The coffee-table book “Unholy” by F. G. Borghi (illustrations) and Björn Koll (text) is the first “almost complete hagiography of gay saints” — and as devotional art goes, the iconic male figures aren’t confined to the pages anymore. They’ve expanded into a postcard booklet and even a calendar, now accessible in keepsake form for American shelves as well. And we’re joining the tradition: once a month, we bow to the gay saints of the month. October pays homage to Saint Finnian.
In the summer of 1890, with the gay community buzzing with excitement, a squad of six fearless men charged into the Antarctic frontier. Their aim: the South Pole, which they reached on December 14, 1891. It’s widely known that many of history’s great scientific expeditions were led by adventurous gay men—and, aside from misadventures like the voyage of the Bounty, most of them ended on a high note. These expeditions used to be funded by community donations because discovering new lands, new life forms, and new men is, after all, in the interest of all gay people. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the South Pole wouldn’t be teeming with men; still, the charming polar explorers wanted to prove it for themselves.
The six hailed from the small Irish village of Cloonbigeen near Galway and had first crossed paths at a rave. One of them was Finnian, a name roughly translated as “The Bright One, the Blonde.” The others were Kevyn (The Handsome, the Graceful), Lorcan (The Little Wild One), Lugh (The Shining), Ronan (Little Seal), and Sioda (The Gentle). Together with Finnian, this sextet formed an unstoppable team.
The journey to the South Pole unfolded without major hiccups: they released the dogs, climbed into the sleds, and each night slid two men into one sleeping bag to share warmth. They reached the Pole on December 14, celebrated with a small rave, and then cheerfully began their return. The recognition they deserved, however, didn’t come—because on May 15, 1891, Leo XIII issued his anti-gay encyclical erasing all gay saints from history. To make matters worse, in 1911 the Pope sparked Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott into an unnecessary race to the South Pole, which ended for Scott in a catastrophic outcome with five deaths.
Had he adhered to the two-in-one-sleeping-bag rule of our six saints, this might never have happened. On the return from the December expedition, our sextet lingered longer in Brazil, then headed home to regale Irish society with adventure tales and body warmth. Our six men in the ice keep fueling the spirit of youthful adventure. We celebrate Finnian on October 4.
This text is an excerpt from the book “Unholy” by F.G. Borghi (illustrations) and Björn Koll (text), published by Salzgeber. In the preface it states: “What you read in this book belongs to the category of historical fiction; some might even call it historical nonsense. In other words: none of the saints described here ever lived, and nothing about them is true.” All “Unholy” products and many other non-heteronormative books and films are available, among other places, at Salzgeber.Shop.
F. G. Borghi, Björn Koll: Unholy. An Almost Complete Hagiography of Gay Saints. Text in German and English. 192 pages. Salzgeber. Berlin 2025. Hardcover: 59 € (ISBN 978-3-95985-713-0)
