Abstract

This project examines the religious communities of queer Asian Americans. Queer Asian American Theology is an emerging field currently studied by only a handful of scholars. In his article "Reclaiming Our Traditions, Rituals, and Spaces: Spirituality and the Queer Asian Pacific American Experience," Dr. Patrick Cheng isolates several shared experiences which revolve around the lack of acceptance in both Asian American and queer communities. He offers ways by which such individuals can heal from these experiences by reclaiming religious practices and sacred spaces. In my research, I have interviewed a sampling of queer Asian Americans about their involvement in religious communities. I then return to Cheng's work to analyze his arguments and examine their relevancy, as well as to identify several additional common experiences and possible solutions. Each subject was asked about their ideal religious community, and their answers are examined to understand what queer Asian Americans desire in religious communities. This project intends to query not just what theologians or religious leaders believe about the religious needs of queer Asian Americans, but to explore the views and experiences of the individuals themselves. Transcripts of each interview are included in the appendix of the project for further research.

Advisor

Kammer, Charles

Department

Religious Studies

Disciplines

Religion

Keywords

queer asian americans, asian americans, queer, theology, queer theology, asian american theology, bay area, lgbt, asia, religious community

Publication Date

2013

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2013 Celeste Tannenbaum