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LGBTQ Experiences with Religion and Spirituality: Occupational Transition and Adaptation

This paper explores how individuals experienced transition regarding spiritual or religious occupations after acknowledging identities as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Based on qualitative interviews with 35 self-identified LGBTQ people, it explores experiences of identity conflict and processes of transition, as well as meanings of spiritual or religious occupations. For some, transition occurred very young, for others not until adulthood. Some participants remained in the faith traditions of their upbringings, others adopted new faith traditions, many created personal relationships to spirituality, and a few abandoned anything spiritual. Those who left religions often lost faith, rituals, community, family connections, and specific religious occupational roles. Occupational adaptation took three forms: reducing participation and engagement; altering the meaning of engagement; or changing the occupation itself. The occupations participants identified as spiritual were both private and collective. While borrowing from diverse spiritual paths was common, so too was creating individualized spiritual practices. Spiritual occupations held a range of meanings for participants: enacting openness, truth, honesty, and authenticity; providing meaning; connecting with self and others; transcending the mundane; and ultimately, survival. Occupational transition is shown to entail exploration, competence and achievement, but also loss, abandonment, altered meanings, and revised or novel occupations.