Feds spend $25,200 studying the experiences of black LGBT Pentecostals

The National Endowment for the Humanities is spending $25,200 to study the experiences of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of Pentecostal churches.

A college professor in Iowa working on a book on predominately LGBT churches received funding from the grants announced this week.

The project is entitled “Traditional Spiritual Practices and the LGBT Community in a Black Pentecostal Church Coalition Project.”

The project will involve an “ethnographic study on the experiences of black LGBT Pentecostals who belong to the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries,” according to the grant’s description.

Ellen Lewin, whose research interests at the University of Iowa include feminist anthropology, lesbian and gay anthropology, and gender, sexuality, and reproduction, received the funding.

“Over the course of her career, she has completed studies that focus on low-income Latina immigrants in San Francisco, lesbian mothers, lesbian and gay commitment ceremonies in the US, and gay fathers,” according to her university website.

Lewin’s work for the National Endowment for the Humanities is for an upcoming book on how a person can be spiritual while keeping with their gender identity.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.