Indeed, LGBTQ people have frequently been shown in previous studies to have poorer mental health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts, resulting partly from the stress that prejudice and anti-gay discrimination can cause.
But in the new study published this week in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, researchers from Macquarie University found both LGB and heterosexual people who were exposed to even subtle religious anti-gay prejudice, such as disapproval of same-sexuality among religious groups, displayed higher levels of stress, shame, depression and anxiety.
LGB Christian participants exposed to religious anti-gay prejudice — for example, a Church stating its opposition to same-sex marriage — also reported experiencing more significant conflict between their same-sex attraction and religious beliefs.