"Hver gang jeg sier 'homo', så svarer alle 'Jesus'" En kvalitativ analyse av identitets- og trosutvikling hos norske dragartister med kristen oppvekst

Abstract

This master’s thesis analyzes how a Christian upbringing has affected identity development and faith development among Norwegian drag performers. Employing a qualitative approach, the study analyzes data from interviews with four Norwegian drag performers with backgrounds in different Christian denominations. By using four theoretical perspectives, namely social identity theory, gender performativity, stigma, and religious individualism, the thesis identifies various ways in which strict gender norms, stigmatization, and intergroup behavior affect the development of identity and religiosity in queer individuals. The findings reveal that harassment and stigmatization from close family relations, fellow school pupils, and religious authority figures, by means of enforcing strict gender norms and condemning queerness, have affected the identity development for several informants by delaying their courage to express their gender identity openly and imbued them with shame when they did publicly express themselves authentically. Doing drag has been a way for the informants to explore and express gender in a safe, free, and queer environment. While the informants recount the damaging role their former religious environments have had on them in the conservative religious rejection of their queerness, my findings reveal that being queer and doing drag does not equal an automatic rejection of the faith. Despite stigmatization from conservative Christianity in early life, three of the informants maintain a Christian faith today. In various ways they have individualized their faith to be based on personal values and to create a religious language that embraces queer living, thus transforming religious suppression into queer empowerment. In drag, one of the informants incorporates religious language, symbolism and actions to further embrace queer Christian living.