ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT. This paper analyzes the accounts constructed by 60 gay male Christians in managing the stigma imposed on them by the Church. These accounts signify that they, having developed a positive self-image, are involved in the politics of counter-rejection o f the Church and its official positions on the issue of homosexuality. Their counter-rejection of the Church as a moral arbiter is predicated on four bases: (1) the Church’s ignorance of sex and sexuality, (2) the Church’s ignorance o f all sexualities as God’s creation, (3) the Church’s misinter pretation of biblical passages on homosexuality, and (4) the Church’s fallibility. Having counter-rejected the Church by challenging its credi bility, the counter-rejection o f the Church’s official positions is a matter of course. Their experiences highlight the ability of stigmatized social actors to invent social biographies not only to defend their moral choices, but also to challenge the credibility of sources that question and stigmatize their choices.
