Abstract
The present study offered a mixed-methods analysis of the scriptural interpretation strategies of 23 gay men and 15 of their family allies from conservative Christian and Modern-Orthodox Jewish backgrounds. Qualitative analysis of participant interviews suggested that participants used strategies that both questioned relational applications (while maintaining a prohibition premise) and those that questioned the text/prohibition. Statistically significant differences between the number of strategies used by gay men and their family allies emerged, as well as variations in the strategy type favored by each cultural/family group. Additional qualitative analyses suggested that differences in gay men’s and their family allies’ religious practice and community contexts impacted their scriptural engagement and perceived interpretive authority. While the current study was unique in its simultaneous inclusion of multiple religious groups and members of the same family unit, further research is needed to assess the generalizability of the present findings.