Administrative History
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Other Finding Aids
Scope and Content
Processing Information
Title: Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons Survey
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2011.005
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.25 linear feet.
1 archives box
Date (bulk): Bulk, 2002-2003
Date (inclusive): 2002-2010
Abstract: Review board petitions, 2002-2003 surveys, the follow-up 2006-2007 survey, non-LGBT participant surveys, and related correspondence
of the "Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons" study conducted under the auspices of University of Idaho and the University
of Southern California by Gary Horlacher.
creator:
Horlacher, Gary T., (Gary Thomas), 1967-
creator:
Schow, Ronald L., 1941-
Administrative History
The survey included many open-ended questions as well as psychological measures of personality, values, relationships, religious
beliefs, and other variables that were thought to might help explain the struggle in overcoming, reconciling, or rejecting
either one's homosexuality or one's Mormon beliefs and the consequences involved.
There were 183 participants that filled out the surveys and two time waves of data. The first data was gathered in the fall
of 2002 and winter of 2003. The number of participants who filled out the survey at this time was 165 (numbered from 1-164
and 182).
It was my desire to get permission to do the research from BYU, but permission was denied so the sponsoring university at
that time was Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello and the responsible faculty member was Ron Schow. After graduating
from BYU in 2005, I was offered a post-doctoral assignment at the University of Southern California (USC) and my mentors there
encouraged me to do a follow-up study which was approved there and conducted during the winter of 2006/2007 with the faculty
member overseeing my study being Tim Biblarz. Almost half of the original participants filled out a follow-up study (74) and
there were also 18 new participants that had not filled out the previous survey. Overall there were 257 surveys that were
filled out.
In addition, the survey information requested stories and provided a survey for non-gay family members or friends of gay people,
inviting them to share their story. During the first time wave (2002-2003), 12 relatives or friends of gay people filled out
surveys as well. We also have a file with miscellaneous correspondence and submitted stories from others who did not fill
out the survey and from family/friends who wanted to share their ideas but did not fill out the survey. If a person shared
additional information and also participated in the study, their additional information is added as part of their survey data.
I included a file review board petitions as they give references to sources for the psychological measures are found in these
surveys. The surveys were accepted by review boards at ISU and USC. I have also included the two petitions to do the study
at BYU which were not approved. These were included because they give additional references to psychological measures and
survey procedures that were not reported in the ISU and USC documents, and provide a little more background for the conditions
of the study. The second BYU petition provides the most detailed description of measurement reliability and validity for these
psychological measures and references which would be useful to anyone wanting to compare their research to other studies which
asked similar or the same questions on their surveys.
Gary Horlacher, (Ph.D. from BYU in Marriage, Family, and Human Development, 2005) (Post Doctoral Fellow from USC in Family
Gerontology, 2006-2009) (Currently independent researcher in SLC, April 21, 2010)
The studies served as the basis of "Coping with Injustice: A Developmental Model" published in
Social Economic and Environmental Justice for all Families.
Horlacher, Gary, April 21, 2010. Letter. From Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons Survey, Coll2011-005, ONE National
Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Acquisition
Deed of gift received July 17, 2010.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons Survey, Coll2011-005, ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Other Finding Aids
Gary Horlacher survey USU_COLL MSS 462. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan,
Utah.
Scope and Content
1. 165 surveys of those who took the original survey in 2002/2003. These have been ordered with the lowest numbers being those
who accept Mormonism completely and reject homosexual behaviors of any kind (No.1) and ending with those who completely reject
Mormonism and totally embrace their homosexuality at the other end (No.164).
These are further divided up as follows:
a. The surveys numbered 1-39 are referred to as the STRUGGLERS. These are the ones who believe in Mormonism and reject homosexual
behavior. Of these surveys numbered 4-9 seem to be higher on the introvert sensing (Si) dimension and surveys numbered 10-39
seem to be higher on the introvert feeling (Fi) dimension.
b. Surveys numbered 40-132 are referred to as MODERATES. These are those who accept a gay orientation but still believe Mormonism
is the one true church, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is true. They are further divided so
that those higher on introverted sensing (Si) are numbered 40-92 and those higher on introverted feeling (Fi) are numbered
93-132.
c. Surveys numbered 133-164 are referred to as SECULAR. They don't believe in Mormonism but they do accept their sexual orientation.
The more extraverted sensing (Se) are numbered 133-145 and the more extraverted thinkers (Te) are numbered 146-164.
2. The Follow-up surveys (number has an F- before the number) uses the same numbering sequences for participants, but adds
number 165-183 for those who were added in 2006/2007 to the study (except No. 182 which is out of sequence and should be numbered
165 among those who filled out the first survey but was discovered too late). The new participants (No. 165-181, 183) were
also ordered from high LDS believing, low homosexuality accepting (No. 165) to those who rejected LDS beliefs and totally
embarrassed homosexual identity (No.180, [181 and 183 were also added at the end and may fit better somewhere between the
extremes]).
3. Non-gay participants. This is 12 participants who were not same-sex attracted but were very interested in our study because
of a child, sibling, or friends or because of similar issues they felt were related. Of these the first four are ORTHODOX
LDS believers, the next three (No. S6-S8) are COMPRIMISERS who make a place for gay people while continuing to believe in
Mormonism, and the last four (S9-S12) are REBELS in that they accept gay people but reject Mormonism.
4. A file with miscellaneous correspondence and submitted stories is included for those who didn't take the survey but wanted
to contribute something. This is in two separate categories: those who have a same-sex orientation and those who are friends/relatives
of someone with a same-sex orientation. As these participants did not give a lot of personal information, their given names
and occasionally other personal information was allowed to remain in their correspondence. Wherever it appeared there might
be a question of privacy concerns, the last name and other contact information was removed.
5. Review Board applications. As noted above, this is given here to aid researchers who would like references for the different
psychological measures that were included on these surveys.
Horlacher, Gary, April 21, 2010. Letter. From Homosexuality Among Highly Religious Mormons Survey, Coll2011-005, ONE National
Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Victoria Lucero.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Homosexuality--Research
Mail surveys
Mormon gays
Religion research