At a moment when "freedom of religion" rhetoric fuels public
debate, it is easy to assume that sex and religion have faced each
other in pitched battle throughout modern U.S. history. Yet, by
tracking the nation's changing religious and sexual landscapes over
the twentieth century, this book challenges that zero-sum account
of sexuality locked in a struggle with religion. It shows that
religion played a central role in the history of sexuality in the
United States, shaping sexual politics, communities, and
identities. At the same time, sexuality has left lipstick traces on
American religious history. From polyamory to pornography, from
birth control to the AIDS epidemic, this book follows religious
faiths and practices across a range of sacred spaces: rabbinical
seminaries, African American missions, Catholic schools, pagan
communes, the YWCA, and much more. What emerges is the shared story
of religion and sexuality and how both became wedded to American
culture and politics.
The volume, framed by a provocative introduction by Gillian Frank,
Bethany Moreton, and Heather R. White and a compelling afterword by
John D'Emilio, features essays by Rebecca T. Alpert and Jacob J.
Staub, Rebecca L. Davis, Lynne Gerber, Andrea R. Jain, Kathi Kern,
Rachel Kranson, James P. McCartin, Samira K. Mehta, Daniel Rivers,
Whitney Strub, Aiko Takeuchi-Demirci, Judith Weisenfeld, and Neil
J. Young.