CHRISTIANITY VS GAY MEN:

AN INNER STRUGGLE OF GAY CHRISTIANS

THE REASON I CHOSE THIS TOPIC

• Most people assume that Christianity is against LGBTQ+

• Growing up in a conservative Christian background, I was taught that being gay was
a sin and although the religion taught me to love others it also taught me to hate
myself.
• I wanted to see if that religious communication, specifically Christian, had a harmful
impact on gay men.
• Now as an adult, I have reconciled my relationship with God and the fact that I am
gay— and that’s okay. I wanted to see if research had similar results.
FOR THIS RESEARCH I USED

• 10, scholarly, peer-reviewed articles

• As perimeters I used the terms gay & religious COM
FINDINGS: MORMONS

• There is a lot of Gay Mormons: the majority of the research I

found dealt with the Mormon religion

• The Mormon Church has two categorizations: 1. Gay

(according to the Church doctrine, this is someone that is
same-sex-attracted (SSA) and live an openly gay lifestyle.)
2. SSA (Someone that is same-sex-attracted but doesn’t act
on it.)

• Most SSA Mormons will get in a heterosexual marriage, which

possibly contributes to the high divorce rate amongst
Mormons.

• Gay Mormons that leave the Church report a higher level of

self acceptance

• For openly gay Mormons that stay in the Church, research

suggest it is contributed to how their local congregation treats
them.
FINDINGS: CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS

• Research shows that religious COM can have

negative impacts on the LGBTQ+ community
• However the LGBTQ+ community, often finds
comfort in Christianity
• Research suggest this is highly based on
their own belief on what the church can
condemn, viewing the Bible through historical
text, and their own understanding of their
personal relationship with God
FINDINGS: CHRISTIAN COLLEGES

• A lot of Christian colleges have anti-gay policies— typically located in their

Code of Conduct

• A surprisingly high amount of LGBTQ+ individuals choose Christian colleges

• If caught, they could face several punishments including being kicked out of
the school

• Research suggest that many Christian colleges ignore their LGBTQ+ students

• LGBTQ+ students want to be recognized as both LGBTQ+ & Christian

• Research also shows that Christian college officials need to be retrained in

order to address LGBTQ+ concerns through the lens of inclusivity & religion
 FINDINGS: MUSLIM VS CHRISTIAN MEN STUDY

• Muslim men have reported a higher

disapproval of gay men than
Christian men did
• Wasn’t as much to do with their
religion, but their perceived notion
of gay men’s masculinity & the
perceived threat to their own
masculinity
CONCLUSION

• Religious COM can cause damaging effects on gay men: typically effecting their
mental health and self-esteem
• Gay men can also find comfort in conservative Christianity
• This is typically done by acknowledging your own personal relationship with god,
accepting that being gay isn’t the only thing about you, your belief on what the
Church can condemn, & your own understanding of the Bible
• Future research should cover more sectors of Christianity. The vast majority of
research has been conducted through the view of the Mormon Church