Putting Identity in its Place: Free Spaces and the Construction of Religious and Sexual Identities

• In Event: 218 - Section on Sociology of Religion Paper Session. Beyond the Culture Wars: Broadening the Religion and Sexualities Conversation

Abstract

Scholarly examinations of LGBT religious identities have typically focused on “identity reconciliation,” or the process by which contradictory aspects of an individual’s identity are integrated. Work in this area, however, often misses the nuances of theorizing on identity by focusing exclusively on personal identity, assuming that being LGBT and religious is a “contradiction,” and positing a “coherent” identity as a desired end goal. This paper posits, instead, that to examine seemingly “contradictory” identities we must understand them in context, and integrates identity theory with the concept of “free spaces” to make sense of LGBT religious identities. Drawing on qualitative data collected from three LGBT congregations, Dignity/Chicago, Emerald City MCC, and Welcome and Shalom Synagogue, I demonstrate that communities matter for how individuals understand and perform the connection between sexual, gender, and religious identities. Through this, I contribute to our understanding of how social spaces and groups contribute to the process of identity construction, particularly for marginalized groups.

Author

• Todd Nicholas Fuist, Arkansas State University