Engaging Queer Religious Youth Making Space for Queer

Engaging Queer Religious Youth Making Space for Queer Identifying Religious Youth (2011 -13) Yvette Taylor (PI): taylory@lsbu. ac. uk Ria Snowdon (RA): snowdonr@lsbu. ac. uk 1

Multi-Methods, More Spaces? ► Interviews - the family, education, work, leisure, relationships and identity, religion, and the imagined future. ► Diaries ► Mind-maps 2

Diaries Andrea, 24, Newcastle 3

Diaries Rebecca, 22, Newcastle 4

Mapping Exercise Tom, 20, Manchester 5

Participants ► 38 participants (Newcastle, Manchester, London) ► 17 -34 years old (mean age 24) ► 19 participants identified as female, male (15), gender-queer (2), gender-queer and transgender (1), and transsexual female-tomale (1). ► 15 participants identified as gay, lesbian (13), bisexual (5), queer (4), and asexual (1). 6

Definitions ‘[am I] what you are looking for? ’ (Rebecca, 22, Newcastle) Out! Northeast magazine, issue 32, Autumn 2012 7

Anonymity ‘…many participants who give time/information would like to be acknowledged rather than anonymised. . . ’ (Norman, 29, Manchester) 8

Gatekeepers ‘I can’t think of anyone in my congregations who is in that age group and would identify as LGBT’. (Anglican priest, Manchester) ‘Although some of the young people I was latterly involved with were Christians none of my current ones are so I am unable to help at the moment’. (LGBT Youth Group Leader, Newcastle) 9

Snowballing ‘As you might expect, I know virtually no other LGBT religious youth, but if I can think of anyone who might be able to participate I'll forward the information to them’. (James, 17, Newcastle) 10

The ‘virtual’ field http: //queerreligiousyouth. wordpress. com/ Facebook (closed) group ‘Queer Religious Youth’ 11

‘Embodied’ positions ‘our bodies are never silent or invisible to the interactions that we are involved in’ V. Kannen (2012) ‘Pregnant, privileged and Ph. Ding: Exploring embodiments in qualitative research’, in Journal of Gender Studies, p. 12 R. Snowdon (2012) ‘Making space for the straight talking/acting interviewer? ’ Weeks Centre Blog, http: //weekscentreforsocialandpolicyresearch. wordpress. com/2012/09/09/ making-space-for-the-straight-talkingacting-interviewer/ 12

Making Space for Queer Identifying Religious Youth http: //queerreligiousyouth. wordpress. com/ Yvette Taylor, taylory@lsbu. ac. uk Ria Snowdon, snowdonr@lsbu. ac. uk 13