“The World Should Not Forsake You”: Young Queer People of Faith in Contemporary Musical Theatre

Abstract

Queerness and faith are configured in the American public imaginary as both mutually exclusive and inextricably intertwined. It is no surprise, then, that as recent years have seen an increase in LGBTQ representation in commercial (and particularly musical) theatre, several of those representations have included religious LGBTQ characters or queer characters from religious backgrounds. More surprising is the relative lack of scholarly attention to the ways queer people of faith operate within those narratives. This dissertation moves towards filling that gap by examining the way musicals with queer characters of faith both enter into and reflect social discourse around the intersections of queerness and faith lived out by individuals who belong to both communities. To a degree, this dissertation is activist in nature, proposing that stories about queer people of faith and especially young queer people of faith can and should be told (that is, that such representation can have positive effects both for people within those demographics and the broader communities in which they participate), can and should be told in a way that is likely to be accessible to both queer and religious communities, and that the particularities of musicals’ cultural position and reception habits make musicals particularly well suited to doing this work. This dissertation engages textual analysis through the lenses of theology, queer theories, and reception theories to explore both the potential of these musicals to inspire community dialogue and acceptance and the effects these works have on the people they represent, particularly young people seeking affirmation in their identities and tools with which to discuss their identities with people who are important to them.