New and Old Queer Frontiers – Redefining Sacred Space by John Erickson

Queer.  Sacred.  Profane. Bar Culture.

One might not easily associate all four of those words in the same category, but Dr. Marie Cartier, a Professor at California State University Northridge, has crossed numerous boundaries in her search for the sacred in the pre-Stonewall Butch-Femme/Gay Women’s bar culture in twentieth century America.

A radical queer pioneer in the fields of both Women’s and Queer Studies in Religion, Marie has become a hero of mine during my time at Claremont Graduate University and in my personal journey as a male queer scholar in these fields.

As an activist, Marie has concentrated a majority of her work on activism and its involvement in shaping one’s identity as well as the world in which we occupy.  Although the majority of Marie’s work concentrated on her personal interactions with butch, femme, and gay women, her interactions are transcending from being strictly personal to digital.

Unable to find the language to describe Marie’s topic, she coined the new term Theelogy.  Theelogy is a religion of friendship or way for gay people who were alive during the pre-Stonewall period to view their lives as having sacred meaning during that period even if all they did was “go to a gay bar.” The word puts more meaning on that activity than has previously been ascribed to it.

Below is an interview I conducted with Marie throughout a period of personal interactions to open up the discussion relating to theelogy and its important contribution to both the fields of Women’s and Queer Studies in Religion.

John: What is “theelogy” and how does it open up new avenues in queer scholarship in religion?

Marie: Theelogy is a religion of friendship or way for gay people who were alive during the pre-Stonewall period to view their lives as having sacred meaning during that period even if all they did was “go to a gay bar.” It puts more meaning on that activity than has previously been ascribed to it.  Since gay people were considered the nation’s highest security risk, mentally ill, felons and sinners in all major and minor religions—the gay bar became more than a bar for them. It became a place where they could perhaps for the only time– know that they could first be a friend, and also have friends. I created “theelogy” from the words “thee” — as in the line from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “How do I love thee? Let me count the way,”  and “logy”—or “word of.” We think of “theology” as “God” and “word of”—word of God. But, since gay people prior to 1975, or pre-Stonewall were considered sinners in all major and minor religions (with the exception perhaps of the newly formed in 1968 by Rev. Troy Perry the gay friendly Metropolitan Community Church) they didn’t have access to the word of God—yet. They were exiled from the word of God. But the gay bar, as it was the only accepting public space (accepting—among the community itself, even though very dangerous—i.e., regularly raided by police, etc.) was a place where gay people could do the first step in finding meaning—they could begin to create community.

John:  What got you interested in studying Butch-Femme/Gay Women’s bar culture and community?

Marie: I became interested in studying this from the point of view as part of the community myself. In 1997 I premiered a play, Ballistic Femme, about myself coming into butch-femme identity and struggling with being attracted to it as well as having issues with it as a feminist—but clearly being attracted to it—and butch women! The play premiered at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. It then went on to productions in Denver, San Francisco and upstate New York as well as other venues in Los Angeles, among them UCLA. It was a very contemporary play about at the time contemporary issues within the lesbian late 90’s community—and the end of “sex wars,” among sex positive feminists as they were called, among those would be leather dykes and butch femme lesbians and lesbian feminists. I was in both camps and that was what my play was about.

However in San Francisco the lighting designer came up to me – right before a show—and said, “You don’t talk at all about the history!” And I was literally walking on stage at that point—literally. I stepped back from the opening to the stage and again literally stage whispered to her,, “And I’m not going to do it now!!” But after that night I did some research and I incorporated a section into the program that “Queen Ezmeralda” (a character in my show) recommended that you “Read More About It”—like they used to have at the end of PBS programs, etc. And I also “read more about it”—and realized that this whole “butch femme thing” that I was dealing with in late 1997 actually had this amazing rich history that I knew nothing about!! So I started learning about it.

When I entered the Ph.D. program at Claremont I was still also performing my show and the very beginning research that I had done was the basis for my very first research paper. Dr. Anne Taves wrote in the margin of that paper in 1998 that this subject could be the basis for my thesis for my Masters in Religion…and the rest is herstory!

