This list contains various books, articles, church statements, and more that can help us all understand the relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and the Church. We are sharing these resources because we believe they can be helpful for dialogue and understanding, and because of the breadth and depth of these resources, some links may contain content that could contradict current Catholic teaching. The parish does not endorse the positions of any of these organizations or resources.
Bellarmine in the news: Gaudete feature in Outreach
- Coming Home to Catholicism and to Self – created by the Human Rights Campaign, this guide focuses on LGBTQ American Catholics who hope to lead their faith communities toward a more welcoming stance, and those seeking a path back to their beloved tradition
- Coming Out Catholic – U.S. Catholic
- How to navigate the holidays: Tips for LGBTQ Catholics
- Lighthouse Resource Guide for LGBTQ Young Adults
- List of LGBTQ-Friendly Parishes and Faith Communities – created by New Ways Ministries, this list includes Bellarmine Chapel as an LGBTQ-friendly parish in the Cincinnati area
- List of LGBTQ-friendly Catholic colleges and universities – includes Xavier University
Start by reading Building a Bridge by Fr. James Martin, SJ.
Books for parents
- Always My Child: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, or Questioning Son or Daughter by Kevin Jennings
- Fortunate Families: Catholic Families With Lesbian Daughters And Gay Sons by Mary Ellen Lopata
- Are There Closets in Heaven?: A Catholic Father and Lesbian Daughter Share Their Story by Carol and Robert Curoe
- The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate by Jeannie Gainsburg
- Five things every Catholic parent should know if their child comes out — Outreach
This Remarkable Gift: Being Gay and Catholic by Maurice Shinnick
Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for Lgbtq+ Christian Teens by Leigh Finke
Testimony from a transgender Catholic woman
Understanding Church Teaching on LGBTQ+ Identities *note: Some of these statements can be triggering for some members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies*
- God is on Your Side: Statement from Catholic bishops on protecting LGBTQ+ youth
- “What is the official church teaching on homosexuality?” by Fr. James Martin, SJ from America: The Jesuit Review (April 6, 2018)
- Next Steps from New Ways Ministry (August 2020)
- Human Rights Campaign – Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
- Catechism of the Catholic Church Sections 2357-2359
- Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers by the USCCB (1997) (Note: Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, while the General Secretary of the USCCB, approved this document)
- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Homosexuality Resource Page
- Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (1986)
- Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons by the Congregation fo the Doctrine of the Faith, under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (2003)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Local Organizations
Catholics Embracing ALL God’s Children – A support group for parents of LGBTQ+ individuals in Northern Kentucky. Contact Ed Buechel.
Fortunate Families – A national organization of Catholic parents with LGBTQ+ children supporting others to affirm, celebrate and seek equality for their families.
Godspace – A spiritual community and space of welcome and belonging who come together to explore faith and build connection through small groups, social events, prayer, and community service.
LGBTQ+ Alliance at Xavier University – Identity and advocacy group for college students at Xavier University.
Transform Cincy – Provides free wardrobes, head to toe, for transgender and gender non-conforming youth in Cincinnati.
National Organizations
DignityUSA: National organization that works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities in the Catholic Church and the world through education, advocacy, and support
Equally Blessed: A coalition of all four major US Catholic LGBTQ+ organizations
GLAAD: GLAAD ensures fair, accurate, and inclusive representation that rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change.
Global Network of Rainbow Catholics: The ‘Global Network of Rainbow Catholics’ connects Catholic LGBTQ+ groups internationally.
New Ways Ministry: National organization that educates and advocates for justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics and reconciliation within the larger Church and civil communities
Outreach,- An LGBTQ Catholic Resource website from America Media
Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
Nonfiction
- Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay by Fr. James Alison
- Family of Origin, Family of Choice: Stories of Queer Christians by Katie Hays and Susan Chiasson
- God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
- God’s Works Revealed by Sam Albano
- The Church and the Homosexual by John J. McNeill – published in 1976, the first comprehensive critique of the Catholic Church’s teaching on LGBTQ+ relationships
- Hidden Voices: Confessions of a Gay, Catholic Priest by Gary Meier
- Hidden Mercy by Michael J. O’Loughlin
- The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers by Mark Gevisser
- Love Tenderly: Sacred Stories of Lesbian and Queer Religious edited by Grace Surdovel
- Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith by Mihee Kim-Kort
- Unashamed: A Coming Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians by Amber Cantorna
Pastoral
- Amoris Laetitia by Pope Francis
- Top 10 Takeaways from Amoris Laetitia by America: The Jesuit Review
- Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic School Perspective by Michael J. Bayly
- Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with Lgbtq+ Christian Youth by Leigh Finke
Academic
- All Things to All People: The Catholic Church Confronts the AIDS Crisis by Mark R. Kowalewski
- Sexual Diversity and Catholicism: Toward the Development of Moral Theology by Patricia Beattie Jung
- Sexual Ethics: A Theological Introduction by Todd A. Salzman and Michael G. Lawler
- Rainbow Theology: Bridging Race, Sexuality, and Spirit by Patrick S. Cheng
Films
- 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture
- A Secret Love (2020) on Netflix
- Building a Bridge (2021) Father James Martin and Martin Scorsese
- For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
- For They Know Not What They Do (2019)
- The New Black (2013) – about the black community and LGBTQ marriage equality
- Pray Away (2021) on Netflix
- We’re Here (2022) HBOMax
- Wonderfully Made – LGBTQ+R(eligion)
Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity by Father James Martin, SJ
Where is the Place for Devout Gay Families in the Church? by Emma Green from The Atlantic (October 2015)
Father James Alison, a publicly gay priest, testimony:
- Facing Down the Wolf from Commonweal Magazine (June 2020)
- Fr. James Alison Tells the Story Behind the Phone Call from the Pope from New Ways Ministry (December 2019)
- An Interview with James Alison from Commonweal Magazine. (March 2012)
AIDS and the Hidden Church by Michael J. O’Laughlin from The Revealer (June 2020)
What the Church is Doing to Welcome LGBT Catholics by J.D. Long-Garcia from America: The Jesuit Review (June 2020)
Pride and Prejudice: A history of the relationship between LGBTQ Catholics and the Church by Elizabeth Lefebvre and Kristen Hannum from US Catholic (April 2018)
Stonewall’s Jubilee: A Time for Joyous Prayer by Francis DeBernardo from New Ways Ministries (June 2019) 50 years of Stonewall’s influence
The Case for Why Catholics Should March in LGBT Pride Parades by John Gehring from The Washington Post (June 2019)
What Does a Church Open to LGBT Catholics Look Like by Fr. James Martin, SJ from America: The Jesuit Review (August 2019)
LGBTQ Ministry is for the Good of All by Fr. Bryan Massingale from US Catholic (August 2020)
Spirituality interview with drag queen Eureka O’Hara
Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church by Michael O’Loughlin of America: The Jesuit Review
Tabard Inn from Vine & Fig
Queerology by Matthias Robert
Jesuitical from America Media – has some episodes focused on LGBTQ+ issues