Understanding the Lived Religious Experiences of Queer LDS Women

Hi! My name is Maiya Johnson, and I am from Orlando, Florida. I am a senior at Florida State University, double majoring in Religion and English (Editing, Writing & Media). I am also an honors in the major student in the Religion Department! A few of my main interests in religious studies are: Mormon studies, queer studies, lived religion, and material culture. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to pursue research in my fields of interest, which is made possible through the IDEA Grant.

            Currently, I am very passionate about the rights and positionaility of queer women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon, for short). I grew up in the LDS Church, and both sides of my family have been members for several generations. Due to my personal history, the LDS Church has always been of special interest to me. However, as a queer woman, I have found myself consistently unrepresented in my religious community. In the LDS Church, conversations about homosexuality tend to concern only men and demean queer people. Thus, during my membership I felt both un- and misrepresented. I have therefore developed a fervent passion for representing queer LDS women more positively and, hence, more accurately.

            Over the summer, I will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to interview queer women who are either currently or formerly LDS. I will interview queer LDS women about their lived religious experiences and how that has shaped their perception of their sexuality. I will also  investigate how the positionality of queer women in the LDS Church influences how they participate in LDS religious practices. I am interested in experiencing and understanding how queer communities and organizations interact with the LDS Church, due to the dense queer and LDS populations in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the history of homophobia in the LDS Church. Another goal of mine is to investigate how queer LDS women use their local LGBTQ+ organizations to cope with their religious histories and support their sexual identities.

            I will be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, in June, which is LGBTQ+ Pride month! I am excited to immerse myself into the queer community in Salt Lake City and attend several LGBTQ+ events and festivals! I am also fortunate enough to have partnered with Dr. Lisa Hansen at Flourish Therapy Inc., to extend my outreach to queer LDS women. Flourish Therapy Inc. is a therapy clinic dedicated to providing accessible and affordable mental health care to LGBTQ+ individuals in the Salt Lake City area. At Flourish, I will have the opportunity to conduct group and individual interviews with queer LDS women in order to hear and understand their lived religious experiences and provide a platform for them to tell their stories.

I intend for my research to improve, in whatever small way possible, the lives of other queer LDS women. My summer research will also contribute to completing my honors in the major thesis. After completing my thesis and graduating from Florida State, I plan to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in American religious history with a dual concentration in Mormon and Queer Studies. Ultimately, I hope to continue to explore my bottomless passion for making queer LDS women visible in their communities, and teach American religious history at the university level.