— I post on Facebook in support during pride month and all year long
Where would this world be without the gifted and talented members of the LGBTQ community who bring such beautiful gifts to our lives?
By Rev. Richard Ryan, Sellersburg, Indiana.
I frequently get comments asking me how and why I support PRIDE as a retired clergy and person of deep faith.
I share for my children, some whom identify as LGBTQ-plus, and I love them deeply. I post my support on social media for my LGBTQ niece, multiple cousins and my close personal friends. I post for the child in the pew who is horrified and filled with terror the first time they hear the pastor say they’re going to burn hell for something they can’t change. I share for the many talented church musicians I’ve known whose God given gifts were tossed aside when it was found that they loved someone of the same sex. I share for my friend’s son who was told after years of serving, that could no longer work with with the youth at church because he was gay. For the youth (and adults) of the church I served in Corydon, Indiana who were gay and two who were transgender, who suffered in silence.
I post for the woman who left my sales team because of my LGBTQ support, who shared that reason with the company president, not knowing the company president had a gay son. I post for my LGBTQ team leaders at work who are without a doubt the kindest and best of the best. I post for my LGBTQ church family who worship God along side me each Sunday at Highland Baptist. And I post for my dear friend and talented singer who died way to early because he couldn’t tell his church family that he was gay for fear of their rejection.
I post hoping to make a difference. I post hoping that the love of GOD breaks through hardened hearts and we realize that we are all God’s children, diverse and proud of who God created us to be. Where would this world be without the gifted and talented members of the LGBTQ community who bring such beautiful gifts to our lives?
Many have a deep faith in the same God as you do. We all want to be loved just as we are, without having to hide who we are and who God made us to be.
And, I post for the parents of LGBTQ-plus who fear their children will be abused in this world.
Yes, I post proudly for PRIDE and will throughout the year for all these children of God.
I believe God is big enough and generous enough to share the rainbow and celebrate the diversity of his children.
Brendan Fay (centre) pictured during the 2024 Queer Liberation March in New York last Sunday.
By Brendan Fay
Drogheda and Ireland’s gay ambassador in New York, Brendan Fay, the man who founded the Irish LGBTQ group Lavender and Green Alliance – Muintir Aerach na hÉireann after fleeing the repressive laws in his native country in the nineties, has written this report on the organisation’s 30th anniversary.
On Sunday last, June 30th, the Irish LGBTQ group Lavender and Green Alliance – Muintir Aerach na hÉireann celebrated Pride by joining the 2024 Queer Liberation March. Our 30th anniversary theme and message is “Éirimid Amach le Chéile -We rise and come out together.”
Mindful of the recent anti-gay and transgender slurs from Pope Francis and the Vatican as well a repeat of the ban on openly gay men from seminary or ordination we began the morning at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a witness for Pride Sunday.
At the Cathedral steps I was with my spouse Tom who I met at a Dignity Mass in 1996 and Maya Milton, transgender organizer whose family come from Dublin. We held images of two friends who were inspiring and courageous gay priests Fr. John McNeill (1925-2015) and Fr Mychal Judge of 9/11 (1933-2001). In 1976 Fr McNeill wrote the book “The Church and the Homosexual” and came out as a gay priest. Fr Mychal Judge became known as the priest to call during the AIDS crisis.
We also held an image of Stanley and Kathleen Rygor with their son Robert. A leader in ACT UP Robert died from AIDS related illness in January 1994. Stanley (1926 – 2019) was popular in traditional Irish music circles in New York and sang in his parish choir for over 20 years. Kathleen (1929 – 2021) from Birr, Co. Offaly was outspoken as the mother of a gay son. I am currently working on a documentary film telling their story.
While welcoming the apology of Pope Francis, there is an urgent need for a more honest and open conversation in the Catholic Church and society. As LGBTQ communities honour Pride events in 2024 we are aware that in several countries people are suffering in silence, enduring harsh sentences, imprisonment, torture and threat of death because of their gender or sexual orientation. There is a lot more work needed to protect LGBTQ rights and stem the rise of anti LGBTQ prejudice here and in Ireland. We need stories to heal, give hope and raise awareness.
The Irish LGBTQ group then headed downtown, negotiated a labyrinth of police barricades and unfurled our banner at 15 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. This was the site of the LGBTQ Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop founded in 1967 by gay pioneer Craig Rodwell. Irish artist and writer Krissy Mahan greeted the group from across the street with a T- shirt in Irish, “Saoirse don Phalaistín”.
