Jesus is condemned to death and “faggot” first appears in print in Station 1 from “Stations of the Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality” by Mary Button, courtesy of Believe Out Loud
1913: The word "faggot" is first used in print in reference to gays in a vocabulary of criminal slang published in Portland, Oregon. The drawings in this station come from the cover of one such dictionary of slang.
Mini-commentary by Kittredge Cherry:
Putting the death sentence of Jesus with the first use of "faggot" reveals a harsh truth: Words are often the first step on the continuum of violence. In the beginning was the word.
When I was growing up, the word "queer" was just as insulting as "faggot," but now queer has been reclaimed... Resurrection is coming.
“Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality” is a new set of 14 paintings that link the crucifixion of Jesus with the sufferings of LGBT people.
Artist Mary Button painted the LGBT Stations series for Believe Out Loud, an online network empowering Christians to work for LGBT equality. They invite churches and faith groups to download and use the images for free.
The whole series will also be shown here at the Jesus in Love Blog this week. Click here for an overview of the LGBT Stations by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and art historian.