Purity Culture (for Members of the LGBTQ Community)

Purity culture imposes rigid, heteronormative moral standards which can shame or exclude LGBTQ individuals for their identities and relationships.

• You were told your identity makes you impure or unworthy of love.

• You learned to hide who you are to be seen as “good.”

• You felt pressure to deny your sexuality to stay accepted in your faith.

• You were taught your body and desires are shameful.

• You believed that being queer meant you couldn’t be spiritual or whole.

Potential clinical implications (especially in high control settings)

• People may experience deep guilt or self-loathing related to their sexuality or gender identity.

• There may be ongoing distress in reconciling faith, moral beliefs, and authentic identity.

• Forming or maintaining intimate relationships can become challenging due to fear, mistrust, or sexual shame.

• Chronic anxiety, depressive symptoms, and low self-worth often emerge from moral condemnation or rejection.

• A sense of disconnection from the body can develop when physicality or sexuality has been framed as “impure.”