Homosexuality

Sodomy and Gay Men’s Lives by John Erickson

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

How do we begin to deconstruct the word sodomy so that it no longer associates and elicits hateful propaganda... more How do we begin to deconstruct the word sodomy so that it no longer associates and elicits hateful propaganda regarding the sexual activity of consenting gay/queer adults?

Meaning if often produced, not through a one-to-one relation to things in the world, but by establishing the difference you or a particular group of people have in relation to the activity/object you are distancing yourself from. The word sodomy is inextricably linked to the Old Testament (Genesis 19:1-11) and has become a popular manifestation for conservative and fundamentalist social and religious critics to use whenever they are critiquing why gay men are different or deviant from normal, heterosexual adults.  Furthermore, sodomy has been and still is highly involved in constructing both positive and negative sexual ethics that often define and rule over the lives of those who participate not in sodomy but other forms of non-vaginal intercourse.

De la subcultura al movimiento social: elementos para una genealogía de la homosexualidad

by Francisco Vazquez Garcia

Jones, T. and Hillier, L. (2012). Sexuality education school policy for Australian GLBTIQ students. Sex Education, ifirst http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681811.2012.677211 Accessed 10.05.12.

by Tiffany Jones

Education is state-run in Australia, and within each of the eight states and territories there are both government and... more Education is state-run in Australia, and within each of the eight states and territories there are both government and independent schooling systems. This paper details the position of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) students within Australian education policy documents nationally, focusing on the three largest states and educational sectors in Australia. Survey data are used to report on the schooling experiences of over 3000 Australian GLBTIQ young people aged 14–21 years. Data from interviews with key policy informants identify both the obstacles to implementing policies, and how such obstacles have been overcome. Much official policy sees sexuality education as promoting inclusive, protective and affirming messages around GLBTIQ students. There exist significant correlations between policy and a variety of well-being and psycho-social outcomes for GLBTIQ students, including lowered incidence of homophobic abuse and suicide, and the creation of supportive school environments. Ideal policy visions are outlined, along with practical recommendations of relevance to a variety of stakeholders.

Locating Homosexuality in Carolingian Monastic Life

by James Mitchell

The Homosexual as the Antithesis of “Biblical Manhood”? Heteronormativity and Masculinity Politics in Zambian Pentecostal Sermons

by Adriaan van Klinken

Published in Journal of Gender and Religion in Africa, vol. 17 no. 2 (2011), pp. 126-142.

This article offers a critical analysis of a series of sermons entitled Fatherhood in the 21st Century preached in a... more This article offers a critical analysis of a series of sermons entitled Fatherhood in the 21st Century preached in a Zambian Pentecostal church, in which homosexuality is an explicit theme. The sermons are discussed in relation to the broader controversy on homosexuality in African Christianity. While it is often suggested that African Christian leaders actively oppose same-sex relationships to profile themselves in local and global contexts, the case study reveals an additional factor. Homosexuality is also used in the politics of gender, particularly masculinity, within the church. The references to homosexuality in the sermons create a counter-image of the promoted ideal of “biblical manhood”. A stereotypical homosexual was constructed, who represents two of the main concerns about Zambian men: their preoccupation with sexuality and their indifference towards the male role they are to play. This article reveals the heteronormative politics and theology underlying “biblical manhood” and points to the problematic consequences in relation to HIV&AIDS. It also suggests how to interrogate and rethink “biblical manhood” from the perspective of queer theology.

“Macho Buddhism: Gender and Sexualities in the Diamond Way” in Religion and Gender 1 (2011), pp. 85-103

by Burkhard Scherer

Western Tibetan Buddhist movements have been described as bourgeois and puritanical in previous scholarship. In... more Western Tibetan Buddhist movements have been described as bourgeois and puritanical in previous scholarship. In contrast, Ole Nydahl’s convert lay Karma Kagyu Buddhist movement, the Diamond Way, has drawn attention for its apparently hedonistic style. Focussing on the interpretation of Nydahl’s approach to gender and sexualities, this paper addresses the wider issues of continuity and change during the transition of Tibetan Buddhism from Asia to the West. Nydahl’s pre-modern gender stereotyping, the hetero-machismo of the Diamond Way and the mildly homophobic tone and content of Nydahl’s teaching are interpreted on the background of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist sexual ethics and traditional Tibetan cultural attitudes on sexualities. By excavating the emic genealogy of Nydahl’s teachings, the paper suggests that Nydahl’s and the Diamond Way’s view on and performance of gender and sexualities are consistent with his propagation of convert Buddhist neo-orthodoxy.

“Homophobia”: A Dialogical-Semiotic Approach

by Miguel M. Gonçalves

The Tainted Pearl: Stories of War, Tourism and Development in Uganda

by Stan Frankland

Identity threat among British Muslim gay men

by Rusi Jaspal

Jaspal, R. (2010). Identity threat among British Muslim gay men. The Psychologist, 23(8), 640-41.

