Emerging Identities
Christian, Country, and Queer: Analyzing the Effects of Christianity on the Midwestern Queer Community of the Late Twentieth Century United States View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Emma Stewart
The Midwest United States is well-known for its hospitality, conservative values, and religious roots. Although the so-called “Bible Belt,” of the United States is more closely associated with the South, many Midwestern states are included in its influence. Additionally, the Midwest region is home to predominantly right-wing politics. A combination of Christian and right-wing values saw the rise of the religious right beginning in the 1970s and continuing into the modern-day social scene. Christian and conservative activists, such as Anita Bryant, Phylis Schlafly, and Jerry Falwell helped propel the movement into popularity. Some of the political and social issues the religious right sought to address included limiting access to abortion and birth control, supporting christian prayer in the school system, and eliminating same-sex marriage. This paper will utilize the University of Central Oklahoma’s Women’s Research Center and BGLTQ+ Student Center’s rare collection of feminist and queer periodicals from the 1970s through the early 2000s to analyze the impacts of the religious right on the experiences of queer organizations and individuals in the Midwest United States. These periodicals range from newspapers and academic journals to works of poetry and visual art, but all provide primary source material written by queer individuals and organizations from the late twentieth century. Through the analysis of these wide-ranging periodicals, this paper assesses how Christianity and conservatism impacted queer people living in the Midwest.
From a Lutheran to a Secular Nation: How Ideology and Politics turned Sweden into one of the most Secular Nations in the World View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kjell Olof Urban Lejon
Sweden was for centuries a community-oriented Lutheran nation. The nation’s flag consists of a golden cross on a blue sky, and according to the Constitution, the Head of State has to be of Lutheran (Augustana) Confession. The Religious Freedom Act is from a comparatively late date: it came into law in 1951. More than half of the population still belongs to the former state church, the Church of Sweden. Nevertheless, Sweden is today one of the most secular countries in the world, as, for example, presented by the last World Values Surveys. What made this relatively fast shift possible? In this study, the ideological foundation and political steps taken in order to secularize Sweden (as well as the Church of Sweden!) are displayed.
