Rethinking GLBTQ Adolescent Spirituality: Implications for Social Workers in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Historically, research about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) persons indicates that issues such as cultural attitudes, politics, family values, and religion and spirituality often have negatively impacted the lives of this population. An emerging theory is that much of the research regarding the GLBTQ population does not apply to today's gay adolescents, who are growing up in a world very different from previous generations of same-sex youths. This article discusses new meanings of spirituality for GLBTQ youths and the potential of these views for use in evidence-based practice through a secondary analysis of the Spirituality Data Set, collected through the OutProud/Oasis Internet Survey of Queer and Questioning Youth—a survey with more than 6,800 respondents. A discussion of this data will help social workers and educators begin to think differently about GLBTQ youths. Such reconsiderations will help future practitioners become prepared to intervene in a much more relevant manner with this population.

KEYWORDS:

• gay
• adolescents
• spirituality
• religion