John Dugdale

No.34
Christ Our Liberator
Morton Street, N.Y.C.
1999
For Gay Pride Day I was asked by my church, St. Luke in the Fields, to interpret
the phrase inscribed in the Lady Chapel, ''Christ Our Liberator.'' Since my bon
d with Darrell exists far beyond our earlier relationship, I thought immediately
of his powerful, Godlike hands. I photographed our hands clasped together; the
upper is his, the lower mine. The tension shown in our grip interprets the phras
e, pushing and raising, pulling and supporting. The scale of the hand is key; yo
u don't know if they're men's hands or women's, children's or teenagers'. The im
age is timeless and non-denominational, too, if you will.
This photograph gained a life of its own. Enlarged on placards, it was carried b
y St. Lukers in the Gay Pride parade down Fifth Avenue. Blown up to 6 feet x 12
feet, the image served as a giant backdrop for Pride festivities in the church.
At the packed Solemn Evensong, an enlargement of it was borne down the central a
isle, flanked by the sacred St. Luke's banner, the processional cross, two Episc
opal bishops, clergy, and the choir. My photograph even got preached on. At the
service, The Rev. Richard McKeon devoted his homily to its metaphorical possibil
ities for anyone suffering from a life-threatening illness. Listening, I was ove
r whelmed, not knowing if I would faint or explode with pride. Now, the picture
was not mine anymore but belonged to the community. John Dugdale