Slouching towards gaytheism : Christianity and queer survival in America / W.C. Harris.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgments; Introduction: Where Gays Lie; 1. "The End of the Rainbow, My Pot of Gold": The Queer Erotics of Purity Balls and Christian Abstinence Culture; 2. Breeding Fraternities: Ex-Gay Ministries, Barebacking, and Alternative Models of Relation; 3. Jesus Needs Gays, Yes He Does: Gay Religion, Queer Spirituality, and the Recalcitrance of Ideology; 4. Slouching towards Gaytheism: Gay Suicide, "It Gets Better," and Religion's Stranglehold on Queer Survival; Conclusion: Before the Cock Crows; Notes; Works Cited; Index.

Slouching towards Gaytheism brings together two intellectual traditions--the New Atheism and queer theory--and moves beyond them to offer a new voice for gay Americans and atheists alike. Examining the continued vehemence of homophobia in cultural and political debate regarding queer equality, this unabashed polemic insists that the needs met by religion might be met--more safely and less toxically--by forms of community that do not harass and malign gay and lesbian Americans or impede collective social progress. Argues that compromises with traditional religion, no matter how enlightened or well intentioned, will ultimately leave heteronormativity alive and well. He explores a range of recent movements, such as Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" project, reparative "ex-gay" therapy, Christian purity culture, and attempts by liberal Christians to reconcile religion with homosexuality, and shows how these proposed solutions are either inadequate or positively dangerous. According to the author, the time has come for "gaytheism": leaving religion behind in order to preserve queer dignity, rights, and lives.

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