presented at the University of California, Irvine To Social Ecology Honors Research Colleagues By Jeanette 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 research that 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 Behaviors Private Beliefs (Festinger, 1957) but I am not heterosexual...how can I be both? I’m a Catholic.

H 1 A majority of religious lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals will experience cognitive dissonance attributable to their exposure to heterosexist religious liturgy throughout their childhood. H 2 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 minutes to complete both the quantitative and qualitative sections. The survey did not include questions regarding personal data (names, addresses, 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 Other Bisexual Lesbian Gay 60% 10% 26%

Participant's childhood religion Other Southern Baptist Presbyterian Non-Denominational Christianity Methodist Episcopal Catholicism Buddhism Assembly of God 40% 17% 13%

H 1 : 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 H 1

H 2: 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 H 2

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; Buddhist – dharma friends; Christian* – Gay Christian Network; Catholic* – Dignity USA; Episcopal* – Integrity; Hindu – Gay Hindu; Islam – Queer Jihad; Judaism – Frum Gay Jews; Lutheran* – Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries (LLGM); Methodist* – Affirm; *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 Wayland