Emma Cieslik's Queer and Catholic Oral History Project

Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

I sit down with public historian Emma Cieslik (she/her) to hear all about her Queer and Catholic Oral History Project, supported by the Pacific School of Religion.

For Emma, the word catholic is truly "universal" — she's interviewed Roman Catholics and folk Catholics, ex-Catholics and "it's complicated" Catholics, queer religious and lay folk. In documenting these diverse perspectives, Emma is preserving the beautiful breadth of queer Catholic stories and gifts so that no one can claim they don't exist.

⁠Click here to view the project's webpage⁠. For links to other articles and projects Emma mentions in her interview, as well as for resources on current events in Palestine, visit the episode transcript.

Find Emma on Twitter or Instagram @eocieslik. Reach out to her at [email protected] or [email protected].

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Talking Points:

• (0:00) Opening remarks
• (2:27) Emma's background: Raised Catholic with Purity Movement influence; museum studies focused on accessibility and storytelling
• (7:44) The draw to oral history — prioritizes telling marginalized people’s stories in their own words
• (11:04) Support from Bernard Schlager and the Pacific School of Religion; interviewing ex Catholics, a seminarian and a trans priest, members of various ethnic Catholic churches…
• (27:22) Outreach Conference panel: highlighting the unique experiences of queer Catholic women
• (29:30) More on emphasizing the many ways one can be Catholic; Catholic influences in mainstream culture
• (35:15) Appropriation vs. appreciation vs. reclaiming Catholic imagery & traditions
• (42:52) Queer Catholics drawn to Santa Muerte — knowing what it’s like to live with death
• (51:25) Wrapping up

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn.

Find more episodes & resources at blessedarethebinarybreakers.com.