Religion And Sexuality: An Autoethnography, By Carlos E. Gerena

Autoethnography is a research tool that allows the author to better understand and interpret religion, culture, and beliefs by relating it to their background and personal experiences (Adams, Ellis, & Jones, 2017). The research article, “Conflict between Religious Beliefs and Sexuality: An Autoethnography,” by Carlos E. Gerena, was written with this purpose in mind. Gerena draws from his experiences as a Latino, a member of a family, and an active follower of the Pentecostal faith to explore the growing debate between religion and sexuality. Gerena also explores his own personal challenges with mental health and sexual identification and how these themes play an active role in his life today.
In the Methodology section of the article,

Gerena’s Pentecostal church was exclusive to his Latino community and the topic of homosexuality was frequently discussed. Through regular church attendance, Gerena learned that homosexual activity was “abhorrent and wicked” and, at a time when he had begun to realize that he was homosexual, he felt guilty and ashamed (Gerena, 2019). As early as age 10, he began to feel that accepting his sexuality would mean rejecting the religion that had instilled so many positive qualities, but accepting his religion would mean absolute condemnation. This led to a deep-seated internal conflict that God had made him gay as a sort of punishment for something he had done

He knew that he was living a lie, but it seemed a lesser degree of sin than that of a homosexual. The constant hiding and lying gave way to emotional and mental stress. He prayed for God to make him heterosexual and even entertained thoughts of suicide. He became an active member of his church, but when rumors about him being gay became widespread, he was shunned. He was confronted by a member of the church that reiterated the church’s stance on homosexual relationships and urged him to repent. His brother revealed that he was gay during an argument and he was forced to admit it to his mother. Gerena’s mother stated that she loved him but that their Christian faith was firmly against that lifestyle. The rest of his family ridiculed him and accused him of being inappropriate. This led to a downward spiral wrought with depression, alcohol, shame, and