A Queer Spiritual RenaissanceBy Christian de la Huerta
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Evidence that a spiritual awakening is taking place in the gay community is not hard to find. All across America, gays and lesbians are beginning to expand their definition of spirituality, and creating new rituals for its expression. For some, it means forging a space for themselves within traditional religions. Many of the major Christian denominations, for example, have specific groups ministering to the queer community. Others are seeking sustenance in Eastern religions; a glimpse at a local resource guide in San Francisco yields the following listings: Gay Buddhist Fellowship, Queer Taoists, Saddhana Brothers, and Dharma Sisters, among others. Still others have reclaimed or redefined pagan, Earth-based, Goddess-worship religions, such as Wicca and the Radical Faeries.
The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), presents yet another way to gauge the rising interest in spirituality in the gay community. Considered one of the ten fastest-growing denominations (of any type) in America, its membership and popularity have been steadily climbing. In 1997, members in the U.S. and Canada contributed in excess of fifteen million dollars to church coffers. When compared to donations to MCC, individual contributions during the same time period to the Human Rights Campaign (about seven million dollars) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (about one and a half million dollars), dwarf in comparison.
A quick perusal through any gay bookstore will likely yield a substantial selection of titles pertaining to spirituality. In the past five years alone, many books have been released addressing this subject. Among them: Gay Soul, Queer Spirits, Wrestling with the Angel, Prayers for Bobby, Blossom of Bone, Sex Death Enlightenment, Lesbian Sacred Sexuality, Que(e)rying Religion, The Essential Gay Mystics, and Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit. Jallen Rix's 1996 CD The Sacred and the Queer is another example in the field of music. Rix explains that "this recording highlights a new way my music reflects my personal journey...In the past, I tended to reflect only my spiritual experience. In doing this I neglected singing about sexuality. This recording integrates my spirituality and sexuality. This freedom and wholeness feels great!" In one of the songs, "Down at Stonewall," the artist meets up with Jesus at a gay bar.
Several factors may be influencing this increased interest in spirituality, which is certainly part of a larger worldwide phenomenon. First, there's the approaching millennium, which historically has resulted in a rise in apocalyptic cults as people have anticipated the end of the world. This millennium in particular seems particularly charged. Many Christians believe that this is the time of the Second Coming of Christ, predicted in Revelations. Likewise, many Indigenous cultures point to this time as significant. The Mayan calendar, for example, dating back eighteen thousand years, ends in the year 2012, at which point the Great Cycle ends and a new one -- for which there is no calendar at this point -- begins. The Hopis, Lakota, Sioux, Cherokee, and Aztecs also predicted dramatic earth changes would occur at this time, and lead to the prophesied birth of a new world.
A second contributing factor could be the natural aging process of the baby boomer generation. Many boomers, having reached a certain phase in their lives, have become disillusioned with the unchecked search for fulfillment through the materialism and self-indulgence of the 80's, and have begun to explore inside. In particular, those who are raising children express a desire for their children to be brought up within the structure of religion.
A third factor is the AIDS epidemic, which has had a particularly sobering effect in the gay community, forcing many to face their mortality and search for life's meaning, either because of their own failing health or that of their loved ones. Although clearly significant, however, we cannot oversimplify and claim that AIDS has been the sole catalyst in this spiritual renaissance. Many lesbians and gay men simply have never left their religions, and many others have been searching even before the plague.
A further, perhaps more esoteric, reason could also be construed. If we establish Stonewall in June of 1969 as the birth of the gay community in its present-day context, in June of 1998 the gay community reached its Saturn Return. In astrology, this phenomenon occurs every twenty-eight to thirty years, when Saturn returns to the same point in the Zodiac it was when one was born. For most people, the Saturn Return signifies a major turning point in life -- a time for redefinition, getting clear about life and priorities, and spiritual searching. Many actually experience radical change and shifts in personality, relationships, profession, and other interests. This is often a time for trimming down one's life, and for getting more focused. The experience may be accompanied by stress and crisis, for it is often a time for making important decisions, taking on more responsibility, and changing lifestyles.
Evidence abounds that throughout history and across many cultures, people we now call gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or simply, queer, were not only spiritually inclined, but were actually honored, respected, and revered for their roles of spiritual leadership. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Stonewall, and approach the new millennium at a vertiginous pace, it is crucial that we rediscover this spiritual heritage. Consciously reclaiming our archetypal spiritual functions will not only facilitate our community's healing process and process of empowerment; the ripple effects will be felt widely throughout the world.
