Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays

While Some Areas Of The United States Have Made Tremendous Progress In Securing Rights For Gay People, Bible Belt States Lag Behind. Barton Argues That Conventions Of Small Town Life, Rules Which Govern Southern Manners, And The Power Wielded By Christian Institutions Serve As A Foundation For Both Passive And Active Homophobia In The Bible Belt. She Explores How Conservative Christian Ideology Reproduces Homophobic Attitudes And Shares How Bible Belt Gays Negotiate These Attitudes In Their Daily Lives. Introduction : In The Eyes Of The Lord -- Welcome To The Bible Belt -- My Parents Disowned Me : Family Rejection -- God Would Tell On Me : Losing Their Religion -- They Don't Know Who I Am : The Toxic Closet -- Going Straight : The Ex-gay Movement -- Prepare To Believe : The Creation Museum -- The Opposite Of Faith Is Fear : Destruction And Transformation -- God Can Love All Of Me : Living The Life -- What The Future Holds. Bernadette Barton. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 239-265) And Index.