ABSTRACT
God’s will is expressed in a heterosexual family in which male and female are complementary and the primary purpose of sex is procreation. Although evangelicals may redefine male headship in everyday life, the gendered, heterosexual family remains at the heart of conservative Christianity. Homosexuality carries a heavy stigma within Christianity, placing lesbians, gays, and bisexuals on lesser ground than their straight counterparts. Church members defined homosexuality as normal and moral by mobilizing the “identity formation material” offered up in their social worlds. But sexuality is never separate from other systems of domination, such as racism and sexism. Unity was a mostly heterosexual, family-oriented congregation. Some black lesbians minimized homosexuality by treating it as secondary to the Christian identity. By minimizing homosexuality, black lesbians claimed dignity and worth as Christians. Monogamy lent same-sex couples normal and moral status, but threatened Faith Church’s “inclusive” identity and reinstated hierarchies among sexual minorities as a group.
