Study on mental health impacts of anti-gay religious prejudice should be a ‘wake-up call’ for faith leaders

S

ABC, 19th October 2017

Faith leaders who insist same-sex couples should not be able to marry — even those who also promote love and support for LGB people — may be causing serious harm to the mental health of LGB individuals, the author of a new study on the impacts of religious anti-gay prejudice has said.

In the new study, published this week in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, researchers from Macquarie University found both LGB and heterosexual people who were exposed to even subtle religious anti-gay prejudice, such as disapproval of same-sexuality among religious groups, displayed higher levels of stress, shame, depression and anxiety.

 

By J Pope

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