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Transsexual Jesus sparks protests

Other News Materials 4 November 2009 15:51 (UTC +04:00)
About 300 protesters held a candlelit protest outside a Glasgow theatre over the staging of a play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual.
Transsexual Jesus sparks protests

About 300 protesters held a candlelit protest outside a Glasgow theatre over the staging of a play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual, BBC reported.

The protest was held outside the Tron Theatre, where Jesus Queen of Heaven, in which Christ is a man who wants to become a woman, is being staged.

It is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, a celebration of Scotland's gay, bi-sexual and transsexual culture.

Festival organisers said it had not intended to incite or offend anyone.

The Christian protesters gathered outside the theatre ahead of the opening night of the production on Tuesday.

Jesus Queen of Heaven, which runs until Saturday, is written and performed by transsexual playwright Jo Clifford.

The demonstrators sang hymns and waved placards.

One read: "Jesus, King of Kings, Not Queen of Heaven."

Another said: "God: My Son Is Not A Pervert."

Festival organisers described the banners as "fairly provocative" and said they could be viewed as inciting homophobia.

Glasgay! producer Steven Thomson said: "Jesus Queen of Heaven is a literary work of fiction exploring the artists own personal journey of faith as a transgendered person.

"Glasgay! supports the right to freedom of expression and offers audiences a diverse view of LGBT life.

"This work is not intended to incite or offend anyone of any belief system, however, we respect your right to disagree with that opinion.

He added: "We welcome genuinely interested audience members who wish to understand the artistic intention behind this work."

Glasgay! is described as "Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture" and is funded by the Scottish Arts Council, Event Scotland, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Glasgow City Council.

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