rumi | Rumi is a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose love for another man inspired some of the world's best poems and led to the creation of a new religious order, the Whirling Dervishes. He was born in 13th-century Afghanistan. More info
| | | FannyAnn Eddy: Lesbian martyr in Africa | FannyAnn Eddy was a major activist for LGBTQ rights in Africa. She told the United Nations, "Silence creates vulnerability," and founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association. She was murdered on Sept. 29, 2004. More info
| | | Virginia Mollenkott: Trailblazing queer theologian and Christian feminist scholar | Virginia Ramey Mollenkott was a trailblazing feminist Bible scholar and queer theologian whose 13 books liberated countless LGBTQ lives. She died on Sept. 25, 2020 at age 77. Mollenkott wrote “Omnigender” and “Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?” She used her own struggles with gender nonconformity and sexual orientation to educate and empower others. More info
| | | Mark Bingham died to save others on 9/11 | Gay executive and rugby player Mark Bingham lost his life while fighting back against terrorist hijackers on Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. His brave actions saved many other lives. More info
| | | Good (gay?) King Wenceslas | There's good reason to believe that Good King Wenceslas was gay. Yes, the king in the Christmas carol. The carol is based on real historical figures, a Bohemian duke and his loyal page Podiven. Author Dennis O'Neill researched the love between the two men. More info
| | | John McNeill: Pioneering gay priest | John McNeill was a pioneering gay priest, psychotherapist, author, theologian and Jesuit scholar who inspired countless LGBTQ people of faith and their allies. He wrote the 1976 book "The Church and the Homosexual," helped found LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity, and was silenced by the Vatican for his LGBTQ ministry. He died 10 years ago on Sept. 22, 2015 at age 90. More info | | | Maurice and Theofredus: Same-sex paired saints and martyrs of Thebes | Maurice and Theofredus are 3rd-century martyr-saints and soldiers of Thebes with a homosocial bond. The men gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes in a 15th-century illuminated manuscript. Artists often depicted Maurice as a black knight in shining armor. More info
| | | Tyler Clementi: Youth driven to suicide | |
Bullied into killing himself, gay teen Tyler Clementi brought international attention to suicide of LGBTQ youth by jumping to his death on Sept. 22, 2010. Anti-LGBTQ religious and political leaders helped create the hostile environment that drove him to suicide. More info
Go purple on Oct. 16, 2025 to show support for LGBTQ youth and stand against bullying on Spirit Day.
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Dear Friend
The Bible urges us to pray for each other. During my birthday month, I try to be open to receiving as well as giving. I pray for Q Spirit readers every day, and today I invite you to pray for me and Q Spirit with this new prayer by William Weightman. It came to me as a wonderful surprise:
A Short Prayer of Thanksgiving for Kittredge Cherry
Holy One,
thank you for Kittredge,
for her courage to remember,
her tenderness in telling our stories,
and her faith that queer love is sacred.
Bless her words, her witness,
and the quiet strength she shares with Audrey.
May her work continue to light the way
for all of us seeking to live and love in truth.
Amen.
Rainbow blessings,
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Kittredge Cherry
Founder, publisher and editor
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Abomination follows the journey of David and Jonathan in a way that many believe but few have dared to write about. Two deeply connected bisexual men whose destinies ultimately do not align. Abomination explores the definition of love with a contemporary, yet historical, spin on the lives of biblical heroes.
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“Loving Artemis: An Endearing Tale of Revolution, Love and Marriage” by Janet Mason (Thorned Heart Press)
“A lesbian romance novel captures what it was like to come of age in the 1970s. Church and other spiritual traditions are woven into the narrative, including the goddess Artemis.” --Kittredge Cherry, Qspirit.net”
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“Chrysalis: A Survivor’s Prayer Book” by Karha
This book of prayers and meditations is specifically intended for the survivors of sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse.
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CAN GAYS AND LESBIANS BE TRUE CHRISTIANS? See the " Gay and Christian" website! It shows that a person can be both a Christian and a loving, sexually-active gay man or lesbian. | |
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Meet Jesus in this meditation rendering of 146 of the 150 Psalms and 36 Canticles paired with Sayings of Jesus arranged for morning and evening in a 30 day repeating cycle, compiled by a gay former parish priest with the LGBTQ+ Catholic pray-er in mind. For more visit idjc.org.
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Glitter Psalms is a bold, beautiful collection of queer prayers, poetry, and stories that shimmer with faith, resilience, and authenticity. Written by Pastor, drag artist, and storyteller Leo Jones-Morton—also known as Connie Conover—this book is a sacred celebration of the divine in every difference. Available now on Amazon
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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).
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Looking for a new way to highlight the interactions of Jesus with women? Trudie Barreras has written a series of dramatic monologues including 'The Woman at the Well Witnesses', 'Rescued by Jesus', 'Martha's Story' and more. For more information, contact trudiebarreras@gmail.com. Photo by Shirley Cooper. Now on video too. | | |
Walt Whitman's ecstasy over Fred Vaughan’s love, and his grief over his father’s imminent death, rips his heart open — open to the very kelson of Creation. Based upon the 20th century's most important discovery in Whitman scholarship.
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Cinnamon: A dairy cow’s (and her farmer’s) path to freedom: Mason, Janet: 9781958419786: Amazon.com: Books
In Cinnamon, the female farmer Jody spends a lot of time in church thinking about the plight of her cow Cinnamon whom she befriends and who changes her life. (Adelaide Books New York/ Lisbon.)
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By Kittredge Cherry
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"An amazing, disconcerting, and sacred book"
| | Q Spirit / Jesus in Love promotes LGBTQ spirituality with saints, history, art and books. Created by Kittredge Cherry, the project fosters religious and artistic freedom by teaching love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. | | | | |
