Reclaiming the Self: Dutch Queer Narratives of Trauma, Religious Exit and Empowered Sexual Agency

This chapter explores the religious exit experiences of queer individuals from evangelical backgrounds in the Netherlands, emphasising the role of religious trauma in their journeys. While religious departure is often labeled as ‘apostasy’, a term carrying moral and ideological weight, this chapter approaches religious exit or ‘deconversion’ as a complex and deeply personal process that is often marked by psychological distress, identity conflict, and social rupture. Through in-depth interviews with 10 individuals, the researchers examined how they navigate the emotional and existential consequences of leaving their evangelical environments, particularly the lasting impact of religious trauma on their mental and physical well-being. It further investigates how these individuals reclaim agency, challenge traditional religious narratives, and construct new, affirming identities beyond their former faith. By centering religious trauma within the religious departure process, this chapter fills a gap in existing literature, highlighting the intersection of queer identity, religious exit, and personal empowerment. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the religious exit experiences of queer individuals in the Netherlands.