Queer teologies meeting in El Salvador- Photo from Facebook
ARGENTINA-
By David de Jesús–
The Queer Teologies of all Americas conference took place through 25th to 28th this past June
once again in El Salvador. Since 2022, this event (CTQA, in Spanish) has been presented as an
annual possibility with the goal of gathering together faculties, ministers, chaplains and
activists committed to the academic and pastoral aspects of queer-related forms of teology in
different contexts throughout the American continent.
This events aims to work as an essential platform where the debate can be carried out on
newest progress, sharing of ideas, and where collaboration between participants coming from
all Americas is promoted.
The conference represents an invaluable chance so participants can broaden their knowledge,
cement contact with their peers and contribute to an uninterrupted dialogue in this vibrant
and ever-changing field.
The CTQA focuses on the presentation of talks that share personal or collective research and
experiences. Every pannel stands out how faith communities and teologies differently
articulate and express the construction of a more relevant queer perspective for the contexts
of each ministry.
After the conference, the talks and disussions are put together and edited into a volume
published by the Institute Sophia Press of Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. In this context, the work
“Mysterium Liberationis Queer: Works on Queer Liberation Teologies of the Americas.” This
compendium puts together the talks of the first conference (Costa Rica 2022) and is available
for free download.
Under the motto “Queer teologies evolution: from its roots to the present,” this year the main
focus was to explore the progress and challenges these forms of teology have faced and still
face in our continent. These aspects are related not only with teology ideas but also with the
implementation of inclusive ministries, the provision of pastoral care and the analysis of
sociopolitical dynamics of current environments. Through this valuable collaboration the goal
is to perform a detailed analysis of the current situation and to examine its impact on faith
communities and on society in general.
From the organisation it was expressed that “ we want to highlight that in every conversation
the more recent reflections on teology, pastoral practices and experiences of activists and
people committed to daily life all thoughout our continente provide an invaluable path of
construction. There is a great amount of valuable work that is often unheard of or invisible
because the numerous activities are performed in at least four languages: Spanish,
Portuguese, English and French. This situation often prevents the imagination of possible
futures in common. Thus, every participant has been invited with the task to present their
ideas and commitment in many sessions, making sure that nobody is limited just to listen and that this linguistic barrier (which also involves overcoming cultural barriers) becomes less
important so bridges can be built”.
Each year, the CTQA has the potential to open new spaces of collaboration in activism, the
academy and the pastoral environment within the continent. The picture in the Americas is so
diverse that the environments of pastoral work and activism are often separated and do not
mean a strong network. For this reason, this event is a common ground for the creation of
networks, the exchange of experiences, the celebration of life and diversity and the
continuation of the creation of a freeing movement.
It is tragic that in our continent, religious ideas are frequently used as tools to threaten,
exiliate and even kill LGBTIQ+ people. To dismantle these ideas and actions of an oppressive
cishet origin from the perspective of religión is fundamental to protect and preserve the
dignity and lives of queer people.
In addition, the conference allows for participants to meet up in an inclusive and supportive
enviroment where they can openly discuss the intersections between religion and the
expression of queer lives. It is a forum to share effective practices and strategies to overcome
the challenges that queer communities face in traditionally conservative religious contexts.
Another goal is to visibilise the contributions that queer teology can make to social
transformation and the promotion of justice and equality. The commitment with justice and
human dignity rests at the heart of queer teology and this conference is offered as a place for
this commitment to be deepen and expanded.
By gathering together diverse voices and different experiences, the convention enables a
richer comprehension on how queer teologies respond to opression and marginalisation
experiences inspiring hope and resilience to faith communities.
The CTQA not only encourages the exchange between the pastoral and academic fields, but it
also strengthens the community bonds and promotes a vision of the future where inclusion
and diversity are celebrated. It is a step further into the creation of a more just and merciful
world, where all people can live with dignity and respect.