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In song lyrics and interviews, Julien Baker has been outspoken about her faith journey and the often traumatic impact that journey has had on her queer identity. This chapter focuses on queer trauma induced by the psychological commingling of evangelical Christian and queer identities. It challenges some definitions of trauma, seeking one more inclusive of LGBTQIA+ and feminist perspectives previously discounted in some trauma-focused literature. It engages work by religious and queer trauma scholars, including Laura Brown, Cathy Caruth, Judith Herman, Joel Hollier, Brooke Petersen, Joseph Plaster, Maria P.P. Root, Cody J. Sanders, James T. Sears, Heinz Streib, and Meredith Worthen. It builds on my previous work on queer kinship in Baker’s band, boygenius, to focus on broad representations of queer and religious trauma specifically within Baker’s work, highlighting post-traumatic manifestations of these queer interactions with religion found in Baker’s music. As case studies, this chapter focuses on songs from Baker’s album, Turn Out the Lights (2017): “Shadowboxing,” “Televangelist,” “Everything to Help You Sleep,” “Happy to Be Here,” and “Claws in Your Back.” It moves agency toward the trauma victim, empowering them to move beyond pathological ascriptions for trauma and reevaluating reactions to traumatic experiences as normal, healthy, defensive responses.

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Challenging the Norm: Queer Religious Trauma and Julien Baker’s Turn Out the Lights

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Nathan Fleshner

摘要

In song lyrics and interviews, Julien Baker has been outspoken about her faith journey and the often traumatic impact that journey has had on her queer identity. This chapter focuses on queer trauma induced by the psychological commingling of evangelical Christian and queer identities. It challenges some definitions of trauma, seeking one more inclusive of LGBTQIA+ and feminist perspectives previously discounted in some trauma-focused literature. It engages work by religious and queer trauma scholars, including Laura Brown, Cathy Caruth, Judith Herman, Joel Hollier, Brooke Petersen, Joseph Plaster, Maria P.P. Root, Cody J. Sanders, James T. Sears, Heinz Streib, and Meredith Worthen. It builds on my previous work on queer kinship in Baker’s band, boygenius, to focus on broad representations of queer and religious trauma specifically within Baker’s work, highlighting post-traumatic manifestations of these queer interactions with religion found in Baker’s music. As case studies, this chapter focuses on songs from Baker’s album, Turn Out the Lights (2017): “Shadowboxing,” “Televangelist,” “Everything to Help You Sleep,” “Happy to Be Here,” and “Claws in Your Back.” It moves agency toward the trauma victim, empowering them to move beyond pathological ascriptions for trauma and reevaluating reactions to traumatic experiences as normal, healthy, defensive responses.