Much literature discussing homosexuality in religion examined male homosexual orientations and activities while not paying the same amount of attention to the female, a typical oversight any sectors at the time these religions were founded. So, by virtue of patriarchal ignorance of women if nothing else, was female homosexuality accepted in the early days of the traditions? This essay will explore such a question in regards to Islam and Christianity. Although similar examinations could be made of any other religious tradition, Islam and Christianity have been selected specifically in an attempt to understand them deeply rather than all the traditions broadly.

4 thoughts on “Slipping Through the Cracks: Lesbianism in Islam and Christianity

  1. Similarly to sexuality in christianity, I feel sad that love amongst women isnt considered as real as male sex, so it is therefore devalued due to mysogony. I think learning about these topics is super impostant to educate poeple on queer awareness and mysoginys affect on history and society

  2. Julia, you did a great job not only in your analysis of this topic, but also in your presentation! It was a lovely essay, and I am so glad that you chose to dig deeper on these topics. It definitely feels like lesbianism slips through the cracks of religion, and you did a great job exposing the places where it is ignored as well as the modern queering of religious texts. All in all, I loved your project and really appreciate your masterful investigation of this topic.

  3. By digging deep into lesbianism in Islam and Christianity I was able to fully grasp all that is involved in these themes. I think that your paper is magnificent, it’s clear that you researched thoroughly, and has been for me a very informative reading. I enjoyed how organized and well done this paper is! I found it interesting how lesbians can technically bypass needing to be married to have sex since for them same-sex intercourse is not even acknowledged as sex. Amazing work!

  4. Thank you for pointing out Lesbianism in these religions! Oftentimes, we found ourselves discussing issues of LGBTQ+ within religion but only really focusing on gay men and to some extent, trans women, but never really focusing on lesbianism. A lot of the texts and the examples that you have in your paper really has me thinking similarly and I’m convinced that lesbianism really did fall through the cracks and perhaps serves as a loophole to argue that LGBTQ+ people were in a sense accepted but in a difficult and confusing way. This reminds me of the video that we watched in class. Another example that I can think of is Hinduism. When a filmmaker, Deepa Mehta made the film “Fire” that sparked rage and aggression in the men of India due to the women in the film having a romantic relationship as they were both in loveless marriages.

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