San Francisco Church Criticised for Letting Adult Star Preach About 'Bodily Autonomy' in Kink-Leather

A San Francisco church is facing criticism after inviting Honey Davenport, an adult entertainer and drag performer, to deliver a sermon during the weekend of the Folsom Street Fair. Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) San Francisco presented the service as an expression of inclusion and solidarity with the leather community.

The annual Folsom Sunday Worship and Praise Service featured Leather Pride Flags inside the sanctuary. The event has prompted disagreement over how progressive Christian congregations interpret scripture and engage with LGBTQIA+ communities.

Davenport is a drag performer and the winner of International Mr. Leather 2026. The competition's official website confirms the title. Its contestant information describes Davenport's work in performance, activism and community inclusion.

The Folsom Street Fair took place on Sunday, 27 September 2026, according to the event organiser. The annual San Francisco gathering celebrates leather, kink and alternative sexuality communities.

The church's service connected that cultural setting with a Christian reading about authority, repentance and the difference between promises and actions. The resulting debate centres on whether that interpretation represents inclusive ministry or conflicts with more conservative understandings of Christian teaching.

Inside the Sermon at the San Francisco Church

The reflection was based on Matthew 21:23–32, a passage in which religious authorities question Jesus about the source of his authority. Jesus responds with a question about John the Baptist before telling the Parable of the Two Sons.

In the parable, one son initially refuses his father's request but later carries it out. The other agrees but fails to act. Jesus uses the story to challenge the religious authorities' understanding of obedience and righteousness.

The passage also includes Jesus' statement about tax collectors and prostitutes entering God's Kingdom ahead of certain religious leaders. The text presents a challenge to those whose outward professions do not match their actions.

Davenport's reported reflection connected this theme with the idea of finding community. The comparison linked the passage's emphasis on actions with support networks among queer people and members of leather and sex-worker communities.

That interpretation places inclusion at the centre of the church's message. However, the theological connection should be understood as the speaker's interpretation rather than an uncontested reading of the biblical passage.

MCC San Francisco is part of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, a denomination whose history dates to 1968. The fellowship was established to provide a Christian spiritual home for people who experienced rejection elsewhere, including LGBTQIA+ people.

The church's official website describes its community as a home for queer spirituality. Its published materials also emphasise inclusion, justice and healing as elements of its Christian tradition.

Christian Critics Challenge the San Francisco Church

The service drew criticism from Protestia, a Christian commentary website. In an article published on 8 October 2026, the outlet criticised the decision to invite Davenport to preach and objected to the service's connection with leather and kink culture.

Protestia's response represents a critical perspective on the event. Its objections should not be treated as evidence that Christians broadly share the same view or that the service prompted a uniform response across religious communities.

The criticism raises a wider question about the boundaries of church inclusion. For socially conservative Christians, a service associated with adult entertainment and kink culture may conflict with their understanding of appropriate worship and biblical teaching.

For supporters of MCC's approach, welcoming marginalised people into a congregation is consistent with the denomination's stated mission. The disagreement therefore extends beyond the identity of a guest speaker to competing views about faith, sexuality and the role of religious institutions.

The Leather Pride Flag is associated with the leather community. Its display at the service signalled an association with that community, although the precise meaning intended by the congregation should be attributed to the church's own statements.

The wider context is important because the Folsom Street Fair is an established annual event in San Francisco. Its presence provides the setting for the church's decision, but it does not establish that every attendee or member of the leather community shares the same beliefs.

Rev. Daniel Borysewicz is listed as MCC San Francisco's senior pastor on the church's current website. The congregation's published description of its mission emphasises queer spirituality and a commitment to inclusion.

The available material does not establish whether the church issued a separate response to Protestia's criticism. Its broader public statements provide context for its approach, but they should not be presented as a direct rebuttal unless the church explicitly addresses the controversy.

The sermon illustrates a continuing disagreement over the relationship between Christian scripture and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. For MCC San Francisco, the central theme is belonging and community. For its critics, the choice of speaker and the setting raise questions about what a church should endorse from its pulpit.

The dispute ultimately reflects differing theological convictions rather than a single interpretation accepted by all Christians. Establishing the full content and intent of the sermon would require a complete recording, transcript or direct statement from the church.