Figure of St. Sebastian

[Columbia Chad]

First of all...hello!

I'm currently a senior at Columbia pursuing an honors degree in Religion. My senior thesis is centered upon the appropriation of St. Sebastian by the gay subculture. I would appreciate knowing if anyone knows anything about this figure and would be willing to talk about this with me...what your takes are...what you may know about the project.

Feel free to contact me here, if ya like.

[andrewlittle]

Okay, I'd like, I guess.

My senior thesis is centered upon the appropriation of St. Sebastian by the gay subculture.

To be certain that I am understanding the question, may I ask what qualifies as "the gay subculture"?

Do you mean "the gay subculture" in contrast to "the dominant culture"? If yes, what makes it a subculture?

Or perhaps, "the" subculture within the larger "gay culture"? If yes, which one qualifies as "the", and what exactly would the gay culture be that subsumes it?

Sorry if this seems nitpicky, but it would seem a senior paper would need to be fairly specific.

[Columbia Chad]

My thesis is not articulated clearly in my initial post. It was an opening of the conversation re: the figure. But thanks for your post :)

What I am more clearly seeking is if anyone outside of the International Inclusive Community of St. Sebastians is using/appropriating the figure of St. Sebastian as a figure of gay spirituality.

For instance, do you subscribe to a gay hagiography of Sebastian? Do you think the skeletal story lends itself to a gay reading? Are you aware of any congregations that are making this move? Things of that nature.

[u-dog]

As a Calvinist born and baptized I am totally ignorant of "lives of the saints" Can you give us a Quick sketch or run down on St. Sebastian and what makes him a figure for gay devotion?

[Columbia Chad]

:)

St. Sebastian is considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be one of the early Christian martyrs. The Acta Sanctorum notes that Sebastian was a member of Diocletian's Praetorian Guard. Diocletian was alleged to have imprisoned several Christians during his rule. When he discovered that Sebastian had been supplying the prisoners with provisions, he had him shot to death by his fellow archers. A woman nursed Sebastian back to health, he returned to Diocletian to testify again to his convictions, and Diocletian had him killed and thrown in the sewer. The Church has designated him as the patron saint of archers and a ward against the plague.

Several gay hagiographies reconstruct a different relationship between Diocletian and Sebastian by seeing them as lovers...or at least Sebastian as being adored by Diocletian. When Sebastian does not return his advances, Diocletian has him killed. This is picked up in a rather similar fashion in Derek Jarman's movie, Sebastiane...interesting film in its own right.

Several gay men have appropriated Sebastian as a ward against the plague of AIDS and have seen in his figure a martyr for their own beliefs and convictions.

Tied into all of this narrative are the visual representations of Sebastian from the High Renaissance forward.

Hopefully this helps...or that you find it enlightening.

I'd love to talk about it more.

:)

[andrewlittle]

This sounds very interesting. I also am a died in the wool Calvinist - God preserve my soul.

BTW, just a friendly word of caution, watch u-dog, there. He'll be talking about predestination before you can blink. Of course, he can't help it. It's his destiny.

Seriously, though, I have heard some about St Sebastian, but really know very little. It is interesting. I know sharing what you know is not the point of this thread - you were asking for information. But, if I can learn something along the way, well, life just gets better.

[andrewlittle]

I have heard a little about St Sebastian being a figure used by gays - well, homosexuals, to be accurate, since it dates back to the late 19th century (if memory serves me right). I'll look through some of my old notes and stuff to see what I can find.

Chad, what do you have so far - well, just the gist of it.

Hardly a scholastic resource, but this from http://www.camprehoboth.com/issue05_16_03/pastout.htm
A cult of St. Sebastian developed among homosexuals beginning in the 19th century, and gay writers and artists have depicted him in their work ever since. Although a 1976 film by Derek Jarman fancifully suggested that Sebastian was Diocletian’s spurned lover, there is no evidence that he ever had a homosexual relationship. During the 14th century people prayed to this saint to spare them from the plague, which has given him added relevance in the era of AIDS.

And from http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Gay_icon:
The earliest gay icon was St. Sebastian. The combination of his strong, shirtless physique, the symbolism of the arrows penetrating his body, and the look on his face of rapturous pain have intrigued artists both gay and straight for centuries; and began the first explicitly gay cult in the 19th century. Richard A. Kaye wrote, "contemporary gay men have seen in Sebastian at once a stunning advertisement for homosexual desire (indeed, a homoerotic ideal), and a prototypical portrait of tortured closet case". Due to St. Sebastian's status as gay icon, Tennessee Williams chose to use that name for the martyred character Sebastian in his play, Suddenly, Last Summer.