Rhetoric Review Jul 2024

“There is Not One Shred of Evidence That [Being Trans] is Not a Divine Gift”: Grace and Lace Letter and the Rhetorical Construction of an Evangelical Transfeminine Identity

N. Claire Jackson ; Grace Katherine Berlew College of the Holy Cross

Abstract

Grace and Lace Letter was a newsletter by and for transfeminine evangelicals in the 1990s. This article explores the rhetorical approaches contributors used to bridge these seemingly contradictory identities. Through a recontextualization and historicization of Biblical passages and an employment of a "created this way" discourse, these contributors created possibilities for an evangelical transfeminine identity and advocated for trans acceptance within their evangelical communities. However, these strategies also reveal complicity with other marginalizing discourses. Thus, this article considers the rhetorical processes through which transgender religious identities are constructed and the limitations of such approaches.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2024-07-02
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2024.2349840
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Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis gender and writing editorial matter
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