Sense of Belonging Among Sexual Minorities in Religious Spaces

Tori Jones, Undergraduate Student, Psychology

Nicole Minor, Undergraduate Student, Psychology

Rey Gonzales, Undergraduate Student, Psychology

We hypothesized that students at Azusa Pacific University who are sexual minorities feel a lower sense of belonging in religious spaces. We chose to research this topic due to current events on campus and the lack of research addressing this issue. We are among the first to research sense of belonging among sexual minorities in religious spaces, and particularly at a Christian college. A questionnaire was sent to students at APU regarding demographics and sense of belonging, as well as open-ended questions asking students to express how they felt about certain topics. The expected results of this study are that students who are sexual minorities at APU feel a lesser sense of belonging in religious spaces than those who are not of a sexual minority. The presenters state what data the research found, with little diversion.