HOSPITALITY IS A QUEER THING

Abstract

This paper reiterates and expands on the ideas I presented in a workshop entitled, Hospitality is a Queer Thing at the Annual Meeting of The Society for Pastoral Theology in Atlanta in 2009. At that workshop, I began by asking participants their reaction to the word queer. Their responses ranged from discomfort at the violent history of the word to an appreciation of the ways in which queer theory, a relatively new field of scholarly inquiry, offered a critical perspective on long-held notions regarding identity and sexuality (though no word of criticism regarding queer theory was offered in the workshop, it is important to note that such criticism has been sharp among some contemporary Christian theologians). As the conversation regarding people's reactions to the word began to wrap up, one of the workshop participants asked, Can I, a straight man, be queer? I initially deferred his question, inviting participants to respond, before I gave my perspective: yes, I did indeed believe that my straight colleague could be queer and that the implications of an attempt to live a queer life were important for pastoral care and Christian ethics.