Queering the Gay/Christian Intersection: An Exploration of Celibacy, Ex-gay, and the Christian Closet in Gay Christian Narratives
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2015-12
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English
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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As the LGBTQ+ movement proliferates throughout U.S. discourse, it has become clear that it is inextricably in dialogue with the institution of evangelical Christianity. LGBTQ+ rights, demands, and desires have continually been met with opposition, indifference, and even occasional collaboration from the U.S. evangelical church. But what of those subjects caught in the intersection between queer desire and Christian faith? This project examines gay Christian narratives written by some of these subjects. By tracing the themes of celibacy, ex-gay identity, and the closet in these narratives, I elucidate moments of queerness, diverting paths, and ideological exchanges made by these subjects who are located at the precarious position between gay and Christian. Furthermore, I utilize the works of queer theorists such as Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, and Jack Halberstam in juxtaposition with gay Christian narratives both to illuminate discreet moments of queerness and reveal the hegemonic structures and demands of U.S. evangelical Christianity. Ultimately, this is as much a literary project as a cultural one. While the gay Christian narratives I analyze are themselves indicative of the seemingly opposed stances of queer/Christianity, I also employ contemporary Christian and LGB/Christian rhetoric to relate text to culture. Problematic tensions and struggles seen in gay Christian narratives are reflected throughout U.S. popular discourse, where discussions of LGBTQ+ and Christianity take place amidst the objectification, oppression, and institutionalization of queer subjects.
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queer theory, queer literature, U.S. Christianity
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70 pages
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