diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
index fb5ee8d5c35..685bfb51b25 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
         {{#if hasExcerpt}}
           <div class="topic-excerpt">
-            {{excerpt}}
+            {{{excerpt}}}
             {{#if excerptTruncated}}
               {{#unless canClearPin}}<a href="{{lastReadUrl}}">{{i18n read_more}}</a>{{/unless}}
             {{/if}}
diff --git a/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb b/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
index 2bd61439180..32165840d57 100644
--- a/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
+++ b/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
@@ -17,7 +17,13 @@ class CategoryFeaturedTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
 
     CategoryFeaturedTopic.transaction do
       CategoryFeaturedTopic.delete_all(category_id: c.id)
-      query = TopicQuery.new(nil, per_page: SiteSetting.category_featured_topics)
+
+      # fake an admin
+      admin = User.new
+      admin.admin = true
+      admin.id = -1
+
+      query = TopicQuery.new(admin, per_page: SiteSetting.category_featured_topics)
       results = query.list_category(c)
       if results.present?
         results.topic_ids.each_with_index do |topic_id, idx|
diff --git a/app/serializers/listable_topic_serializer.rb b/app/serializers/listable_topic_serializer.rb
index b48448a24a4..c5718b31de9 100644
--- a/app/serializers/listable_topic_serializer.rb
+++ b/app/serializers/listable_topic_serializer.rb
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ class ListableTopicSerializer < BasicTopicSerializer
   end
 
   def excerpt
+    # excerpt should be hoisted into topic, this is an N+1 query ... yuck
     object.posts.by_post_number.first.try(:excerpt, 220, strip_links: true) || nil
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/category_featured_topic_spec.rb b/spec/models/category_featured_topic_spec.rb
index c327d66c0f1..f40577bbf00 100644
--- a/spec/models/category_featured_topic_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/category_featured_topic_spec.rb
@@ -5,5 +5,23 @@ describe CategoryFeaturedTopic do
   it { should belong_to :category }
   it { should belong_to :topic }
 
+  it "should feature topics for a secure category" do
+
+    # so much dancing, I am thinking fixures make sense here.
+    user = Fabricate(:user)
+    user.change_trust_level!(:basic)
+
+    category = Fabricate(:category)
+    category.deny(:all)
+    category.allow(Group[:trust_level_1])
+    category.save
+
+    post = PostCreator.create(user, raw: "this is my new post 123 post", title: "hello world")
+
+    CategoryFeaturedTopic.feature_topics_for(category)
+    CategoryFeaturedTopic.count.should == 1
+
+  end
+
 end