For many LGBTQ+ individuals, Christmas can be a complicated time, often steeped in traditional, sometimes non-affirming, family structures. However, for a growing number, the holiday is being powerfully reclaimed as a queer celebration centered on chosen family, self-affirmation, and the subversion of rigid norms.
By separating the essential spirit of the season—themes of light, renewal, and unconditional love—from conservative dogma, queer people transform the Holidays into a time of self-creation. The lavish, often theatrical aesthetic of Christmas, from maximalist decor to over-the-top fashion, naturally aligns with queer visibility and theatricality. It becomes a celebration of unapologetic sparkle rather than staid tradition.
At its core, a queer Christmas honors the chosen community—friends, partners, and allies—who provide the affirmation that biological families sometimes withhold. These gatherings are acts of resistance, confirming that love and belonging are not defined by genetics or convention. Ultimately, the holiday is reframed as a joyful, subversive, and glittering celebration of survival, pride, and the warmth found in chosen kinship.
At Sunshine Cathedral, we recall a teen unwed mom, giving birth in a housing insecure situation, becoming a refugee in Egypt, and her child growing up to challenge an empire and for it, suffer torture and execution. Jesus himself advocated for the marginalized, the voiceless, and the erased. And yet, these political and sexual outlaws our called Lord and Our Lady. God is present in the margins.
God’s love is present even where Hatred seems to rule. Our Sacred value is assured whether we are born in a palace or a barn. Let Christmas be a time when hope, joy, self-worth, and absolute pride in you who you’ve been designed to be are born right where you are, no matter your current circumstances. That’s the miracle of Xmas, and the Queer God Squad wishes that miracle for you.
Have a blessed Christmas Day.
