Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity
edited by
G. Winston James &
Lisa
C. Moore
In Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity, more than 40 writers address the question of how we, as same-gender-loving black people, affirm ourselves as sexual and spiritual people. These sacred narratives are a canon for our survival—holy texts proclaiming the divinity of our lives, the righteousness of our love, and the sanctity of our being. Spirited is a must-read for those on a journey toward spiritual and self-acceptance.
ISBN-10: 0-9656659-3-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-9656659-3-3
Specs: Softcover,
391 pp.
Price: $16.95
Pub. Date: April 2006
Cover art copyright © 2004 by Janet Nicholson
Cover design: E.M. Corbin
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Praise for Spirited:
AMEN. Kudos to RedBone Press for compiling a book of Black GLBT writers who do one better and …write from their perspective on religion and spirituality. We as a Black people have always held strong to our belief and relationship with God, but how does one reconcile that with being a part of a church that shouts that you are an abomination? It is an arduous road, but one that can be achieved and this book helps as it sets out to do what the title suggests…affirm one’s soul.
—Justin Hall, Pulse Magazine, Spring 2007
Spirited does a great job of providing examples, if not testimonies, from every possible way people interact with a higher power, God, ancestors, the earth itself or no god at all. …Of course, there are those who tell of a Judeo-Christian belief in God and/or Jesus Christ. Memphis’ own Anthony “First Lady” Hardaway tells of his lifelong affiliation with a traditional black church, the meaning to him of song in worship, and his observations of other gay men in the traditional church. There are stories of black lesbians and how they came to terms with being Christian and gay and some even becoming preachers. As we said, the term “spiritual” is used quite broadly here. …Some even tell of their spiritual roots being in voodoo, in African spiritism, or shamanism. There are Eastern religions represented as well. James and Moore have done a professional job in not censoring the definition of spirituality as expressed by the various authors.
—Family & Friends Magazine, September 2006
…In this exciting collection of essays [Spirited], readers walk alongside Black queers as they recount their paths to self-love in the context of religion and spirituality.
For those who have been told that homosexuality is “an abomination before God” ion the Black churches of their youth, it’s refreshing that Spirited features the first-person narratives of several Black lesbian Christian ministers. With sharpness and striking vulnerability, they detail their discovery that sexual minorities are not an exception to God’s love.
In many of the essays, like Clarence J. Fluker’s “A Nation Divided,” decades-old anger against homophobia in the Black Church and subsequent internalized shame for one’s queerness has now found an outlet on the page, poured through a filter of self-acceptance that revisions a God who accepts all and finally allows old wounds to heal.
Not surprisingly, many contributors to the volume have gone in search of and claimed spiritual traditions outside of mainstream Black Christianity, including Buddhism, New Thought, Shamanism, Vodun and Yoruba. These mostly intriguing narratives of healing practices that honor the Black queer’s search for authentic spiritual expression widen commonly held perceptions about Black religious practice in the United States.
… Spirited is successful in helping strip away yet another layer of forced silence and shame from Black same-gender-loving people. … Ultimately in Spirited, all roads lead to self-blessing. “Coming out,” as Rev. Beverly Saunders Biddle describes in her essay “Answering the Call,” is not just about coming out as queer, it is about coming into one of the gifts of the spiritual life: a complete self love.
—Beandrea Davis, ColorLines, May-June 2007
If you could see my copy of Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity you would probably think that I have little admiration for books and that I treat them haphazardly. The page corners are crinkled and marked for future dialogue/debate. I have read it straight through several times, sharing stories with friends and colleagues in ministry/activism work.
I read this book hearing, tasting and feeling my own life’s journey, along with others I have ministered to on many occasions. I read the parts of individuals finding their path to becoming clergy; I read in fascination, hurt, anger, and am delighted they discovered their path to freedom and their God. I have suggested this book to be a topic of discussion at churches and book reading groups. It is a book I plan on giving as a gift to enlighten, heal and liberate all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, class or age.
I believe that through your writing you are healers and teachers, preparing the way for advocating change today and in the future. Your ability to make complex truths come alive on the pages is very much appreciated and needed. It tells our stories that so often go untold and/or unnoticed in larger society.
—Sherri Jackson, Minister/Activist, 1/22/07
Co-edited by poet G. Winston James and RedBone founder Lisa C. Moore (also the editor of the acclaimed does your mama know?), Spirited features smart, conversational essays, a couple of interviews and even a high-energy Sunday sermon (“It’s Time! Esther 4:14” by Amina M. Binta). For those who continue to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, the anthology will offer comfort and, yes, spiritual and sexual affirmation. Most of the essays are by Bible-savvy, Christian-identified lesbian/gay/bi writers. Good Book chapter and verse citations are abundant, and the Lord is continually praised. But the rare-to-read idea that one can be same-gender loving and “still be saved” nobly persists. Time and time again, contributors remind us that we are all created in God’s image, and moreover, that God is Love.
