As you read the stories that follow, pay attention to how they make you feel. Does this fit with your experience?

And remember that while 9.3% is “just” a minority in America, we’re talking about the lives of almost 31,000,000 people.

Gallup

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Faith & Church Involvement

Faith has always been a central part of life for many LGBTQ people. 86% were raised in a faith community. Yet while a majority were brought up in faith traditions, far fewer identify with them today. 2025 data shows 48% of LGBTQ adults identify with a religion, compared with 73% of non-LGBTQ Americans.

Sources:

• According to data from the Marin Foundation (via Barna Group), 86% of LGBTQ people were raised in a faith community. Christians For Social Action
• The Williams Institute at UCLA, using the Generations and TransPop studies, confirms that most LGBTQ people were raised in Christian homes, though exact percentages aren’t given there. Williams Institute
• LGBTQ Religious Affiliation: 48% of U.S. adults who are LGBTQ say they identify with a religion, compared with 73% of non-LGBTQ Americans. Pew Research Center

Just as the early church wrestled with whether to make faith difficult for Gentiles, these numbers remind us how many LGBTQ people began in the church but found the path too heavy to walk. To understand the scope of this shift, let’s take a look at how many LGBTQ people ultimately leave the church as adults.

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Leaving the Church

Almost two-thirds of LGBTQ adults raised Christian have left the faith. 

This trend isn’t limited to LGBTQ adults. 47% of those who’ve left church cited mistreatment of LGBTQ people as a key factor. And among the youngest generation, disaffiliation is accelerating: more than 1 in 4 Gen Z Americans raised Christian now identify as religiously unaffiliated.

There’s a widening gap between religious upbringing and adult religious identity driven in large part by how churches treat LGBTQ people. How many of these departures could have been prevented if churches had chosen to listen, like the apostles once did, instead of holding fast to rules?

Sources:

• A Williams Institute study echoed this, finding almost two‑thirds (≈ 66%) of LGBTQ adults raised Christian have left the faith. Williams Institute
• 47% of those who left church cited mistreatment of LGBTQ people as a key reason. PRRI
• More than 1 in 4 Gen Z Americans raised Christian now identify as religiously unaffiliated. SpringtIde Research

This disconnect between upbringing and adult faith identity naturally raises another question: how is the LGBTQ community being loved at church and how are church leaders navigating these issues today?

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Experiences with Church

Many LGBTQ individuals carry stories of exclusion in religious spaces. 29% of LGBTQ youth say they have been personally made to feel unwelcome at a place of worship. Broader perceptions echo this reality: 73% of LGBTQ people view evangelical churches as unfriendly, with only 3% considering them friendly.

Yet, for LGBTQ youth, faith is still a meaningful part of life. According to The Trevor Project, about 21% of LGBTQ youth say religion or spirituality is “important or very important” to them, and nearly 23% engage in prayer, meditation, or spiritual reflection at least weekly. Even amid experiences of exclusion, a significant number of young people are still seeking spiritual connection.

And within the walls of churches pastors are grappling with how to engage in LGBTQ conversations in their congregations. A survey found that 44% of Christian clergy feel limited and 37% feel pressured when addressing LGBTQ topics.

These stories underscore how LGBTQ issues are not only shaping the church experience for attenders, but actively influencing pastoral care as well.

Sources:

• 29% of LGBTQ Youth say they have been personally made to feel unwelcome at a place of worship. Pew
• 73% of LGBTQ people view evangelical churches as unfriendly; only 3% consider them friendly. Pew
• LGBTQ youth: About 21% of LGBTQ youth say religion or spirituality is “important or very important” to them. Nearly 23% engage in prayer, meditation, or spiritual reflection at least weekly. The Trevor Project
• According to a 2020 Barna survey, 44% of Christian clergy feel limited and 37% feel pressured when addressing LGBTQ topics from the pulpit, underscoring how these issues are actively shaping pastoral discourse. Barna

Paul urged believers to protect the vulnerable in their midst. Yet today, too many LGBTQ youth say the church itself has become unsafe. These experiences of feeling unwelcome stand in sharp contrast to the broader cultural landscape, where acceptance of LGBTQ people continues to rise.

