“Imago Dei” Conference Sparks Memories of Catholic LGBTQ+ Movement’s Early Days

Participants at the “Imago Dei” conference held at the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning in Dayton, Ohio, in 2024.

Memories of the Catholic LGBTQ+ movement’s early days were sparked at a recent conference, which was reported by one of the movement’s pioneers in OutSFL.

The conference, entitled “Imago Dei,” marked the 50th anniversary of a conference called “The Gay Christian,” held at the Marianist-run Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning in 1974. Author Brian McNaught, who was present at both conferences, reflected about how much progress has been made for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Catholicism the past fifty years in a column titled “Recollections of Victory.”

In 1974, McNaught, who became a major advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, was a reporter, copyeditor, and columnist for The Michigan Catholic, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s newspaper. But he was fired from that job after writing a column, “Gay or Straight, Love is the Goal.” He recalls the support he received from Sr. Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, who spoke out in support of McNaught at a Mass of Solidarity after his dismissal.

McNaught also recalls the founding and beginnings of New Ways Ministry, noting his own involvement as keynote speaker at the organization’s first conference, as well as some of the challenges both he and New Ways Ministry experienced. Yet, he notes the advances made since 1974, observing:

“The University of Dayton, run by the Marianist order, was the first Catholic University to invite me in to speak in the early 1980s, and now the university has opened a lounge for LGBTQ students, headed by a transgender student.”

Celebration of past and continued progress for Catholic LGBTQ+ inclusion was evident at the recent “Imago Dei” conference sponsored by the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative. 

Yunen Trujillo wrote about the conference for the National Catholic Reporter. Trujillo, who is also a Bondings 2.0 contributor, explained “the possibilities and limitations in evolving pastoral care of LGBTQ+ persons within the Roman Catholic tradition.” In addition to McNaught, two other attendees of the 1974 conference participated in a panel at the conference, Sr. Jeannine Gramick, and Bill Baird, a leader of Dignity/San Francisco. Sarah Gray, executive director of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative, remarked, “We have been thrilled with the broad sponsorship from Catholic organizations, institutions, and many vowed religious congregations of sisters, brothers, and priests.”

Brian McNaught and Sr. Jeannine Gramick

The conference held sessions on a variety of topics including the intersection of race and LGBTQ+ ministry, queer ecology, ministry to transgender persons, best practices in inclusive parish ministry, and the gift of the nonbinary child. Among these sessions, the voices of LGBTQ+ persons themselves were very much present. Trujillo reported:

“The Saturday activities also included a panel titled ‘The Blessing of LGBTQ+ Persons in the Church: A Response to Fiducia Supplicans, where LGBTQ+ Catholics who are married or partnered shared where they see God in their relationships and the unique gifts that being a same-sex couple brings to the church. Among the gifts mentioned were love, companionship, discernment and a deep spirituality.”

Brian Halderman, chair of the Marianist LGBTQ+ Initiative, explained that this conference represents a dedication to both Marianist values and Pope Francis’ insistence on encounter:

“This gathering embodies our longtime Marianist commitment to inclusivity and Mary’s warmth of welcome in all our communities and ministries…We are building on Pope Francis’ call to encounter all peoples, especially those whom the church has historically pushed to the margins.”

From “The Gay Christian” in 1974 to “Imago Dei” in 2024, the conversation around LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Catholic Church has grown and evolved, and it will continue to do so. Individuals like Brian McNaught and Sr. Jeannine Gramick demonstrate the long-standing commitment and tenacity of all those who have been fighting for greater inclusion for decades, and new voices emerge every day, responding to the Holy Spirit’s impetus to turn the church towards justice and love.

—Phoebe Carstens (they/them), New Ways Ministry, July 29, 2024