Gay Pride 2011: Lady Gaga As Queer Spiritual Evangelist

Lady Gaga and actor/rapper Rick Gonzalez representing Mary Magdalene and Jesus respectively in Gaga's video, "Judas" where Jesus and his 12 apostles are portrayed as bikers.

(This week Kittredge Cherry over at the Jesus in Love blog has introduced an essay by Patrick S. Cheng looking at the potential implications of  Lady Gaga's gay spirituality aesthetic and her re-imagining and reinventing of numerous core concepts found in christology.)

The Queer Spirituality of Lady Gaga
By Pathrick S. Cheng

Lady Gaga, the global pop music sensation, is known for her strong lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) following. Whether it’s due to her fabulous wardrobe and makeup, her visually stunning music videos, her strong statements in support of LGBT rights, or her androgynous aesthetic, Gaga has cultivated a dedicated LGBT fan base over the last few years.

With the May 23 release of her most recent album, Born This Way, Lady Gaga has shown that she is much more than just a queer cultural icon. She is also a queer spiritual evangelist who refuses to shy away from controversial religious topics. Indeed, the provocative lyrics of several songs in Born This Way challenge, or “queer,” a number of deeply-held theological beliefs.

Read the full essay here 

You might also be interested in:

“Lady Gaga Walks the Weird Wall: Toby Johnson Reflects on the Goddess Mythology of BORN THIS WAY” by gay spirituality author Toby Johnson at the MyOutSpirit Gay Spirituality Blog

“Erotic Christ / Rethinking Sin and Grace for LGBT People” by Patrick Cheng

Kittredge Cherry is a lesbian Christian author who was at the forefront of the international debate on sexuality and spirituality as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She founded JesusInLove.org in 2005 to support LGBT spirituality and the arts with a blog and e-newsletter. It promotes artistic and religious freedom, with an emphasis on queer saints and gay Jesus images. Her books include “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More” “Jesus in Love: A Novel” and “Equal Rites: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies and Celebrations.” Her blog is, Jesus in Love.

Patrick S. Cheng is the Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. He writes for the religion section of the Huffington Post, and he is the author of Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology. For more information about Patrick, see his website at http://www.patrickcheng.net/index.html.