Research examines same-sex attraction
Recent USU research about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in society and media poses questions about homosexuality in the Latter-day Saint religion, the evolution of homosexuality in literature and the quality of sex education programs.
Displays about USU research projects, as well as seven others, were presented at the LGBT Research Fair on Tuesday.
Renee Galliher, a psychology professor, said it was noteworthy to see how each discipline brought a new way to look at LGBT issues. Undergraduate and graduate students from sociology to English departments participated in sharing their findings.
“I’m fascinated by the different research methodologies and ways students have gone about researching the broad topic of LGBT issues,” Galliher said. “In psychology we use qualitative and quantitative research methods that are more grounded on traditional research methods psychologists are trained in. I’ve noticed that students coming from other departments are doing critical analyses with literature and policy.”
Galliher worked with graduate student John Dehlin on his graduate research project, “Exploration of Experiences and Psychological Health of Same-sex Attracted Latter-day Saints.”
Dehlin spoke with inquisitive passers-by about his research and its implications, including how many LDS church members are gay and how many decide to stay in heterosexual relationships despite their same-sex attraction.
He surveyed 1,635 Mormons who classify themselves as gay and said the study found the average age gay women and men reported feeling different from their peers was at age 10.
On average, by the age of 22 those people have come out, saying they are gay or lesbian. And 31 percent reported being at some point in their lives in a heterosexual marriage, and 16 percent reported staying in a heterosexual marriage. About 65 percent of LDS respondents reported trying to change their sexual orientations.
“The most common ways of trying to change are being more righteous by praying, fasting and reading the scriptures,” Dehlin said. “The second most common is counseling with a bishop or stake president. However, research shows these are the most damaging things to do for those people.”
Dehlin said 80 percent of those surveyed stated their attempt to change was ineffective and personally damaging.
“If you work with a therapist who just tries to help you accept your situation, 85 percent found that either highly effective or moderately effective,” Dehlin said. “Acceptance is much more healing and affirming than rejecting who you are.”
Some of the damaging effects LDS respondents experienced by trying to change their sexuality included guilt and shame, while others experienced depression and suicidality, Dehlin said.
Professor Steven Camicia, of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership, was a keynote speaker at the fair. Camicia shared his research on classifying people in minority groups, including gays, with attributes that define them as individuals.
“It all has to do with recognizing people for who they are, rather than the categories they fall into,” Camicia said. “Generally, the way out of that is to find ways to recognize people rather than placing them into categories the sciences often thrive on.”
Camicia said the idea of recognizing every individual without labels is especially important in education research because students of all ages, even young elementary school students, see the way gay rights and homophobia are depicted in media.
“These are realities children and young adults are exposed to and are trying to make sense of,” Camicia said. “What would it look like within an educational setting to start empowering youth and looking at ways to ameliorate things researchers are trying to do.”
Everything that happens in the classroom later manifests in society, Camicia said. If younger generations can learn to recognize individuals without labels, he said society will be more accepting in the future.
The research fair and lecture were organized by Allies on Campus, a USU group that supports the local LGBT population and related initiatives. Galliher, a member of Allies on Campus who helped develop the idea to have an LGBT Research Fair, said the supportive group aims to create a nurturing atmosphere for LGBT students, faculty and staff at USU.
“One of our missions is education and outreach,” Galliher said. “And part of that is education. So these research projects are aimed at trying to disseminate data-based information on LGBT issues.”
– catherine.meidell@aggie mail.usu.edu