Conversion practices - LGBT+ people of colour and minority ethnic faith experiences: research report

Wide considerations from literature

Participants in Tehara’s^[7] thesis work indicated that difficulties arose in discussing issues around sex and sexuality when coming from a South Asian background because they felt that they lacked a language and conceptualisation to discuss their sexuality. Participants faced the challenge of engaging with disinterested communities and they often found themselves misunderstood. Though Tehara outlines the clear distinctions between Karmic faiths (Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism) and Abrahamic traditions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity), the concerns were similar. We see similar concerns within communities of colour who do not follow any specific faith practice. There are both religious and cultural implications for LGBT+ people of colour and those from minority ethnic faith communities with regards to suppression of sexual orientation and gender identity and conversion practices.

According to Kawale,^[8] “whiteness pervades the character of debates on sexuality”– this alludes to the fact that for many within diverse minority ethnic faith communities, and those in communities of colour who are LGBT+, not only are they not seen within mainstream discourse, but being LGBT+ is often characterised as a white and western issue, or invasive problem within some communities – a problem that needs to be ‘fixed’ or suppressed.

Within their own literature review, Fry et al^[9] share similar themes including “conflicts regarding sexual and religious identities and strategic concealment of identity to preserve family and cultural norms^[10], and issues around the notion of homosexuality as a “Western disease.^[11]”

As does Siraj^[12]:

“Sexist stereotypes in communities of colour deny the existence of lesbians of colour. There are further cultural, linguistic and ethnic obstacles that prevent non-White lesbians from having a voice: The fact that there is no word for lesbian in Bengali, Hindi or Urdu is a linguistic clue to cultural and structural organization of sexuality in the respective societies. It is a reflection of the absence of an identity constructed primarily around sexuality. Gay identity is a rather new Western construction problematized by issues of gender, class and race. […] The “triple jeopardy” of homophobia, racism, and sexism […] meaning that “there is no safe place, no place to belong, whether in the majority or minority community^[13]”.

Lesbianism in perceived to be ‘a symptom of ”westoxification” (being intoxicated by secular Western culture^’[14] - coming out, as ‘evidence of women’s cultural assimilation with the White majority and their adoption of fundamentally “un-Muslim” norms and values’.^[15]

According to Ghabrial - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer People of Colour experience unique and contextual forms of prejudice and stigma^[16] that lead to increased chances and likelihood of mental and physical health issues.^[17] Rehman et al^[18] found that this minority stress can be induced by conflicting sociocultural norms, can create interpersonal inhibitors to coming out and can lead to problematic coping. They state that:

“BAME LGB individuals are exposed to stressors due to their intersecting sexual, gender, religious, and cultural identities. Major psychological stressors include stigmatised identity, expectations of a heterosexual marriage, and maladaptive coping strategies”.^[19]

Key themes outlined by Tehara^[20] see the intersections between race, sexuality and gender. They include being othered (feeling different and not understanding one’s difference); the dichotomy of being divided (the strong sense of division felt between traditional family life/ inside the home and life outside of the home/family) presenting feelings of a duality of existence; isolation and exceptionalism (being alone and being different); uneasiness and distress, lack of knowledge of differing sexualities (and sexuality in general); shame with regards to sense of self - learning and acceptance of who one is and “finding a place somewhere in the middle" [between culture, faith and identity]^[21]; difficulty engaging with family elders; heteronormativity, lack of acceptance in the community (cultural stigma); feelings of disrupted connections with family, and an inability to communicate diverse sexual orientations and fluidity.^[22]

The sense that one is traversing between who they are, and their cultural or religious expectations, is one we heard often. From Fry et al’s interviews, similar themes were discussed:

“Occupying a diasporic position meant, for most of the contributors, having complex relationships across the country of familial origin and the United Kingdom, which required a significant amount of identity and lifestyle management. Key themes included the following: cultural identities, specifically issues concerning the negotiation of both Asian and lesbian, bisexual or gay identities; challenges associated with heteronormativity and living within British Asian communities (for those who did so); relationships with family and friends; and processes of innovation and agency”.^[23]

Fry et al also concluded that these findings alongside the narratives of individuals “emphasise the importance of culture in shaping the life trajectories and lived experiences of LGB British South Asian women.”^[24] Though for some women these cultural norms and practices can be positive and “synthesised with Western norms,” it was felt that “some aspects of South Asian cultures, notably heterosexist expectations and pressures” can shape these women’s lives in constricting ways, for example, “same-sex partnerships not having validation via the institution of marriage, double lives and closeting, and fractious ongoing relationship with the family of origin.”^[25]

Jaspal^[26] discussed further themes for consideration here. Having interviewed 12 young British South Asian gay men it was found that ethnic otherization, rejection and identity threat were key issues faced:

“British South Asian gay men may face multiple layers of rejection—racism and homophobia from the general population, homophobia from the ethnoreligious community, and racism from White British gay men. This can deprive young British South Asian gay men of the only remaining source of social support that they perceive—namely the sexual in-group—inducing negative social and psychological outcomes for identity processes”^[27].

Throughout the literature, emerging themes seemed to further highlight the links between minority stress, external pressure to suppress, reconciliation of identity (either race, cultural background or faith, with one’s sexual orientation or gender identity) and suppression of the self.