Texts of Terror: The Bible and Bathroom Bill in Texas

This paper discusses how faith-based advocacy organizations, such as the Texas Pastors Council, have used Genesis 1:27 to argue against the existence of a transgender identity and to defend the proposed (sb6) Texas Bathroom Bill. Highlighting the contemporary reception of this biblical text, the pap...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Schones, David A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2022
In: Biblical interpretation
Year: 2022, Volume: 30, Issue: 4, Pages: 415-436
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Transgender / Queer theory / Reproduction / Texas
IxTheo Classification:FD Contextual theology
HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Texas Pastor Council
B Reproduction
B Queer Theory
B bathroom bill
B Transgender
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper discusses how faith-based advocacy organizations, such as the Texas Pastors Council, have used Genesis 1:27 to argue against the existence of a transgender identity and to defend the proposed (sb6) Texas Bathroom Bill. Highlighting the contemporary reception of this biblical text, the paper explores how Genesis 1–2 operates as a queer “text of terror.” This analysis proceeds in three parts. The first part examines how queer biblical scholars have interpreted this Genesis creation story. The second part builds on Deryn Guest’s argument, that Judges 3 is a “text of terror,” arguing that Genesis 1–2 may also lead to violence against the transgender community. The third section proposes a reading of Gen. 1:27 that contests the heteronormative gender identity endorsed in the narrative. This way of “reading forward” combats the normalizing discourse around human sexuality and reproduction often articulated in political and social arguments that use this text.
ISSN:1568-5152
Contains:Enthalten in: Biblical interpretation
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685152-20211633