Navigating Contradictions: LGBT Identity-Building on Christian College Campuses
Session Title
Feminism and Identity
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Abstract
This research examines Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students at Christian colleges and universities as intersectional subjects. LGBT students face traditional college stressors, along with the difficulty of navigating significant identity contradictions. At Christian colleges, negative campus climate compounds the risk of identity fragmentation, as very few Christian denominations unconditionally accept sexual and gender minorities. Drawing on political theory and contemporary sociological research, I examine how LGBT students can more effectively navigate these contradictions. I argue that they may do so through mixed methods, building solidarity and activist groups, which act as fora through which transgressive, queer theologies can be developed.
Honors Thesis Committee
Jennifer Disney, Ph.D.; Michael Lipscomb, Ph.D.; and Brandon Ranallo-Benavidez, Ph.D.
Course Assignment
Disney and Lipscomb
Previously Presented/Performed?
North Carolina Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Charlotte, North Carolina, February 2019
Start Date
12-4-2019 1:15 PM
Navigating Contradictions: LGBT Identity-Building on Christian College Campuses
DIGS 220
This research examines Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students at Christian colleges and universities as intersectional subjects. LGBT students face traditional college stressors, along with the difficulty of navigating significant identity contradictions. At Christian colleges, negative campus climate compounds the risk of identity fragmentation, as very few Christian denominations unconditionally accept sexual and gender minorities. Drawing on political theory and contemporary sociological research, I examine how LGBT students can more effectively navigate these contradictions. I argue that they may do so through mixed methods, building solidarity and activist groups, which act as fora through which transgressive, queer theologies can be developed.