John:  How has your activism influenced your work?

Marie: Activism, or the movement for social change has influenced me greatly.  I have been an activist in many movements for social change and the need to do that has influenced almost every decision I have made—both academically and artistically.

John: A professor once told me that I had to choose to be either an traditional academic or an activist but I could not marry the two.  Do you believe that academics can be both activists and academics?

Marie:  Yes, because I am one. In fact I believe that by definition academics and professors are activist. There really is not something that is inherently more activist than influencing another through teaching.

John:  Is it our duty to be activists in order to create the type of change that we want to see in the world in our writing?

Marie: Almost a leading question! My answer would be yes, at least it has been true for me. But the movements that I am currently involved in— among them Amnesty International, and the Occupy movement, gay and lesbian equality issues and feminism –especially freedom of choice for women—would attest to that more directly. I believe social change starts form the ground up. When we are on the ground we have to stand up. I have been on the ground in many ways – and I have chosen to stand up and to help those around me stand up. I always tell my students—it may not happen in your life time, but selfishly it feels better for me to fight for my rights than to lay down and play dead. Susan B. Anthony did not get to vote in her life time, but I think selfishly she felt better fighting for suffrage than just sitting around complaining about it or worse letting it eat her up inside and being silent. I definitely subscribe to the ACTUP MOTTO—“silence EQUALS DEATH.”

Adrienne Rich wrote, “I have to cast my lot with those who, age after age, with no extraordinary power reconstitute the world.” I agree with that, and I live by it. And—I don’t think that I have extraordinary power obviously—I associate mostly with folks who do the same thing. I come from that school of feminist thought where you “push or pull or get out of the way.” And I have chosen to push or pull mostly –rather than get out of the way.

John: What influences do you hope your work and “theelogy” have on feminism, queer studies, and religion?

Marie:  Mostly I hope that people see that the bar culture pre-Stonewall is worth investigating. And this is already happening as I am asked to collaborate on projects that investigate the bar culture in ways that has not happened before. I mentioned that I am presenting with Dr. Wendy Griffin at the upcoming Pagan Conference at Claremont in February,  and we are looking at how the structure I created – theelogy– can be used to look at the women’s land movement as possibly a movement towards sacrality.

I also believe that many women that migrated to women’s land were coming from bar culture as many of the women were lesbians who went onto women’s or womyn’s land and that became a space for them—and prior to that for most lesbians the only space would have been the gay bar.

So I am looking for investigations into theelogy—the idea of creating sacrality through an examination of space. But mostly I want to present a prism through which we can see the gay women’s bar culture as having a deeper meaning than it has before. And on personal note I want to re-frame the lives of my informants—so that they themselves can view their pasts with perhaps deeper meaning than they have before.

John: What shifts have you seen in feminist and queer communities being online now?

Marie:  The biggest shift for me is how much activism takes place online. And how much networking and how important social networking is. I did not have a Facebook account until about 8 months ago and just in that short of a time I cannot imagine conducting business—especially the business of being an activist—without it! That’s scary—but it’s true.

John:  One last question: How important is blogging and blogs like Feminism and Religion that bring about scholars and activists from diverse backgrounds?

Marie: Well, considering that we are conducting our conversations more on-line than as my wife says in “face time” I think it’s very important that those of us who want to converse with each other do so in the ways we can. I personally hang out a lot at coffee shops, etc. And I think my favorite coffee shop is now my “favorite bar” in the language of theelogy—but I have to converse online to converse with many of the folks that I need to “want to stay in touch with. I am very, very proud of the Claremont flaks that I know, you among them!, who have created this amazing networking tool and I honestly feel very privileged to be part of it.

Marie Cartier is a teacher, poet, writer, healer, artist, and scholar. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of New Hampshire; an MA in English/Poetry from Colorado State University; an MFA in Theatre Arts (Playwriting) from UCLA; an MFA in Film and TV (Screenwriting) from UCLA; and an MFA in Visual Art (Painting/Sculpture) from Claremont Graduate University. She is also a first degree black belt in karate, Shorin-Ryu Shi-Do-Kan Kobayashi style. Ms. Cartier has a Ph.D. in Religion with an emphasis on Women and Religion from Claremont Graduate University.

