God is no respecter of persons… but men are: Religious discourses and LGBTQIA+ identity construction in Brazil. (20050)
Queer Linguistics has already investigated how religious discourses and institutions marginalize sexual dissidence and non-hegemonic gender identities. Patriarchal Christian ethics judging same-sex relationships as sinful has compromised the self-assertion and identity construction of LGBTQIA+ individuals, portraying them as immoral, delinquent, and out of the norm. Religious leaders and their followers propagate binary views toward sexuality and gender elsewhere to exclude queer folks from their sacred practices, spaces, and discourses. In Brazil, such discriminatory practices have shaped the State’s development since colonial times. However, more recent religious institutions and movements, such as Inclusive Churches, have enacted a counter-discourse to welcome those marginalized people who desire to conciliate sexual and gender dissidence with a religious self, reinforcing that God is no respecter of persons. By investigating the Brazilian Inclusive Churches movement, this project analyzes the Contemporary Christian Church’s (CCC) discourse, supposedly the most welcoming religious place for LGBTQIA+ people in the country. Employing a thematic analysis, it scrutinizes CCC’s discourse to uncover how inclusive religions influence LGBTQIA+ identity construction in Brazil, one of the most LGBTQIA+-phobic countries worldwide. Data comes from CCC’s website, an eight-video series from its YouTube channel, and their corresponding comments sections. Results show that although CCC welcomes LGBTQIA+ believers and propagates a tolerant discourse toward them, it is grounded on cis-hetero and homonormativity, compromising the diversified nature of queerness. For example, CCC expects its followers to conform to traditional beliefs concerning sexual relationships, marriage, and family constitution. Results also show that CCC helps construct a subservient LGBTQIA+ identity, willing to obey, pay tithe, abstain from sex, and behave according to hegemonic views of gender binarism.