Queer and Catholic: An Oral History Interview with Stephanie Battaglino
Click here to view a video recording of Part 1 of this CLGS Queer and Catholic Oral History Interview!
Click here to view a video recording of Part 2 of this CLGS Queer and Catholic Oral History Interview!
Stephanie Battaglino
Stephanie Battaglino (she/her) is a trans woman, activist, and speaker. She is the author of the book, Reflections from Both Sides of the Glass Ceiling: Finding My True Self in Corporate America (2021). She came out as a trans woman in 2005, while working as a corporate vice-president for New York Life. Since then, she has focused on trans education, awareness, and inclusion, including among Catholic communities.
Born in Newark in 1958, New Jersey to a religiously Catholic Italian American family, Battaglino describes her upbringing, her experiences of faith and gender expression, and her transition in this interview.
Keywords: Transgender Catholics, Sister Luisa Derouen, International Foundation for Gender Education, Rhythm Kid, COVID-19 pandemic, Kearny, New Jersey, Morristown, New Jersey, Kearny, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, pre-Vatican II, University of Delaware, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Social Services, Recovering Catholics, Episcopal Church, Tucson, Arizona, Palm Desert, California You can find a full interview transcript and more interviews on the project website.
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the interview is split into two parts.
Click here to access a written transcript of this CLGS Queer and Catholic Oral History Interview!
This interview was conducted by Emma Cieslik, Project Director, with Stephanie Battaglino on 7 December 2022
Queer and Catholic, an Oral History Project of the CLGS Catholic Roundtable, interviews:
- People who identify as LGBTQIA+ and Catholic (in the past or present);
- People who are ordained and/or vowed members of religious communities who identify as LGBTQIA+;
- People who were raised within Catholic communities or come from families where Catholicism has a dominant and discernable presence on their lives;
- People who were raised in ethnically Catholic communities, particularly in immigrant communities; and
- People who identify as culturally Catholic, in any manifestation that this culture takes form.
Founded in 2022, The CLGS Catholic Roundtable brings together leaders (lay and ordained), scholars, artists, educators, and activists to engage in strategic thinking with the goal of creating culturally-appropriate programs and coalitions that affirm the dignity and human worth of LGBTQ Catholics and our allies. Rooted in a variety of Catholic traditions, the Catholic Roundtable promotes LGBTQ Catholic leadership; develops educational, spiritual, and liturgical resources for Catholic individuals and communities; and fosters the exchange of best pastoral care practices with Catholic and allied faith communities.