Trying to Be Like Jesus: Processes, Influences and Outcomes of Heterosexual Mormon Ally Identity Development in Utah

Research has suggested that the presence of supportive allies can have a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of sexual minorities. Although existing research has explored how individuals come to be allies of sexual minorities, less is known about how allyship develops in highly homogenous conservative cultural and religious contexts where pressures to conform to anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes may be particularly strong. As such, the current study sought to understand the process, outcomes, and influences of heterosexual ally identity development among current and former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (colloquially referred to in the literature as Mormons) who live in the unique cultural and religious environment of Utah. Through utilization of constructivist grounded theory methods (Charmaz, 2000, 2006, 2008), interviews and allyship timelines of 15 participants who identified as heterosexual, current or former members of the Church, and as allies to sexual minority people were analyzed to construct a seven-stage iterative Model of Heterosexual Mormon Ally Identity Development. In this model, allies moved from a state of naïveté to allyship through experiencing catalyst events, interpreting those events as problematic, negotiating identity crises, exploring their beliefs, and resolving to commit to being an ally. We observed that our participants negotiated various ways of understanding and engaging in allyship (which we refer to as allyship statuses) within their lived contexts. Barriers and supports identified by the participants to this process are shared, as well as implications and future directions for this work.