Spiritual Care Insights: Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community

Data Analysis: Providing Spiritual Care for the LGBTQIA+ Community Student’s Name Unit Name and Code Professors’ Name Date

2 Introduction Living as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has been life-threatening in many countries around the world with some having laws that criminalize same-sex relationship that is punishable by jail term ( Wang et al. 2019; Bayrakdar, Sait and Andrew 2023). Also, in countries that have legalized same-sex relationships and marriage, members of the LGBTQIA+ community feel discriminated against by other members of the community at workplaces and other social places ( Sears et al. 2021). The discrimination against these members can be in different forms such as being called names, bullying, gender-based violence, denied access to some services, and being disowned by family members amongst other forms ( Bayrakdar, Sait, and Andrew 2023). According to Perry et al. (2020), LGBTQIA+ individuals in the Southwest Region of Arizona face unique challenges due to conservativism, culture, Christian nationalism, and discrimination within their community. The lack of spiritual care resources compounds these challenges. Therefore, there is a need for interventions such as spiritual interventions to help reduce discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community ( Boppana, Shilpa, and Alan 2019). This project examines the need and benefits of spiritual care resources for the LGBTQIA+ community. This project aims to explore the extent to which clergy and spiritual leaders are aware of the issue and how they are addressing it. The findings of this project would be useful in developing resources that would help solve the issues faced by LGBTQIA+ members. By offering a new perspective on the importance of spiritual care for this population, the study will provide valuable insights and recommendations for improving support systems within the

3 conference/region. This will be done by answering the research question; how can pastoral care practitioners within the Southwest Region of AZ be equipped to provide pastoral care for LGBTQIA+ persons using the Our Whole Lives curriculum? Data Analysis The data used in this analysis was collected through a survey conducted among two distinct groups of people: One was conducted with members of the LGBTQIA+ community to determine their view on having spiritual care provided to them while the other survey was conducted with the spiritual providers to determine their experience in providing spiritual care to the members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Data Analysis for LGBTQIA+ members Heterosexual Gay Lesbian Bisexual Asexual Queer Other 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Frequency of sexual orientation Frequency Category Figure 1: Sexual orientation categories of respondents As shown in Figure 1, most of the respondents in the first survey were gay people followed by lesbians and the least were asexual, bisexual, and heterosexual members of the community.

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4 Therefore, the findings of this study would reflect a true picture of the experience that the members of the LGBTQIA+ community have had when interacting with members of the general public and spiritual leaders in churches. Never Rarely Occasionally Regularly Very frequently 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Frequency of attending church services Percentage Frequency Category Figure 2: How often the LGBTQIA+ attend church services or participate in faith activities Yes No Prefer not to answer 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Negative experience with spiritual leaders Frequency Category Figure 3: Negative experience of LGBTQIA+ member with spiritual leader

5 Considering the information presented in Figure 2, we can note that most of the respondents; 68% and 16%, regularly and very frequently respectively attended church services or participated in faith-related activities. This is a good indication that most of the members of the LGBTQIA+ community are believers in the word of God and would likely actively participate in church activities to help grow their faith. However, most of these members have had negative experiences when interacting with spiritual leaders such as pastors and other members of the clergy. This is evident from Figure 3 where we can see that at least 47% of the respondents said that they had in some instances experienced negative treatment from their pastors and spiritual leaders due to their sexual orientation. Yes, positive experience Yes, neutral experience Yes, negative experience No, no support Prefer not to answer 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Spiritual care experience Percentage Frequency Category Figure 4: Percentage of members who received spiritual care and their experience

6 Yes No Sometimes, depending on context 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Comfort discussing sexual orientation Frequency Category Figure 5: Comfort of member discussing their sexual orientation Although some members of the LGBTQIA+ community have at some point experienced negative treatment from their spiritual leaders due to their sexual orientation as indicated in Figure 3, it is worth noting that of those who sought spiritual care, 58% had a good experience with the spiritual leader. However, a big number; 32% said they had no spiritual support while 11% experienced negative treatment as shown in Figure 4. Also, as indicated in Figure 5, most of the members of the LGBTQIA+ group are willing to discuss their sexual orientation provided that there is a conducive platform to do so. Therefore, there is still more that needs to be done to sensitize spiritual leaders on how to offer spiritual care to the members of the said group without judging or discriminating against them due to their sexual orientation.

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7 Educate on LGBTQIA+ issues Foster inclusivity Advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights Provide specific pastoral care for LGBTQIA+ individuals Other Prefer not to answer Other (Specify) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Recommendation on intervention measures Frequency Category Figure 6: Recommendations on intervention measures Based on the views of the respondents presented in Figure 6, the highest number of respondents recommended that the spiritual care provided by spiritual leaders and other members of the clergy should foster inclusivity besides advocating for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. According to Robertson (2018), this would help create a society where every member of the general public and LGBTQIA+ community would fit in and live in peace while respecting each other’s sexual orientations. Data Analysis for Spiritual Care Providers Based on the findings presented in Figure 7, most of the spiritual leaders in this survey were familiar with LGBTQIA+ which forms a good foundation for discussing the issue of providing spiritual care to the members of the group. Besides, a good percentage of the respondents had acquired training on how to offer spiritual care to the members of the group as evidenced by information presented in Figure 8.

