Sufjan Stevens: “The Bible is super gay” — Spirituality, Sensuality & Survival 10 Years After Carrie & Lowell
Ten years after releasing Carrie & Lowell, one of the most beloved and heartbreaking albums of the 2010s, Sufjan Stevens is reflecting on grief, faith, and queerness in a revealing new interview with Craig Jenkins for Vulture.
In 2023, Stevens faced two profound losses: a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that left him physically debilitated, and the death of his partner, Evans Richardson IV, who passed away in April of that same year. Stevens publicly dedicated his 2023 album Javelin to Richardson, and its emotional weight speaks for itself.
But Stevens’ new reflections go deeper than mourning. Asked about the sensual and spiritual elements of songs like To Be Alone With You, John My Beloved, and Javelin (To Have and to Hold), he speaks openly about how queerness and Christianity intersect in his life:
“I’ve always felt that my relationship to God is a very intimate and sensual one. Sacraments are. It’s engaging with God in a physical way. You’re literally eating the flesh and drinking the blood of God during the Eucharist. It doesn’t get much more erotic than that,” he said, before adding, “If you’re a vampire, that’s the ultimate erotic experience.”
Stevens goes further:
“The Bible is Very Gay. Just all men. That’s what you get when there’s a patriarchy that’s endured for so long. Jesus was single, never married; Disciples were all dudes …”
Despite the darkness of the past few years, Stevens now speaks from a place of clarity and peace.
“It’s been a couple of shitty years, but I’m okay,” he says.
He’s not chasing martyrdom. Instead, he’s speaking plainly about what it means to live honestly in grief and love—and how, through it all, he’s still finding beauty in the sacred, the sensual, and the queer.