John Erickson is a doctoral student in Women’s Studies in Religion at Claremont Graduate University.  His research interests involve an interdisciplinary approach and are influenced by his time as the director of a women’s center and active member in the GLBTQ and women’s rights movements.  His work is inspired by the intersectionality of the feminism, queer identity, and religious political and cultural rhetoric.  He is the author of the blog, From Wisconsin, with Love and can be followed on Twitter at@jerickson85.

Author: John M. Erickson

Mayor Pro Tempore John M. Erickson was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 3, 2020 with the commitment to uphold the city’s founding vision for a forward-thinking, diverse and tolerant community. Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson first planted roots in West Hollywood in 2010 when he was selected to intern for the City Council. The internship set him on a path that connected his work for social and economic justice with his passion for public service. He went on to become Council Deputy to former Mayor Abbe Land and then served as City’s Community Affairs where he advanced policies and programs to increase awareness around LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, the environment, and civic engagement. After leaving City Hall, Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson served as a Legislative Representative at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and is currently the Interim Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications, and Marketing at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. The immediate past Vice-Chair of the City’s Planning Commission, Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson’s priorities on the City Council include: overcoming COVID through sensible health practices and economic recovery; creating more affordable housing and protecting renters’ rights; reducing traffic through alternative transportation strategies, fighting climate change and making our city more sustainable; and implementing policies that make the city truly free of prejudice and welcoming to all. Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson has earned a reputation as a fearless, tenacious and effective voice for those who need one. His advocacy work includes serving a National Board member of the National Organization for Women and President of the ACLU Southern California. In 2017, he became Governor Brown’s appointee to the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and served as an organizer for both the Resist March and the historic Women’s March, Los Angeles that year. He serves on the Board of the Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson was part of the End Statute of Limitation on Rape (ERSOL) Campaign, which overturned California’s statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault in 2016. Mayor Pro Tempore Erickson received his Ph.D. in American Religious History from Claremont Graduate University and a Dual-Master’s Degree from Claremont Graduate University. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a B.A. in English and Women’s Studies.

59 thoughts on “New and Old Queer Frontiers – Redefining Sacred Space by John Erickson”

  1. John,

    Thank you for sharing this! I’ve known Marie for years now. She is my inspiration for many of the things I do as well as someone I consider to be a good friend. Thank you for bringing her work to this forum.

    Marie,

    You are amazing! You inspire me in so many ways. Thank you for all you do for the LGBT community and its engagement with religion. We definitely need you!

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  2. Hi Ivy,
    Marie’s concept of theelogy is very interesting and I believe we are working on a new formation of sacred space throughout the course of her dissertation.

    Having read it (I’m 95% done as it is 600+ pages), I must say, it will become a staple in the ways in which we define sacred, how we understand our relationships to each other and the spaces we occupy, and (more importantly) how we define ourselves.

    Thanks for the comment :)

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    1. john– a little more info about sdefining the sacred and the space we occupy….much of how i framed the discussion around sacred space was taken from philip sheldrakes’s *spaces for the sacred: places, memory and identity.* if you look at the cover of this book you will see an amazing landscape photograph. and much of the book tends to help us re-frame/re-think sacrality in terms of how we inhabit space and uses spaces such as landscape to help us wrap our minds around this concept.

      so, the idea of space helping us define our meaning and sacrality is not new– what is new is that i used the gay bar within the same paramenters as to what constitutes sacred space as sheldrake does with among other spaces, landscape spaces. because the bar is by traditional deifntion sinful (alcohol consumed, sexual connection encouraged).

      the use of the bar as sacred is highly suspect. but since gay people had ONLY the bar as common “space” then space must take on the ability to hold different meanings for the sacred– especially for gay people who had ONE public space in which to congregate– the bar. sheldrake maintains that it is by creating common history(herstory) somewhere that we begin to make a space sacred and move forward with a share history. the gay bar fits that criteria–we as gay people just have not been able to feel that this history/herstory is something that we would want to make shared history/herstory *of.* i maintain that we have a right and perhaps obligation to be proud of it.

