Queer bodies, sacred ar

This dissertation explores the ways in which a study of spiritually themed art by lesbian and gay artists can broaden our understandings of queer theology and the spirituality of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities. Very little has been written about religious themes in art by LGBTQ artists within theology, art history or queer theory; this dissertation brings these disciplines into dialogue. Queer theology has considered the role of the LGBTQ viewer but not modern LGBTQ artists, while art history and queer theory tend to be profoundly secular in their analyses and ignore religious content.;Four artists, each working within a distinct cultural setting, are considered in detail here: Nahum B. Zenil, Alma Lopez, Delmas Howe and Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin. Zenil is a Neo-Mexican self-portraitist who reflects his Mexican Catholisicm in his art. He utilizes traditional art forms with explicitly gay- and body-affirming content. Lopez is a Chicana feminist artist who specializes in collage, digital art, and painting. Her work arises from within and in conversation with Mexican-American feminist art and writings, including reconceptualizations of the Virgin of Guadalupe, pre-contact Mexican goddesses and female saints. Howe features the cowboys of his native Southwest to tell ancient stories of love and desire between men. He utilizes themes and characters from Greek mythology and legend visiting the modern rodeo. Ohlson Wallin is a Swedish photographer who focuses on community based art. Her work in Jerusalem is featured here, in which she projects antiLGBTQ passages from Jewish, Christian and Muslim sacred texts into images with LGBTQ Palestinians and Israelis.;Each artist is described in light of her/his biography and genre; several works of art by each artist are then considered in detail. Their art is then placed in dialogue with related writings or themes by LGBTQ authors and theorists. Finally, the artists are considered together in a discussion of common themes and motifs. More importantly, it also illustrates how each work of art contributes to the understanding of queer loving, a positive view of sexuality, and a radical form of inclusion.