<i>“You’re saying I don’t belong”</i> : queer, non-mainstream religious and spiritual sex workers navigating stigma

Dominant discourses frequently construct sex work and queer identities as fundamentally incompatible with religiosity. Consequently, queer religious and spiritual sex workers occupy an under explored space at the intersection of sex work, spirituality, and LGBTQIA+ identities. This article addresses this gap by presenting two case studies of queer sex workers in the United States, who engage with Norse Paganism and New Age spirituality. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it presents a thematic analysis exploring how religious and spiritual identities shape their experiences of sex work, personal relationships, and self-perception. By challenging assumptions that religiosity and sex work are inherently antithetical, this article contributes to scholarship on queer sex workers by illustrating the diverse strategies they employ to reconcile their intersecting identities, resist dominant moral frameworks, and navigate religious and societal stigma. It further advances understandings of contemporary religiosity, showing how queer sex workers can create affirming religious and spiritual spaces that challenge normative assumptions about sexuality, belief, and sex work.