Proceedings of The 6th Global Conference on Women’s Studies
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
“Evangeli-Bros”: Sexual Minority Men and the Politics of an Evangelical Institution, Faith, and Corresponding Gendered Expectations
Eric D. Hess
ABSTRACT:
This qualitative study emphasizes the unique expectations of queer college men and their educators at evangelical/fundamental, Christian/Catholic Institutions (EFCCI). Nine current and former students were recruited as participants from six different colleges in the United States. The researcher sought to address the following questions: What ways is the gender expression of the college men controlled by the institution or likeminded socialization practices? How have the men utilized their institution and/or faith to feel affirmed in their sexual identity? Is faith currently an important aspect of the men’s lives? What forms of resistance to oppression do the participants manifest? Participants shared varying degrees of inequities and the corresponding impact upon faith and identity formation. The researcher provided varied perspectives and substantial research to support multifaceted viewpoints that may be contributing to the continued discriminating efforts to exclude LGBTQ+ students into an institutional view of professed orthodox theology. Furthermore, internal and external politics, religious leaders, donors, and administrators were largely identified as the impetus for discriminatory policies.
keywords: sexual identity, fundamentalist religion, masculinity, educational politics
Troop