Sexual/gender diversity and religious skepticism [View All]

[Modem Butterfly]

I was thinking about this on my way to work this AM: it seems to me that a higher than average percentage of religious skeptics whom I've met have had a diverse sexual/gender identity than in the general population. By that, I mean that I've met a number of atheists and/or agnostics who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgendered. Maybe about 20% or so of the folks that I've met. And I asked myself if it's possible that the relatively high percentage is because people of a diverse orientation are left behind by traditional religion, or if it's that they feel more comfortable being out among religious skeptics.

Then I started thinking about all of the folks I know who are gay, lesbian, bi and/or transgendered and I realized that many more of them express religious skepticism but don't use the dreaded "a" word to describe themselves unless pressed. I realized that among those folks, the percentage seems to be closer to 50%. Don't get me wrong, I've met plenty of people who have diverse orientations who are Xian or pagan or Jewish or whatever, but it seems like a huge number express religious skepticism or outright atheism without ever identifying themselves to me as atheists or agnostics.

I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this? It would make sense (to me), given how many religions treat people who don't have a strict heterosexual male/female orientation, that people who don't fit in that mold would reject religion. What have you all experienced?