Eric M. Rodriguez

Gay and lesbian Christians : Homosexual and religious identity integration in the members and participants of a gay-positive Church

In this study we explore individual s experiences of identity integration between their sexual orientation and religious beliefs. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, we examined identity integration in forty members and participants of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCC/NY), a gay-positive church located in Mid-town Manhattan. The survey and interview data collected showed that: (1)a majority of the research participants reported that they had successfully integrated their homosexual and religious identities, (2) being integrated was related to higher role involvement at MCC/NY, being a member of the church, attending more MCC/NY worship services and activities/ministries, and attending MCC/NY for more years, (3) lesbians were less likely than gay men to report past conflict between their identities, and more likely to report being fully integrated, and (4) MCC/NY played an important role in helping these participants achieve integration between their homosexual and religious identities.

At the Intersection of Church and Gay: A Review of the Psychological Research on Gay and Lesbian Christians

While the psychological research literature on gay and lesbian Christians is rich and continually expanding, it is also quite fragmented—consisting mainly of studies with small sample sizes that focus narrowly on specific subgroups within the phenomena. Furthermore, the recent research and theories assessing and underlying the integration of these two identities have never been presented in one cohesive review. Therefore, working within a new theoretical paradigm that views gays and lesbians as spiritual and religious beings in and of themselves, the purpose of this article is threefold: 1) to integrate a fractured body of literature on gay and lesbian Christians; 2) to review and critique relevant psychological theories currently in use in this area; and 3) to introduce to the field the relevant theoretical concepts of integration as process and empowerment to better outline comprehensive pathways for future research on not just the lives of gay and lesbian Christians, but of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender people of faith.

Did God make me this way? Expanding psychological research on queer religiosity and spirituality to include intersex and transgender individuals

The purpose of this article is to traverse the fields of psychology, human sexuality and religion to find themes of commonality that can be used to shed light on how faith forms the unique life journeys of intersex and transgender people. The specific aims of this article are twofold: (1) to begin to explore the role that religion and spirituality may play in the lives of transgender and intersex individuals and (2) to provide a roadmap for psychologists and other social scientists to conduct future research in this area. We began by conducting a literature review of intersex and transgender religiosity and spirituality. After summarising the articles uncovered, we then offer suggestions on how current psychological methods and theories – including spiritual journeys, empowerment, positive psychology and stress-related growth – can be used to advance research on the role that religious and spiritual beliefs play in intersex and transgender lives. Our hope is that this article will expand the psychological study of religion and spirituality (both the positive and the negative aspects) to encompass sexual and gender minorities.

Exploring the Intersectionality of Bisexual, Religious/Spiritual, and Political Identities From a Feminist Perspective

Although there is a growing body of work that examines the religious/spiritual lives of bisexuals, additional research that further explores the intersectionality of these distinct identities is needed. Motivated by the feminist notions that the personal is political and individuals are experts of their own experiences, the aim of this study is to better understand intersecting identities experienced by bisexuals. Data from the Northern California Health Study was used to examine the intersection of bisexual, religious/spiritual, and political identities. Results suggest that higher lesbian, gay, and bisexual self-esteem scores and openness about sexual orientation correlate with higher levels of spirituality. Further, attraction to same-sex partners was associated with perceiving sexual orientation as a choice, identifying as bisexual at a younger age, an increased likeliness to come out, being less likely to view religion as socially important, and a higher belief statement score. The authors discuss the implications of these results.

Stress-Related Growth in the Lives of Lesbian and Gay People of Faith

There is a tendency in psychological research and practice within the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community to focus on the negative sequelae associated with sexual minority stress without ever understanding and/or appreciating that there are also positive forces at work here. To bring positive psychology into this discussion, our chapter will examine the importance of stress-related growth (SRG) and coming-out growth (COG) within LGB lives. The goal of this current book chapter is to recast and reconceptualize earlier and current work on lesbian and gay people of faith (e.g., Rodriguez and Ouellette, The Community Psychologist 32:24–29, 1999; Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 39:333–347, 2000a; Religion and masculinity in Latino gay lives, pp. 101–129, 2000b; Rodriguez, Journal of Homosexuality 57:5–38, 2010) not from a lens of conflict, but instead from the lens of positive psychology. In this chapter, we make the argument that the intersection of sexual orientation and religious/spiritual beliefs—including the experiences of lesbian and gay people of faith—can be viewed as examples of the positive psychological concepts of SRG and COG in action. We begin by exploring the concept of SRG, focusing specifically on how this construct relates to lesbian and gay life experience. We continue by discussing how the concept of COG connects to Shallenberger’s (Reclaiming the spirit: Gay men and lesbians come to terms with religion, 1998) work on lesbian and gay spiritual journeys. We then move onto a discussion of the importance of lesbian and gay religious institutions before concluding with suggestions for future research and practice.

