Embracing Disruptive Coherence: Coming Out as Erotic Ethical Practice - Paperback

by Kathleen T. Talvacchia (Author)

Does anyone need to come out anymore? Queer theory has challenged the idea of coming out as problematic for its false binary and essentialized version of identity. If gender is a socially constructed performativity, then what does coming out mean? At the same time, we live in a society that still struggles with structures of power that define what is considered normal and sanctions those who transgress. The intersectionality of gender with race, class, ethnicity, nationality, abilities, religion, age and other positional markers challenge a simplified belief that coming out is not necessary. Therefore, in the lived experience of many persons coming out still matters. This book initiates a different theological conversation about coming out. It argues that rather than the declaration of an identity category, coming out can be understood as the erotic ethical practice of truth-telling. The formation of conscience and moral integrity embody the two pillars of this erotic practice. Coming out understood as "disruptive coherence" is the erotic ethical practice of truth-telling grounded in our deepest desires to be known authentically in community.

Author Biography

Kathleen T. Talvacchia is a contextual theologian with interest in practical theology, Christian practices of marginalized communities, and Queer theology. She is co-editor of Queer Christianities: Lived Religion in Transgressive Forms (2015), an anthology examining the lived religious experiences of LGBTIQ Christians, and authored Critical Minds and Discerning Hearts: A Spirituality of Multicultural Teaching (2003). She served as the chair of the Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession of the American Academy of Religion.