This is a question I've asked myself as I sat in church as a young child. The preacher made it seem like God hated fags. I didn't consider myself to be a fag, but I never could escape being referred to as one. Being told that because of who you were you would spend an eternity in Hell burning in eternal damnation, never forgetting to reiterate the fire, brimstone, maggots, and torment. What beautiful imagery for a young Black gay child. It is for this very reason that I want to focus on a research project that looks at the dangerous hurtful rhetoric that comes from the pulpit of the Black church towards the LGBTQIA+ community and what effects it has on said community.
When researching the topic, I came across an interesting book title. The title alone was enough to captivate me and interest me in further curiosity. Author Michael Cobb's, "God Hates Fags" as a book title was the hook, line, and sinker that immediately captured me. To my surprise, the book chronicles a religious war in Colorado during the Matthew Shepard murder between religious zealots and those interested in human rights and dignity for all. Although the book begins with this reference, it is chocked full of quotes and findings about how negative actions and verbiage from the "church" toward the LGBTQIA+ community has a negative impact on them. The book also provides theory of religious rhetoric. The author doesn't just rely on his own merits, he brings in the writings and essays of James Baldwin which introduces race and politics. This information will help further my project as a source of reference to answer my research question.
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