During the fall of 2002 and winter of 2003,
165 men and women filled out a survey entitled Homosexuality among Highly Religious Mormons. The survey included a
broad range of topics from personality characteristics, psychological
functioning, religiosity, relationships, and beliefs about homosexuality. It
was hoped that a wide range of participants would share how they have dealt with
the irreconcilable conflict between a strong religious belief and a resilient
sexual orientation. We hoped to discover what the outcomes of different choices
people made. What direction did different choices lead to? It was hoped that by
studying a variety of pathways that people have taken when faced with this
no-win situation, it would provide information to others considering goals which
will shape the rest of their life and that of their subsequent spouses/partners
and children. The goal was to get a collection of stories representing a range
of those who decided to remain in the church and active as well as those who
have decided to those who have rejected their former beliefs to pursue other
paths. This study of homosexually attracted individuals was meant in no way to
be an attack or used as evidence against traditional marriage or family. The
purpose of this study was not to say what is right or wrong, only to describe
what was occurring.
The purpose of
this study was not political or for church reform or to make moral judgments.
The purpose was purely the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
This study has been the largest study of its kind. Since 2002/2003, much has been learned which has helped to identify the major themes and findings from the original study. This has led to new, more specific questions. The biggest question is how people have changed in the past four years. Because of a lot of controversy about the number of individuals who change and in what direction this change occurs, a follow-up study would provide a valuable addition to the findings of the original study. For that reason, the following follow-up study has been created. It is hoped that as many as possible of the original 165 people who participated in the original study will take the follow-up study. Any new participants who meet the criteria for the study are invited to also participate. This includes those who are still highly religious or have rejected a gay/lesbian identity, as well as those who are no longer involved in church activities and fully embrace a gay identity.
The data collected in this study are protected under provisions of the Federal Human Subjects Protection Act of 1976. The information you provide will be kept entirely confidential. You should be aware that:
Completion of this study implies that you understand the nature of the study and participate voluntarily.
The criteria for inclusion in this study is individuals who deal with or have dealt with same sex attractions over the age of 18 who have/had a considerable investment in the Church [e.g. served a mission, temple attendance, important callings, regular church attendance & full tithe payer for a significant period of time, strong testimony, etc]. It is the perspectives of this group that is of interest to this study. It is their experience that we wish to capture.
An attempt will be made to provide a well balanced representation of perspectives. It is anticipated that a variety of views and experiences will be presented, including those who have struggled and been successful in retaining their marriages intact as well as those who have had been in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships with different degrees of success with each. Attempts will be made to provide representative samples of several different viewpoints each based on the life experience of individuals. This will be an opportunity for the hard lessons of life experienced by these people to be told.
It is still the plan the researcher that those who participate in the research will be permitted to give a final comment concerning their agreement or disagreement concerning the conclusions and any of their own ideas that they don't feel were adequately represented in the study. These final comments will become part of the final report. A book summarizing the findings of the two surveys is expected to be the outcome of these studies.
An attempt will be made to accurately represent all opinions expressed, those who are still members of the church and have found happiness and stability within the church as well as those who have found happiness and stability outside the church. Likewise the views of those who have struggled in both situations will be represented. In doing a study of this nature, it is difficult to assure those in the church that their views will not be minimized and at the same time, those who are no longer in the church that their views will likewise not minimized. I would very much like to see all of these different views represented and will give each person's experience and views validity.
This research is being conducted by Gary Horlacher, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Southern California. Analysis will be conducted using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Research methodologies and findings will be offered for critical review to professors and professionals in the field before making the findings public.
If you participate you will be asked to first fill out a questionnaire and a few essay questions. These can be done in MS Word, Word Perfect, Wordpro, Notepad, etc., and returned electronically to horlache@xmission.com. The questionnaire takes about an hour to fill out. Contact information will be stored separate from the survey and not connected or traceable to the survey which is completed except by the principal investigator (Gary Horlacher).
For other questions, email me or look at the Frequently Asked Questions page of this website. Following is a MS Word copy of the survey. If you have a problem downloading it, please let me know. In completing the survey remember that there is no "right" or "wrong" answers to these questions. Answer as quickly as you can, giving the answer that first comes to mind. Fill free to add comments by the answers you have checked or at the end of the survey.
[Click on above link, save the file to your personal computer, fill out the survey and save the completed file, then return the file as an attachment to horlache@xmission.com]
Last Modified: 23 May 2007