Maltese lesbians’ adolescent experiences at church schools : a retrospective study

Abstract

Adolescence is synonymous with developmental changes both biologically and psychosocially (Lata & Devi, 2016), and part of the identity developmental process involves identifying with a sexual orientation (Harper et al., 2016). There is research indicating that LGBTQ+ adolescents have significantly poorer mental health compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Snapp et al., 2016), and report higher rates of bullying (Musu-Gillette et al., 2017). This study aimed to look into Maltese lesbians’ lived experiences within church schools during their adolescence, as the student researcher wished to contribute to LGBTQ+ research. Therefore, this study sheds light on the relationship between identifying as a lesbian and being in a religious environment, and the effect this has on the individual both during adolescence as well as adulthood. The data for this study was collected via eight semi-structured interviews with adult Maltese lesbians who attended a church school during adolescence. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), through which five superordinate themes along with their respective subordinate themes emerged. The key findings of this study indicate that religion is a consistent presence in church schools, and the participants of this study recalled general difficulty both socially and interpersonally. Furthermore, the findings also showed that these experiences have had a lingering effect on the participants. A more open and unbiased approach to both LGBTQ+ issues and religion is suggested in church schools in order to provide a safer space for adolescents who form part of the community.