Sexual Orientation Complexity and Psychosocial/Health Outcomes

Development and Validation of the Sexual Minority and Religious Identity Integration (SMRII) Scale

Despite the psychosocial strain of homonegative religious attitudes, many people with minoritized sexual identities also hold religious identities and benefit from integrating their sexual minority and religious identities. However, for research and clinical practice to advance, a reliable and valid measure of sexual and religious identity integration is needed. The present study reports on the development and validation of the Sexual Minority and Religious Identity Integration (SMRII) Scale. Participants were comprised of two subsamples for whom sexual and religious identity is particularly salient (Latter-day Saints and Muslims) as well as a third subsample of the general sexual minority population-totaling 1,424 individuals (39% POC, 62% cisman, 27% ciswoman, 11% trans/non-binary/genderqueer). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the 5-item scale measures a single unidimensional construct. This scale demonstrated good internal consistency in the total sample (α = .80) as well as metric and scalar invariance along relevant demographics. The SMRII also evidenced strong convergent and discriminant validity, significantly correlating with other measures of religious and sexual minority identity typically between r = .2 and r = .5. Taken together, initial findings indicate that the SMRII is a psychometrically sound measure that is brief enough to be utilized in research and clinical settings.Public Significance Statement: This article introduces the Sexual Minority and Religious Identity Integration Scale (SMRII) as a reliable and valid assessment of the degree to which individuals integrate their sexual minority and religious identities. This five-item measure is brief enough to be utilized in both research and clinical settings.

On the Concordance of Romantic and Sexual Feelings and Identity Among University Students in Taiwan

The degree to which romantic and sexual feelings correspond to one's sexual identity may signify how a person comes to embrace a specific sexual identity. People who endorse an essentialist perspective may expect to see a high degree of concordance between feelings and identity, and a lack of concordance may be associated with negative consequences. People who endorse a social constructionist perspective may view sexual identity as constructed in situ; a lack of concordance is inevitable and may not be associated with negative consequences. This research tests the levels of concordance of feelings and identity by comparing those with and without romantic and sexual feelings using risk ratios and odds ratios. A representative sample of college students in Taiwan was recruited (N = 3882, with 2440 females and 2988 who identified as heterosexual). The findings suggest that (1) people's romantic and sexual feelings largely correspond to their sexual identity, with all risk ratios and odds ratios higher than 1; (2) the concordance was at its lowest level among those with different-sex feelings; (3) gender differences in concordance were trivial; (4) individuals who were questioning their identity were the least clear about what they expect and want in intimate relationships; and (5) no general negative consequences in intimate relationships were observed among discordant/branched individuals. Implications regarding romantic and sexual feelings, sexual identity, and intimate relationships are further discussed.

Queer in the Latter Days: An Integrated Model of Sexual and Religious Identity Development Among Former Mormon Sexual Minority Adults

Sexual minority individuals often have complicated relationships with conservative religion, including conflicts between their sexual and religious identities. Sexual minority members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (CJCLDS) experience unique struggles, given the policies and doctrine of the CJCLDS and its commitment to heteronormative family structures and gender roles. A better understanding of the identity development trajectory for sexual minority individuals formerly involved in the church can deepens our understanding of sexual identity development in constrained contexts and help promote successful identity integration within this subpopulation. Transcripts from semi-structured interviews with thirty-four sexual minority individuals who identified as former members of the CJCLDS were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach, followed by a deductive theory-building process in which Cass's Homosexual Identity Formation Model and Genia's Religious Identity Development Model were overlaid on themes. We present a model that captures the trajectory of sexual and religious identity development that captures the experiences of sexual minority adults within the constraints of the CJCLDS, a non-affirming religious denomination.

Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: The Limits of Human Rights in Africa

The right to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are integral to and manifest in LGBTIQ rights including homosexuality and same-sex marriage. International law promotes these rights and prohibits discrimination on these grounds. Many western countries endorse these rights and prohibitions in parliamentary legislation or judicial fiat. In comparison with all other jurisdictions worldwide, and within the African sub-region, only South Africa specifically prohibits unfair direct or indirect discrimination based on "sexual orientation" in its national constitution. This paper explores African approach to SOGI and LGBTIQ rights including homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It argues that despite the threat of homocapitalism, prevalent Afrocentrism and religions reject these form of "new rights" for being immoral, ungodly, unnatural and un-African, thereby underlining the limits of human rights in the sub-region.

