CQH: Sacred Spaces, Queer Spaces

Promising a speaker-led open discussion, this Inter Faith Week event is hosted by CamQueerHistory.

Speakers:

• Revd Andrew Hammond
• Revd Alex Clare-Young
• Dr Safet HadziMuhamedovic
• Students of Queer Yeshiva

Join CQH for a speaker-led open discussion that brings together scholars, teachers, and students from a variety of spiritual backgrounds to explore the complex and joyful history of queer worship and community spaces.

A strong internal structure can give a faith longevity. Complex tapestries of customs and traditions developed over a faith’s existence that govern how adherents behave or worship lend faiths their character and allure. But, for many queer people of faith whose religious affiliation has more restrictive elements, this can lead to feelings of isolation, a loss of community, or undermine their identification with their faith.

As queer people have always existed in some form or another across time and place, the struggle to carve out affirming spaces within faith for queer adherents has its own history, braided in alongside the other threads that give storied spiritual traditions their beauty. Frequently, however, these histories are by their own nature obfuscated or lost, which can in turn emphasise a faith’s reputation for not having space for queer people of faith.

Celebrating the history of queer spaces within faith changes what is possible now.