Lavender and Green Alliance joined the Queer Liberation March at Sheridan Square close to the Stonewall Inn and site of the LGBTQ uprising of June 1969. Some of the group held images of friends and pioneers of the LGBTQ community as well as rainbow coloured BRÓD (Irish for pride) signs with images of the postage stamps issued by the Irish Post Office honouring the Irish LGBTQ movement. Michael Kane, wearing a t-shirt with a map of Ireland in rainbow colors, said it meant a lot to him to carry the image of Fr. Mychal Judge who died on 9/11.
Along 7th Avenue seeing our banner, ‘Lavender and Green Alliance / Muintir Aerach na hÉireann celebrating Irish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, Heritage and Identity’ people photographed us saying how proud they were of Ireland’s global leadership on LGBTQ human rights. Others highlighted Ireland’s outspoken leadership for human rights in Palestine and Ukraine. We join the global call for a ceasefire in Palestine, freeing of hostages and access to urgently needed food and medicine.
Brendan Fay at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York with his spouse Tom and transgender organiser Maya Milton from Dublin.
A New York Pride gathering is also where long-time activist friends meet. Gay community legend Randy Wicker, an organizer in the 60s, has been a supporter of Lavender and Green Alliance joining us in many St. Patrick’s parades. Someone came to tell of his friendship and shared kayaking with Belfast gay activist Tarlach MacNiallais (1962-2020).
Another thanked us for years of campaigning for inclusion in the St Patrick’s Parades on Fifth Avenue and the outer boroughs. Young people out for the first time came to speak of being proud to be Irish and the gift of accepting parents and friends.
We told stories of Malachy McCourt’s support for Lavender and Green through the years. Veterans of ACT UP remembered Robert Rygor and his leadership during the AIDS crisis. As the group marched downtown to Battery Park texts came in from Donegal LGBTQ community leader Jen McCarron congratulating us on our 30 years of community advocacy.
Maya Milton who lives in the Bronx said, “I’m Irish American. I’m transgender and I am glad to be an organizer with Lavender and Green Alliance. When we are out and proud we can inspire others to be themselves and live their lives.”
Pride is a time of human solidarity and community when LGBTQ persons come out of closets of silence, rise in anger and hope from our second-class status, remember friends, lovers and pioneers who have gone before us and experience the empowerment, fun and joy of belonging to a global movement for change.
Amidst a landscape where faith and identity often seem at odds, Amethyst Holmes, M. Div.’24, emerges as a trailblazer in a world where diversity, equity, and inclusion measures are being challenged and revoked.
As an LGBTQ+-identifying divinity scholar with a background in journalism, Holmes’ work centers around the intersections of faith, race, sports, and culture. She has dedicated her life to bridging these seemingly contrasting aspects of human experience. In this question-and-answer session, Holmes shares her journey, insights, and hopes for the future of religious scholarship and inclusion.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you tell us about your personal journey of reconciling your LGBTQ+ identity with your faith? What were some of the pivotal moments or challenges you faced along the way?
AH: From the time I was in elementary or middle school, I knew there was something different about me. I grew up in a Black Baptist church in the Deep South that, in my memory, wasn’t vehemently hateful toward LGBTQ+ folks, but wasn’t explicitly open and affirming either. There was mostly an understood silence. I was in my early twenties when I named my queerness out loud for myself. I rediscovered my identity while serving on a ministry staff, one that was unquestionably non-affirming. God is funny like that sometimes. There were some friendships I had to grieve and set boundaries for to ensure my emotional and spiritual safety, but God’s love and acceptance of me wasn’t something I questioned. I grew up going to church nearly every day of the week, so the way some faith leaders have used scripture to justify hate and demonize LGBTQ+ folks always felt so incongruent to the truth of who God is and who I know God to be. I wanted to commit myself to studying a text that animates so much of my life as well as how it has influenced our broader society and its implications.
What role do you see yourself playing as an advocate for LGBTQ inclusion within religious communities? Could you share some of the initiatives you have led or supported to promote inclusivity and affirmation?