Contextualizing Cisgender Women's Histories of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization With Men and Women

Sexual minoritized women (SMW) are more likely than exclusively heterosexual women to experience intimate partner violence (IPV). We conducted in-depth interviews with a clinic-based sample of plurisexual SMW (n = 25) ages 18 to 34 about the gender of their perpetrators. Participants primarily experienced physical and sexual IPV in relationships with men and emotional abuse in relationships with women. IPV perpetrated by men often included weapons with women fearing for their lives. Offering patients information about IPV resources and supports that do not make assumptions about women's sexualities may create more opportunity for empathic and effective communication with SMW experiencing IPV.

Religion/Spirituality, Stress, and Resilience Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: The Religious/Spiritual Stress and Resilience Model

Although many sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) consider themselves religious or spiritual, the impact of this religiousness or spirituality (RS) on their health is poorly understood. We introduce the religious/spiritual stress and resilience model (RSSR) to provide a robust framework for understanding the variegated ways that RS influences the health of SGMs. The RSSR bridges existing theorizing on minority stress, structural stigma, and RS-health pathways to articulate the circumstances under which SGMs likely experience RS as health promoting or health damaging. The RSSR makes five key propositions: (a) Minority stress and resilience processes influence health; (b) RS influences general resilience processes; (c) RS influences minority-specific stress and resilience processes; (d) these relationships are moderated by a number of variables uniquely relevant to RS among SGMs, such as congregational stances on same-sex sexual behavior and gender expression or an individual's degree of SGM and RS identity integration; and (e) relationships between minority stress and resilience, RS, and health are bidirectional. In this manuscript, we describe the empirical basis for each of the five propositions focusing on research examining the relationship between RS and health among SGMs. We conclude by describing how the RSSR may inform future research on RS and health among SGMs.

Branched sexuality and sexual health among Black cisgender sexual minority men in Baltimore, Maryland: an exploratory study

Branched sexuality - in form of combinations of sexual identity, behaviour and attraction (e.g. heterosexual identity, sex with men, attraction to women) that differ from coincident combinations (e.g. gay/homosexual/same-gender-loving identity, sex with men, attraction to men) - has been observed among Black sexual minority men and may correlate with sexual health. Using baseline survey data from Black sexual minority men (N = 323) enrolled in a sexual health intervention trial, we examined sexual identity, behaviour and attraction to determine the prevalence of branched sexuality and used modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimation to test associations with sexual health. Black sexual minority men reporting branched sexuality (n = 50, 15.5%) were marginally more likely to endorse negative condom-use attitudes compared to those reporting coincident sexuality (n = 273, 84.5%; adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94, 2.32) and significantly more likely to endorse negative condom-use attitudes compared to those reporting gay/homosexual/same-gender-loving-coincident sexuality (aPR = 1.85, 95% CI = 01.07, 3.22). Those reporting branched sexuality were significantly less likely to report past-year testing for sexually transmitted infections compared to those reporting coincident (PR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.94) or gay/homosexual/same-gender-loving-coincident sexuality (PR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.84) in bivariate analyses only. Increased understanding of Black sexual minority men's sexuality and improved sexuality data collection efforts are needed.

Minority Stress as a Multidimensional Predictor of LGB+ Adolescents' Mental Health Outcomes

The minority stress model has been used to explain added daily stressors that non-heterosexual (LGB+) individuals experience. While the emphasis of minority stress research is frequently broad (global minority stress) or narrow (specific stressors) in focus, the literature often refers to specific stressors at the domain level as either distal (external) or proximal (internal). This study found that, compared with broad and narrow levels, a domain level approach may be best for understanding the predictive value of minority stress. Multiple regression analyses with a sample of 152 LGB+ adolescents found that distal stress predicted substance misuse (p < .001) and suicidality (p = .002) and was a stronger predicter than proximal stress for psychological inflexibility. This study might contribute to an evidence base that could guide measurement approaches for assessing minority stress and using related results to inform the prediction of-and, ultimately, intervention with-LGB+ adolescents' mental health outcomes.

Variations in Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Awareness and Healthcare Provider Interactions in a Nationally Representative Sample of American Men Aged 15-49 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study

Awareness of and discussions with a healthcare provider (HCP) around pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an effective HIV prevention method, are associated with PrEP uptake, yet few studies utilize representative samples or report on these outcomes using distinct behavioral risk subgroups. This cross-sectional study utilized responses given by men on the 2017-2019 National Survey of Family Growth, a nationally representative survey of Americans aged 15-49 years. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine how respondents' sociodemographic characteristics and HIV risk behaviors were related to PrEP awareness and HCP discussions. PrEP awareness was low (29.40%) as was the proportion who reported ever discussing PrEP with an HCP (4.48%). Odds of being PrEP aware and discussing PrEP with an HCP varied significantly within sexual behavior subgroups based on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics highlighting the differential risks within distinct behavioral subgroupings of men. Sexual behavior subgroupings should be considered when promoting PrEP awareness and discussions as HIV risk behaviors vary considerably and sexual identity alone may not sufficiently capture one's HIV risk.

