December 27 2025, 08:15 
A queer take on the nativity caused an uproar among Christian students at a university in York, England.
As The Telegraph reported, Christian students at York St. John University threatened to protest the school’s LGBTQ+ Student Network’s production of A Gay in a Manger after the university declined to shut it down.
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The play reportedly depicted Mary and Joseph as a lesbian couple, Jesus as “the new King of the Gays,” heaven as a gay disco, and Herod and the three wise men as drag queens. In a letter to the university, 21-year-old politics and international relations student Josiah Diamond described the play as “not only blasphemous in a direct sense, but of a particular offensive and violating nature to adherents of the faith and openly opposing doctrine.”
“By allowing this performance to go ahead, the university is supportive of groups who chose to openly mock the Bible,” Diamond, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, wrote, according to The Telegraph. “We are amazed that York St John supports such an approach. I am certain that you would not allow Muslims at the university to be so treated. I believe that you are discriminating against Christians.”
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Donna Smith, the CEO of the university’s student union, responded that the play had “been given consideration of its script and context,” and that she had found “no evidence that the event constitutes unlawful harassment, discrimination, or hate speech under U.K. law.”
“I believe there will be no use of threatening, abusive words or behaviour intended to stir up religious hatred,” Smith said, adding that the play is “a reinterpretation of a religious theme which is protected under artistic expression.”
“We do recognise that members of our community may experience offence or discomfort as a result of lawful expression, and we have given consideration to this,” Smith said.
Diamond told The Telegraph that he had both Muslim and gay friends who “disagree with what is going on.”
“We feel very upset and disrespected by the university,” he said. “I think it is an attack on our faith. As Christians we would never do something to Muslims or LGBTQ+ or any other person because we believe in mutual respect. We don’t mock anyone’s beliefs.”
In a joint statement, York St John University Students’ Union and York St John University noted that “it can be frustrating for students to face views and perspectives that do not reflect their own values or beliefs. However, freedom of speech within the law is a core principle of university activity. Following a thorough review, we have found no evidence that this event is unlawful or contravenes our legal duties.”
The statement noted that U.K. law “rightly prohibits speech that incites violence, terrorism and hate, but does not prohibit speech that others may find upsetting or offensive.”
“We are an inclusive university, welcoming students from all faiths and none,” the statement continued. “It is not our role to censor or stifle lawful expression when there is disagreement with the views being expressed.”
Diamond told The Telegraph that Christian students intended to protest the play, which was staged on Thursday, December 18. It’s unclear whether any protest did take place, but the performance of A Gay in a Manger appears to have gone off without a hitch. On December 20, the York St. John University LGBTQ+ Students’ Network shared an Instagram post featuring photos from the play.
“Congratulations to every single person who worked on this show, you should all be so very proud of yourselves, you did an incredible job bringing this story to life,” the post was captioned, noting that money from ticket sales would go to the York LGBT Forum. “A very happy Christmas [sic] and a wonderful new year to you all from LGBTQ+ Student’s Network!”
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