Bridge groups and religious change: the case of LGBT religious activism at a Christian university

Abstract

Research on social movement consequences has overwhelmingly focused on social movement-induced political or policy change. In this paper, I draw on data from interviews with LGBT activists at a Christian university to illustrate the possibility of social movement-induced religious change, both at the level of biography and culture. I also examine the role of “bridge groups,” organizations that bring together two or more groups for the purpose of fostering dialogue and promoting change within their wider communities, in facilitating religious change. The findings point to new directions for the study of biographical and cultural consequences of social movements, as well as for understanding the process of “bridging work” or “bridge building” in social movements.