Challenging traditional religious views of sexual identity: "Angels in America" by Tony Kushner

Abstract

Angels in America’s success represents recognition and visibility for LBTQ+ communities in mainstream American drama. The paper aims to explore the interaction between religion and sexuality in Tony Kushner’s play, focusing on the tension between the religious beliefs of its protagonists and their sexual identity. In this regard, the main critical framework to analyze this interaction will be queer and religious studies. This essay includes a brief introduction to Tony Kushner’s life and its connection to some of the main topics in the play. This research paper analyzes the following topics in Kushner’s play: the representation of both Judaism and Mormonism, the point of view of both religions about same-sex attraction, their response to the AIDS/HIV epidemic and how these doctrines perceive death. It is argued that all these topics have a significant impact on the identity conflicts that most characters have to face in this play.