
One of the biggest responses to our season announcement has been surrounding our guerrilla theatre project, Church of the Gay Agenda (CGA). We aren’t surprised by the attention, both positive and negative. After all, we come from Texas and Nebraska; we are quite aware of the thicket we are in by exploring these issues. The speed of the response is what surprises us so, in anticipation of our first full service in November, let’s take a moment to clear up a few things:
#1. This is THEATRE, not religion. While we are certainly borrowing religious structure, language and symbolism, it is all within an inherently theatrical context. Still feel like there is a blurring of the two? We agree. Since the beginnings of theatre come out of Greek religious ceremonies, since church and theatre tend to resemble each other more than they diverge, one of the alluring parts of this project is exploring the connection between those two conduits of expression. But we do so as theatre people, not as theologians. CGA is a stage, not a church. CGA does not have missionaries nor will it be receiving tax-exempt status as a religious institution. CGA is KOLT’s foray into guerrilla theatre, whose roots go back to the SF Mime Troupe and Abbie Hoffman’s Yippie group in Chicago. It is intended to draw attention to a social or political issue; in this case, the use of religion and God to ostracize and strip civil rights away from a historically oppressed community, LGBT people. Which brings us to ….
#2. KOLT’s mission specifically states that we are here to highlight the dichotomy between the individual and their respective communities, especially those on the fringes of accepted society. Our vision statement directs that we will “use multiple, diverse styles to tell these stories,” including the use of such pointed styles as guerrilla theatre. We are using our abilities as artists to draw attention to an urgent and potent issue within our community. KOLT has produced plays about abortion, poverty, civil rights, violence, murder and redemption. How can we tackle all of those important issues without focusing on one that has affected us (including many in the theatre community) the most directly? Which brings us to ….
#3. We are in this thicket because we were already thrown into it–now we are just choosing to comment on it in our own way and on our own terms. While it is our right, its not been taken lightly. We’ve been batting around this idea for seven years, precisely because we knew it was provocative and potentially explosive. We grew up in conservative communities in the heart of the Bible Belt, surrounded by evangelical mega churches. We have seen good people do and say atrocious, hateful things in the name of God, using scripture to justify the oppression of African-Americans, of women, of native peoples and, yes, of the LGBT population. Spurred by Prop 2, which was voted in and supported mostly by religious “values voters”, we left a home, good paying jobs and family (including Kelley’s disabled father) in Texas to come to California because we had been banned repeatedly from ever having any legal, economic or civil connection to each other as long as we lived in that state. In California, we were ringside as we watched our co-workers, neighbors and friends vote to deny us the right to civil marriage because they felt bolstered and supported by voices from the church. Our lives as individuals have been inevitably effected by the use of religion to denounce us as people, to tell us that we have no place with God as long as we love each other. Now, we watch helplessly as our youth take their own lives time and again because of bullying, of hopelessness, of the belief that even God does not accept them. BUT–and this is truly the point–we have also seen churches provide another sense of community for people, a place for charity and hope, where they can take lessons from their saints, their apostles and martyrs. A place where they are told that, even in their darkest hour, they are not alone. Isn’t that everything the LGBT community needs right now? If the language of God can be used to justify such hate, how can it not be used to justify love, acceptance and empowerment?
Despite this serious talk, we are creating CGA to be uplifting, funny and empowering. (And yes, a bit campy in places, it is gay, after all!) As we develop it, we are driven by a need to celebrate and recognize the gifts, travails and legacy of the LGBT community more than a need to punish or demonize the religious community. Because the great irony is that we are all linked in innumerable ways and need each other to move forward–after all, religious treasures such as The Creation of Adam and The Last Supper were created by two of the most celebrated, talented artists in human history, who also happened to be gay. We also thank everyone for their input; this project was created to encourage conversation and dialogue about these crucial issues. We also invite you to join the CGA Facebook page to keep up on news, new developments and scheduled “services”.
Posted in 2012 Season, Church of the Gay Agenda
Tags: abbie hoffman, african american, church of the gay agenda, god, guerrilla theatre, lgbt, native people, prop 2, religion, san francisco mime troupe, women