You can try – Here is why it is an exercise in futility that will ultimately fail.
David the Queer king of Israel
A loud parade, music blasting, flags flying, at the front a king in drag, clad in flimsy white linen twirling and twerking, exposed skin. Bare buttocks and a dangling cock. Dignitaries and religious leaders watching aghast. Praying that this undignified display would just go away.
High up in a palace window Michal, daughter of Saul, wife of David – the king – watching the spectacle despising the king for his lack of decorum.
Like every voice ever raised against pride the dignitaries, religious leaders even family members feel that this raucous celebration is a disgrace, an affront to civilized society.
Pray as they might for the nuisance to end it is to no avail as the celebration is not just in the honour of, but incited by the divine spirit. In fact, if they would turn to heart filled prayer they might feel inclined to join the spectacle.
When asked by his wife, why he cavorts in front of the people and the maids like any vulgar man, The flustered King replies – for god, for love – I’ll become even more undignified than this.
Queering Pentecost
The murmur of fervent prayer of a few devout Jews is heard from the upper room. It is not an unusual scene in Jerusalem. Suddenly the sounds of roaring winds, visions of flames and the murmur crescendos into loud shouting, undulating sounds of wild arousing.
Down on the street the good people of Jerusalem are shaking their heads, not so silently judging the party for getting plastered to early in the day…
Pray as they might for this over the top display, it is to no avail as the ruckus is caused by the divine spirit.
Ignition
The wild event that takes place in the name of god is a burning inferno, a wild and raucous celebration with little care for decorum, religious, cultural or social codes.
It burns, it twirls, it twerks. It is indecently exposing our deepest taboos, beckoning our bodies to dance, our throats to sing and our spirits to elated celebration.
Prayer is the connecting of the flint to steel, sending the spark that ignites our souls.
The wildfire of divine Eros cannot be controlled or constricted.
Prayer is Queering YOU
The most significant aspect of prayer is that the primary function is to transform the self that prays. In the meeting with the divine the self is transfigured and transformed into new fabulous colours and shapes. It transgresses religious, cultural and sexual boundaries and queers the praying subject in a delightfully divine fashion.
Blasphemy, Blaspheryou, Blasfereverybody
If I were to borrow a page out of the Evangelical playbook, Praying the Gay Away is akin to blasphemy of the holy spirit. It is calling something divine – evil.
You might as well go on and pray that all zebras turn brown – like “normal” horses – or that every brown eyed persons eyes turn blue.
We’re Here, We’re Queer
Get used to it, get on board, pray for a little bit of rainbow-colour in your life.
Resistance is futile
Try as you might to pray the gay away, it will fail – It is an expression of the divine, it is iconic, created by the divine as an eikon of the divine splendour and glory.
