Speaking & Media

I’m Mandi Rice, MDiv. I came out in 2001, into a religious community that didn’t yet know how to affirm me. They told me my identity was “incompatible” with our core values. The experience was so scarring that I couldn’t imagine I’d ever find a safe and caring religious community.

Now, having earned my master’s at Harvard Divinity School and spent more than a decade learning from queer people of faith, I want the rest of the world to see what I’ve seen:

1. It is absolutely possible to live a rich and connected spiritual life as a queer person.

2. And, in fact, queer people are developing unique theologies and distinctive religious insights that everyone should learn from.

Interviews & Media

My work has recently been featured in Autostraddle and the Forbidden Apple podcast. To request an interview or hire me to write for your outlet, please reach out through the form below.

Invite Me to Speak

The dozens of people I’ve interviewed have become my queer spiritual role models. Their stories were transformative for me — allowing me to completely reimagine what “religion” and “spirituality” could mean for me.

Through my speaking, I seek to open that possibility for others.

I speak with college groups, older adults, nonprofits, religious groups, and academics about the importance of queer spiritual role models. I have preached on spirituality and social justice in a variety of Christian and interfaith contexts. I also facilitate interfaith panel discussions on issues related to LGBTQ+ religion and spirituality.

To be in conversation about a speaking engagement, please fill out the form below.

Featured Speaking Topics

• Queer Spiritual Genius: Finding Your Queerituality Role Models

• How to Thrive in Divinity School If You’re LGBTQ+

• Keys of Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care

• Offering Spiritual Care with LGBT Elders

• Spiritual Practices and Resilience

• The Role of Religious Music in Queer and Trans Spiritual Lives

Bio

Mandi Rice is a writer, chaplain, and researcher of LGBTQ+ identity and religion. Mandi earned a Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School in 2018, and was the first chaplain in the U.S. to complete a residency focused on spiritual care with LGBTQ elders. Mandi has traveled the U.S. interviewing LGBTQ people of many faiths, and has published a book chapter on lived theology and allyship. Mandi is a candidate for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. Mandi finds meaning in all of this work, and finds rest by walking a nearby labyrinth, writing, and practicing restorative yoga.