Queer study group celebrates diversity

Students share thoughts and beliefs in positive environment

) Atlantic School of Theology student Paul Daniel Payne has organized a study group to explore the role of religion in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. Photo: Mike Gorman

At the Universal Unitarian church of Halifax, a study group came together in October to discuss the role religion plays in their community. The queer faithful were sharing their stories of hope, struggle, loss and triumph in their spiritual lives.

"Queer is not a monolithic culture. It has many expressions on what it means to be queer, and what it means to be faithful" says organizer Paul Daniel Payne. He arrived in Halifax five months ago from Florida with his spouse, Yongmin Lee, whom he had met while teaching in China, to attend seminary at the Atlantic School of Theology and become an ordained openly gay minister of the Universalist Unitarian church.

The Universalist church "has always been very affirming and welcoming" of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, he said.

So when Payne brought the idea of holding a discussion group on queer spirituality to the minister of the local church on Inglis Street, Rev. Julie Denny-Hughes, he was quickly offered a meeting space.

The group that appeared for the first meeting was small - five in all.

At the heart of the discussion's topic is the book First Person Queer, a collection of 40 short essays by various writers who share their personal stories and celebrate their individuality.

"There's welcome diversity, too" the introduction to the book states, "and not just among the self-definition markers, like gay and lesbian" but disagreement and dissent within the groups and faiths themselves. Like Payne, First Person Queer looks to find the meaning of what queer and faith mean to the individual.

Dr. Margaret Robinson, a sexual ethics expert at the University of Toronto and a leading queer activist, explains that most religious traditions are heterosexist, regardless of how welcoming and affirming the church may be.

"Their view of sexuality is built around the experience of straight men (and sometimes women) and their view of gays, lesbians and bisexuals depends on how closely their relationships mimic those of heterosexual couples. For some queers, being accepted only if they conform to a straight standard isn't acceptable."

She says that many queer people aren't willing to choose between their faith and their sexuality, and that without these kinds of support groups, they could continue to struggle alone.

"There's as much diversity in the queer community as there is out," says local writer and critic Robin Metcalfe, who's true-to-life story The Modernist Chair: A Short History is included in the anthology.

For those many gay, lesbian bisexual and transgendered youth who grow up in straight society, says Metcalfe, exposure to these kinds of groups and personal stories help to affirm their identity, and helps them understand that they are not alone.

"They allow us to fully imagine other people's experiences, and learn about ourselves."

Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion, says Payne, no matter how they identify themselves sexually or what religious denomination they follow. He expects the group to take about a year to get through First Person Queer, discussing one essay at a time.

Meetings will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax at 7 p.m.

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