Divine Playhouse, a queer arts venue in a deconsecrated church, opened in Sydney on July 8. Christian protesters heckled attendees outside the venue, while others prayed.

The following day, after calls from fundamentalist Christian groups, the landlord issued a notice to cease operating “offensive trade”.

Divine Playhouse have been forced to close the venue and postpone events while they seek legal options.

Both the church venue and the performers’ parodic engagement with Catholic rituals – such as “Sunday Mess” and performative “exorcisms” – caused offence.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a long history of queer performers and church spaces interacting in ways that support both communities.

Queer art questioning the church

Parody, pastiche and camp irony are used in queer performance to reclaim what has historically marginalised queer and trans people.

Given the challenges of reconciling LGBTQIA and religious identities, queer art often playfully critiques organised religion.

San Francisco’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, drag queen nuns who satirize Catholicism as protest performance, was founded in 1979. Big Gay Church have used performance to intervene in academic education conferences in the United States to question how religious teachings impact student attitudes towards queerness. And queer performances questioning religion are an established part of Australia’s arts........

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