Dinner, a Bath, and the Queer Body with Dr. Peter Carlson

Pauli Murray: Becoming Whole

What does the life of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray still ask of us? In this episode, Anny and Tym are joined by the Rev. Raquel Gill, a board member of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, for a conversation about Pauli Murray’s extraordinary and deeply human legacy. Pauli Murray was a priest, poet, lawyer, activist, scholar, and visionary whose work shaped the movements for racial justice, women’s rights, legal equality, and liberation within the Episcopal Church. Yet Pauli’s life cannot be separated into neat categories. Their work, faith, queerness, gender expansiveness, poetry, and pursuit of justice were all part of one continually unfolding life. Raquel shares how encountering Pauli’s writing helped her understand that she did not have to choose between being queer and being called to ministry. Together, we reflect on Pauli as a sacred ancestor who modeled what it means to move toward an unfragmented life, even when the church and the wider world could not fully recognize the wholeness of who they were. We also explore Pauli’s concept of “Jane Crow,” the barriers they encountered because of both race and gender, and their ability to identify gaps in systems and imagine something more liberating. Raquel reminds us that Pauli’s queerness was not incidental to their insight. It helped them see beyond the binaries and limitations that others accepted. The conversation turns toward the priesthood of all queer believers and the gifts queer people bring to communities of faith—not despite our queerness, but because of it. Raquel honors the queer elders who became pastors, healers, teachers, hosts, and conduits of grace long before any institution laid hands on them or acknowledged their ministries. We also learn about the ongoing work of the Pauli Murray Center, which preserves Pauli’s childhood home while serving as a living center for history, education, organizing, and social justice. Pauli Murray’s life reminds us that the work is larger than any one person or generation. We inherit it from those who came before us, and we carry it forward for those who will come after us. Always the dream was freedom.

Dinner, a Bath, and the Queer Body with Dr. Peter Carlson cont'd

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Peter Carlson: queer theologian, committed Episcopalian, scholar of Christian history, gender, sexuality, sacred space, and editor and principal author of A Queer Lectionary: Improper Readings from the Margins. Together, we talk about queer theology, embodied faith, scripture, religious trauma, the limits of “all are welcome,” and why the church has so much to learn from queer people. Peter reminds us that queer theology is not simply about whether LGBTQ+ people are accepted. It is about asking deeper questions: Who holds power? Whose bodies are welcomed? Where is God actually found? This conversation moves from evangelical childhoods to medieval history, from Zacchaeus to Pulse, from dinner and a bath to the resurrection of the queer body. It is funny, tender, provocative, deeply theological, and full of holy trouble. At the heart of it all is this truth: God is not found only at the center. God is already alive in the margins.

Dinner, a Bath, and the Queer Body with Dr. Peter Carlson

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Peter Carlson: queer theologian, committed Episcopalian, scholar of Christian history, gender, sexuality, sacred space, and editor and principal author of A Queer Lectionary: Improper Readings from the Margins. Together, we talk about queer theology, embodied faith, scripture, religious trauma, the limits of “all are welcome,” and why the church has so much to learn from queer people. Peter reminds us that queer theology is not simply about whether LGBTQ+ people are accepted. It is about asking deeper questions: Who holds power? Whose bodies are welcomed? Where is God actually found? This conversation moves from evangelical childhoods to medieval history, from Zacchaeus to Pulse, from dinner and a bath to the resurrection of the queer body. It is funny, tender, provocative, deeply theological, and full of holy trouble. At the heart of it all is this truth: God is not found only at the center. God is already alive in the margins.

Pride Isn’t Over: Queer Joy, Belonging, and the Real Party Begins

In this Pride episode, Anny and Tym reflect on Pride Month, the Cincinnati Pride Festival, the diocesan Teen Zone, the Pride Mass, Twilight Tea, and the many sacred moments where queer joy, faith, and belonging showed up in real time. Throughout the episode, we hear voices from across the community responding to questions like: Can faith and queerness coexist? What does belonging feel like? What gives you hope right now? Where have you experienced queer joy recently? And what do you wish the church better understood about LGBTQ+ people? What emerges is a chorus of witness: queer people have always been here. Queer youth of faith are not a contradiction. Drag belongs at the table. The church is at its best when it makes room, gives the platform, and remembers that every body is sacred. Pride Month may be ending, but Pride is not over. The real party, the real work, and the real joy are just beginning.

Part 2 Sacred Art, Queer Joy, and the Audacity of Creation with Kirsten Marron

In Part 2 of our conversation with Kirsten, we explore the intersection of sacred art, music, queer identity, and liberation. Together, we ask what makes something sacred, reflect on God as creator and artist, and consider how queer people participate in the ongoing work of creation. Along the way, we wander through Hildegard of Bingen, convent life, liberation theology, church music, sacramentality, and the transformative power of community. Kirsten shares how music became a place of belonging when other spaces did not, how queer people have always shaped sacred art, and why the church still needs the witness of queer joy. From singing liberation songs in worship to cleaning up an overflowing sourdough starter named Dolene at 2:00 a.m., this conversation reminds us that holiness often appears in creativity, community, and the audacity to show up as our whole selves.