Burke Kelsy, Kazyak Emily, Behrendt Maia
Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
J Homosex. 2024 Aug 23;71(10):2400-2423. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2023.2233659. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
This article advances scholarship on the relationship between sexuality, religion, and the law within the United States by analyzing case summaries and court opinions of the federal appellate cases decided between 1990 and 2020 that involve a religion-based claim being used to advance or defend gay and lesbian rights. Contrary to dominant public narratives that position religion uniformly in opposition to progressive sexual values, these cases show how Americans' religious beliefs and practices include diverse sexual identities. We find that the courts' reactions to such cases, however, illustrate the tension within legal discourse and hesitancy for the courts to equate religious and moral values with affirming LGBT identities, people, and rights. Our findings suggest that the courts and litigants define what religion is-and what it is not-by positioning it in relation to sexuality.
本文通过分析1990年至2020年间联邦上诉案件的案例摘要和法院意见，推进了关于美国性取向、宗教与法律之间关系的学术研究。这些案件涉及利用基于宗教的主张来推进或捍卫同性恋权利。与将宗教一概定位为反对进步性价值观的主流公众叙事相反，这些案例表明美国人的宗教信仰和实践包含了多样的性身份认同。然而，我们发现法院对这类案件的反应体现了法律话语中的紧张关系，以及法院在将宗教和道德价值观等同于肯定LGBT身份、人群和权利方面的犹豫。我们的研究结果表明，法院和诉讼当事人通过将宗教与性取向相关联来界定宗教是什么以及不是什么。
