Nicolete Burbach is a theologian whose work aims to help the Catholic Church to navigate its difficult encounter with transness. She is particularly interested in how the late Pope Francis’ teachings might help the Church to take a more productive stance around things that it finds unfamiliar or threatening. Her research revolves around putting Francis into dialogue with work in queer theory around the relationship between politics, interpretation, and feeling. She is also interested in the history of Catholic antifeminism, especially in its most recent expression of transnational anti-gender politics, and the interface between theology and trans studies. Her edited collection with Lisa Sowle Cahill, Trans Life and the Catholic Church Today was published by Bloomsbury in 2024.

Alongside academic writing, Nicolete is a regular contributor to New Ways Ministry’s blog, Bondings 2.0, and has written for a variety of other organisations and publications, including The Tablet, Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, and The Pastoral Review. She also speaks widely and has been a guest on various podcasts, including The Magnificast and Thinking Faith’s Things I Wish I Knew.

Nicolete earned a BA(hons) in Philosophy and Theology, an MA in Catholic Studies, and completed a PhD on Pope Francis’ hermeneutics of uncertainty, all at Durham University. She now lives in London with her wife. In her spare time she plays guitar in multiple bands.