ABSTRACT
Religion is often viewed as diametrically opposed with the LGBTQ community. However, there are still many individuals within the LGBTQ community who identify as religious. While there are numerous religions that welcome and openly accept LGBTQ individuals, there are many who still maintain a strong religious identity within religions that historically have not been accepting. This chapter explores the digital spaces that both Muslim and Catholic LGBTQ individuals have created to make sense of these two sides of their identities. Through examining social media groups located on Tumblr, Reddit, and Facebook, as well as blogs, it becomes apparent the ways that these spaces function as forms of resistance, as well as community and identity building, for the contributors. These spaces are inherently both political and personal allowing individuals to find a sense of belonging when they are often made to feel excluded from many religious and LGBTQ spaces. These third spaces function to both communicate to those within as well as to make a statement to larger, more dominant ideological groups. Not only do these digital spaces allow like-minded individuals with conflicting identities to make sense of themselves and find community, but they function as acts of resistance with often life-saving implications.
