In A God-Fearing House: A Sibling Study of Conservative Christian Families with LGBTQ Offspring

Abstract

Manuscript one explores the religious family environment and parent-child relationships for LGBTQ people from the perspectives of both the LGBTQ person and one of their siblings. The aim of this first study is to describe the experiences of LGBTQ people growing up in non-affirming Christian families, including their role in the family system, their parent-child relationships, and their experiences with identity disclosure. Manuscript one also addresses the question of theological affirmation and whether it is relevant to LGBTQ parent-child relationship quality. Manuscript two focuses on sibling relationships in the context of non-affirming Christian families. The aim of this study is to identify and describe barriers to supportive sibling relationships for LGBTQ people both before and after identity disclosure. Manuscript two also seeks to address the question of whether parental non-affirmation has an impact on sibling relationships. Finally, in light of the importance of family support, there have been calls for more research and more evidence-based interventions with families of LGBTQ people. However, research suggests that the motivations and mechanisms of anti-LGBTQ sentiment may be vastly different between Black and White American Christians. Thus, the aim of manuscript three is to explore and describe characteristics of Black and White American churches in the context of existing literature on these sub-cultures.