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Support in the U.S.

Public opinion has shifted dramatically in recent years. According to Gallup, 71% of Americans supported same-sex marriage in 2023, matching the record-high level first reached in 2022. 

When broken down by faith tradition, the picture is more complex. Pew’s 2025 Religious Landscape Study found that about 76% of Mainline Protestants and around 70% of Catholics support same-sex marriage. In contrast, Evangelical Protestants remain more divided, with fewer than half (≈ 38%) in favor.

These numbers show that even within Christianity, there is significant diversity in how believers are responding to the question of LGBTQ inclusion.

Sources:

• 71% of Americans supported same-sex marriage in 2023 This figure comes from a Gallup poll conducted in May 2023, confirming that support matched the record-high rate also seen in 2022. Lifeway Research + Gallup
• Support of same-sex marriage by Christian Denomination (2025 Pew Religious Landscape Study)
  Mainline Protestants: Approximately 76% support same-sex marriage.
  Catholics: Around 70% support.
  Evangelical Protestants: A majority oppose same-sex marriage, with less than half (≈ 38%) in favor.
  Pew

If leaders once concluded ‘we should not make it difficult for those turning to God,’ shouldn’t the modern church be leading rather than lagging on inclusion? While public support has grown, many LGBTQ people still encounter significant barriers and bias in daily life.

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Discrimination

About 60% of LGBTQ Americans say they experienced discrimination in the past year. These encounters can range from workplace and housing discrimination to exclusion in religious and community settings.

At the same time, research continues to push back against claims used to justify exclusion. Twenty years of legal same-sex marriage in the U.S. show no negative effects on marriage, divorce, or living arrangements overall. In addition, a widely cited study found that children raised by same-sex parents experience no differences in health, educational outcomes, or psychological well-being compared to those raised by heterosexual parents.

It’s in the company of “Christians” that LGBTQ people are most likely to feel excluded, unwelcome, and unloved. 

Sources:

• About 60% of LGBTQ Americans say they’ve experienced discrimination in the past year. Pew
• 20 years of legal same-sex marriage shows no negative effects on marriage, divorce or living arrangements in USA. Axios
• This key study found that children raised by same-sex parents experience no differences in health, educational outcomes, or psychological well-being compared to those raised by heterosexual parents. It remains a central reference for understanding child outcomes in LGBTQ-parenting families. American Academy of Pediatrics

When discrimination is this widespread, can we really claim our churches are places of refuge? Or are they becoming the very obstacles Jesus taught us to remove? Sadly, the toll of exclusion and discrimination weighs heavy on our marginalized community.

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Mental Health & Wellbeing

Research paints a sobering picture: LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight peers. Yet the presence of just one affirming adult makes a measurable difference…A 40% difference! Family dynamics are especially critical. Young people rejected by their families were 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Harm is also compounded by harmful practices such as conversion therapy, which nearly doubles the risk of a suicide attempt.

These findings make clear that affirmation and rejection are not abstract concepts. They directly shape the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth, tipping the scale toward despair or resilience. The role of families, churches, and communities is not peripheral. It is central to whether young people grow up in environments of harm or in spaces that nurture life and hope.

Sources:

• Suicide Risk: LGBTQ youth are more than 4 times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight peers. Trevor Project
• Impact of Affirmation: LGBTQ youth who felt highly accepted by at least one adult were 40% less likely to attempt suicide. Trevor Project
• Family Rejection: Young people rejected by their families are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide. American Journal of Public Health
• Conversion therapy doubles suicide attempt risk. Trevor Project

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These stories should break your heart.

These stories cause reflection.

These stories should spark questions.

Do you know a mother who has chosen a church over her own child? Do you know a church who has pushed a father to put conditions on his love for his child? 

When your church is crafting policies on LGBTQ people, do they have any LGBTQ people in the room as they would have at The Council at Jerusalem? 

Are they focused on loving people as Jesus taught us in example after example in the Gospels or are they set on worshipping rules?

How has your church chosen to exclude, further marginalize, and push to despair the very people who just want to seek God in community with others?

31 Million Stories Faith Church LGBTQ

Be well,
David

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Leviticus 18