Introduction

Rev. Miller Hoffman

The crossroads of gender/queer identities and religious belief is a vast topic that encompasses a host of interlocking and unique factors. No faith system is a monolith; each has denominations and subsections that hold varying internal beliefs and practices. This profile will provide a broad overview of attitudes toward gender/queer expression held by Christianity and Islam, as dominant faith systems making up more than half the global population (Pew Research Center, 2017). Included is a discussion of the range of pro-gender/queer interpretation of scripture and tradition. A section will explore the expectation of conflict between sexual and religious identities that often presumes a goal of reconciliation or coherence, and will provide arguments both that support and that interrupt this assumption of identity discordance and its impact. Support is drawn from social scientific studies of LGBTQ people and communities. Because many of the research studies examined here did not meaningfully include transgender subjects or conclusions, this chapter will only refer to T, or transgender, when those issues are being truly considered.