Open AccessThe Religious Landscape for LGBTQ+ Persons
Author(s) -
Douglas D. Gerdts
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
delaware journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2639-6378
DOI - 10.32481/djph.2019.06.012
Subject(s) - faith , openness to experience , ideology , sociology , lesbian , inclusion (mineral) , social psychology , gender studies , environmental ethics , psychology , political science , politics , law , epistemology , philosophy
Navigating the world of organized religion is difficult under the best of circumstances given the wide array of expressions, interpretations, ideology, tolerance, and willingness to include all persons. For a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a negative experience can range from merely uncomfortable to intensely and emotionally damaging. To mitigate the negative and increase propensity for a positive experience, markers as to a faith community's degree of openness and inclusion not only exist, but are clear, identifiable, and to a large degree, dependable. This brief review of the major religions and faith traditions in Delaware provides some of those markers along with guidelines for understanding. The focus of this review is based on demographic data from the 2014 Religious Landscape Study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Section.