The Queer of the Spirit: How Coming Out Plays into Religious Journeys

Saturday, October 11, 2025, 1 pm

Underdog Bookstore
312 South Myrtle Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
http://www.underdogbookstore.org/

Local authors Rie Lee and Scott Coon discuss the intersection of queerness and spirituality. The authors will discuss the myths their religious environments taught them about queerness, how they realized they were queer, and how their spiritual journeys intertwined with their queer journeys, ultimately arriving at a place of peace. Celebrate National Coming Out Day with this unique discussion.

Scott Coon’s latest novel, GODLESS ARMAGEDDON, features a gay soldier in a never before imagined afterlife and touches on sexual tolerance, not just for people of different orientations but also of the spectrum of proclivity. Coon’s spiritual journey has led him to atheism, and – disappointed by how the afterlife has been posited in other works of fiction – created an afterlife world that gives space for aliens, religion, reincarnation, and ghosts.
http://www.ScottCoonSciFi.com/

Rie Lee’s novel, VESSEL, is a reflection of the author’s personal coming-out/deconstruction journey and reflects strongly on modern themes of a conservative culture trying to reinforce cishet gender roles and reproductive choices made by a select few for the masses. Queer readers in heteronormative religions and anyone in a high-control environment especially may find affirmation through this book.
https://riewrites.org/vessel