Transnational Religious Epistemic Communities and the Global Politics of the Ex-Gay Movement (Wondong Lee)

• Created 2025.06.16
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Abstract

This article examines the global politics of the ex-gay movement through the analytical lens of transnational religious epistemic communities. While the ex-gay movement, led by individuals who claim to have renounced homosexuality, is often viewed as a set of isolated, culturally specific efforts, a closer examination reveals coordinated international networks primarily driven by conservative evangelical actors from Western contexts. These networks function as epistemic communities, defined as groups of professionals sharing authoritative claims to policy-relevant knowledge within specific domains. In the case of the ex-gay movement, conservative religious activists position themselves as experts on human sexuality, strategically employing evidence with a scientific veneer, constitutional and rights-based arguments, and personal testimonies to assert that homosexuality is changeable and undesirable. The analysis demonstrates how South Korean activists adapted transnationally circulating discourses, such as the appropriation of liberal democratic concepts like authenticity, victimhood, and human rights, framing their opposition to LGBTQ+ rights as a defense of religious liberty and a vindication of “lived experiences.”

 

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