Queer Love in a “Christian Nation”

Zambian Gay Men Negotiating Sexual and Religious Identities

Dados Bibliográficos

ID8201951
AutoresAdriaan Van Klinken (0000-0003-2011-5537, University of Leeds, autor correspondente)
Ano2015
Volume83
Fascículo4
Páginas947-964
Data de publicação2015-12-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of the American Academy of Religion (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0002-7189 • E-ISSN: 1477-4585
EditoraOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jaarel/lfv073
OpenAlexW2285641856
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas19
Referências citadas30

On the basis of a study of a group of Zambian men identifying both as gay and as Christian, this article explores the negotiation of sexual and religious identity and critically addresses the "surprise" some scholars have expressed about the general religiosity of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) people in Africa. The study demonstrates that participants are not just victims subjected to homophobic religious and political discourses but have agency: resisting discourses of demonization, they humanize themselves by making claims towards the universal category of love-both their own inclination to loving relationships and their share in God's love. Hence they claim space for themselves as full citizens of Zambia as a Christian nation. This article particularly highlights how some aspects of Pentecostalism appear to contribute to "queer empowerment", and argues that the religiosity of African LGBTIs critically interrogates Euro-American secular models of LGBTI liberation.

Negotiation · Queer · Social science · Sociology · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Philosophy · Religious studies