Re-authoring to Reconcile Religious Beliefs with Affectional Orientation: A Narrative Study

Abstract

Narrative qualitative research design was used to understand the processes of three lesbians with Oneness Pentecostal backgrounds who reconciled their religious beliefs with their affectional orientation. The central question for this study was “How do lesbians with Oneness Pentecostal backgrounds describe their coming out processes, and how did they reconcile their religious beliefs and sexual orientations?” Participants’ stories revealed that reconciliation processes are unique and complicated. The narrative therapy reauthoring technique was combined with a feminist theoretical framework and used to analyze participants’ stories. Three unifying themes of reconciliation were the process of redefining (a) religious beliefs, (b) family, and (c) self.

Keywords:

• Affectional orientation
• lesbian
• religious beliefs
• Re-authoring
• reconciliation