Hidden Perspectives: Bringing the Bible Out of the Closet

A ground-breaking project at the University of Sheffield is tackling the fraught relationship between religion and homosexuality by challenging traditional readings of the Bible.

The project, entitled Hidden Perspectives, launches this week (11 April 2013) and is aiming to challenge the assumptions often made in mainstream and scholarly readings of the Bible to explore the implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, who can feel alienated from some religious groups by interpretations of the text.

The first major event is a daylong festival on Saturday 1 June at The Showroom Workstation during which cabaret acts, vocalists, poets, storytellers, artists and academics will offer re-readings, interpretations and re-appropriations of biblical stories or passages that have traditionally been read as ‘anti-gay’.

Led by Dr Katie Edwards in the University of Sheffield’s Department of Biblical Studies, the project will work with feminist activist collective LaDIYfest Sheffield, and LGBT groups across Sheffield, including the Sheena Amos Trust, Sacred Wing Choir, and the University of Sheffield’s LGBT Student Committee.

Students from the Department of Biblical Studies are working on the project, including the editor of the student and community led Hidden Perspectives blog, Emily Foster-Brown; talented artist Bethany Fenton, who will be exhibiting her work at the festival, and final year student, Madelaine Oakes, who will discuss the findings of her dissertation on the Bible and homosexuality at the festival. Local youth groups and organisations, such as Sheffield Fruitbowl, drama group Side by Side, Off the Scene and Sheffield Young Writers will also perform and display work at the event.

Dr Edwards said: “The rationale for the project is to resist dominant heteronormative perspectives (a viewpoint that expresses heterosexuality as a given instead of being one of many possibilities) and homophobic interpretations of the biblical text, but to do so without hostility - to open discussion rather than to close it down. The basic tenet is to create a project that offers other possibilities for reading the biblical text, and the aim is to resist interpretations that have proved harmful from an LGBT perspective rather than to denigrate faith. The project is timely and topical given the recent government consultation on equal civil marriage and the fierce debate provoked by the Church of England response.”

Broadway cabaret act, Dominic Mattos, who will perform at the Hidden Perspectives festival as ‘Angel Gaybrial’, explained his reasons for being involved in the project: “Sheffield has always been at the forefront of modern Biblical Interpretation. The Hidden Perspectives Project continues this tradition, examining the often surprising ways in which the bible permeates society and culture. As a cabaret performer and publisher of Biblical Studies books how could I resist the opportunity to dress up as an angel and do a show about the bible and popular music? It also gives me an excuse to dress up as an angel.”

Additional information Hidden Perspectives website

Email hidden.perspectives@sheffield.ac.uk

Twitter: @hperspectives

Facebook: Hidden Perspectives

Dominic Mattos

Storying LGBT at The University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield With nearly 25,000 of the brightest students from 117 countries coming to learn alongside 1,209 of the world’s best academics, it is clear why the University of Sheffield is one of the UK’s leading universities. Staff and students at Sheffield are committed to helping discover and understand the causes of things - and propose solutions that have the power to transform the world we live in. A member of the Russell Group, the University of Sheffield has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2011 for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007), recognising the outstanding contribution by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life. One of the markers of a leading university is the quality of its alumni and Sheffield boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students. Its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields. Research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, Siemens, Yorkshire Water and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations. The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. The White Rose University Consortium (White Rose) is a strategic partnership between 3 of the UK's leading research universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Since its creation in 1997 White Rose has secured more than £100M into the Universities.