Author: Taylor Petrey
Title: Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism
University of North Carolina Press, 2020
(Reviewed by Conor Hilton, June 2, 2020)
A fascinating, invaluable resource for those interested in Mormon ideas of sexuality and gender. I would love to see future work that explores these ideas from less authoritative Mormon sources, since, as Petrey acknowledges, this book is focused almost exclusively on statements from members of church hierarchy AND as demonstrated by the birth control and oral sex anecdotes, there seems to be the potential for a large disparity between what Church HQ/The Brethren teach and what the members believe.
Anyway.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that despite many discussions and current rhetoric to the contrary, Mormon ideas of sexuality have changed over time and seem, at least partially, rooted in a belief in sexual malleability/fluidity. Petrey analyzes countless statements from church leaders on gender to persuasively demonstrate this idea (and to me emphasize the relative theological vacuum that Mormonism has surrounding gender/sexuality, particularly in the present tied to a severely under-developed theology of pre- and post-mortal existence).
Highly recommend. Excited to see the work that is sparked by Petrey’s scholarship here.