Limit search to available items
Book Cover
E-book
Author Barton, Bernadette, author

Title Pray the gay away : the extraordinary lives of Bible belt gays / Bernadette Barton
Published New York : New York University Press, ©2012

Copies

Description 1 online resource (xi, 273 pages)
Contents Introduction : "in the eyes of the Lord" -- Welcome to the Bible belt -- "My parents disowned me" : family rejection -- "God would tell on me" : losing their religion -- "They don't know who I am" : the toxic closet -- "Going straight" : the ex-gay movement -- "Prepare to believe" : the creation museum -- "The opposite of faith is fear" : destruction and transformation -- "God can love all of me" : living the life -- What the future holds
Summary While some areas of the United States have made tremendous progress in securing rights for gay people, Bible Belt states lag behind. Barton argues that conventions of small town life, rules which govern Southern manners, and the power wielded by Christian institutions serve as a foundation for both passive and active homophobia in the Bible Belt. She explores how conservative Christian ideology reproduces homophobic attitudes and shares how Bible Belt gays negotiate these attitudes in their daily lives
In the Bible Belt, it's common to see bumper stickers that claim One Man + One Woman = Marriage, church billboards that command one to "Get right with Jesus," letters to the editor comparing gay marriage to marrying one's dog, and nightly news about homophobic attacks from the Family Foundation. While some areas of the Unites States have made tremendous progress in securing rights for gay people, Bible Belt states lag behind. Not only do most Bible Belt gays lack domestic partner benefits, lesbians and gay men can still be fired from some places of employment in many regions of the Bible Belt for being a homosexual. In Pray the Gay Away, Bernadette Barton argues that conventions of small town life, rules which govern Southern manners, and the power wielded by Christian institutions serve as a foundation for both passive and active homophobia in the Bible Belt. She explores how conservative Christian ideology reproduces homophobic attitudes and shares how Bible Belt gays negotiate these attitudes in their daily lives. Drawing on the remarkable stories of Bible Belt gays, Barton brings to the fore their thoughts, experiences and hard-won insights to explore the front lines of our national culture war over marriage, family, hate crimes, and equal rights. Pray the Gay Away illuminates their lives as both foot soldiers and casualties in the battle for gay rights
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-265) and index
Notes Description based on print version record
Subject Homophobia -- Southern States
Gay people -- Southern States
Christianity and culture -- Southern States
Christianity.
Homosexuality.
Christianity
Homophobia
Homosexuality
Christianity.
homosexuality.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Gay Studies.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Sociology -- General.
Homosexuality
Christianity
Christianity and culture
Gay people
Homophobia
Southern States
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2012026535
ISBN 9780814764725
081476472X
9780814724422
0814724426