When Sheila's a Lesbian: Religious Individualism among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Christians

The pseudonymous Sheila Larson is well known among sociologists of religion for having coined the term “Sheilaism” to refer to her personal belief system — an individualistic religiosity that has concerned many social commentators. Recently, however, authors such as Wuthnow (1998) and Roof (1999) ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociology of religion 2002-12, Vol.63 (4), p.497-513
Main Author: Wilcox, Melissa M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Bible
Bisexuality
Christianity
Christians
Female homosexuality
Gays & lesbians
Gender identity
Gender roles
Homosexuality
Identity
Individual Collective Relationship
Individualism
Individuality
Lesbianism
Lesbians
LGBT
Queer theology
Religion
Religion and Gender
Religiosity
Religious aspects
Religious Beliefs
Religious identity
Sex Role Identity
Sociology
Sociology of religion
Transgender people
Transgenderism
Transsexuality
Transsexuals
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Summary:The pseudonymous Sheila Larson is well known among sociologists of religion for having coined the term “Sheilaism” to refer to her personal belief system — an individualistic religiosity that has concerned many social commentators. Recently, however, authors such as Wuthnow (1998) and Roof (1999) have suggested that the various forms of religious individualism may be advantageous for some. Working from interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians and former Christians, this article contributes two new angles to such discussions by 1) arguing for a more nuanced understanding of individualism as a tool or tactic rather than as the diametric opposite of religious communalism and 2) exploring the role of such individualism in the lives of those who are forced into it.
ISSN:1069-4404
1759-8818
DOI:10.2307/3712304