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

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Apr 12th, 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.