A SC church invited a drag queen to speak. Then came the backlash. Here are the details

When Trinity Lutheran Church leaders decided to ask a drag queen to bring her Bible-based show to Greenville, they thought maybe they’d get a little response.

Instead, dozens of people from over the country have called to condemn them. A local minister plans a prayer vigil outside the Main Street church on the night of the performance, May 12. They shut down commenting on their Facebook page.

But Patrick Preacher, who is the queer and justice coordinator at the church, has a simple message for them: “We are all beloved children of God. No one is excluded from our kingdom.”

Preacher has been in the job since January, when the leadership of the 1,200-member downtown Greenville church decided they needed a paid staff person to head up a ministry they’ve had for more than five years to reach people who have historically been overlooked, excluded and marginalized by religious organizations.

Preacher works not only with the queer community, but also helps feed the hungry and meet the needs of people who live in the high-rise subsidized housing apartment building next door to the church.

There’s a queer-led service on the first Thursday of each month that attracts 40 to 65 worshippers.

Church endeavors to minister to all

Anyone looking at the website cannot miss the church’s mission.

In white type against a red background, the message on the homepage reads in part, “Trinity is passionate about being a congregation that welcomes, includes, accepts, affirms, embraces and celebrates all people. And ALL really means ALL!”

The Rev. Susan Crowell, the senior pastor, has a videotaped message expanding on the theme.

Last year, they temporarily placed six full-size doors on the top steps to the church entrance, well above Main Street and not to be missed. One word on each, they wrote God’s Doors Are Open To All.

Last summer, Preacher and Crowell attended the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina. It bills itself as a justice and Jesus festival, intended generally for people who have left the traditional church.

The Lady Douché preaches acceptance

One of the presenters was The Lady Douché, who writes about herself, “She doesn’t spill the T, she pours it like a lady of her standing would. And that T stands for Theology. The Lady preaches the gospel so that all may see that they have a place and a home in the divine Kingdom of God.”

She began her presentation that day in traditional campy drag style riffing on the evangelical style of worship. Then, she pulled out her Bible and began a sermon about the woman at the well.

The Lady Douché recounted the story from the book of John in which Jesus meets a Samaritan woman, asks for water and drinks from her cup, breaking any number of customs. The message is Jesus shows love and acceptance for all.

“It was an amazing service,” Preacher said.

Crowell told him it was the best sermon she had ever heard on that text.

‘Willing to do something edgy’

Drag queens are a symbol for the queer community, Preacher said. They were part of the Stonewall protests in Greenwich Village in 1969 during which police raided a gay bar. That event is generally credited with beginning the gay liberation movement.

“They are always willing to do something edgy,” he said. “They say ‘I’m here to be who I am’ and demand to be seen.”

But for the Rev. Mark Burns, a church offering a stage to a drag queen is against the teachings of the Bible. He intends to install a stage of his own somewhere near Trinity on the night of the performance for his own worship service to proclaim “the consequences of rejecting the word of God.”

Burns said his message is not to the LGBTQ+ community, but to Trinity for teaching what he calls half of Jesus’ message of love to all, but ignoring the other half of what the Bible says about repentance for sin. He considers homosexuality sinful behavior, against Biblical teaching.

Burns was called “Donald Trump’s Top Pastor” by Time magazine and is one of three candidates challenging U.S. Rep. William Timmons in the Republican primary June 14. Trump has endorsed Timmons.

Preacher said Burns’ planned vigil and hate speech do not bother him personally because he is confident in who he is and what he believes.

He married his long-time partner, Jonathan, at Trinity last October and in the fall, will start seminary while continuing the work at Trinity.

Preacher, though, is concerned for others who are still on a journey of discovery. He wants them to feel the same confidence in knowing God made them exactly as they are. He and his husband shied away from organized religion until they found Trinity.

“We live in this beautiful bubble of love and acceptance,” he said. “There is a lot of hate outside it.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A SC church invited a drag queen to speak. Then came the backlash. Here are the details."