A Survey Exploring the Religious Experiences of LGBTQA+ Australians

Survey Link:  To participate, click here

Researchers at La Trobe University and Macquarie University (in collaboration with the Australian GBLTQI+ Multicultural Council, and the Brave Network) are seeking volunteer research participants to be involved in a study about the experiences the LGBTQA+ Australians have with religion, including participation in organized religion, personal relationships with spirituality and faith, and engaging with faith-based organisations (such as religious schools). We are interested in understanding which LGBTQA+ Australians have had experiences with religion, the nature of these experiences, and the impact that these experiences have had on the remaining aspects of their lives. 

You May Qualify if You

You qualify to participate if you are at least 18, identify as belonging to the LGBTQA+ (or as being either a sexual minority or gender diverse), and live in Australia. If you are Australian and are temporarily living overseas, you are also eligible to participate. Please note: You do NOT need to be religious to participate. 

We are interested in positive and negative experiences with religion. 

Participation involves

If you decide to take part in the research, you would be asked to complete an online survey that might take up to an hour (60 minutes) to complete. Please note that there is a focus on religious experiences in this survey, but we will also ask questions about related topics to see how your religious experiences shape other aspects of your life. You will be asked questions about: 

• Demographics information. Questions about you such as your sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, age, relationship status, employment details, etc. 

• Religious History: Questions about your experiences of religion and faith, including questions about 
  • How religious you currently are and previously were
  • If you attended a religious of faith-based school, and any experiences of bullying
  • How important your faith or spiritual beliefs were during your upbringing
  • Any religious practices, traditions, and behaviours that you engage in

• Religiosity factors: questions about how and if you use religion to guide you in life. 

• Conversion Ideology and Practices: Questions about you being exposed to beliefs or practices designed to suppress or change your sexual orientation or gender identity

• Mental Health: A series of questions about the current state of your mental health and wellbeing (including levels of psychological distress, psychiatric diagnoses, and suicidality)

• Identity questions: A series of questions about how central your sexuality or gender is to your sense of self, how ‘out’ you are, and how connected you are to the LGBTQA+ community

• Prejudice Experiences: Questions about how often you experience stigma or prejudice because of your sexuality or gender identity. 

Your decision to participate in research is voluntary.

For More Information

If you would like more information or are interested in being part of the study, please contact:

Name:

Dr Joel Anderson

School/Department

Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Email:

lgbtqa_religious_experiences@latrobe.edu.au

Phone:

T: +61394798727

Ethics Approval Number

HEC21323 - This study has also been reviewed by the community research ethics panel  at Thorne Harbour Health (THH/CREP 21-018R) and the Research Ethics  Review Committee at ACON (ACON: 202141).