Among all the multitude of queer saints, Joan of Arc is one of the most important. In her notorious martyrdom for heresy (a charge which in historical context included reference to her cross-dressing and defiance of socially approved gender roles), she is a reminder of the great persecution of sexual and gender minorities by the Inquisition, directly or at their instigation. In LGBT Christian history, “martyrs” applies not only to those martyred by the church, but also to those martyred by the church. In her rehabilitation and canonization, she is a reminder that the leaders and theologians of the church, those who were responsible for her prosecution and conviction, can be wrong, can be pronounced to be wrong, and can in time have their judgements overturned.(This is not just a personal view. Pope Benedict has made some very pointed remarks of his own to this effect, while speaking about Joan of Arc). In the same way, it is entirely possible (I believe likely) that the current dogmatic verdict of Vatican orthodoxy which condemns our relationships will also in time be rejected. We may even come to see some of the pioneers of gay theology, who have in effect endured a kind of professional martyrdom for their honesty and courage, rehabilitated and honoured by the Church, just as St Joan has been.
|Joan of Arc: Interrogation by the Bishop of Winchester (Paul Delaroche, 1797 -1856)
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Joan of Arc is the best known cross-dresser in history, defying gender expectations to lead an army, and lead it to victory in the service of her country. This much is well known, and immediately qualifies her as a trans hero (or heroine. Take your pick.) What of the ret of us? Well, remember her story in the church as well as the battlefield: she was burned as a heretic, before her later rehabilitation and eventual canonization. Now recall the association of heresy and “sodomy”.
John Boswell has clearly shown that the religious opposition to homoerotic relationships was not based in scripture, nor was it deeply entrenched in the early church. Instead, the opposition of the church followed, not led, popular intolerance that grew with the decline in urbanisation after the sack of Rome. This growth in intolerance was not only directed at homosexuals, but also at other social outsiders – jews, gypsies and “heretics”. Writers such as Mark D Jordan and Allan Bray have since shown how the very word “sodomite”, now widely used as a pejorative epithet against gay males, was a late medieval coinage which was originally used far more loosely and indiscriminately, often including ay other form of sexual non-conformism – or heresy.
So what was the crime of “heresy” of which she was accused? Well, nominally it was based on her claim to have seen “visions” which inspired her to follow her path of resistance to the foreign invaders. But note the nationality of her accusers: it was not the French Church which tried and judged her, but the English Bishops: countrymen of the army she had opposed and defeated. Was her crime to have experienced visions, or was it to have opposed the English?
Consider that which has made her most famous, iconic as an historic figure: the cross-dressing. This was a clear violation of her expected gender role, and may have been described by some as “sodomy” – which was closely related to heresy. I have recently seen a claim (sadly, I have no link) that the real reason for her trial and execution was this cross-dressing. If so, she is the first Christian martyr we know of who was executed not just executed and was gay, but executed because of her gender expression. However, there is of course a happy ending: she was later rehabilitated, and canonized. Now consider the obvious moral for us as GLBT Christians today.
Joan had a “vision”, an apparition of Mary. There are also other kinds of vision, some more mundane, more political, of the Martin Luther King “I have a dream”. In this sense, many of us too have a vision, a dream, of proper inclusion and acceptance in the Christian churches, where we belong with everybody else, on the strength of the promises of Christ.
Joan was persecuted by the church authorities, condemned and executed. We are not (directly) executed by the church today, but we are certainly condemned and persecuted, labelled as “fundamentally disordered”, and told that if we simply live truthfully in our god-given sexuality,we are committing “grave sin”. Worse, by the clear failure to take a strong stand against civil laws and proscriptions, as for example the failure to sign the UN resolution on the decriminalisation of homosexuality early this year, the Church is indirectly giving support to some forces that do actively seek our death.
But in the end, she was vindicated. We have not yet seen that development, but I am certain it will come. It is required by the Gospel of inclusion and social justice, it is also required by the internal logic of theology. James Alison has recently noted that theology will in time be forced to face up to the plain finings of science that same sex relationships are not unnatural, just uncommon. They have occurred throughout history, in many societies, and across the animal kingdom. Theologians will be slow to catch up, but they will, and we too will be vindicated.
St Joan of Arc and the queer community: we have a lot in common.