AH: This latest backlash of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and trans antagonism across the country is tied to the rise of religious extremism. I want to support ministers who debunk harmful myths and narratives about our LGBTQ+ community members by encouraging them to discuss these life-altering bills with their congregations, converse with their queer neighbors, and organize with like-minded faith-based groups. There are many organizations like Pride in the Pews, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and Q Christian Fellowship and others outside of the Christian tradition that I see myself continuing to support.
How do other aspects of your identity, such as your race, gender, or cultural background, intersect with your LGBTQ+ identity and influence your work in divinity?
AH: All my intersecting identities show up in anything I do, and I continue to show up as authentically as I can. My Blackness, woman-ness, Southerness, and queerness all help me ask better questions of Biblical text. My identities widen the lens I see scripture through, leading to deeper theological understanding, greater humility, and more compassionate ministry. Pauli Murray (J.D. ’44, H. ’17) often comes to mind when I think about what it means to be an embodied person. Their work as a lawyer informed her ministry as an Episcopal priest and vice versa. Her legacy motivates me to be courageous, sincere, and defiant. Seeing their class picture on the wall on my way to Dunbarton Chapel is a small, present reminder to keep going.
What are some of the specific challenges you have encountered as an LGBTQ+ scholar in the academic world? How have you navigated these challenges, and what support systems have been crucial for you?
AH: Thankfully I’ve experienced openness from my colleagues and professors who enthusiastically encourage me in whatever work the Spirit leads me to do. Faculty at seminaries and Historically Black Theological Institutions specifically have an opportunity and responsibility to include more queer scholarship in their curriculums. Including queer theologians’ voices can enhance the student experience, expand theological imagination, and equip seminarians for 21st century ministry and beyond. I’ve leaned on my community of loved ones, classmates, and other queer clergy alumni throughout my time at Howard University’s School of Divinity (HUSD). They have helped me navigate ministry politics, affirmed me, and emboldened me in my ministry endeavors.
Your theological perspectives and interpretations are undoubtedly shaped by your experiences. How does your LGBTQ+ identity influence your understanding and teaching of religious texts and doctrines?
AH: I know it can be hard to resonate with a sacred text that preachers have often used to shout about abomination and damnation. My queer identity has helped me accept the invitation to see sacred text from the margins of society. As a Black woman, I understand the Bible from the margins, but my queerness has widened my perspective. Queerness, as Bell Hooks’ defines it, is a transgressive force that is at odds with what is considered normative or disrupts the status quo. Queer as in challenging societal norms and resisting oppression. My queerness helps me highlight the transgressive, upside-down nature of the Gospel and to, as theologian Patrick S. Cheng asserts, understand Christian theology as a “fundamentally queer enterprise” because it dismantles life and death binaries through radical love. Jesus’ story of incarnation, transformation and resurrection, and the invitation to be part of God’s chosen family hits different for me now!
Looking ahead, what are your visions and goals for the future of religious scholarship and LGBTQ+ inclusion? How do you hope to influence the next generation of scholars and religious leaders?
AH: I think the future is bright and will continue to get brighter because many folks inside and outside of academia are doing tremendous work to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion and liberation. I’m excited about the launch of QTR: A Journal of Trans and Queer Studies in Religion and the scholarship that’s being produced.I’m inspired by [numerous] queer womanist scholars and preachers like Jennifer S. Leath, Naomi Washington-Leapheart, and Whitney Baisden-Bond. I’m deeply moved by Cole Arthur Riley’s contemplative work and Ashon T. Crawley’s artistic vision. I’m motivated by the ministry Bishop Yvette A. Flunder, Brandon Thomas Crowley, and many queer people of faith across religious traditions.
Throughout my time at HUSD, I’ve explored my interests in ecotheology and environmental justice. I hope to practice eco-chaplaincy and provide spiritual care for communities most affected by climate change. God delights in, speaks to, and ministers through LGBTQ+ folks and has since the beginning of time. We, too, are called to create a more loving, just, and inclusive world.
A Filipino Catholic university student has called on Pope Francis to “stop using offensive language” against LGBTQ people.
In an online video panel with other Catholic university students and the pope, Jack Lorenz Acebedo Rivero stated that slurs cause “immense pain.”
The comments stem from reports that the Pope used extremely offensive language against gay men during a closed-door meeting with bishops last month; the Vatican later apologised to those who were “hurt” and stated that it was not his intention to offend anyone.
The Pope reportedly stated that gay men should not be permitted to train to become priests, adding that there was already an “air of frociaggine,” which translates as a highly offensive slur.
