Political Economy, Social Sin, and the Task of Theology in Schleiermacher's "Natural Law" Defense of Queer Desire

What does it mean for theology to seek liberation in the context of structural sin and oppression? This paper  develops an answer through a constructive counter-reading of F.D.E. Schleiermacher's little-known reflections on the morality of same-sex desire. Developing his reflections on marriage, sex, and economy in the aftermath of the 1792 Allgemeine Landrecht, Schleiermacher develops an account of queer desire as natural manifestations of human sexuality under disordered political-economic conditions in which the conditions for sexual reproduction do not coincide with the conditions for social reproduction. Condemning approaches to the morality of queer desire that affirm or deny its morality for the individual outside the context of a broader commitment to social transformation and change, Schleiermacher contributes towards the formation of a new theo-political coalition that centers economic justice without neglecting the culture-wars issues that have contributed to the conditions in which partisan gridlock enables dictatorial action.