The pursuit of deviant happiness and queer spiritual well-being among Malaysian gay men: a theological proposal

Although their intimate lives are often adversely affected by homonegative laws and conservative religio-cultural attitudes, many Malaysian gay men formulate affirming materialist-discursive strategies to pursue personal happiness. Some Christian gay men, for instance, challenge conservative ecclesiastical notions of same-sex attraction as iniquitous and generate life-giving spiritualities for themselves that contribute to a sense of inner joy and equanimity. In this article, aided primarily by Sara Ahmed’s provocative ideas on happiness, I analyse the lived experiences of a Malaysian Christian gay man, and theorise the notion of deviant happiness, which I suggest is a pathway to queer spiritual well-being. Then, drawing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s exposition of the beatitudes, I theologically propose that his active pursuit of happiness and well-being as a gay man participates in God’s own beatitude.