The Pope has frequently stated in public that LGBT people should be treated with respect, thus many people are astonished by this.
He has often discussed LGBT people being welcome in the Church and recently caused controversy among Catholic traditionalists by stating that priests should be authorised to bless same-sex couples in certain situations.
The forum’s theme, “Building Bridges” in a region of many religions and cultures, was announced live on social media on Thursday.
It brought together students from various Catholic universities throughout the world.
The Ateneo de Manila University student informed the Pope that he has experienced bullying and outcasting because of his status as the son of a single father, his bisexuality, and his homosexuality.
“Stop using offensive language against the LGBTQIA+ community,” he then urged him to say. In addition, Mr. Rivera requested that the Pope “allow divorce in the Philippines.”
The student was dressed in a traditional Filipino robe with a ribbon of rainbow colours over it.
The Philippines is the only nation in the world (apart from the Vatican) where divorce is prohibited. This is because the Roman Catholic Church has been fighting it hard.
The Pope did not respond to any of the three students in Mr. Rivera’s group until they had all finished speaking. He did not directly respond to Mr. Rivera’s worries, but he did advise him to distinguish between genuine and fake love via a translator.
“Always choose genuine love,” he advised. In addition, the Pope informed the audience that although society considers women to be inferior to males, “women are the best people.”
He related anecdotes of a talk he had with a female European leader, stating that she had informed him that “maternal ability” sets women apart from men.
“Many women have brought children on their own… A widower can hardly go on their own. A woman, alone, can certainly grow her family. This is the greatness of women.”
Rosario Lonegro says his time in the seminary was “the darkest period” of his life
By Davide Ghiglione
Rosario Lonegro was only 20 years old when he entered a Catholic seminary in Sicily as an aspiring priest preparing to be ordained. But while he was there he fell in love with another man and his superiors demanded that he undergo conversion therapy intended to erase his sexual preferences if he wanted to continue on the path to the priesthood.
“It was the darkest period of my life,” he told the BBC, recalling his seminary experience in 2017.
Haunted by guilt and fears of committing a sin in the eyes of the Catholic Church, Rosario said he “felt trapped with no choice but to suppress my true self”.
“The psychological pressure to be someone I was not was insurmountable. I could not change no matter how hard I tried.”
For more than a year, he was compelled to take part in spiritual gatherings outside the seminary, some over several days, where he was subjected to a series of distressing activities intended to strip him of his sexual proclivities.
These included being locked in a dark closet, being coerced to strip naked in front of fellow participants, and even being required to enact his own funeral.
During these rituals, he was tasked with committing to paper his perceived flaws, such as “homosexuality”, “abomination”, “falsehood” – and even more explicit terms, which he was then obliged to bury beneath a symbolic gravestone.
‘I thought I needed to be cured’
The World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1990. Subsequent scientific research has largely concluded that attempts to change sexual orientation are not only ineffective but also harmful.
In France, Germany and predominantly Catholic Spain, conversion therapies have been officially banned, and efforts are under way both in England and Wales to outlaw such practices.
Today in Italy, it’s nearly impossible to determine the precise extent of these practices, reported mostly by men, but some women too, and there is no standard legal definition of them.
In recent months, however, the BBC has conducted interviews with several young gay men across the country who have shared their experiences of being subjected to pseudoscientific group meetings or individual therapy sessions aimed at turning them into heterosexuals.
One 33-year-old man who attended this type of meeting for over two years expressed his initial motivation, saying: “I wanted to reconcile with myself. I didn’t want to be homosexual. I thought I needed to be cured.”
“I saw that as my sole path to acceptance,” said another. He was not trying to become a priest, but was simply seeking acceptance in his daily life.
Experts say Italy is hesitant to ban the practices partly due to Italy’s strong Catholic influence
Gay conversion therapy is not limited to one specific region of Italy – group meetings and individual therapy sessions run across the country, some even run by licensed psychotherapists. In some cases, these gatherings and therapy sessions are unofficial and covert, often promoted through discreet conversations and secret referrals.
Other courses are publicly advertised, with known figures within Italy’s conservative circles actively seeking followers online and on social media platforms to promote their ability to change sexual orientations.