Gay men’s and their religiously conservative family allies’ scriptural engagement.

The present study offered a mixed-methods analysis of the scriptural interpretation strategies of 23 gay men and 15 of their family allies from conservative Christian and Modern-Orthodox Jewish backgrounds. Qualitative analysis of participant interviews suggested that participants used strategies that both questioned relational applications (while maintaining a prohibition premise) and those that questioned the text/prohibition. Statistically significant differences between the number of strategies used by gay men and their family allies emerged, as well as variations in the strategy type favored by each cultural/family group. Additional qualitative analyses suggested that differences in gay men’s and their family allies’ religious practice and community contexts impacted their scriptural engagement and perceived interpretive authority. While the current study was unique in its simultaneous inclusion of multiple religious groups and members of the same family unit, further research is needed to assess the generalizability of the present findings.

Social Work in Higher Education: Internships in Opportunity Programs

ABSTRACT Field education is essential to the development of professional social workers. Despite the significant overlap in social work’s and higher education’s missions and values, there is a scarcity of social work internships specifically in higher education settings. The placement of social work interns in institutions of higher education provides a setting where they can develop new knowledge and skills and increase their capacity to support college students toward academic success. This conceptual article discusses the role of social work in higher education and provides a model social work internship in an opportunity program, including its creation, development, challenges, outcomes, and future direction.

A Quantitative Examination of Identity Integration in Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People of Faith

ABSTRACT Much of the religious/spiritual development of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (GLBs) has focused on experiences of conflict and distress, providing little insight into how these identities can be integrated. The present study explored the religious and spiritual lives of GLBs with a specific focus on the integration of these identities. We conducted a retrospective secondary data analysis of 750 GLB individuals from the Northern California Health Study to quantitatively assess sexual orientation and religion/spirituality integration using hierarchical cluster analysis. Resulting MANCOVA analyses of the five revealed groupings (integrated, gay identity struggle, anti-religious/spiritual, secular, and low gay salience) present numerous statistically significant differences between these integration clusters and a variety of dependent variables including measures of demographics, religiosity/spirituality, gay identity, and multiple mental health outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings while also making suggestions for future research.

Religious Workplaces: The Joys, Trials and Tribulations of LGBT Clergy

Christian and Jewish congregations are exempt from many of the anti-discrimination laws and regulations that govern businesses in the US and LGBT clergy may therefore experience workplace issues very differently from their “management” counterparts in the for-profit business world. While there is a very small, predominantly qualitative, literature on the personal experience of sexual and gender minority clergy, there is almost no available writing on the workplace issues that such individuals must deal with on a regular basis as church or synagogue employees. The present chapter therefore aims to introduce a sociocultural framework that can be applied to the study of LGBT clergy workplace experiences by presenting cultural-historical case studies of both progressive Jewish (American Reform Judaism) and Christian movements (the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). After exploring the religious and political developments leading to the acceptance of gay and lesbian clergy within these congregations, the chapter concludes with a review of the major theoretical approaches that can be applied to future inquiries focusing on broadening our understanding of LGBT clergy workplace experiences. Relying upon empowerment theory and positive psychology, this chapter provides a conceptual and theoretical overview of the workplace issues that LGBT clergy in the United States confront within two distinct Judeo-Christian religious traditions. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research in this understudied area of religious organizational culture.

The Influence of Erik Erikson on Positive Psychology Theory and Research

Highlighting major themes and concepts from Erik Erikson’s (Erikson, Identity and the Life Cycle, 1959) psychosocial theory of personality development, this chapter will explore the influence of his theories and research on key concepts in the discipline of positive psychology (PP). Using the three pillars of PP (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, American Psychologist 55:5–14, 2000): character strengths/virtues, subjective experiences, and positive institutions as a framework, the authors will discuss core PP concepts in the context of normative development through his major contributions to the field (Young Man Luther; Insight and Responsibility; Identity: Youth and Crisis; Gandhi’s Truth). Highlighting the role of developmental stress in facilitating growth and building character strengths (what Erikson termed “basic strengths”), this chapter will explore the role of positive institutions in nurturing the development of these strengths and unique contributions of Erikson’s work in advancing PP. This chapter will also address the relative lack of awareness and attention to Erikson’s influence within the field and highlight how PP can draw on the themes found throughout his work to improve theory and research with diverse populations.