The pews of the Church of the Annunziata in Mercogliano, a town just outside of Naples, were filled with guests wearing lacquered nails, towering wigs and heavy eyelashes. The group known as femminielli — meaning a nonbinary gender identity with ancient roots — had gathered there for their annual pilgrimage, La Juta, honoring the biblical Mary and affirming the femminielli identity.
The parish priest celebrating the Mass, the Rev. Vitaliano Della Sala, said in his Feb.2 homily that the Juta "is a celebration of the encounter between the human and the divine,” stressing that these occasions are more important now than ever as violence, prejudice and war threaten rights around the world.
