Long before Christianity, colonialism, and the gender binary, queer and trans people didn’t just exist — we held power, ritual, and spiritual authority.

In this Pride Month special, we uncover the erased histories of gender-diverse priesthoods, sacred sex workers, and queer spiritual traditions from Mesopotamia to India, Rome to the South Pacific. From Inanna’s gender-nonconforming clergy to the Gallae of Cybele, from the Hijra priestesses of South Asia to the queer shamans and Two-Spirit leaders across Indigenous cultures — we explore how queerness was once central to worship, ecstasy, healing, and community.

We also dig into how colonial powers, Christian empires, and modern censorship worked overtime to bury these traditions under shame — rewriting “holy” into “sinful,” and “priest” into “pervert.”

Spoiler: we’re not the new thing. We are ancient.

Check out our blog post for a written overview and references: https://thesanctuaryofsin.com/blogs/the-sanctuary-of-sin-podcast/e8-before-the-binary-genderqueer-priests-sacred-sex-workers-the-erased-queer-past

Support the show

🔥 Thanks for joining us in The Sanctuary of Sin! 🔥
If you loved what you heard, show your support by subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a review—it helps more sinners find their way to the sanctuary.

💋 Want to go deeper? Support us and join our Church of Sin on Patreon!
Become a Priest of Sin or above and you’ll get a special shout-out on the next episode:
👉 patreon.com/TheSanctuaryofSinPodcast

🔗 Find all our links, socials, and events right here:
👉 linktr.ee/thesanctuaryofsinpodcast

📧 Got a burning confession, juicy question, or a topic you’re dying to hear us cover? Slide into our inbox at thesanctuaryofsin@yahoo.com – we’d love to hear from you.

Until next time,
Stay curious. Stay kinky. Stay sinful.

Pride. A deadly sin… or a powerful act of survival?

In this fiery Pride Month episode, we dive into the tension between religious morality and queer self-love—asking why pride is demonized in doctrine, but essential for the marginalized. From the saints to the sinners, we unpick the church's long history of policing queer joy, confidence, and autonomy.

Expect heresy:
🕯️ We trace the church’s fear of queerness back to the Manicheans, whose openness to same-sex love made them an early enemy of Christian orthodoxy.
⚔️ We uncloak the Knights Templar, whose secretive brotherhood and intimate initiation rites were recast as "sodomy" in order to justify their violent destruction.
🔥 And yes, we explore how queer bodies were literally made burnable—because if the church couldn’t convert us, it would silence us by fire.
💥 Ever wondered why “bugger” is such a charged word? Let’s talk etymology, heresy, and the Balkan roots of this British slur.

From Stonewall riots to the modern queer liberation movement, we connect the past to the present: how Pride became not just a protest, but a reclamation of the very thing we were told would damn us—ourselves.

Featuring radical theology, queer history, flaming hot rage, and a whole lot of righteous glitter ✨

Check out our blog article for an overview and our references: https://thesanctuaryofsin.com/blogs/the-sanctuary-of-sin-podcast/e7-pride-queerness-confidence-why-the-church-fears-it

Support the show

🔥 Thanks for joining us in The Sanctuary of Sin! 🔥
If you loved what you heard, show your support by subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a review—it helps more sinners find their way to the sanctuary.

💋 Want to go deeper? Support us and join our Church of Sin on Patreon!
Become a Priest of Sin or above and you’ll get a special shout-out on the next episode:
👉 patreon.com/TheSanctuaryofSinPodcast

🔗 Find all our links, socials, and events right here:
👉 linktr.ee/thesanctuaryofsinpodcast

📧 Got a burning confession, juicy question, or a topic you’re dying to hear us cover? Slide into our inbox at thesanctuaryofsin@yahoo.com – we’d love to hear from you.

Until next time,
Stay curious. Stay kinky. Stay sinful.

This week, we descended into the blood-soaked, fire-lit depths of Hel Cabaret for their latest spectacle: Coven of Sins — and trust us, it was sinfully divine.

Join us as we recount a night of sacrificial ceremonies, demonic pole dances, gore-soaked nuns, horny cryptids, and more devilish delights than you can shake a salt shaker of cocaine at. From the moment the first drop of ritual blood fell, we’re walking you through every jaw-dropping act.

Featuring performances from legends Selenia Castle, Melon, Rosé Tralee, Abaddon Allhope, White-Hot Blonde, BloodRouge Dragon, Hal and Sweaty Jessie— plus guest stars Gypsy Charms and Ethereal Grave, raffles, and chaos that only Hel can deliver. Hear our highlights, favourites, and what it's really like at a Hel Cabaret show (yes, we stayed for the afterparty).

Whether you were there or just wish you were, this is your all-access pass into the underworld of alternative cabaret. Blood, sex, and burlesque — what more could you want?

🔪🩸🔥

Catch the Hel Cabaret crew at the Uncensored Market tomorrow, where some of the performers will be showcasing their talents. Additionally, don't miss their upcoming club night, Dust and Desire or their upcoming shows at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. For more details and tickets, visit helcabaret.co.uk.

Support the show

🔥 Thanks for joining us in The Sanctuary of Sin! 🔥
If you loved what you heard, show your support by subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a review—it helps more sinners find their way to the sanctuary.

💋 Want to go deeper? Support us and join our Church of Sin on Patreon!
Become a Priest of Sin or above and you’ll get a special shout-out on the next episode:
👉 patreon.com/TheSanctuaryofSinPodcast

🔗 Find all our links, socials, and events right here:
👉 linktr.ee/thesanctuaryofsinpodcast

📧 Got a burning confession, juicy question, or a topic you’re dying to hear us cover? Slide into our inbox at thesanctuaryofsin@yahoo.com – we’d love to hear from you.

Until next time,
Stay curious. Stay kinky. Stay sinful.