A new exhibit at the National Gallery In the UK is portraying the Christian martyr St. Sebastian as a transgender Asian person, with video installations showing models reenacting the saint’s story in a modern reinterpretation. The display, open to the public, is funded in part through taxpayer-supported arts programming, per the Daily Mail.
The exhibit, created by Singaporean artist Ming Wong, features multiple rooms where transgender models depict St. Sebastian in a series of filmed performances. In the videos, the figure is shown dancing, performing martial arts, and interacting with symbolic elements such as a seashell.
St. Sebastian is understood as a 3rd-century Roman soldier who secretly aided persecuted Christians during the reign of Diocletian.
Historical accounts state he was sentenced to death, shot with arrows, and later killed. The exhibit references that account visually, with several clips ending in scenes where performers are struck by arrows.
According to signage accompanying the installation, “Wong's film reimagines the martyr's narrative within the gallery. Latin-speaking Roman soldiers are performed by Asian actors of different genders, alongside the artist himself, staging a dialogue between an ancient past and a global present.”
The reinterpretation has prompted strong reactions from advocacy groups and campaigners, who argue the depiction conflicts with the historical and religious understanding of the saint. Lucy Marsh of the Family Education Trust said: “Portraying St Sebastian, who is venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, as a ‘transgender’ man is not only historically inaccurate but incredibly offensive to Christians. Rewriting history and pretending that an important male saint was secretly trans is ridiculous, because a Roman soldier could not have been female!
“It's also not acceptable for a publicly funded institution to promote gender ideology in an exhibition which is open to families.”
She added: “Children may believe this depiction of St Sebastian is accurate, which could cement the false idea that transgenderism has been around for centuries. The National Gallery is world renowned and funded by taxpayers, who should not be paying for offensive exhibits which promote harmful ideologies as fact.”
Women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen also criticized the exhibit, calling it “disgusting,” and said: “On so many levels this is wrong. However, it seems right now in the UK Christianity is failed and abused.
The exhibit, created by Singaporean artist Ming Wong, features multiple rooms where transgender models depict St. Sebastian in a series of filmed performances. In the videos, the figure is shown dancing, performing martial arts, and interacting with symbolic elements such as a seashell.
St. Sebastian is understood as a 3rd-century Roman soldier who secretly aided persecuted Christians during the reign of Diocletian.
Historical accounts state he was sentenced to death, shot with arrows, and later killed. The exhibit references that account visually, with several clips ending in scenes where performers are struck by arrows.
According to signage accompanying the installation, “Wong's film reimagines the martyr's narrative within the gallery. Latin-speaking Roman soldiers are performed by Asian actors of different genders, alongside the artist himself, staging a dialogue between an ancient past and a global present.”
The reinterpretation has prompted strong reactions from advocacy groups and campaigners, who argue the depiction conflicts with the historical and religious understanding of the saint. Lucy Marsh of the Family Education Trust said: “Portraying St Sebastian, who is venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, as a ‘transgender’ man is not only historically inaccurate but incredibly offensive to Christians. Rewriting history and pretending that an important male saint was secretly trans is ridiculous, because a Roman soldier could not have been female!
“It's also not acceptable for a publicly funded institution to promote gender ideology in an exhibition which is open to families.”
She added: “Children may believe this depiction of St Sebastian is accurate, which could cement the false idea that transgenderism has been around for centuries. The National Gallery is world renowned and funded by taxpayers, who should not be paying for offensive exhibits which promote harmful ideologies as fact.”
Women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen also criticized the exhibit, calling it “disgusting,” and said: “On so many levels this is wrong. However, it seems right now in the UK Christianity is failed and abused.
