The Meanings and Manifestations of Religion and Spirituality among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adults

Abstract

The present study employed a mixed method approach in the effort to explore religious and spiritual practices among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, as well as the meanings ascribed to the terms religiosity and spirituality by LGBT adults. Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey consisting of open-and close-ended items among 498 LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) identified individuals attending an annual Pride event in a large northeastern city. Both quantitative and qualitative findings suggested that consistent with other studies, spirituality was defined largely in relational terms (e.g., in terms of one's relationship with God and with self). Religion, in contrast, was defined largely in terms of communal worship and in terms of its negative influences in the lives of individuals and communities. For this sample of LGBT persons, spiritual identities were more pronounced than religious ones, and this pattern may be explained by their understanding of the spiritual self in relation to prosocial engagement and interconnectedness with others, the world around them, and the universe. Further, religious affiliation and practices were explained, in part, by the religion in which the individual was raised, level of educational attainment, as well as the developmental stage in which the person is currently situated. The findings highlight the reality that a substantial number of LGBT individuals may remain committed to religious and spiritual life, which may be related to a motivation to make sense of one's place in the world especially in light of societal misunderstandings and intolerance to LGBT individuals.

Effects of Age on Spiritual Well-being and Homonegativity: Religious Identity and Practices Among LGB Persons in Portugal

“…In particular, existential well-being seemed to be more positively rated than religious well-being. These findings are consistent to the ones found by other authors in different contexts, such as Ridge et al (2008) and Halkitis et al (2009), and highlight that spirituality plays an important role in the lives of many LGB people.…”

“…shown that younger people may struggle more with the rejection from their churches (Garcia et al, 2008) and that older LGB persons are more likely to have a faith in a spiritual force (Halkitis et al, 2009;Henrickson, 2007). However, these findings also do speak to the resilient nature of older LGB persons in Portugal, in that only recently have LGB issues been openly and constructively discussed in society.…”

“…Contrary to common belief, research shows that LGB persons are not devoid of religiosity and spirituality (Tan, 2005;García, Gray-Stanley & Ramirez-Valles, 2007;Ridge, Williams, Anderson & Elford, 2007;Jeffries, Dodge & Sandfort, 2008;Cutts & Parks, 2009;Halkitis et al, 2009). Nonetheless, there are specific stressors that LGB persons face in their religious communities (Jeffries et al, 2008) that can, at times, potentially undermine their well-being (Coyle & Rafalin, 2000;Gage Davidson, 2000;Ridge et al, 2007).…”

“…In their definitions of religion, participants focused on structured, communal forms of worship, beliefs in and relationship with God, as well as on prescribed, rule-based patterns of devotional practice. On the other hand, respondents equated spirituality with a quest to define a moral frame and to live in accordance to it, as well as a quest to achieve insight and wisdom (Halkitis et al, 2009). …”

“…At the same time, older LGB people tend to be members of religious denominations more frequently (Halkitis et al, 2009) and are more likely to have a faith in a spiritual force (Henrickson, 2007). Resolving the struggle between one's personal religious beliefs and his/her LGB identity usually does not happen at a glance: it's a process that may involve different phases, sometimes for a lifetime (Coyle & Rafalin, 2000), and with different possible outcomes (García et al, 2008).…”