Religious Acculturation within the GLBT Community

Our current, on-going national research study is called Religious Acculturation within the GLBT Community

Using the GLBT Sexual and Spiritual Acculturation Scale © (Marin-Riahi-Kwak, 2003), The Marin Foundation is facilitating the largest national research study ever done within the GLBT community regarding religion. This is a 3 year study that will be concluding later 2008. The Marin Foundation is on pace to have achieved a goal of N = 2,000 national participants from the GLBT community, setting the standard for religious research within the GLBT community.

To date, it appears that little or no research has been done that looks specifically at the GLBT community’s religious and social acculturation levels and how those affect ones psychosocial thought processes regarding religious beliefs and practices.

For the purposes of this study, acculturation is being defined as a cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or merging with another culture. In other words, acculturation is how accustomed or comfortable an individual, group, or people are to a specific variable(s).

Six important variables that address this main concern and are significant in The Marin Foundation’s study are:

1. Acculturation levels the GLBT participants have toward their own broader GLBT
Community

2. Acculturation levels the GLBT participants have toward spirituality and religion

3. Religious backgrounds of the GLBT participants and their families

4. Why or why not the GLBT individual is actively participating in religious functions

5. Demographics, including whether the participant is "out", for how long, to who, age,
ethnicity, current residing city and birthplace

6. Degree of sexual orientation as defined by the Kinsey Sexual Orientation Scale.

This study is extremely important as it will be used as a base for future studies and the continuing knowledge into an untapped and vital resource for both the religious and GLBT communities in learning how to best build a bridge and also level the current disconnect. The Marin Foundation intends to continue to disseminate these important results and data to the mainstream population through journal articles, books and media appearances in order to continue to level the current disconnect that exists. To find out more information on The Marin Foundation’s current research study, please email us at research@themarinfoundation.org.

Recent Publications
Preliminary Data from On-Going Study:

Marin. A.P., & Pizzi, A.M. (2007). Bridging the gap: The Desire and Hope of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Population towards Spirituality and Religion. Journal of Social Work and Christianity (in-press).