8 Very familiar Somewhat familiar Not familiar at all 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Familiar with LGBTQIA+ members Percentage Frequency Category Figure 7: Familiarity of the spiritual leader with LGBTQIA+ members Yes, extensive Yes, basic No, self-educated No, not educated 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Training received Percentage Frequency Category Figure 8: Types of LGBTQIA+-related training that the spiritual leader received However, looking at Figure 8, more extensive training is needed to equip spiritual leaders with better skills and techniques for handling issues related to sexual orientation since most of them had not received extensive training as they had only educated themselves. This would

9 improve the effectiveness of the care provided to the members of the group thus making them feel part of the entire population. Very comfortable Somewhat comfortable Not very comfortable Not comfortable at all 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Comfort when providing spiritual care to LGBTQIA+ members Percentage Frequency Category Figure 9: Comfort level of the spiritual leader when providing spiritual care to LGBTQIA+ members Highly effective Moderately effective Somewhat effective Ineffective 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Effectiveness of spiritual care Percentage Frequency Category Figure 10: Evaluation of the effectiveness of spiritual care provided to the LGBTQIA+ members

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10 As shown in Figure 9, most of the spiritual leaders are comfortable with offering spiritual care to members of different sexual orientations and they have done it effectively in most of the times that they have provided the care as supported by the information presented in Figure 10. Although most of the leaders have not yet received extensive training as shown in Figure 8, they are effectively providing spiritual care. According to Mosley et al. (2021), if they could be taken through training, their delivery would be superb and cases of sexual orientation discrimination in the Southwest Region of Arizona would be minimized. Lack of knowledge Personal biases Lack of support from religious institutions Difficult in understanding unique needs Other 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Challenges faced while offering spiritual care Percentage Frequency Category Figure 11: Challenges faced by spiritual leaders when offering spiritual care to LGBTQIA+ members Although spiritual leaders have demonstrated effectiveness in providing care to the members of the LGBTQIA+ community, they are still faced with challenges that need to be addressed to improve their service delivery. As shown in Figure 11, challenges such as difficulty in understanding the unique needs of each member, lack of support from the religious institutions, personal biases, and lack of knowledge to deal with such cases amongst other challenges were identified as major barriers to effective spiritual care delivery.

11 Creating inclusivity Offering LGBTQIA+ resources Addressing the intersection between spiritual and sexual identity Respecting diverse sexuality Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Recommendations by the spiritual leaders Percentage Frequency Category Figure 12: Recommended measures by the spiritual care providers According to information presented in Figure 12 above, most of the spiritual leaders recommended the creation of inclusivity in society, respecting sexual diversity, and addressing the intersection between spiritual and sexual identity would help reduce sexual orientation discrimination. Conclusion Considering the analysis done above, we can conclude that the issue of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ members based on their sexual orientation can be solved through spiritual care and teachings. As noted in the analysis, most of the spiritual leaders have rich experience in dealing with such issues and have demonstrated that they can effectively handle the cases although they are faced with challenges such as limited resources, lack of support from the religious institution, and lack of proper skills and knowledge to deal with such cases. Therefore, addressing these challenges would be a good starting point to boost the spiritual care program

12 which would in turn help reduce discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community in the Southwest Region of Arizona and other parts of the world. Additionally, since most of the members of the LGBTQIA+ community attend church services or participate in faith-related activities as identified in the analysis, it would be appropriate to offer them spiritual care to help them feel part of the general community. Besides, providing training to the spiritual leaders and supporting them to provide spiritual care would help them approach the issue with a positive mind which would minimize instances of having negative experiences identified in the analysis of data collected from the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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13 Bibliography Bayrakdar, Sait, and Andrew King. "LGBT discrimination, harassment and violence in Germany, Portugal and the UK: A quantitative comparative approach." Current sociology 71, no. 1 (2023): 152-172. Boppana, Shilpa, and Alan M. Gross. "The impact of religiosity on the psychological well-being of LGBT Christians." Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health 23, no. 4 (2019): 412- 426. Mosley, Elizabeth A., Subasri Narasimhan, John Blevins, Jessica L. Dozier, Johanna Pringle, Lasha S. Clarke, Cherisse Scott, Mary Kan, Kelli Stidham Hall, and Whitney S. Rice. "Sexuality-based stigma and inclusion among southern protestant religious leaders." Sexuality Research and Social Policy (2021): 1-14. Perry, Samuel L., Landon Schnabel, and Joshua B. Grubbs. "Christian nationalism perceived anti‐Christian discrimination, and prioritizing "religious freedom" in the 2020 presidential election." Nations and Nationalism 28, no. 2 (2022): 714-725. Robertson, Brandan. True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace . Chalice Press, 2018. Sears, Brad, Christy Mallory, Andrew R. Flores, and Kerith J. Conron. LGBT People's Experiences of Workplace Discrimination and Harassment . William Institute UCLA School of Law, 2021. Wang, Yuanyuan, Zhishan Hu, Ke Peng, Ying Xin, Yuan Yang, Jack Drescher, and Runsen Chen. "Discrimination against LGBT populations in China." The Lancet Public Health 4, no. 9 (2019): e440-e441.

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