Panel: MATERIAL REALITIES OF RACE, CLASS, GENDER AND RELIGION. QUESTIONING THE PRODUCTION OF INEQUALITY AND INJUSTICE



50_2.2 - DANCING WITH THE STONE BUTCHES: CLASS, GENDER, AND THE MATERIAL REALITIES OF QUEER THEOLOGIES

AUTHORS:
Thomaier S. (University of Hildesheim ~ Hildesheim ~ Germany)
Text:
This paper focuses on the lived realities of Stone Butches and Fem(mes) as depicted in Leslie Feinberg's influential novel Stone Butch Blues, exploring their significance for contemporary queer theology. While Feinberg's work is recognized for its nuanced portrayal of gender diversity, its radical analysis of class relations and call for working-class solidarity is often overlooked - even within Queer Theory. Taking this intersection of queerness and class as a starting point, the paper develops a queer-theological framework attuned to both gender nonconformity and economic precarity. Methodologically, it draws on the work of queer-feminist liberation theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, who centers the embodied experiences of marginalized and precarious subjects in theological reflection. Althaus-Reid's open, contextually grounded theology provides valuable tools for articulating and amplifying the marginalized experiences of Butches and Fem(mes) within theological debates. By weaving together literary analysis and queer-theological method, this paper aims to illuminate new spaces for solidarity and alliance-building amid difference. It ultimately reflects on how re-examining Stone Butch Blues through this dual lens can foster broader imaginaries of justice and belonging within queer theology. Or simply put: This paper shows how dancing with the Stone Butches will help us to materialize queer theology.