Bios of Selected Interviewees
Father James Martin, S.J., Editor-at-Large of America Magazine: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture. Jim appears regularly on mainstream and social media, and he is the author of Building a Bridge, a much publicized book about LGBTQ+ Catholics. Pope Francis wrote a letter praising Father Martin’s ministry; another letter further affirming LGBTQ+ Catholics; and a letter of welcome to Outreach 2022, the first ever in-person conference on LGBTQ+ Catholic ministry.
“ When you look at the Gospels, you see that Jesus reached out specifically to people who are on the margins. And so, I think if Jesus were here today, in the flesh, on earth, he would be going first to LGBT people.”
Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, Co-Founder of New Ways Ministry, which is devoted to advancing the cause of LGBTQ+ Catholics. Jeannine first established a ministry to LGBTQ+ people in 1977– and has persevered despite the Vatican directing her in 1999 to stop. Pope Francis recently wrote Sister Jeannine a letter praising her for 50 years of LGBTQ+ ministry. Sister Jeannine was a keynote speaker at the Outreach conference, where she reflected on her many decades of pastoral service to LGBTQ+ people.
“ We are all children of God and we need to understand that message so that no one will be on the outside, so there won’t be any fences. That we will all be welcome.”
Father Bryan Massingale, Professor of Theology at Fordham University, where he teaches theology and social ethics. Bryan is the only openly-gay, African-American, Catholic priest in the world. He is heavily involved in social justice movements, including advocacy for people of color. Father Massingale was a keynote speaker at the Outreach conference, where he reflected on intersectionality and LGBTQ+ ministry.
“ I dream of a church where two men and two women can stand before the Church, proclaim their love and have it blessed in a sacrament of marriage. And that their love would be seen as divine.”
Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, a nationwide, grass-roots organization with numerous chapters throughout the country devoted to full Church acceptance of all LGBTQ+ people.
“ I would say to anybody in the LGBTQ community, to any family member, to any church minister who is wrestling with these questions of inclusion or questions of identity or acceptance, you are holy. You have the breath of God within you.”
Stanley “J.R.” Zerkowski, Executive Director of Fortunate Families, which ministers to LGBTQ+ youth and their families in addressing the uniquely difficult challenges they face, including high rates of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and suicide.
“I don’t believe God is calling us to throw our kids and our young adults out of our houses. And I’ll never believe, never will I believe, that God would compel us, because we love God, to assault the dignity of someone.”
Miguel H. Díaz, PhD, is a theologian at Loyola University Chicago, where he holds the John Courtney Murray, S.J. University Chair in Public Service. He was selected by President Barack Obama as the former 9th U.S. Ambassador at the Vatican. He has authored many publications, including, Queer God de Amor.
“ St. Augustine invites Christians to believe what they see, see what they believe, and become what they are: the body of Christ. As queer Catholics, we need to see and believe that as members of the body of Christ, our distinct embodied sexuality is holy and indispensable. The marginalization and rejection that we have experienced must not keep us from offering our rainbow of gifts in service to the Church and society.”
Cathy Renna is the leading LGBTQ+ media consultant in the United States. She has played a central role in shaping nearly all major issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, from the beating death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 to the fight for marriage equality. She currently serves as Communications Director at the National LGBTQ+ Task Force.
“ It takes a lot of energy to lie, especially for a person of faith, right? [As an LGBTQ+ person of faith], you have to do things that contradict the values of the faith to be yourself. It makes no sense.”
Natalia Imperatori-Lee is a theologian at Manhattan College where she teaches courses in U.S. Latino/a Catholicism, women and western religion, and sexuality and the sacred. Her research interests are focused on feminist and Latin Catholic thought.
“ One of the most important things we can do is to . . . proliferate our images, and that way it opens your imagination and allows you to see God in a new light, but more importantly, maybe to see the neighbor next to you in a new light.”
Jason Steidl is a gay theologian who teaches at St. Joseph’s College in New York. After a long journey to find his “calling as a gay man,” he found an affirming parish in St. Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan.
“As a gay man, it often feels impossible to remain Catholic. So much of the church’s official teaching is harmful and so many of its leaders are homophobic. Whenever my soul aches, however, I find healing and a home at St. Paul the Apostle.”
Xorje Olivares is the queer Latino host of “Affirmative Reaction” on SiriusXM’s progressive channel. His writing has appeared on VICE, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and Vox, among other outlets. His original content can be found at HeyXorje.com.
“ I love the fact that there are people who are challenging what modern day Catholicism is, challenging what it’s like to be a queer Catholic, and just challenging what it’s like to be a member of the queer community who has some idea of wanting to hold on to their faith, regardless of the spiritual violence that they’ve undergone.”
