Religion and the spiritual needs of gay Mormon men
Long Beach, CA
California State University, Long Beach
1999
104
Master's thesis
This study provides a picture of the nature of gay Mormon men's spiritual needs and of whether or not these needs were currently being met. In addition, the study intended to provide an outline of the coping methods employed by gay Mormon men in reconciling their faith with their sexuality.
Results from the questionnaire research showed that participants' personal spirituality and level of involvement in alternative (non-LDS) religious activity was related to their overall life satisfaction. In addition, personal spirituality was related to the participants' level of involvement in alternative religious activity.
Four out of the 5 gay Mormon interviewees, while not necessarily becoming anti-Mormon, dealt with the incompatibility between their church and their sexuality by significantly reducing or even banishing church activity from their lives. Most of the men felt that the Mormon religious background had affected them negatively by teaching them that it was bad to be gay.