Ways to Navigate Sexual Minority and Latter-day Saint Identities: A Latent Profile Analysis

Using a sample of 815 sexual minorities (SMs) with current or historical engagement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we examined (a) how many empirically distinct ways there are to navigate SM and religious identities and (b) whether these ways were related to health. A latent profile analysis, which grouped participants by religious/spiritual (i.e., religious commitment, service attendance, Christian orthodoxy) and SM identity (i.e., outness, identity centrality, sexuality support) variables, yielded a three-group solution: engaged Latter-day Saint (LDS) individuals, moderately engaged LDS individuals, and lapsed LDS individuals. Participants in these three classes did not significantly differ in SM variables or in physical health, mental health, or life satisfaction. Engaged LDS participants reported less substance use and more meaning in life than lapsed LDS participants, likely due to their religious engagement.

"I Just Wanted Support": Examining How LDS Clergy May Effectively Minister to Sexual and Gender Minority Congregants

This study explored why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who identify as sexual or gender minorities (SGM) speak with clergy regarding their SGM identities, as well as what LDS SGMs find helpful and unhelpful in these conversations. A sample of 25 current or former LDS SGMs participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants reported six overarching reasons for talking with clergy, including church procedures, seeking guidance, seeking emotional comfort, seeking repentance, seeking openness, and other people's initiation. Participants reported several ways clergy were helpful, including empathic listening, openness, and affirmative spiritual care. Participants further reported several ways clergy were unhelpful, including punishing, lacking empathic listening, having a limited worldview, and pathologizing. Clergy may benefit from understanding why LDS SGMs are speaking with them, and from utilizing helpful approaches such as empathic listening skills in their ministering efforts.

"I Come Out Because I Love You": Positive Coming Out Experiences Among Latter-day Saint Sexual and Gender Minorities

BACKGROUND

Coming out conversations are pivotal and stressful experiences for sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). Coming out can lead to more affirmation, safety, confidence, and improved relationships. However, adverse coming out experiences can lead to damaged relationships and ostracization, which may be more likely in conservative religious contexts.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the current study was to explore what leads to positive coming out experiences for SGM members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

METHOD

A sample of 25 current or former Latter-day Saint (LDS) SGMs participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Participants reported five actions they did that contributed to a beneficial coming out experience: being selective, increasing self-understanding and acceptance, preparing before, decreasing pressure on self, and validating the relationship with the person they came out to. Participants further reported six responses from others that contributed to a beneficial coming out experience: showing loving acceptance, utilizing empathic listening skills, offering and expressing support, celebrating, affirming that the relationship is not changed, and advocating.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The present study extends current knowledge on coming out experiences by demonstrating specific beneficial approaches and responses to coming out. Given participants' lack of focus on religiousness in their reports, these findings may be applicable to both religious and nonreligious SGMs. Our findings extend current knowledge on coming out experiences by demonstrating that both SGM approaches and others' responses are critical to creating a more positive coming out conversation. Future research is needed to understand the efficacy and effects of these coming out approaches and responses.

“He Just Wanted Me to Do What Was Best for Me”: Latter-Day Saint Clergy’s Counsel to Sexual and Gender Minorities and Its Impact

The purpose of this study was to understand counsel given to sexual and gender minority individuals by clergy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS), the impact of that counsel, and individuals’ perceptions of meetings with clergy. Twenty-five current and former members of the CJCLDS who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) participated in 30–60 min semi-structured interviews focused on their interactions with clergy in the CJCLDS. Participants reported receiving various forms of counsel, including encouragement to adhere to church doctrine, counsel focused on self-acceptance, messages that clergy would support congregants’ agency and self-determination, counsel focused on increasing faith, and no answers. Participants reported a variety of perceptions of meetings with clergy including wishing clergy were more educated on the experiences of SGMs, hurtful experiences, expectations of mistreatment, recognition that clergy are doing their best, and gratitude for clergy. Interactions with clergy had long-lasting and far-reaching consequences including loss of trust in religious leaders, restriction of church membership, disengagement from faith, engagement with faith, nuanced or lost beliefs, and impacts on mental health. Results suggest that Latter-day Saints clergy working with SGM individuals may be experienced as most effective when they provide safe and supportive spaces for congregants to share their experiences, use approaches that focus on self-determination and agency, seek education/training from CJCLDS-specific LGBTQ+ organizations, and recognize that many SGM congregants approach interactions with clergy with trepidation and fears of mistreatment.