Season 2, Episode 15: Elena Goldak on A Critical Disability Reading of Queer Conversion Violence

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On this episode, Amy and Miriam speak with Elena Goldak on her article: They Shall Surely Be Put to Death: A Critical Disability Reading of Queer Conversion Violence.  

Elena writes,
"This essay is an inquiry into the relationship between queer conversion violence (QCV) and forms of suicidal violence. I am particularly interested in the ways that queer people come to participate in projects of debility which target queer people. I term this violence community suicide. Drawing from Jasbir Puar’s notion of debility, I critique the Christian fundamentalist “ex-gay” movement depicted in the Netflix documentary Pray Away to articulate the concept of community suicide. Following this, I use Alexandre Baril’s theory of suicidism to understand the ways that Christian fundamentalist discourses on queerness and suicide are related — a relation which creates conditions for community suicide. I argue that contemporary Christian QCV relies on a specific religious queerphobia that likens queer life to suicidal death, and by design, further reproduces suicide as part of a project in debility."

Read the full article here: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cjtmhd/article/view/39545

Watch with captions on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u_DVXSmsU94 

As well, here are some queer-affirming Christian spaces/communities
Affirm United (affiliated with The United Church of Canada) https://affirmunited.ause.ca
Student Christian Movement Canada https://scmcanada.org
The Presbyterian Church of Canada https://presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action/gender-sexuality-inclusion/
The Anglican Church of Canada https://www.anglican.ca/faith/focus/hs/

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