In Sicily, Rosario Lonegro was primarily subjected to meetings organised by the Spanish group Verdad y Libertad (Truth and Freedom), under the leadership of Miguel Ángel Sánchez Cordón. This group has since disbanded, having incurred the disapproval of the Catholic Church.
However, the Italian priest who originally pushed Lonegro into these practices was given a senior position within the Church, while others continued to draw inspiration from Sánchez Cordón’s methods in Italy.
Many of the people the BBC spoke to were referred to Luca di Tolve, a “moral/spiritual trainer” who gained recognition through his book titled “I was gay once. In Medjugorie I found myself”.
On his website, Di Tolve and his wife boast that they are a “contented couple” seeking to “aid anyone whose sexual identity is in turmoil, helping them to genuinely exercise their freedom in determining who they wish to be as a person”. When contacted by the BBC, Di Tolve did not respond.
Another active individual promoting ways to tackle perceived sexual orientation is Giorgio Ponte, a well-known writer in Italy’s ultra-conservative circles. He says he wants to help people overcome their homosexuality and be liberated, by telling his own story as a man with homosexual drives who is on his “potentially life-long” path to freedom.
“In my experience, homosexual attraction stems from an injury to one’s identity that conceals needs unrelated to the sexual-erotic aspect but rather tied to a distorted perception of oneself, reflecting across all aspects of life,” he told the BBC.
“I believe that a homosexual person should have the freedom to try [to become heterosexual], if they want, knowing, however, that it may not be possible for everyone,” he added.
‘When I kissed her it felt unnatural’
In recent years, dozens of young men and women have sought guidance from the likes of Di Tolve, Ponte and Sánchez Cordón. Among them is 36-year-old Massimiliano Felicetti, a gay man who grappled with attempts to change his sexual orientation for more than 15 years.
“I started to be uncomfortable with myself from a very early age, I felt I would never be accepted by my family, society, Church circles. I thought I was wrong, I just wanted to be loved, and these people offered me hope,” he said.
Felicetti said he had tried different solutions, consulting psychologists and clergy members who offered to help him become heterosexual. However, about two years ago, he decided to stop. A friar who knew of his struggle encouraged him to start dating a woman, but it didn’t feel natural.
“When I kissed her for the first time, it felt unnatural. It was time to stop pretending,” Felicetti said.
Only a few months ago he came out as gay to his family. “It took years, but for the first time I am happy to be who I am.”
Despite attempts from previous governments to promote a bill to oppose conversion therapies, no progress has been made in Italy. Italy’s right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni has so far adopted a hostile stance toward LGBT rights, with the prime minister herself vowing to tackle the so-called “LGBT lobby” and “gender ideology”.
Such lack of progress comes as no surprise to Michele Di Bari, a researcher in comparative public law at the University of Padova, who says that Italy is structurally much slower to implement change compared with other countries in Western Europe.
“This is a very elusive phenomenon, given that it is a practice prohibited by Italy’s order of psychologists itself. Yet, in the Italian legal system, it is not deemed illegal. People carrying out such practices can’t be punished.”
Despite the complexity of the issue, experts believe that partly due to Italy’s strong Catholic influence, the country has been more hesitant to prohibit these controversial practices.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has adopted a hostile stance to LGBT rights in Italy
“This may be one of the elements that, along with a strongly patriarchal and male chauvinist culture, makes the broader understanding of homosexuality and LGBT rights more difficult,” said Valentina Gentile, a sociologist at Rome’s LUISS University.
“However, it is also fair to say that not all Catholicism is hostile to the inclusion of diversity and the Church itself is in a period of strong transformation in this regard,” she added.
Pope Francis has said that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty to accompany them on a personal path of spirituality, but within the framework of its rules.
However, the Pope himself was reported to have used a highly derogatory term towards the LGBT community when he told a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops that gay people should not be allowed to become priests. The Vatican issued an official apology.
Rosario Lonegro has left Sicily behind and also lives in Milan. Following a nervous breakdown in 2018, he left both the seminary and the conversion therapy group.
While he still believes in God, he no longer wants to become a priest. He shares an apartment with his boyfriend, he studies philosophy and undertakes occasional freelance work to pay for university. However, the psychological wounds inflicted by such activities still run deep.
“During those meetings, one mantra haunted me and was repeated over and over: ‘God didn’t make me that way. God didn’t make me homosexual. It’s only a lie I tell myself,’ I thought I was evil,” he said.
