University of North Carolina Press Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities

Review Coley's book seeks to reorient work on activist organizations by giving attention to diverse groups of college students who focus primarily on cultural rather than policy change. . . . Approaching religious, politicized, and LGBT identities as intertwined, Coley's work. . . . Will likely resonate with students and stimulate vibrant class discussion in course contexts exploring queer theological engagement and/or religious-political activism more broadly.--Religious Studies ReviewA fascinating study of student activism, Jonathan Coley's Gay on God's Campus breaks new ground in the field of religion and higher education. . . . [and] portrays Christian college campuses as an unlikely staging ground for LGBT activism, making a valuable contribution to both the sociology of American religion and the literature on social movements. . . . [with] fresh insights that are missing from existing scholarship on religion and higher education.--American ReligionClear and concise . . . . Coley presents us with a lucid and rigorous study that extends social movement scholarship to focus on numerous kinds of change people can work for and the numerous methods they can use to get there.--Sociology of ReligionAddresses the intersection of religious institutions and LGBT rights by exploring the experiences, successes, and failures of LGBT activists at four Christian schools . . . . Enjoyable and informative.--Review of Religious StudiesPulls back the curtain on a 'new frontier of LGBT activism' on Christian college and university campuses in the United States . . . . Confounds several expectations about the relationship between religion and LGBT activism in the United States.--American Journal of SociologyProvides the most comprehensive historical accounting to date for the rise of LGBT activism at Christian colleges and universities.--Reading ReligionThrough this book, Coley makes several important contributions to sociological understandings of campus activism.--Teaching Sociology Product Description Although the LGBT movement has made rapid gains in the United States, LGBT people continue to face discrimination in faith communities. In this book, sociologist Jonathan S. Coley documents why and how student activists mobilize for greater inclusion at Christian colleges and universities. Drawing on interviews with student activists at a range of Christian institutions of higher learning, Coley shows that students, initially drawn to activism because of their own political, religious, or LGBT identities, are forming direct action groups that transform university policies, educational groups that open up campus dialogue, and solidarity groups that facilitate their members' personal growth. He also shows how these LGBT activists apply their skills and values after graduation in subsequent political campaigns, careers, and family lives, potentially serving as change agents in their faith communities for years to come. Coley's findings shed light on a new frontier of LGBT activism and challenge prevailing wisdom about the characteristics of activists, the purpose of activist groups, and ultimately the nature of activism itself. For more information about this project's research methodology and theoretical grounding, please visit http://jonathancoley.com/book About the Author Jonathan S. Coley is assistant professor of sociology at Oklahoma State University.