My and Golshan Golriz’s co-edited volume LGBTQ Religious Activism examines LGBTQ activism within several global religious traditions. For information on the topic of LGBTQ religious activism, click here.
Coley, Jonathan, and Golshan Golriz. 2026. LGBTQ Religious Activism: Rethinking Faith, Identity, and Social Change. The University of North Carolina Press. (order)
Despite the LGBTQ movement’s rapid growth and significant policy successes over the past few decades, many mainstream religions continue to discriminate against queer people. In response, LGBTQ communities have mobilized across a wide range of religious traditions to advocate for church leaders to ordain LGBTQ clergy, accept LGBTQ people as members, officiate same-sex weddings, and affirm the dignity and worth of transgender and nonbinary people. Bringing together leading scholars of social movements, religion, and gender and sexuality in one volume, Jonathan S. Coley and Golshan Golriz have curated a comprehensive look at religiously affiliated social movements within many faiths, charting why and how LGBTQ people engage in activism and the outcomes of their efforts.
“With a diverse set of chapters that span methodologies, geographies, and religious traditions, this book broadens our understanding of how activism can take place within restrictive social institutions and the multiple ways in which religion and sexual identities unfold.” — Kelsy Burke, author of Christians Under Covers.
“LGBTQ Religious Activism is the first in what I hope are many books to come that analyze and situate LGBTQ+ religious activism in a global context. After reading, I was left with new insights, valuable questions, and a new appreciation for the work of everyday queer people of faith.” – Rebecca Barrett-Fox, author of God Hates.