Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

“I Don’t Like Going To Gay Pride”: Experiences of Negotiating LGBTQIA Mormon Identity in Utah

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Sexuality & Culture Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article explores experiences of existing at the intersection of gender/sexuality and religion/religiosity and examines the ways in which people negotiate their identities in order to fit in, to belong in communities, and lead authentic lives. Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews and deploying frameworks of feminist interviewing and phenomenology, this study seeks to explain experiences of belonging in multiple, crucial communities including religious families and being marginalized as well as supported by those communities. We argue that LGBTQIA Mormon persons often create their own spiritual script of identity negotiation even as they follow their religion’s heteronormative sexual script. Believers acknowledge the profound impact their religion has on their lives even as they are struggling to understand their own selves and their religious community’s reactions to LGBTQIA identities and associated rights. Coming to terms with a Mormon LGBTQIA identity involves renegotiating relationships with the religion and within the religious community, as well as crafting a spiritual script in the process of that renegotiation that facilitates belonging and visibility.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmed, S. (2006). Queer phenomenology: Orientations, objects, others. Durham: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ahrold, T. K., Farmer, M., Trapnell, P. D., & Meston, C. M. (2011). The relationship among sexual attitudes, sexual fantasy, and religiosity. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(3), 619–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9782-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Averett, K. H. (2016). The Gender Buffet: LGBTQ parents resisting heteronormativity. Gender and Society, 30(2), 189–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243215611370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avishai, O., & Irby, C. A. (2017). Bifurcated conversations in sociological studies of religion and gender. Gender & Society, 31(5), 647–676. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243217725244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barkan, S. E. (2006). Religiosity and premarital sex in adulthood. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 45(3), 407–417. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2006.00315.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckstead, A. L., & Morrow, S. L. (2004). Mormon clients’ experiences of conversion therapy: The need for a new treatment approach. The Counseling Psychologist, 32(5), 651–690. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000004267555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, W. S., Heaton, T. B., Decoo, E., Dehlin, J. P., Galliher, R. V., & Crowell, K. A. (2015). Religious experience of GBTQ Mormon males. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 54(2), 311–329. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. (2004). Undoing Gender. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canham, M., & Salt Lake Tribune (2017). Salt Lake County is becoming less Mormon — Utah County is headed in the other direction. Retrieved from https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=5403049&itype=CMSID

  • Collins, P. H., & Bilge, S. (2016). Intersectionality. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cranney, S. (2017). The LGB Mormon paradox: Mental, physical, and self-rated health among Mormon and non-Mormon LGB individuals in the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(6), 731–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowell, K. A., Galliher, R. V., Dehlin, J. P., & Bradshaw, W. S. (2015). Specific aspects of minority stress associated with depression among LDS affiliated non-heterosexual adults. Journal of Homosexuality, 62(2), 242–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2014.969611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, A., & Galliher, R. V. (2012). The interplay of sexual and religious identity development in LGBTQ adolescents and young adults: A qualitative inquiry. Identity An International Journal of Theory and Research, 12, 217–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2012.691255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dehlin, J., Galliher, R., Hyde, D. C., Bradshaw, W. S., & Crowell, K. A. (2015). Sexual orientation change efforts among current or former LDS church members. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fonow, M. M., & Cook, J. A. (2005). Feminist methodology: New applications in the academy and public policy. Signs, 30(4), 2211–2236. https://doi.org/10.1086/428417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, L. (1984). Religion and sexuality: The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J. H., & Simon, W. (2011). Sexual conduct: The social sources of human sexuality. London: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Givens, T. L. (2017). Feeding the Flock: The Foundations of Mormon Thought: Church and Praxis. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodwill, K. A. (2000). Religion and the spiritual needs of gay Mormon men. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services: Issues in Practice, Policy & Research, 11(4), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1300/j041v11n04_02.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grigoriou, J. A. (2014). Minority stress factors for same-sex attracted Mormon adults. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, C. B. (1994). Lords of creation: polygamy, the Abrahamic household, and Mormon patriarchy. Journal of Mormon History, 20(1): 119–152. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23286316

  • Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2014). Feminist approaches to in-depth interviewing. In S. N. Hesse-Biber (Ed.), Feminist research practice: A Primer, Thousand Oaks. CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiebert & Hiebert. (2015). Intersex Persons and the Church: Unknown, Unwelcomed, Unwanted Neighbors. Journal for the sociological integration of religion and society, 5(2), 31–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsen, J. (2013). Mormon women’s experiences with same-sex sexuality (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

  • Jacobsen, J., & Wright, R. (2014). Mental health implications in Mormon women's experiences with same-sex attraction: A qualitative study. The Counseling Psychologist, 42, 664–696. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014533204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefevor, G. T., Sorrell, S. A., Kappers, G., Plunk, A., Schow, R. L., Rosik, C. H., et al. (2019). Same-sex attracted, not LGBQ: The implications of sexual identity labelling on religiosity, sexuality, and health among Mormons. The Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1564006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, J. M. (2000). Phenomenology of Chicana experience and identity: Communication and Transformation in Praxis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mihelich, J., & Storrs, D. (2003). Higher education and the negotiated process of hegemony: Embedded resistance among Mormon women. Gender & Society, 17(3), 404–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243203017003007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minton, H. L. (2002). Departing from deviance: A history of homosexual rights and emancipatory science in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nash, J. C. (2008). Re-thinking intersectionality. Feminist Review, 89(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1057/fr.2008.4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plummer, K. (2011). Foreword: Sexual Conduct 30 Years On. In J. H. Gagnon & W. Simon (Eds.), Sexual conduct: The social source of human sexuality. London: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, D. M. (1996). Same-sex dynamics among nineteenth-century Americans: a Mormon example. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, E. M., & Follins, L. D. (2012). Did God make me this way? Expanding psychological research on queer religiosity and spirituality to include intersex and transgender individuals. Psychology & Sexuality, 3(3), 214–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2012.700023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rostosky, S. S., Wilcox, B. L., Wright, M. L., & Randall, B. A. (2004). The impact of religiosity on adolescent sexual behavior: A review of the evidence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19(6), 677–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558403260019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, R. J., Choldin, S., & Orost, J. H. (1995). The impact of three patriarchal religions on women. In J. C. Christler & A. H. Hemstreet (Eds.), Variations on a Theme: Diversity and the Psychology of Women. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, L. (1990). Feminist praxis and the academic mode of production: An editorial introduction. In L. Stanley (Ed.), Feminist praxis: Research, theory, and epistemology in feminist sociology. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Barbee, H. (2018). “This incredible monster was always in the way”: The moral career of a sexual sinner in the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. The Qualitative Report, 23(3): 662–676. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol23/iss3/12

  • State of Utah Health Department. (n.d.). Youth Suicide. Retrieved from https://www.health.utah.gov/vipp/teens/youth-suicide/.

  • State of Utah Health Department. (n.d.). Suicide. Retrieved from https://health.utah.gov/vipp/topics/suicide/.

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). Quick Facts, Utah. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/UT.

  • Ware, S. (2019). Why they marched: Untold stories of the women who fought for the right to vote. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wiederman, M. (2015). Sexual script theory: Past, present, and future. In J. DeLamater & R. F. Plante (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of sexualities. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, A. J., & Stern, S. (2016). The role of spirituality in sexual minority identity. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to our interviewees who trusted us with their stories—they made this research possible in every way. Gratitude is due to Karen Deysher, erstwhile program director of LGBT student services at Utah Valley University, for initial help in the research process and ongoing encouragement. We appreciate the peer reviewer comments that helped us create a stronger article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, USA

    Debjani Chakravarty & Monica English

Authors
  1. Debjani Chakravarty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Monica English
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Debjani Chakravarty.

Ethics declarations

The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Human Participants and/or Animals

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chakravarty, D., English, M. “I Don’t Like Going To Gay Pride”: Experiences of Negotiating LGBTQIA Mormon Identity in Utah. Sexuality & Culture 25, 235–254 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09767-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09767-9

Keyword

Search

Navigation