Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christians

Contextualising this study within contemporary theories of Christianity and same-sex attraction, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christians: Queer Christians, Authentic Selves moves between richly described first-person accounts and clear theoretical analysis. Whilst discussing the broader themes of the nature of religion, belief, and ritual, this book details the processes through which LGBT Christians resolve the fraught tensions between their religious, sexual and gendered identities, and examines the associated changes to their religious practice in the pursuit of "authenticity." Through extensive qualitative research with LGBT Christians in the Australian Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), and the Uniting Church, Bronwyn Fielder and Douglas Ezzy show that although painful self-questioning and struggle is experienced by some LGBT Christians, many people ultimately find a resolution and a sense of peace with their sexual identity as LGBT Christians. The pursuit of authenticity is shown to be driven by participants' essentialist understanding of sexuality and gender, and the centrality of religiosity to their sense of self.
Offering insight into how participants transform their relationships, emotions, beliefs, and ritual practices in order to make this authentic life possible, this study is an important contribution to the field of religion and sexuality.