presented at the

University of California, IrvineTo

Social Ecology Honors Research Colleagues

ByJeanette Veatch Wayland

May 14, 2005

Religion and Non-Heterosexual Identity:

An evaluation of cognitive dissonance for religious

lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals.

Introduction

Homophobia and heterosexism are liturgical threads intricately woven into the doctrine of traditional world religions.

Non-heterosexual relationships for members are never condoned; in some religions, participants in lesbian,

gay or bisexual relationships are condemned.

Why should we care?

Impact of Religious Homophobia on Society

Heterosexism is the belief that

heterosexuality is the only

natural, normal and acceptable

sexual orientation.

This is rarely asserted directly and usually manifests itself subtly within the institutions of society and the attitudes of heterosexuals.

Examples: setting aside certain societal benefits for heterosexuals

(right to marry, right to worship, right to adopt children,

right to file joint tax returns with partner, etc.)

Impact of Religious Heterosexism on Society

But, what effect does heterosexist and homophobic religious liturgy have on

religious lesbian, gay and bisexual INDIVIDUALS?

We have seen the effects of religious heterosexism and homophobia on

SOCIETY.

We have never taken the time to ask...

There is virtually no

researchthat measures

this construct

for religious

lesbian, gay and bisexual

people.

Vicarious Learning (Bandura, 1977)

Cognitive Dissonance…

…is the psychological discomfort that results when one’s public behavior conflicts with his/her private beliefs. The longer this conflict is unresolved, the more likely we are to suffer emotionally.

Public

Behav

iorsPrivate

Beliefs

(Festinger, 1957)

but I am not heterosexual...how can I

be both?

I’m a Catholic.

H1

A majority of religious lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals will experience

cognitive dissonance attributable to their exposure to heterosexist religious liturgy

throughout their childhood.

H2

This religious-sexual orientation dissonance may be correlated with mental health issues for religious lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals.

Hypotheses

Buddhism

Christianity*

Hindu

Islam

Judaism

Methodology – Self Report Survey

•The survey consisted of forty-one quantitative questions including: Subject’s age Gender Ethnicity Childhood religion and level of religiosity Adult religion and level of religiosity Sexual-orientation Closeted status before and after sexual orientation awareness Level of education Current daily activities Mental health issues attributable to religion-sexual orientation dissonance•One full page qualitative section where participants could write a narrative of their experience with religion. •15-20 minutes to complete both the quantitative and qualitative sections. •The survey did not include questions regarding personal data (names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, or any identifying characteristics. Participation was completely anonymous and voluntary.• Surveys were distributed to LGB community centers, churches, and LGB internet list serves.

Gender of participant

Male

Female

60%40%

Participant's Self-reported Sexual Orientation

OtherBisexual

LesbianGay

60%

10%

26%

Participant's childhood religion

Other

Southern Baptist

Presbyterian

Non-Denominational Christianity

MethodistEpiscopal

Catholicism

Buddhism

Assembly of God

40%

17%

13%

13%

H1: Did the incompatibility between religion and sexual orientation cause you emotional discomfort?

No Emotional Discomfort

Some Emotional Discomfort Missing data

Extreme Emotional Discomfort

50%

20%

10%

20%

These findings lend support to H1

H2: Did you experience any mental health issues as a result of this religion-sexual orientation dissonance?

Yes

40%

60%

No

These findings lend support to H2

Of the 60% reporting mental health issues…

58 % - Anxiety

50 % - Depression

40 % - Isolation

36 % - Low Self-Esteem

32 % - Thoughts of Suicide

21 % - Problems with Authority Figures

19 % - Sexual Behavior that you Later Regretted

13 % - Eating Disorders

11 % - Substance Abuse

11 % - Suicide Attempts

* % add up to greater than 100% – this question was a

multiple response item

Where do we go from here?

Future Research:• Larger sample• Greater heterogeneity in religion, ethnicity, education, gender, and region• Update the Survey to improve its reliability and validity• Personal Interviews with subject population• Increased resources to collect and analyze data

Theological changes?

Hopefully…

If orthodox religion expects to remain relevant in society, it

must seek to serve all members of humanity – not just a select

few.

Eventually, even those who benefit from heterosexism may

tire of this hypocrisy.

Non-traditional Religious Denominations that are open and affirming to lesbian, gay and bisexual congregants:

Assembly of God* – Grace Assembly; www.umaffirm.org

Buddhist – dharma friends; www.web.net/~qdharma/home.htm

Christian* – Gay Christian Network; www.gaychristian.net

Catholic* – Dignity USA; www.dignityusa.org

Episcopal* – Integrity; www.integrityusa.org

Hindu – Gay Hindu; www.gayhindu.com

Islam – Queer Jihad; www.well.com/user/queerjhd

Judaism – Frum Gay Jews; www.OrthoGays.com

Lutheran* – Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries (LLGM); www.llgm.org

Methodist* – Affirm; www.umaffirm.org

*Christian Denominations

• Dr. Christine Browning, UCI

• Dr. Valerie Jenness, UCI

• Pat Walsh, M.A., MSW , UCI

• Dr. David Dooley, UCI

Acknowledgements

Funding provided by:UROP – Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Jeanette Veatch Waylandjwayland@uci.edu