Relations between religiousness and homosexuality in religious young adults

Abstract

The aim of this study is to know how homosexuality has been understood by homosexual young adults from different religions. Eleven participants of both genders, aged between 20 and 30 years and practicing catholic, spiritualist or evangelical religions were interviewed. They answered to the semi-structured interview, analyzed by bioecological model. Most of the participants reported that their religion considers homosexuality as a “sin” or “disease”. However, all of them disagree with negative views about homosexuality. Most of the participants claim to have a positive relationship with the religious community, and few reported cases of discomfort or discrimination. It is observed that the microsystem elements related to their religious community, such as movements of acceptance, welcoming or reserve, appear to be more significant for personal development than the set of beliefs that compose the religious macrosystem.