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  3. I would like to pose that this sentence, “In fact I believe that by definition academics and professors are activist.” might be amended to say, SOME as it is my experience that many academics and professors are stridently working to control change, stop activism, squash expansion. Yes, it could be said that they are activist by suffocating students who have to run out of conformity to catch a breath, but I do not think that passive outcome gives them the honor of being called an activist.

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    1. thank you all for the comments!

      in terms of professors being activist by definiton. activism is defined as “intentional efforts to promote, impede or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change.” unfortuantely yes, some professors might direct their energies to impeding social change as you say zoe,,. squashing expansion. activism is not be definition social change activism. for me, it is. i do believe professors are activist in that we are activiely engaged in the business of promting –or impeding– change through teaching. i am actively involved in social change movements. and of course i hope that most professors are also involved in educating about social change and at the very least presenting options– but of course as you say this is not necessarily the case. it;’s a good point, zoe; i like to think of ‘activism” as being engaged in social change that is connected to movements for equlity and justice, and not impeding the progress.

      john– a little more info about sdefining the sacred and the space we occupy….much of how i framed the discussion around sacred space was taken from philip sheldrakes’s *spaces for the sacred: places, memory and identity.* if you look at the cover of this book you will see an amazing landscape photograph. and much of the book tends to help us re-frame/re-think sacrality in terms of how we inhabit space and uses spaces such as landscape to help us wrap our minds around this concept.

      so, the idea of space helping us define our meaning and sacrality is not new– what is new is that i used the gay bar within the same paramenters as to what constitutes sacred space as sheldrake does with among other spaces, landscape spaces. because the bar is by traditional deifntion sinful (alcohol consumed, sexual connection encouraged).

      the use of the bar as sacred is highly suspect. but since gay people had ONLY the bar as common “space” then space must take on the ability to hold different meanings for the sacred– especially for gay people who had ONE public space in which to congregate– the bar. sheldrake maintains that it is by creating common history(herstory) somewhere that we begin to make a space sacred and move forward with a share history. the gay bar fits that criteria–we as gay people just have not been able to feel that this history/herstory is something that we would want to make shared history/herstory *of.* i maintain that we have a right and perhaps obligation to be proud of it.

      ivy– thank you for your comments and so proud of your engagement with the field and your new book!

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  4. I really liked reading this piece because it gave me a better sense of what Professor Cartier is accomplishing. I had never heard of Theelogy and I think it is great that more research is being done on Pre-Stonewall era. People still have many misconceptions about gay-bars and whatnot so I think it is important that we shed a positive light on the subject.

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    1. kim- the gay bars themselves may or may not have been positive for many folks…i don’t want to as joan nestle cautioned me to “romanticize” the gay bar pre-stonewall when it was so dangerous to be gay (and still is but more so pre-stonewall). i agree with you of course that many people have misconceptions about the gay bars and one of the ones i really wanted to challenge with my research was that the experience of going to the bar and creating community with people in the bar was a surface or “throw-away” experience for people that most of them were ashamed of.

      the truth is that the experience was deeply felt and personal and had deep meaning for many of the bar attendees–that is the positive light i am hoping to shed on the period. thank you for the comment!

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  5. Marie,
    I think that is what I loved most about the piece, taking the sinful (old) nature of the bar scene and turning it into something beautiful as well as explaining that it has been a place where LGBTQ individuals have gathered for the sacred personal experience because they might have seen it as “sinful” (if even) but in reality, to them it was always a sacred space because they all gathered in community.

    What is sinful to normative culture may not be held in the same light to queer culture. Take a look at heteronormative culture’s response to gay pride parades. What they may call a spectacle, we call pride. (An individual once actually said to me: “Well you see, this is why straight people have such a hard time accepting LGBTQ individuals. You “show off” too much at pride parades. You create an unwanted spectacle. It hurts your cause and fight for equality”).

