Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to shed light on religious positions and practices among young adults identifying as sexual minorities in Accra. The results are drawn from a mixed-method approach including the Faith Q-Set and semi-structured interviews, gathered in close cooperation with a Ghanaian NGO.

Paper long abstract:

In Ghana, non-normative gender identities and homosexuality are repeatedly despised and seen as deviant in religious gatherings. Sexual minorities are highly stigmatized and violence against them is often justified by the government, (religious) institutions and political- and religious leaders. Despite this, sexual minorities often belong to religious communities as the country has one of the highest percentages of religiously affiliated populations globally.

This paper aims to shed light on religious positions and practices among young adults identifying as sexual minorities in Accra. The results are drawn from a mixed-method approach including the Faith Q-Set and semi-structured interviews. For the purpose of this study, the interviews were focused on religion, sexuality and gender, coping and change. These were collected during fieldwork in Accra in close cooperation with a Ghanaian human rights NGO in the Spring of 2018. This study is part of the international research project 'Young Adults and Religion in a Global Perspective' based at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

The analysis of the Faith Q-Set contributes on the discussion of dichotomies such as modern/traditional and conservative/progressive. In addition to that and identifying diverse religious positions and practices from a sexual minority perspective, this paper offers more nuance regarding non-normative gender identities, sexuality, gender and religion which goes beyond the dominant 'sex-negative' discourse.