Yes Gawd!: How Faith Shapes LGBT Identity and Politics in the United States [Paperback]

Yes Gawd!explores the effects of religious belief and practice on political behavior among the LGBT community, a population long persecuted by religious institutions and generally considered to be non-religious. Royal Cravens deftly shows how faith impacts the politics of LGBT people. He details how the queer community creates, defines, and experiences spirituality and spiritual affirmation as well as the consequences this has for their identity, socialization, and political development.

Cravens also demonstrates the mobilizing power of faith for LGBT people by contrasting the effects of participation in faith and secular communities on political activism. He explores how factors such as coming out, race, and LGBT-affirming churches influence political attitudes and behavior and explains how the development of LGBT politico-religious activism provides opportunities for LGBT people to organize politically.

Ultimately, Cravens provides a cohesive account of how religion acts as a catalyst for and facilitator in the political development of LGBT people in the United States. In the process, he shows that there is room for both religion in LGBT communities and LGBT people in religious communities."This book is a treasure trove of resources and data for any social science scholar interested in the life experiences of LGBT individuals and the influence of their faith community on their political activism. Cravens III offers a socially inclusive perspective on this topic.... In fact, any further research on this topic should definitely include this book as a reference.... [T]his book is an in-depth, evidence-based, well-resourced presentation of the topic."—Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought"[A]n excellent resource.... Cravens masterfully documents that, contrary to popular belief—especially across American popular culture, LGBT people are quite religious: the l3Ë