Queer Studies in Religion Unit
In addition to an open-call for papers and sessions that engage broadly with themes related to queer and trans studies in religion, as well as papers that address the 2026 presidential theme of future/s in conversation with queer and trans studies in religion, we particularly invite proposals on the following themes and topics:
- Queer futures in/and/of religious studies- What is the future of queer folks in religious studies? What might queer studies in religion have to offer to how we think about the challenges facing the future of religious studies? (Another option or spin- what is the future of queer studies in religion? Where is the discipline going and what should it be focused on?)
- Trans joy and trans world making - towards a different future
- Queer studies in religion and reproductive futures
- Queer temporality and religious studies today - what has changed in the now decade plus following Edelman, Munoz, and others? What does queer and trans studies in religion offer to the ongoing conversation.
- Queering childhood
- Queer afterlives
- Queer Studies in religion beyond the academy - how is this work shaping religious communities, broader publics, politics, etc? How can it? How is it shaped by those publics? (one spin- how might queer studies in religion shape broader publics re: the future- future of work, of family, etc…)
The core goals of this Unit are as follows: • Foster the application of queer and trans theories to the study of religion • Encourage comparative study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in religion • Support the growth of bisexual studies and transgender studies in the field. We actively seek to explore the connections between queer and trans studies in religion and complementary or overlapping fields of inquiry, such as postcolonial theory, critical race theory, disability theory, feminist theory, and cultural studies, among others.