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Being gay in a heteronormative world can be difficult and stressful, but for Muslims who identify as gay, life can be... more Being gay in a heteronormative world can be difficult and stressful, but for Muslims who identify as gay, life can be particularly problematic. This is due primarily to negative
social representations of homosexuality within Islam. This
article elucidates some of the socio-psychological challenges
which may be experienced by British Muslim gay men through a
brief discussion of the relevant literature in this area. It is argued
that psychologists ought to engage with these issues to complement ongoing work within sociology, and that studying the interface of sexuality and religion has important implications for policy and practice, particularly within counselling psychology.

Case Comment: South Africa: Constitutional Protection for Homosexuals-A Brave Initiative, But Is It Working

by paula gerber

Sacred Rites and Civil Rights: Religion's Effect on Attitudes Toward Same‐Sex Unions and the Perceived Cause of Homosexuality*

by Andrew Whitehead

“‘The Spirit of Fornication, Whom the Children of the Hellenes Used to Call Eros’: Problematizations of Male Homoeroticism in Late Antique Monastic Milieus.” In New Europe College Yearbook 2002-2003. Ed. Irina Vainovski-Mihai, 239-79. Bucharest: New Europe College, 2005

by Cristian-Nicolae Gaşpar

Revised version published as “‘The Spirit of Fornication, Whom the Children of the Hellenes Used to Call Eros’: Male Homoeroticism and the Rhetoric of Chastity in the Letters of Nilus of Ancyra.” In Chastity: A Study in Perception, Ideals, Opposition. Ed. Nancy van Deusen, 151-83. Leiden: Brill, 2008.

“Monk Meets Blond Boy: Constructing Homoerotic Temptation in the Philotheos Historia of Theodoret of Cyrrhus.” In Les forces du bien et du mal dans les premiers siècles de l'Église: Actes du Colloque de Tours, Septembre 2008, ed. Yves-Marie Blanchard, Bernard Pouderon, and Madeleine Scopello, 187-209. Théologie historique 118. Paris: Beauchesne, 2010 [2011].

by Cristian-Nicolae Gaşpar

Based on a paper delivered at a conference in Tours, this study looks at one of the puzzling features of Theodoret's... more Based on a paper delivered at a conference in Tours, this study looks at one of the puzzling features of Theodoret's Philotheos Historia, namely, the almost complete absence of sexual temptation from the hagiographic profiles the author created for his heroes, fourth- and fifth-century Syrian holy men. In this context, the appearance of the spirit of fornication under the guise of a beautiful blond boy in the Life of James of Cyrrhestica is all the more remarkable. This study attempts to explain why Theodoret chose to construct sexual temptation as homoerotic temptation and why he made its agent, the spirit of fornication, appear as a blond boy of stunning beauty as opposed to a little black boy--its traditional disguise ever since the Life of Antony.

Homophobia is the hate that dares speak its name

by Senthorun Raj

Published in The Punch, 11th February 2012

Some reflections on the complexities of human rights and homophobia in response to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in... more Some reflections on the complexities of human rights and homophobia in response to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda.

Homoerotik und Jenseitssymbolik - das selbstfressende Selbst als megalomanes Verfallsaxiom mehrfach kategorisierter Spezialhermeneutik

by Martin Jacob Schaunpeter

1990

Should educators accommodate intolerance? Mark Halstead, 1 homosexuality, and the Islamic case

by Michael Merry

Same‐Sex Relationships and Women with Intellectual Disabilities

by Jan Burns

Taking Up the Cudgels Against Gay Rights? Trends and Trajectories in African Christian Theologies on Homosexuality

by Adriaan van Klinken

Published in Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 59 no. 1 (2012), 114-138.
Co-authored with Masiiwa Ragies Gunda.
Send me a message if you'd like to have a copy of this article and do not have access to the journal.

Against the background of the HIV epidemic and the intense public controversy on homosexuality in African societies,... more Against the background of the HIV epidemic and the intense public controversy on homosexuality in African societies, this article investigates the discourses of academic African Christian theologians on homosexuality. Distinguishing some major strands in African theology, that is, inculturation, liberation, women's and reconstruction theology, the article examines how the central concepts of culture, liberation, justice, and human rights function in these discourses. On the basis of a qualitative analysis of a large number of publications, the article shows that stances of African theologians are varying from silence and rejection to acceptance. Although many African theologians have taken up the cudgels against gay rights, some “dissident voices” break the taboo and develop more inclusive concepts of African identity and African Christianity.

Hierarchical Relations in David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly and in David Mamet’s Oleanna

by Frederic Derose-Jacques

The stormtrooper family: How sexuality, spirituality, and community shaped the Hambug SA

by Andrew Wackerfuss

Dissertation in History at Georgetown University, 2009.

The dissertation explains the recruitment and retention strategy of the Nazis’ paramilitary band of “political... more The dissertation explains the recruitment and retention strategy of the Nazis’ paramilitary band of “political soldiers.” It argues that the Party and SA initially relied less on ideological recruitment than previously believed, and instead attracted potential loyalists through appeal to pre-existing personal relationships. These included family ties, religious affiliations, and emotional bonds of friendship, camaraderie, or attraction among potential recruits. Personal connections, as well as the wide range of social services the Party offered its paramilitary fighters, represented the primary means of recruiting and integrating new members into the movement. The tension, however, between competing visions of family generated increasingly violent forms of political conflict.

Advisor: Roger Chickering
Readers: Geoffrey Giles, Katrin Sieg, Richard Stites