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Study finds sexuality has impact on family

New research has been conducted on the impact religion has on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people and how their sexual orientation affects their family members.

The research was conducted by two University of Memphis doctoral students, Julie Shulman and Nicole Noffsinger-Frazier.

Shulman focused on the parents and other family members of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals and how they reconciled their family member’s sexual orientation.

Noffsinger-Frazier and Shulman both, however, studied effects religion can have on the well-being of LGBT’s.

“We have done studies on the impact that religion has on the depression of LGBT’s and the experience of conflict between religion and sexual identity,” Shulman said. “I found that the majority of the people I studied did report, at least at the time of coming out, to have experienced some degree of conflict with their family.”

Shulman and Noffsinger-Frazier are both members of CRASD, the Committee for Research and Action on Sexual Diversity.

“Hopefully a person is able to come to a point where they recognize that ‘this is what I am.’ But if their religious beliefs are so strongly integrated into their life, then it’s hard for them to get past that point,” Shulman said.

Noffsinger-Frazier and Shulman recently returned from a conference where they delivered speeches on religion and homosexuality, something that would not have been discussed in public 10 years ago, Noffsinger-Frazier said.

“Today’s younger gays and lesbians certainly struggle, in particular with their parents,” Shulman said. “But they seem to be much more comfortable being who they are than the kids I remember when I was back in high school, so I think things are changing for them.”

Noffsinger-Frazier said the world is becoming more open and accepting to alternative lifestyles, but pointed out that some areas of the country still have a long way to go.

“I think the world is becoming more accepting, but so much of that depends on where you live,” Noffsinger-Frazier said.

Shulman, who is from San Francisco where she says gays are a part of everyday life, believes Memphis is not as accepting of gay people as other large cities in America.

“Memphis isn’t that accepting, in comparison, because of the religious views,” Shulman said. “It is very much a traditionally Christian area, and Christians tend to be more homophobic.”

Shulman pointed out that even though many churches may be unaccepting of homosexuality, practically every denomination of every religion in the United States has gay-affirming sects.

“Pretty much every major religion, whether it be Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and so on, has sub-groups that are gay-affirming,” Shulman said.

“Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals are just a part of life.

America is beginning to recognize them as not just a small group, but an important one,” Noffsinger-Frazier said.

“All of us know plenty of people who are gay whether they’re out of the closet or not,” Shulman said.


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