Abstract
Although their intimate lives are often adversely affected by homonegative laws and conservative religio-cultural attitudes, many Malaysian gay men formulate affirming materialist-discursive strategies to pursue personal happiness. Some Christian gay men, for instance, challenge conservative ecclesiastical notions of same-sex attraction as iniquitous and generate life-giving spiritualities for themselves that contribute to a sense of inner joy and equanimity. In this article, aided primarily by Sara Ahmed’s provocative ideas on happiness, I analyse the lived experiences of a Malaysian Christian gay man, and theorise the notion of deviant happiness, which I suggest is a pathway to queer spiritual well-being. Then, drawing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s exposition of the beatitudes, I theologically propose that his active pursuit of happiness and well-being as a gay man participates in God’s own beatitude.
Reference35 articles.
1. The Promise of Happiness
2. Anis MN (2012) Dr Mashitah: no constitutional protection for LGBT. The Star Online, 19 June. Available at: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2012/06/19/dr-mashitah-no-constitutional-protection-for-lgbt/
3. Catholic Church (1997) Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Available at: www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
4. Countrymeters (2024) Malaysia population. Population of the world and countries, 28 January. Available at: https://countrymeters.info/en/Malaysia