“Praying in or preying on my skin”: a narrative study of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals’ experiences with religion and gender identity in India

Abstract

This narrative analysis paper explores how gender non-conforming individuals interact with faith across Indian religious traditions. Drawing upon four in-depth semi-structured interviews with the participants: Participant A, a trans Muslim man; Participant B, a transgender Hindu woman; Participant C, a gender-fluid Catholic; and Participant D, a non-binary Protestant, this study employs an inductive narrative analysis to help trace how queerness and spirituality are shaped by the structures of religious indoctrination, gendered discipline, and theological exclusion. The participants recount experiences of conversion therapy, spiritual correction, and ostracization from ritual space, with many describing an internalized fear of God’s punishment. Most poignantly, the themes of “God’s silence,” “Spiritual exile,” and “Reclamation of Sacred Identity” take shape from the narratives and speak to the theological and emotional labor of reconciling the expression of gender identity and shaping faith. All four subjects show significant personal spiritual agency, despite institutional failures, which they functionally demonstrate through their own reinterpretations of scriptures, personal ritual practices, and organized queer faith communities. These narratives also push back against the gender binaries associated with a narrow set of constructs in Indian religious discourse, and offer a counter-theology that’s based on embodiment, defiance, and reinterpretation. Additionally, this study shows the ongoing need to construct religious belonging beyond cisnormative practices, and places queer spirituality as a reality, instead of reality-anomaly.