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Related articles at QTC / Queer Saints and Martyrs:
- Pope Benedict, On the Queer Lessons in the Church’s Martyrdom of St Joan.
- Trans in Faith: Some Cross-Dressing Saints & Martyrs.
- Lest We Forget: The Ashes of Our Martyrs
Related articles elsewhere:
- “Conscience is the Highest Norm” (The Wild Reed)
Miongoni mwa watakatifu wengi wa queer, Joan of Arc ni mmoja wa muhimu zaidi. Katika mauaji yake maarufu ya uhasama (shtaka ambalo katika muktadha wa kihistoria lilijumuisha kumbukumbu ya kuvaa kwake na kupinga majukumu ya kijinsia yaliyokubaliwa kijamii), yeye ni ukumbusho wa mateso makubwa ya watu wa jinsia na wa jinsia na Inquisition, moja kwa moja au kwa uchochezi wao. Katika historia ya Ukristo wa LGBT, <unk>martyrs<unk> inatumika sio tu kwa wale waliofia imani na kanisa, lakini pia kwa wale waliofia imani na kanisa. Katika kurejeshwa kwake na kuwekwa kwake katika utakatifu, yeye ni ukumbusho kwamba viongozi na wanatheolojia wa kanisa, wale ambao walikuwa na jukumu la mashtaka na hatia yake, wanaweza kuwa na makosa, wanaweza kutamkwa kuwa na makosa, na wanaweza kwa wakati wao kuwa na hukumu zao. (Hii si maoni ya kibinafsi tu. Papa Benedict ametoa taarifa zake mwenyewe za wazi sana kuhusu jambo hili, alipokuwa akizungumza juu ya Joan of Arc). "Kwa njia ileile, inawezekana kabisa (naamini inawezekana) kwamba uamuzi wa sasa wa dogmatic wa orthodoxy ya Vatican ambayo inashutumu mahusiano yetu pia itakuwa wakati huo huo kukataliwa. """ "Hata huenda tukawaona baadhi ya waanzilishi wa theolojia ya mashoga, ambao kwa kweli wamevumilia aina fulani ya kifo cha uhamiaji wa kitaaluma kwa uaminifu na ujasiri wao, wamerudishwa na kuheshimiwa na Kanisa, kama vile St. Joan amekuwa. """ Jeanne d'Arc: Kuhojiwa na Askofu wa Winchester (Paul Delaroche, 1797-1856) [CDATA[ // <! Jeanne d'Arc ni mwanamke aliyevaa mavazi ya jinsia tofauti katika historia, akipinga matarajio ya kijinsia kuongoza jeshi, na kuiongoza kwa ushindi katika huduma ya nchi yake. Hii ni mengi inayojulikana, na mara moja inastahili yake kama trans shujaa (au shujaa. Chagua unachotaka.) Namna gani sisi wenyewe? "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kitabu chake, ""Mungu alimwua mfuasi wake, na alimwua kama mwasi, kabla ya kurejeshwa kwake na hatimaye kuapishwa kuwa mtakatifu.""" Sasa kumbuka uhusiano kati ya uzushi na "uasherati". John Boswell alionyesha wazi kwamba upinzani wa kidini kwa mahusiano ya jinsia moja haukuwa na msingi katika Maandiko, wala haukuwa na mizizi mizito katika kanisa la mapema. Badala yake, upinzani wa kanisa ulifuata, si kuongoza, kutovumiliana kwa watu ambao ulikua na kupungua kwa mijini baada ya kufutwa kwa Roma. Ukuzi huu wa kutovumiliana haukuelekezwa tu kwa wagoni-jinsia-moja, bali pia kwa watu wengine wa nje ya jamii - Wayahudi, Waromani na "waasi-imani". "Wanafunzi kama vile Mark D. Jordan na Allan Bray wameonyesha jinsi neno ""sodomite"" ambalo sasa linatumiwa sana kama jina la kudharau wanaume mashoga, lilivyotumiwa kwa njia isiyo ya kawaida na isiyo ya ubaguzi, mara nyingi ikiwa ni pamoja na aina nyingine ya kutokubaliana kingono au heresy." Kwa