DignityUSA: LGBTQ Ministry, Catholic Morality, and the Limits of Institutional Reform

Abstract:For over half a century, LGBTQ Catholic ministries have tried to bridge the chasm between queer experience, identity, and activism and the Church's traditional moral teachings. This paper presents a case study of the history of one such group: DignityUSA, a predominately lay-led national ministry. At times, Dignity won the support of grassroots Catholics, priests, and even bishops. The group's unapologetically gay and lesbian-affirming theology and political activism, however, set it on a crash course with the Vatican, which judged Dignity's understandings of sexual morality as incompatible with its own vision for pastoral care. For those interested in LGBTQ ministry today, Dignity's history offers a story of hope for the possibilities of affirming Catholic community and a cautionary tale on the limits of advocacy within Catholic institutions.