"QUEER SOUTHERN BEE-ING": EXPLORING BLACK SOUTHERN SAPPHICS' RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES IN DR. E. PATRICK JOHNSON'S HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN
Date
2021
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Haverford College. Department of Religion
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
In this thesis I look at E. Patrick Johnson's Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women as a primary text that offers a complex, deep understanding of the religious and spiritual lives of Black sapphics in the American South. This discussion is framed by a description of my personal connection with the material; specifically how the book helped me reframe my experience as a Black queer person who grew up in the South. By discussing non-normative scholarly accounts of Black religious experiences, I provide the reader with the necessary background information to acclimate readers to Honeypot. I explore the narratives of Alpha, Michelle, Lynn, Darlene, Sangodare, and Nancy and Malu in Honeypot to represent the wide range of understandings of sexuality, Blackness and religion showcased in the book. The themes emerging from this exploration are forgiveness, how one's identity as a Black lesbian can impact their connection with the church, the relationships between African religious practices like Ifá and the Black church in theSouth, and motherhood as religious. I finally use my analysis of these themes to propose changes the Haverford College Religion Department could make in their program to better support work like Honeypot.