hiyo, alikuwa na hatia gani ya "uasi-imani" ambao alishtakiwa? Kwa kweli, ilitegemea madai yake ya kuwa ameona "maono" ambayo yalimchochea kufuata njia yake ya upinzani kwa wavamizi wa kigeni. Lakini angalia taifa la wale waliomshtaki: si Kanisa la Ufaransa ambalo lilimjaribu na kumhukumu, bali Maaskofu wa Uingereza: wananchi wa jeshi ambalo alikuwa amepinga na kushinda. Je, kosa lake lilikuwa kuwa na maono, au lilikuwa kuwapinga Waingereza? Fikiria kile ambacho kimemfanya awe maarufu zaidi, maarufu kama mtu wa kihistoria: kuvaa mavazi ya jinsia tofauti. Hii ilikuwa ukiukaji wazi wa jukumu lake la jinsia linalotarajiwa, na inaweza kuwa ilivyoelezwa na baadhi kama <unk>sodomy<unk> <unk> ambayo ilikuwa karibu na uzushi. """Muda mfupi uliopita niliona madai (kwa kusikitisha, sina kiungo) kwamba sababu halisi ya kesi yake na utekelezaji wake ilikuwa hii cross-dressing." "Kama ni hivyo, yeye ni shahidi wa kwanza wa Kikristo tunajua ambaye aliuawa, si tu kwa sababu ya kuwa mashoga, lakini kwa sababu ya jinsi alivyojieleza.""" Hata hivyo, bila shaka kuna mwisho mzuri: baadaye alirekebishwa, na kupewa utakatifu. Sasa fikiria maadili ya wazi kwa sisi kama Wakristo wa GLBT leo. Joan alikuwa na "maono", maono ya Maria. Pia kuna aina nyingine za maono, baadhi ya zaidi ya kawaida, zaidi ya kisiasa, ya Martin Luther King <unk>I have a dream<unk>. Katika maana hii, wengi wetu pia tuna maono, ndoto, ya kuingizwa na kukubaliwa kwa usahihi katika makanisa ya Kikristo, ambapo tunahusika na kila mtu mwingine, kwa nguvu ya ahadi za Kristo. Joan alinyanyaswa na wenye mamlaka wa kanisa, akahukumiwa na kuuawa. Sisi si (moja kwa moja) kutekelezwa na kanisa leo, lakini sisi ni hakika kuhukumiwa na kukandamizwa, labelled kama <unk>kimsingi disordered<unk>, na aliiambia kwamba kama sisi tu kuishi kweli katika ngono yetu ya Mungu-kupewa,sisi ni kufanya <unk>dhambi kubwa<unk>. "Kwa kushindwa wazi kuchukua msimamo mkali dhidi ya sheria za kiraia na marufuku, kama vile kushindwa kusaini azimio la Umoja wa Mataifa juu ya kuondolewa kwa uhalifu wa ushoga mapema mwaka huu, Kanisa linaunga mkono kwa njia isiyo ya moja kwa moja baadhi ya nguvu ambazo zinatafuta kwa bidii kifo chetu. """ Lakini mwishowe, alithibitishwa kuwa mwenye haki. Bado hatujaona maendeleo hayo, lakini nina hakika yatakuja. Inahitajika na Injili ya ujumuishaji na haki ya kijamii, pia inahitajika na mantiki ya ndani ya theolojia. "Alison James anasema: ""Katika muda, theolojia italazimika kukabiliana na ushahidi wa wazi wa sayansi kwamba mahusiano ya jinsia moja si ya asili, ni ya kawaida tu." Zimetokea katika historia yote, katika jamii nyingi, na katika ufalme wote wa wanyama. Wataalamu wa dini watakuwa na muda mrefu wa kukutana nao, lakini watafanya hivyo, na sisi pia tutathibitishwa kuwa waadilifu. St. Joan of Arc na jamii ya queer: tuna mengi ya kawaida. <unk>! <unk>! [CDATA[ // <! "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A ya Q&A." - Trans katika Imani: Baadhi ya Watakatifu na Wafia Imani Wanaovalia Mavazi ya Ng'ambo. - Ili tusisahau: Majivu ya wafia imani wetu Makala zinazohusiana mahali pengine: - <unk>Akili ni kanuni ya juu zaidi<unk> (The Wild Reed)