Faith, Politics, and Sexual Diversity in Canada and the United States

Book excerpt: For decades, agitation by lesbians, gays, and other sexual minorities for political recognition has provoked a heated response among religious activists, many of whom fear that moral decay is a necessary accompaniment to the public recognition of sexual diversity. For their part, queer rights groups worry about the policy ramifications of accommodating faith in the public sphere. This remarkable comparative study explores the interplay of sexual diversity and religious faith in the United States and Canada, and examines how interest group mobilization, political party ties to religious constituencies, court rulings, public policy, and debates over sexuality within faith communities have contributed to conflict and bridge-building in both countries. A timely discussion of faith, sexuality, and political conflict, Faith, Politics, and Sexual Diversity reveals that, despite the presence of tenacious anti-gay sentiment, religious adherence does not invariably entail opposition to the political recognition of queer rights.