The Intersection of Race, Sexual Orientation and Religion in the Gay Community

Intersectionality is a relevant theory for some gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals. Intersectionality studies "the relationships among multiple dimensions and modalities of social relationships and subject formations" (McCall, 2005). The theory argues, pursues and considers how gender, race, sexual orientation and other categories of identity interact on many and often concurring levels of social relationships, therefore allowing discrimination and social inequity. Intersectionality explains how the notion of social injustice, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and belief-based bigotry such as religion are not independent of one another; instead, they are interconnected, and thereby reflect “intersectionality” in regards to social relationships. Humans are multifaceted beings; we move, maneuver and adjust, to present different and appropriate representations of ourselves to others, based on the circumstances. Perhaps we look for a reflection of ourselves within the groups with we associate. We strive to understand ourselves, in part by the people with whom we come in contact the most, namely our family, friends and co-workers. Race, sexual orientation and religion, individually, are hot bed topics of discussion, but how do each one of those issues, or all of them intersect in the life of someone who is gay, lesbian or bisexual, and how do those individuals manage those identities as they negotiate the multicultural experience that we call life? Does culture have an impact on the identity of homosexual persons? To what extent may devotion to a particular faith cause discordance between gay and religious identities? The research examines, and attempts to determine what effect racial identity, sexual orientation, an...

... middle of paper ...

...d Participants of a Gay-Positive Church. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 39(3), 333. doi: 10. 1111/0021-8294. 00028

Schulte, L. J. , & Battle, J. (2004). The Relative Importance of Ethnicity and Religion in Predicting Attitudes Towards Gays and Lesbians. Journal of Homosexuality, 47(2), 127-142. doi: 10. 1300/J082v47n02_08

Tajfel, H. , & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds. ), The Social psychology of intergroup relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole Pub.

Walton, G. (2006). "Fag Church" : Men Who Integrate Gay and Christian Identities. Journal of Homosexuality, 51(2), 1-17. doi: 10. 1300/J082v51n02_01

Ward, E. G. (2005, September). Homophobia, hypermasculinity and the US black church. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 7(5), 493-504. doi: 10. 1080/13691050500151248