Purity culture doesn’t just shape heterosexual relationships—it profoundly impacts LGBTQ+ people in ways that are often confusing, isolating, and deeply internalized. This post explores how queer individuals raised in high-control religious environments experience identity confusion, shame, delayed development, and disconnection from desire and the body.

As we celebrate this significant time of the year, I wanted to share some thoughts and reflections from my perspective as a queer-identifying religious trauma therapist…