LGBTQI+ artists have been targeted for ‘insulting Christianity’. To queer people, this feels particularly cruel | James Thorpe

A theatre pop-up in a former Sydney church has been accused of ‘offensive trade’. But if causing offence can lead to eviction, every artist is vulnerable Arts venue faces eviction from former Sydney church after religious groups protest LGBTQ+ events A priest and two nuns walk into a bar. In Sydney this week, this wasn’t the setup for a bad joke but for a fiery culture war. The bar in question is within a long-deconsecrated church, and the City of Sydney is considering an application for its redevelopment into luxury apartments. Divine Playhouse, which opened to the public last Wednesday, is a year-long queer-friendly and inclusive arts pop-up, supported by the New South Wales government and the City of Sydney. The venue was conceived as an affordable and accessible space for Sydney’s artists, promoters and performers to create, experiment and find an audience. But Christian groups met the launch party with protests outside and, since images were shared of some of the performances – drag queens dressed as nuns, for instance – campaigners have demanded the return of $100,000 in state arts funding; an open letter calling on the government to apologise to the Christian com