Church in a gay bar: Queer Chicagoans find ways to merge religion and identity
CHICAGO - The second Tuesday of every month, Affirming Worship holds church in Atmosphere, an Andersonville gay bar. The organization, founded in March 2019 by Kelly Ravenscraft, 22, and Michael McBride, 38, works against what a traditional Christian might think of as Mass. It's a space for queer individuals in the Chicago area to discover or rediscover faith, separate from a church in which they may feel uncomfortable. It is, Ravenscraft said, a sacred space, but made so by the members within it.
The format is left intentionally open: Ravenscraft and other organizers perform music and invite attendees to share their stories. Rainbow colors flash across singers' faces; the bass player wears a T-shirt: "Conversion Therapy Dropout." A pride flag hangs against the brick wall, and Joshua Hundl, a drag performer, wears a dress that says "God is gay, nonbinary, pan, queer." Ravenscraft steps up to the mic after the first song, smiles.
'A QUEER PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD'
The common narrative, one Affirming Worship works against, is that queerness and faith are disparate. Hundl said that this easy story defies
