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Re: Sexuality and Religion
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From: Merri Lindgren <mlindgren_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:46:45 -0500
On 3/7/2014 7:17 PM, Dentan, Sarah wrote:
>
> So in the spirit of talking through difficult things (and I'll preface
> this by saying my thoughts are mine, and not representative of any
> institution I've worked for past or present), I'm interested in how
> libraries handle those places where certain religious perspectives and
> sexuality collide.
>
I'm also interested in hearing a response to the question Sarah posted about how libraries handle the intersection of religion and sexuality.
While I'm unable to speak directly to that issue, it brought to mind some recent YA novels that show that intersection as decidedly more of a collision than a meeting. In *Intentions *(Deborah Heiligman, Knopf, 2012), Rachel becomes a cynic after overhearing her respected rabbi having sex in the synagogue with a woman he's been counseling. Olivia is initially flattered by Father Mark's attention until it turns to obsessive stalking in *This Gorgeous Game* (Donna Freitas, FSG, 2010). And *The Gospel of Winter* (Brendan Kiely, McElderry, 2014) is set in 2001 when the priest abuse scandal hit the national news, and Aidan is devastated to learn that Father Greg has been having sex with another boy -- when he thought it was just him.
In all of these books, a powerful religious adult is shown as either a sexual predator or a hypocrite breaking the boundaries of trust. Their positions within their church and synagogue make them particularly able to violate the vulnerability of members of the congregation. In all cases, the teenage experience of or attitude about sex takes a hit. Now I'm trying to think of a YA novel in which sex and religion happily co-exist ...
Merri
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:46:45 -0500
On 3/7/2014 7:17 PM, Dentan, Sarah wrote:
>
> So in the spirit of talking through difficult things (and I'll preface
> this by saying my thoughts are mine, and not representative of any
> institution I've worked for past or present), I'm interested in how
> libraries handle those places where certain religious perspectives and
> sexuality collide.
>
I'm also interested in hearing a response to the question Sarah posted about how libraries handle the intersection of religion and sexuality.
While I'm unable to speak directly to that issue, it brought to mind some recent YA novels that show that intersection as decidedly more of a collision than a meeting. In *Intentions *(Deborah Heiligman, Knopf, 2012), Rachel becomes a cynic after overhearing her respected rabbi having sex in the synagogue with a woman he's been counseling. Olivia is initially flattered by Father Mark's attention until it turns to obsessive stalking in *This Gorgeous Game* (Donna Freitas, FSG, 2010). And *The Gospel of Winter* (Brendan Kiely, McElderry, 2014) is set in 2001 when the priest abuse scandal hit the national news, and Aidan is devastated to learn that Father Greg has been having sex with another boy -- when he thought it was just him.
In all of these books, a powerful religious adult is shown as either a sexual predator or a hypocrite breaking the boundaries of trust. Their positions within their church and synagogue make them particularly able to violate the vulnerability of members of the congregation. In all cases, the teenage experience of or attitude about sex takes a hit. Now I'm trying to think of a YA novel in which sex and religion happily co-exist ...
Merri
--
Merri Lindgren, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
School of Education / UW-Madison
4290 Helen C. White Hall
600 N. Park Street
Madison, WI 53706
608-263-3930
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Received on Mon 10 Mar 2014 02:50:13 PM CDT
