Reconciling Religion and LGBT Rights

Abstract

Why do some Christian colleges and universities approve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups and inclusive nondiscrimination policies while others resist them? Scholars are beginning to develop models to explain LGBT inclusion in schools, but they have undertheorized the role of religion in facilitating or impeding LGBT inclusion. In this article, I draw from the literature on religion and the "culture wars," especially insights into religions' theological orientations, to explain Christian colleges and universities' inclusion of LGBT students. I show that communal orientations-theological emphases on social justice-strongly predict the adoption of LGBT groups and inclusive nondiscrimination policies at Christian colleges and universities. By contrast, individualist orientations-theological emphases on personal pietyimpede the adoption of such groups and policies. Importantly, I find little support for alternative explanations of Christian colleges and universities' inclusion of LGBT students that focus on liberal or conservative teachings on same-sex relationships. Beyond bridging literatures on the political sociology of LGBT rights and religion and the culture wars, the article supports an emerging theoretical framework for understanding the role of religion in a wide range of social justice debates.

Creating the Internal Enemy: Opportunities and Threats in Pro and Anti-LGBT Activism within South Korean Protestantism

“…Taking the example of Korea, this study examines how anti-LGBT activists create an "internal enemy" by fighting and vilifying LGBT-affirmative tendencies within Protestantism -going beyond theological and attitudinal (Moon, 2014;Rich, 2016;Choi, 2014) as well as exclusively political disputes. This perspective on the dynamics between Christian pro and anti-LGBT groups complements similar studies, for example on LGBT groups at Christian universities in the United States (Coley, 2018(Coley, , 2017(Coley, , 2014 by taking into consideration a broader range of forms and arenas of contention. 2 Korea is a worthwhile case study for at least three reasons: it features a rather strong anti-LGBT movement based in conservative Protestantism.…”

“Put the Jesuit Out Front”: How a Catholic, Jesuit University Addresses LGBQ Issues

“…Catholic colleges and universities also seem likelier to provide LGBQ-inclusive policies and programming than institutions affiliated with other Christian traditions (Coley, 2017). Coley attributed this difference to these campuses’ ascription to a more communally oriented religious tradition, concerned with social justice, than a more individual tradition, concerned with personal piety.…”

The Coming-Out Process in Family, Social, and Religious Contexts Among Young, Middle, and Older Italian LGBQ+ Adults

“…The role of religion in sexual minorities' wellbeing is still not clear, with studies reporting it as a positive resource in the lives of many LGBQ+ individuals (Rosenkrantz et al, 2016), while others indicating it as a risk factor for experiencing ISS (Lingiardi et al, 2012;Severson et al, 2014;Sowe et al, 2014;Nardelli et al, 2020). This lack of coherence in literature may depend on the fact that not all religious contexts are stigmatizing (Coley, 2017), and that some LGBQ+ people succeeded in reconciling their faith with their sexual identity (Beagan and Hattie, 2015). In Italy, where the present research was conducted, the most practiced religion is Catholicism, and there is a lack of openly inclusive LGBQ+ contexts.…”