    Even in terms of sex, what is not normative and often times displayed only in private space in heteronormative society is often proudly displayed at LGBTQ bars,etc. I’m thinking of popular BDSM bars (the Man Hole, Oil Can, etc.) in West Hollywood or the butch/femme spaces you talk about.

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    1. yes, john– i think a slight clarification is that the pre-stonewall gay culture did not always see it as a sacred space– i am seeing it that way/ or re-fiaming the gaze on it that way. because they were exiled from the discourse of god and the sacred– they did ‘t have access to call it sacred– or to feel that way abou it. it is in retrospect, to use jennifer terry’s methodology of deviant historiography that i/we can begin to re-frame it as sacred– by looking at their praxis in that/their culture.

      but, yes, i think for may of them it was a ‘sacred” space– of course that is what theelogy is stating– but we are naming it that and framing that view and yes, i do believe it is an authentic way to view the culture.

      and, yes, totally agree with you about gay pride parades and spectacle– i think of gay pride parades as ritual– where we are co-creating something for ourselve within our commuity, not a spectacle that we ar merely re-enacting for someone else(as in your comment– staight people)– gay pride parades are not for those outside as the first audience, they are for the queer community as our infusion of pride. barbara ehrenreich has a great book on spectacle vs. ritual that i have used in this respect *dancing in the streets: a history of collective joy*

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  6. First I would like to ask John which women center are you at? I volunteer at the women’s center in downtown Los Angele’s:-)

    Professor your area of Theelogy is somewhat interesting only because I really don’t know much about it as I am now just learning and I am not of any religion as I consider myself a spiritual person who of course does believe in God. However its not really bothersome to me per se’ just the whole Facebook Fad to me is not something I personally subscribe to and I feel its a tool to distant people more than ever in communicating with each other the way we as a society should communicate in bring people together, which is face to face and the online networks have taken away from personal activism.

    Yes I realize its still a form of communication that help us in forming our thoughts and feelings we may not normally express in one on one meetings, but as our technology expands with other means of communicating, our lack of confidence and courage reduces to orally deliver our thoughts and meanings in a class setting, in public speaking and within the family unit.

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    1. hmm…i agree with you– and i am new to facebook and blogging..however the world has changed this way..and while i prefer face tocface communication– there are, as i say in the blog interview so many voices i want to connect with and in this time in our history we are connecting on line- but thanks for your comment and i do share some of your concerns

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    2. Hi Lindsey,
      I was the Public Relations Director and then the Director of the Women’s Center at my undergraduate university. I was also the first male director (2+ years) of the Women’s Advocacy Council on campus and the student representative for the Gender Equity Council on Campus.

      I am so happy you enjoyed the blog. It was a honor to see all these comments and to engage in the dialogue.

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      1. john- i was just in conversation with someone the other day at the pagan conference about whether or not men can be feminists…i actually used your life story as an example– thank you for providing one..i use the definition of “feminism is the radical notion that women are people”by gloria steinem…which of course means that if you agree to that you can be feminist..but it is great to have a life example of someone who has worked so hard for women’s rights– and is a male– to offer when asked!

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  7. I’m embarrassed to say that my knowledge in the pre-stonewall is completely new to me. I agree with Marie Cartier that hopefully people will open up and investigate more on the bar culture pre-stonewall. With the growth of new technology blogs and blogging and pretty much anything done online is the new way to reach out to people and start activists movements.
    I really enjoy reading the interview. I got a chance to learn more about Cartier’s past experiences and her great research she has brought up. Feminism and religion is just unorthodox. It is great that this is finally being talked about.
    Great piece John

