HEAVEN BENT: Australian LGBTI Experiences Of Faith, Religion And Spirituality Edited by Luke Benjamin Gahan and Tiffany Jones

There are incredibly lively debates on LGBTI rights vs religious freedoms and this new Australian anthology dives into these controversies head first. It brings together academics, activists, religious leaders, politicians, poets and everyday LGBTI people from a rainbow of perspectives. Some stories are shocking: Paul Martin recalls the torture of fundamentalist Christian ‘ex-gay’ therapy and David Rosenberg recounts horror stories from its Jewish equivalent, the JONAH program. Other pieces cover interesting intersections: Gina Wilson talks about intersex rights and religions; Sparkle discusses the radical-faerie movement; Alyena Mohummadally describes being a queer Muslim, and Sally Goldner reflects on being transgender and spiritual. There are atheist manifestos, bisexual Wiccan polygamists, ministers working with LGBTI prisoners and youth, and Buddhists on the search for gurus.