Brian Murphy

Brian G. Murphy is a co-founder of the Queer Theology podcast and organization. This organization provides resources, community, and educational opportunities on the sacred nature of queerness within the scope of spirituality.

Brian grew up evangelical Christian and was active in mainline Christianity in his early adult life. He converted to Judaism a few years ago, in his late 30s. He studied film and religion at the University of Southern California, which led to post-graduate work in Hollywood for some time before Brian would begin his personal business and projects. He considers himself a storyteller, especially as it pertains to LGBTQIA+ stories. His work has been featured on Buzzfeed, NBC News, and Vice.

Brian is in a happily open and queer marriage, which further draws him to activism as it pertains to polyamory and queer relationships. Alongside his co-founder Fr. Shay, the Queer Theology hub has broken into conversations such as purity culture, queer bodies, transgender theology, and more. Their message has reached over 1,000,000 people in over 200 countries through their website, podcast, and videos. These two have also published a devotional book together, titled Queersthe Word. Fr. Shay has his own profile in the archives.

From a theological standpoint, Brian emphasizes the goodness of both God and humanity. In an article discussing Leviticus, Brian writes:

Our job isn’t to endlessly debate Leviticus, Sodom & Gomorrah, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians, or any of the other “clobber passages” or “texts of terror.” Our calling is to help people change their hearts and lives. To move them toward action. Even asking “how can you be LGBTQ and Christian?” is its own form of spiritual violence. Even when the question is asked with the best of intentions (and we all know that it usually isn’t). Your humanity should never be up for debate or discussion. It’s your life, not an academic exploration."

Brian has released several of his own publications as well. He maintains an active blog dedicated to queer relationship coaching and is the co-creator of the Legalize Trans artistic movement. These releases occurred alongside his coaching practice, RelationShift, intended to assist queer and polyamorous couples. In his relationship coaching, Brian creates space for asking questions about opening up a relationship, spirituality, and queerness.

A major point that Brian reinforces is that there is a healthy sexuality within Christianity that is not often explored. In reference to his own testimony, Brian shares:

Developing a Soulful Sexuality is a multi-step process. It starts with identifying toxic messages and unhelpful thoughts and counterproductive actions. We then move to learning not only what the Bible really says about sex and sexuality, but also what science and psychology says. From there, we build practices that (re)connect us to our bodies and our desires. As we begin to get back in touch with ourselves, we can forge sacred connections between sex and spirituality that lift both to even higher heights. Sex is not only a natural part of being human for most people, it can also be a pathway for healing, for connecting with others, and for understanding the divine.

The social justice work that Brian has done is extensive, ultimately focusing on resource sharing and integral reminders of the belonging of queer folks within religious spaces. Through his activism, podcast, and workshops, Brian has assisted in creating a community of those ostracized by their faith traditions. This queer theology targets liberation through Christ, and Brian has co-founded a space where Christian and Jewish queer folks are able to ask questions without hiding their identities. Queer Theology has grown into a large enough hub that it now offers:

• a private community discussion app for web & mobile
• monthly discussion groups & coaching calls
• quarterly worship experiences
• themed small groups
• a dedicated, closed group for trans & nonbinary members
• channels for topics like bodies, creativity, polyamory, bookclub, and more.

These resources that Brian and Fr. Shay have created space for are monumental in the reconstruction of faith for those hurt by the Orthodox church. There is no judgement in figuring out what you believe in this space, and it is one of the first virtual spaces that connects queers believers internationally. Brian is an integral part in the education, storytelling, and vision of this organization.

Brian' first solo book came out this past September: Love Beyond Monogamy: How Polyamory Can Enrich Your Spirituality, Faith, and Relationships. Fr. Shannon and he have co-authored a book coming out fall 2026: Reading The Bible Through Queer Eyes: Good News for LGBTQ+ People from Genesis to Revelation. Brian has been a diligent leader in the LGBTQIA+ spiritual community, and his work is far from over.

(This biographical statement was written by Aubrey St. John for a fall 2025 Queer & Trans Theology class at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and was reviewed by Murphy..

Biography Date: November 2025

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