Religious Attitudes, Internalized Homophobia, and Identity in Gay and Lesbian Adults

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to develop an empirical base for interventions and further research for lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults experiencing conflict between their religious beliefs and sexual orientation by identifying relations between religious beliefs, commitments, and attitudes to indicators of positive adjustment. Ninety-nine lesbian, gay, or bisexual participants responded to measures of internalized homophobia, gay identity development, religious commitment, scriptural literalism, and postconventional religious reasoning. Results indicated that among gay and lesbian adults: (1) levels of religious commitment did not predict positive adjustment and did not appear to interact with the other religious variables assessed; (2) scriptural literalism (i.e., interpreting Biblical scripture with comparatively little attention to historical context) was not related to internalized homophobia or sexual identity development; and (3) higher levels of postconventional religious reasoning (i.e., making religious decisions independently rather than in deference to other authorities) predicted lower levels of internalized homophobia and higher levels of sexual identity development. These findings provide a basis for future research that may lead to the development of counseling interventions for lesbian and gay clientele experiencing religious conflict.