New Study: Two Out Of Three Lgbtq+ People Raised In Church Have Lost Their Faith In Religion

At Queer God Squad we know Christianity is a complicated topic among LGBTQ+ people, but there are still groups in the community that embrace their faith — sometimes to the detriment of their health, and sometimes to their benefit. A new study from Utah State University and the Williams Institute at UCLA provide some shocking statistics on Queer and Religious Faith. The headline is that nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ people who were raised Christian no longer identify with religion. Even more disturbing is among those who remain, adults report more internalized homophobia and transphobia. The study found that those that continue to identify as Christian the highest as adults are older, black, cisgender men. More live in the South than any other region in America. Also disturbing was the fact that those who stayed Christian were significantly higher in reporting having a history of conversion therapy of some sort versus those who left or were never part of the religion. Those who were never raised Christian reported coming out to family and friends at younger ages than those who were not, and those who left Christianity were more likely to report being bullied in childhood than those who stayed Christian. However, there were some groups who notably benefited from their Christian faith, as well as some who did not. Black LGBTQ+ people were more likely than their White counterparts to be raised Christian, and less likely to leave Christianity. Out of the 87 percent of Black LGBTQ+ people who were raised Christian, 54 percent stayed Christian. Study co-author Ilan Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute said “Some LGBTQ people, for example, Black LGBTQ people, maintain their connection to Christianity despite minority stressors because the social, cultural, and religious support outweighs the negative experiences. For other LGBTQ people, the heightened experience of minority stressors within Christian environments may contribute more to stigma than support, leading them to distance themselves from their religious faith and communities, sometimes seeking LGBTQ-affirming religious or spiritual environments." This was especially true for transgender people, as the report found that those who were never Christian experienced less discrimination than those who were raised Christian. This has swayed transgender adults away from the religion, Researchers believe this information surrounding Christianity in the queer community could benefit healthcare providers when working with LGBTQ+ patients. Lead study author Tyler Lefevor of Utah State said “The finding that LGBTQ people are likely to have been raised in a religious background, regardless of their current identification, may be particularly helpful to therapists with LGBTQ clients. Therapists may want to encourage clients to articulate the pieces they find valuable about religion (e.g., believing, bonding, behaving, belonging) and either grieve or strive to maintain these aspects.”