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  8. This has been a wonderful post to read and John, you did a great interview on one of my favorite and absolutely inspiring professors as well as human being that I know. As I was reading in this blog, I realized how wonderful it is when we can utilize writing and space to give room for voices that may not always be heard or be given a chance to be heard. I am personally a spiritual person who doesn’t believe in religion or god, but respect and admire every human beings view and connection with what they consider is their religion, their god, their spiritual sense that gives them a deeper meaning in life. Until I took Cartiers class, I knew little, if any, about theeology and gay bar culture and she has opened an unknown but very interesting world for me.
    I admire Professor Cartier in so many ways and if its anything she inspires me to do it is to believe in a better world that can be reached by activism. We can’t sit and hope that the world will change if we don’t do anything about it. If its anything I strongly believe (almost as a religion to me) it is that one day, our world will be free from judgment, hatred, inequality, violence (especially to so many women all around the world) and everything else that is killing humanity. My view of the world is like this blog, where we accept everyone for who they are, what they believe in, whom they chose to love, whom they chose to be.

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    1. i love your comment and how you see activism as almost a religion. in process thought your active engagement with others and social change may/maynot (depending on you) be attuened to also sacred practice– as your relation itself as you say in social change issues is almost religious and creates change through relationships ou have with others and the world.

      good to converse with you on these issues, mona– you are a fabulous student and i’m very glad i will be able to work further with you this semester!

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  9. I am new at blogging and I believe I will learn a lot from Professor Cartier this semester at CSUN. Professor Cartier’s has an amazing resume! This article brings new light on my understanding the importance of activism and standing up, and finghting for our rights!

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  10. After reading this, it gave me a better understanding of Theeology and what the Gay and Lesbian community hopes to accomplish. I think the “sacred” in this is that many people, not just those who have been discriminated against because of sexual orientation, need a place to go that they can feel safe. To be around friends and those that accept them- I think that is what is Sacred.

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  11. Professor, I love that this is somewhat of a new look on the lesbian/gay culture. People don’t hear about just how hard and terrifying it was to be out pre-stonewall and it needs to be examined and explained that the bar culture provided a community for them. That light designer was brilliant to ask for the history.

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    1. great comment– ues i was really mad that the lighting designer came up to me as i was walking on stage!! but then i re-considered that it had to be very, very important for her to do so!! and in light of that i re-considered my original reaction. you’re right– she definitely got my attention and i paid attention!

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  12. This was a very insightful article because it shows that academics can also be activists. As Howard Zinn said “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” Those with the knowledge of a topic can often become empowered and to change it. I like how queers take a space and make it their own, as it is a form of liberation and a place to fight against hetero-normative stereotypical oppression. Also, with theeology, it allowed for gays and lesbians o socialize and find their own space, even if not located in a “gay bar.”

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    1. nice comment– say more about creating spaces outside of gay bars pre-stonewall– i don’t talk a lot about it in my book- but certainly it did happen as in house parties, private meetings, etc. although gay bars were considered the sole public space.

      love the quote by howard zinn- love it!

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  13. I absolutely enjoyed this article! I am a new student of Dr. Cartier and from our first class meeting I grew an interest in her class, therefore I knew this article would be very interesting and give me a better understanding on the importance of activism and fighting standing up for one’s rights!

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  14. I am very excited in being part of a Feminist class. I have previously taken GWS classes with Professor Young and Professor Lopez-Garza. I really wanted to learn more about theelogy. From our first class meeting I can tell there is a lot of work to be done but i do not feel worried about it but rather I am looking forward to it.

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  15. This is a very intriguing article about Professor Cartier. I am very excited that I am in her class this semester because it seems like there is a lot to learn. Quite honestly I had never heard of the term theelogy and I’m sure that by the end of this semester I will have a better understanding of all of this, including the importance of striving for what one believes in.

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  16. Very good read! It was a bit of bad timing on the lighting designer’s part, but she unconscously sparked a fuse for knowledge for yourself and the future audiences of your show! I look forward to learning more about you and what you stand for, you are a very inspiring human being!

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  17. I must say I was inspired by this. I never considered myself an activist. I guess because you wouldn’t see me out there protesting or radically joining a cause. That is something I do want to work on. I want to be the one to help “push” and “pull”, rather than “move out of the way”. As a woman I should do more.

