The art of Drag teaches us - artists and fans alike - how to playfully break down the boundaries that society forces us into. In this interfaith panel, a group of Drag lovers will discuss how Drag influences our religious and spiritual identities. What do you love about your tradition? What does Drag teach you about going beyond your tradition? How does your tradition talk about our shared humanity, or our "born naked-ness" - Moderated by Danny Sanchez.   

MODERATOR : Danny (he/him) is a Master of Divinity student at The University of Chicago. His studies focus on contemporary American spiritualities, and how technology interacts with our spiritual lives. His call to ministry is about building things (communities, tools, systems) that empower people to define, shape, and live into the spiritual spark inside of themselves, so that we can all live fuller, richer, more meaningful lives.   

PANELIST:  Lady Karley Marx - 

Lady Karley Marx is an American drag performer, painter, and pop artist. They are originally from Michigan but based in Chicago, Illinois. Marx's drag persona and name are a play-off of Karl Marx, Marxist/Communist pop-art aesthetics, and the intersections in critical theory, queer theory, and queer liberation theology. They are known for their surreal image reinventions, pop art paintings, and theoretical, artistic connections between art and popular culture and entertainment. Karley is inspired by drag activism (especially in the labor-town of Chicago), both pop-art/ARTPOP of the past half-century, Lady Gaga, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and queer mystics.

PANELIST: Kerrigan Greene   

Kerrigan (they/them) is a queer Master of Divinity student who is fascinated in religious and spiritual rituals. This interest comes from their love of art. Since they grew up in the rural Midwest around trans and homophobic parents and peers, they have had little chance to participate in drag performance. Because of this, they are excited to be a part of this event and this panel. They grew up in the Disciples of Christ Christian denomination, where they are more active on a national level than a rural or state one, but they have been increasingly leaning towards Shintoism and Buddhism.  

PANELIST: Laiylah Alf Wa Laiylah 

"A kinder-gentler Afrocentrist , an alchemist , an eonist , a dramaturge an erotic adventurer and a thespian ! I'm a Lover (and Writer) not a fighter but as a masculine (whatever that means) man aware of his innate Amazon " I Seek Peace even as I prepare for War"'

PANELIST: Natalie Delsemme (they/she)                                                      

Natalie is a queer, kinky, relationship anarchist, and pagan(ish) hospital chaplain. Existing at intersections of the accepted and the unexpected, Natalie often navigates their life decked out in spiritual drag. Currently, Natalie is a Master of Divinity student at the University of Chicago where she studies spiritual care at the margins, explores how she can deepen community care at all levels, and expands the frontiers of what exactly we mean when we talk about religion.  

https://www.dragandspirituality.com

📺 Watch LIVEstream on YouTube at Drag & Spirituality Summit