Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Church Space As Queer Place? Lgbtq+ Placemaking, Assimilation, And Subversion Within Progressive Faith-Based Spaces In Maine, Salina Chin
Honors Projects
In popular discourse, understandings of queerness and religiosity as antithetical proliferate. However, the political involvement of Portland, Maine’s First Parish Unitarian-Universalist Church in Maine’s queer political movement points to a more complex relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and progressive religious institutions. Through participant observation, archival research, and semi-structured interviews with nine LGBTQ+ community members and informants, I reveal the crucial role of Portland’s First Parish Unitarian-Universalist Church in Maine’s queer political movement from the late 1980s into the present day. On the one hand, progressive faith-based spaces across Maine provide safe spaces for queer political organizing. On the other hand, …