    Looking forward to learning more!

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      1. Oh wow I wish I would have seen this and responded long ago but what I meant was as women I sometimes feel like I should be out there participating in movements that will hopefully bring forth change. I have never been one to rebel and join in a cause. We discussed this in another class I had with you, and you encouraged us to get join in the political protest that was going on at that time about the future of our education. What I realize is as a woman I can have a platform on anything that will encourage and uplift woman in a positive way, and bring forth some type of positive change.

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      2. part 2. Response:
        I just wanted to take a moment and celebrate an action I took to rebel against standards of beauty. As an african american women I have been taught that my hair was nappy, and unruly. Its just been ingrained that kinky, afro-textured hair is not beautiful. So we do things like chemically process it and flat iron it make if more manageable and “beautiful”. About a year ago and 7 months ago I chopped my hair off and started growing it back “naturally”. I have noticed that this has become a movement among african american women. Growing my natural hair back has just be a great
        journey and a liberating one at that. Joining this community of women has even helped me with being a role model and encouraging other women to do their “big chop” as we call it. Sorry, I can go on an on about this subject but its definitely for another time. Thank you for allowing me to share!

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        1. Karisma, I think that it was good what you did because that made you feel liberated. It made you express your feelings. On the other hand, I believe that you should leave you hair the way it grows natural without using chemicals and iron to make it straight. By the way I think that Afro-American hair is beatiful!

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  18. John, you are not alone when you claim Marie as one of your heroes. She is a true inspiration and I feel blessed to have been taught by her. The passion and knowledge with which she approaches her students is the very essence of motivation.

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  19. This is very exciting, for many reasons.

    I am passionate about school, and learning. Although this class seems challenging, I am so ready for the challenge! Frankly, I considered “swapping” classes on the first day of course, but there is no way I am going to give up a precious seat in this class. I am so ready to learn, think in new ways, challenge myself, and grow.

    I appreciate that the professor is passione about writing, reading, and being an active learner. I love how she challenges us to not use highlighters and really ENGAGE in the reading and be a part of it. I love it!

    I also identify as a queer and a feminist, and alread I am feeling so inspired to have that stand-alone spirit and be confident to stand up for what I believe in. It’s not easy, but when I am reminded that I have a whole community standing with me, it is so much easier and worthwhile.

    Lastly, I recently officially claimed the identity as a “Buddhist”. Before I was absolutely NOT religious and thought I would never claim that as my identity, however now that I do, and am very proud of and passionate about it, I find myself talking a lot about both feminism, queer rights, and religion. I really enjoy talking to others who identify with a religion and digging in to how others think.

    Good stuff. I am very excited.

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    1. ashlee- as a queer and a feminist– tell me more about standing up for what you believe in…why it is not easy and who is your community that is standing with you that makes it easier and worthwhile? nice comment– and tell more about standing up for your identity as buddhist…what kind of conversations are you having about religion?

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  20. Liked the article on Professor Cariter

    I’m looking forward to what her new projects bring forth and hearing more
    about theelogy.

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  21. Everyone,
    These are such great comments and affirmations. I am so happy you have all enjoyed the interview and dialoguing with Marie.

    Make sure to check back for more blogs from her and to make engage in dialogue with other bloggers on this site!

    Like

  22. I thought the interview with Professor Cartier was very interesting. I also found the interview very informative. I don’t know much about butch-femme culture and from this interview I have learned a few things. I like the word Professor Cartier used theeology to describe relations between gay people Pre Stonewall. I hope I will learn more about theeology in class Professor Cartier.

    Like

  23. I’m so excited about learnig. Being in the GWS class with Dr. Cartier is so fun, but challenging. The term Theelogy is new to me; I’m looking forward to learn more about it. Dr. Cartier is really an inspiration to everyone. I’m personally feel fortunately to have someone like her as my proffessor.

    Like

  24. Im very inspired by your work, to me the term theeology its new. But after reading this i gain understanding of it and im looking foward to learn more about this intresting topicand more other topics in class.

    Like

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