Of course, as a recovering Christian, I was most moved by testimonials penned by African Americans on a more nontheistic path to spiritual evolution. In Mona de Vestel’s “Buddha on the Land,” the biracial author recounts how her introduction to Nichiren Buddhism at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival leads her to self-acceptance, and to her long-lost sister! There are also essays by a self-proclaimed heathen, a Wiccan, a shaman, and one woman who unabashedly fuses Tao and Voodoo. In “Testify: A Spiritual Trek to Irawo Omi,” Candomble practitioner Michaela Harrison writes intimately and flawlessly about finding her spiritual family in Brazil. In “interlude #21: the Road to Higher Power,” sassy folk-poet Sharon Bridgforth shares free verse about her battle with alcoholism, and praises her Yoruba spirits for their help during a cervical cancer scare. Her tone is alternately poignant and whimsical, a common occurrence in this anthology.
Spirited is truly ground-breaking and necessary. Certain sections merit multiple reads. If you’re looking for spiritual anecdotes, the names of churches/religions that will welcome you, or just an un-cracked mirror of inspiration and empowerment, get a copy now.
—Lenelle Moise, Velvet Park Magazine, No. 12 (Fall/Winter 2007)
Over the past couple of years, there has been an increase in publications speaking to the spiritual lives of lesbians and gay men... Leading the pack is a superb collection edited by G. Winston James and Lisa Moore: Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity. Given its power within African-American culture, it is not surprising that the Black church is a strong undercurrent running throughout this collection. Against this backdrop—and often times reacting to or against it—Moore and James have drawn together a rich and varied collection of personal stories of coming to spirituality. In addition to Christianity, authors write of Buddhism, Shamanism, Vodun, heathenism, Wicca and returning to traditional African spirituality. This is an affirming and positive collection—an ideal read for anyone moving toward self-acceptance or looking to deepen their spiritual understanding.
—Ashé Journal, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 2007)
Spirited provides heartfelt, sometimes heart wrenching, and soul-full personal accounts of what it is like to be religious/spiritual, black, and gay or lesbian. Conflicts, racism, homophobia, and confusion abound when one has one foot in the black church and another in the LGBT community, and the spiritual narratives from writers, clergy, and worshippers beautifully navigate these waters while celebrating God’s love. This collection, like Moore's first book Does Your Mama Know? An Anthology of Black Lesbian Coming Out Stories is a rich tapestry of analysis, poetry, love, and spirit.
—Suzanne Corson, Books to Watch Out For, August 2006
Whatever your religious persuasion—Jehovah’s Witness, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic, Wiccan—there’s something here [in Spirited] for everyone. …this is a valuable book, especially for members of churches where the war on gays and lesbians is waged weekly.
—Thom Nickels, Lambda Book Report, Summer 2006
Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity is a compilation of personal accounts in the fight for spiritual freedom. …[It] is an uplifting collection of short stories that most can relate to in some way. …Whether you are looking to spend an hour or only fifteen minutes, Spirited is the kind of read to start your day positively and provide the soul with the affirmations required for the heart to thrive.
—Alana Ramirez, The BASU Source, September 2006
This collection of 40 plus essays attempts to give black homosexuals a spiritual voice, and succeeds. Packed full of powerful words and artistic diatribes (sometimes crossing the border to poetic verse), the essays are mostly an inviting look into many different lives. Spirited is a good resource for anyone seeking to reconcile homosexuality with God.
—Bay Windows, May 4, 2006
In Spirited, many of the black gay people of faith nationwide who remain in (or visit) houses of worship with predominantly heterosexual African-American congregations speak defiantly about the silence they still are expected to embrace about their homosexuality. [They] seem clear about their right to praise a higher power and be openly gay.
—Washington Blade, May 25, 2006
The need to confront the unsettling homophobia of most black churches toward queer African-Americans—“resident aliens in a black religious culture,” Rev. Irene Monroe writes in her introduction—is the thread that ties together this meaty, spirited celebration of religion and the self. Linda Villarosa’s account of being branded a sinner by sanctimonious churchgoers sums up the anger and pain of many of the 43 contributors; H.L. Sudler’s account of how he learned to distinguish between a good God and a spiteful church defines the desire of many of the authors to find a safe way to faith. Some of the writers realize spiritual succor outside of Christianity, in Native American shamanism, in Caribbean voodoo, in Buddhism, in the Yoruba spirit of maternal nurturing, in Wicca, and even—for Tracee Ford—in self-defining as a heathen. The canon of books in which lesbians and gays righteously and rightfully reclaim participation in a wholesome, holy life is mightily enriched by this soulful anthology.
—Richard Labonte, BookMarks, June 5, 2006
