Faithful and Queer: A Case Study of a Suicide Prevention Workshop for Religious LGBTQ+ Youth

Objective: The existing research on the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and religious affiliation indicates that there is a critical need to intervene with not only LGBTQ+ youth, but potentially their parents, families, communities, and larger belief systems to mitigate risk for suicide in youth. LGBTQ+ young adults who are raised in religious contexts have higher rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts compared to non-religious LGBTQ+ young adults (Gibbs & Goldbach, 2017). Religious beliefs held by LGBTQ+ youth and parental religious perspectives about LGBTQ+ youth identity are two factors shown to be related to suicidality in this population (The Trevor Project, 2020). Method: The following paper will discuss the current research findings on the health disparities of LGBTQ+ youth, as well as the intersectionality of LGBTQ+ identity and religious/spiritual identity in youth and its impact on suicidality. Results: The authors present a case study of a suicide prevention workshop with LGBTQ+ religious youth. A total of 47 college students participated in a workshop and described experiences of discrimination in religious communities having lasting effects on their mental health and called for stakeholders to provide safe spaces for youth to explore their identity. Conclusions: LGBTQ+ religious youth and their families may benefit from inclusive support from mental health and healthcare providers and religious communities. Recommendations for mental health professionals, community stakeholders, religious leaders, families, and youth themselves are presented.