Ep. 7: Sacred Remains: Traces of Queer Spirit
"I had to come out to my religious community as gay and then I had to come out to the gay community as clergy. Both of those had bumps and understandably so. I never take it personally, you know, if someone pushes back on my vocation because it's not about me, it's about their experience and I know that. But when I'm in like very queer spaces, I have checked myself on like, well maybe I just don't bring up what I do. And I've been trying to not do that." -Michael Fick, pastor at Ebenezer Lutheran Church
Lutherans Concerned
Lutherans Concerned was founded in June 1974 at the University of Minnesota. It was born of the desire for gay Lutherans to discuss their sexual orientation and relationship to society and the church.
The goal was that the resulting conversation would be brought to the church, and the church would have the opportunity to respond, ideally becoming a less oppressing place for them. Chapter groups were set up in major cities - the Chicago chapter met at Hyde Park Lutheran church.
The organization still exists today as ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation.
Congregation Or Chadash
Or Chadash was the first LGBTQ+ synagogue in the city of Chicago, starting in 1975. It began as a support group for gay members, holding religious services beginning in 1976. In 2016 it merged with Temple Sholom and became a monthly service for the LGBTQ+ community.
"...I think it's really significant that you can say: 'Hey, we have all of these prayers that have been said for the last 2000 years by almost every Jew and the same melodies. But what if we change the translation? How does that make it more relevant to us without changing the history of that prayer?'" -Sharon, volunteer archivist at Gerber/Hart
Norman Sandfield
(September 27, 1945 - June 11, 2025)
Norman Sandfield was deeply influential in the Chicago LGBT+ and Jewish communities. He was even featured in the Chicago History Museum’s OUT in Chicago exhibition.
Norman loved to collect queer-themed items, especially pins and button badges. Featured here are just a few items from his rainbow collection that spans from stickers to home décor to collectibles.
AIDS activism was a cause Norman supported in multiple ways, fromparticipating in AIDS runs, walks, and rides to making it understood by the greater Jewish community. He championed acceptance and awareness and supported the NAMES Project.
Being active in the Jewish community was also a defining element of Norman’s life. He was a long-time member and board member of Or Chadash, the first LGBT+ synagogue in the city of Chicago.
(Text written by Sharon Levy for Norman Sandfield's memorial library display, July - October 2025)
Dignity
Now known as DignityUSA, it is the world’s oldest Catholic organization for LGBTQ+
ministry and advocacy. Founded by Augustinian priest Father Patrick Nidorf in 1969, Dignity became a lay-led group when a bishop order Fr. Pat to stop his ministry in 1971. In 1986, a document published by the Vatican banned Dignity from meeting in Catholic spaces.
The group provides worship services, socials, and community service programs for LGBTQ+ Catholics. In 2015 DignityUSA helped found the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics to meet the needs of international LGBTQ+ parishoners.
RFD Magazine & the Radical Fairy Movement
RFD is the journal for “country queers,” focusing on rural living and alternative
lifestyles. It started in 1974 and is still being published today.
The name “RFD” originally was a reference to the abbreviation for “Rural Free Delivery.” The words represented by “R,” “F,” and “D” changed regularly, but the name that stuck the strongest is “Radical Faerie Digest”. The publication has been the de-facto journal of the Radical Faerie Movement since 1979.
Starting in 1978, the Radical Faerie Movement is a blend of secular spiritualism, nature-centered paths of worship, and counter-culture, giving gay men a space to celebrate queerness and spirituality.
"We manifest in the community as fabulous drag nuns and guards, and we spread joy. We remind people that they are born perfect, that they should feel free to live their life free from guilt and shame with peace in their heart. We dress up the way that we do to give others space. We can look like this. Then you have the freedom to go out into the world being who you are as you are." - Reverend Sister Merry Mae-King of the Second City Sisters.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of queer and trans nuns. They first appeared in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979. Their organization is devoted to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, promoting human rights, respect for diversity, and spiritual englightement. They use “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency, and guilt that chain the human spirit.” Chicago’s order is called the “Second City Sisters Abbey of the Irreverent Bean.”
Paula Walowitz
(September 16, 1952 - May 23, 2018)
Paula Walowitz was a Chicago-based singer songwriter, therapist, and activist. She was a
regular at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse from the 1970s to 1990s. She was also an astrologer and had a long-running astrology column in Nightspots. Her wife Jean donated Paula’s materials to Gerber/Hart, including a small goddess statue and ritual rattle.