St. Sebastian has come to be regarded as a
patron saint of gay men. During a time when Christianity was outlawed by the
Roman Empire, Sebastian—who was secretly a Christian—rose to the ranks
of officer in the elite Praetorian Guard, a position that allowed him to
give aid and comfort to Christian prisoners. His religion was eventually
discovered, and the enraged Emperor Diocletian ordered that he be tied to a
tree and shot by archers. Sebastian survived, but the emperor had him beaten
to death in about 287.
St. Sebastian became a popular subject of
Renaissance painters, who typically portrayed him as an androgynous, nearly
naked youth pierced by arrows. A cult of St. Sebastian developed among
homosexuals beginning in the 19th century, and gay writers and artists have
depicted him in their work ever since. Although a 1976 film by Derek Jarman
fancifully suggested that Sebastian was Diocletian’s spurned lover, there
is no evidence that he ever had a homosexual relationship. During the 14th
century people prayed to this saint to spare them from the plague, which has
given him added relevance in the era of AIDS.
Several early saints had devoted same-sex
friendships, some of which may have included an erotic element, according to
the late gay Catholic historian John Boswell. Among these intimate pairs
were Sts. Perpetua (a noblewoman) and Felicity (a slave), two Christian
martyrs who embraced and kissed each other as they were thrown to wild
animals in the amphitheater at Carthage about 203. Another such couple was
Sts. Serge and Bacchus, Roman officers who served under Emperor Maximian in
the late 3rd century until they were revealed by jealous rivals to be
Christians. Because they refused to sacrifice to Jupiter, the two men were
paraded through the streets in women’s clothing and imprisoned; Bacchus
was then whipped to death and Serge was beheaded.
St. Joan of Arc has been adopted as a patron
by some lesbians and transgender people. Born in the French village of
Domremy in 1412, Joan was a pious child, preferring domestic labor and
attending church to dancing and other amusements. At age 13, she began to
hear voices telling her that she would lead France in war and help restore
the rightful heir to the throne. After convincing the dauphin, Charles VII,
and his advisors that she was sincere, Joan led troops to victory in many
battles against the English and a rival French faction. She gained the love
of the people and the admiration of the soldiers, even as she drove
prostitutes from the army camp and insisted that the men attend church. In
May 1430, she was left behind when the drawbridge to a besieged town was
hastily raised, and she was captured by the enemy.
In a politically motivated trial marred by
irregularities, bribery, and threats, Joan was condemned to death. Finding
no basis for charges of witchcraft and heresy, her accusers eventually
convicted her of wearing men’s clothing. She wore this attire for the sake
of practicality in battle and to protect her modesty—so that “the men
may not feel carnal desire for me when I live amongst them and that I may
guard my virginity by word and deed.” At her trial she testified that in
prison she kept her pants and tunic “firmly laced and tied” to ward off
attempts at rape. But she did not try to pass as a man, always referring to
herself as “the Maiden.” Joan was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. A
quarter-century after her death, the church retroactively declared her
innocent of all charges.
Joan of Arc was not the only cross-dressing
saint. Several other female saints wore men’s clothes in an attempt to
evade marriage or live religious lives as monks. Legend has it that St.
Wilgefortis, the Christian daughter of a pagan Portuguese king, asked God to
give her a beard to render her unattractive to her intended husband, so that
she could maintain her vow of chastity; her father then had her crucified.
Although little is known about the lives of
many early saints, modern GLBT Christians continue to admire religious
figures whose same-sex relationships or gender-bending behavior place them
on the queer spectrum.
Liz Highleyman, a freelance writer and editor, can be reached at PastOut@black-rose.com.
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