About The Mardi Gras Project
Welcome to Mardi Gras!
There were two questions that started this project for me: “What does queer inclusion and the queer relationship with the church look like across different cultures?” and “Why is the Sydney Pride Parade referred to as ‘Mardi Gras?’” The second question has a simple answer that I will explore in my first blog post but it also has greater implications for the first question. In reflecting on this theme of Mardi Gras, my mind kept returning to the way in which the church atmosphere changes throughout the liturgical calendar and how queer people grow in their own development and relation with the world. These are themes that I hope to learn as I travel across Europe.
Within my trip, I will be attending the Amsterdam Pride, Antwerp Pride, and Copenhagen Pride, all on my way to attending the World Methodist Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. My ultimate goal is to explore the themes of Pride throughout cultures, especially non-white, non-European cultures such as the Pride events in Taiwan, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa while also exploring places known for their Pride events like the one in New York, USA, Madrid, Spain, Thessaloniki, Greece, and, of course, Sydney, Australia. These first few Pride events are merely the ones most easily accessible to me and it is my hope that they will serve as a catalyst for further learning.
As I write about my reflections, my observations, and my emotional reaction, it is my hope that my posts take many forms such as testimonies from those I meet, poetry, different forms of liturgy, and reflections on different moments in the liturgical calendar and their intersection with queer development. I will touch on different aspects of my identity that shape my experience and influence my writing. Throughout June and July, I plan to post reflections on what I hope my project will look like as well as reflections on the theme of Pride, queer liberation, and theological reflections on the queer experience. Throughout August, I will post photos, observations, reflections, and any creative work that comes from my travels as I work my way through different countries leading to Sweden. After I return, I will post more cohesive reflections on my experiences and plans for ways I wish to learn more and how I can achieve that in the future.
It is my hope that this can be a resource for queer people seeking affirmation and empowerment as well as Christians seeking to learn more about the queer community. For those queer Christians like me, I hope that you will be able to join me in connecting to our spirituality and sharing our experiences together. I hope to provide a space for you all to share your stories as well as we all seek to grow and learn in community together.
Queerly Beloved,
Alexander
