Marcella Althaus-Reid (Rosario, Argentina, May 11, 1952 – Edinburgh, Scotland, February 20, 2009) was an Argentine feminist and queer theologian, a pioneer in integrating liberation theology with gender and sexuality studies
She trained at the Higher Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, where she studied with prominent liberation theologians like José Severino Croatto. Later, she completed her PhD in 1994 at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, with a thesis on the influence of Paul Ricoeur on the methodology of liberation theology. Throughout her career, she worked in impoverished communities in Argentina and Scotland, applying awareness-raising methods inspired by Paulo Freire's pedagogy
In 2000, she published her most influential work, Indecent Theology, where she explored how the sexual experiences of the poor can reveal the underlying ideologies in systematic theology. In 2003, she published The Queer God, in which she proposed a conception of God that transcends sexual and colonial prejudices. These works established a new field in the study of theology, integrating queer theory, feminism, and postcolonial analysis
In 2006, she was appointed Professor of Contextual Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh, becoming the first woman to hold a theology chair at that institution in its 160-year history. Additionally, she directed the Master's in Theology and Development and was an active member of the Metropolitan Community Church
Althaus-Reid died in 2009 at the age of 56. Her legacy endures in queer theology and in gender and sexuality studies, being a key figure in transforming theology from an inclusive and liberating perspective
To delve deeper into her thought, it is recommended to read her books Indecent Theology and The Queer God, available in Spanish
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