Keywords
Catholicism
Philippines
Qualitative Research
Religious Practices
Abstract
The integration of homosexuality in religious activities, particularly in the sacred practice of pagsasanto done by camareros who belong to the LGBTQ+ community, has become more prevalent nowadays. However, few studies ascertained the inner qualities and outward behaviors of these individuals. Grounded on the theory of Person Perception Theory, this descriptive-qualitative study explores the inner qualities and outward behaviors of these individuals to shed light on the integration of homosexuality in the faith community. Using a grand tour inquiry approach and snowball sampling, the researchers gathered data through face-to-face interviews with four (4) camareros from Iloilo City, all of whom had over three (3) years of experience. Following the thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke, researchers produced two (2) major themes: (1) inner qualities and (2) outward behavior. These were further narrowed down into four (4) sub-themes, yielding eight (8) categories and a total of nineteen (19) sub-categories. This study concludes that the inner qualities and outer qualities of the LGBTQ+ camareros cultivated through the practice of pagsasanto became an avenue for them to integrate their faith and identity, highlighting how religious devotion can evolve to become more inclusive, authentic, and supportive of personal and communal growth.
References
Aghababaei, N., et al. (2015). Honesty–Humility and the HEXACO structure of religiosity and well-being. Current Psychology, 35(3), 421–426.
Amir, S. N., Juliana, N., Azmani, S., Abu, I. F., Talib, A. H. Q. A., Abdullah, F., & Aziz, N. A. S. A. (2022). Impact of religious activities on quality of life and cognitive function among elderly. Journal of Religion and Health, 1–21.
Amoyo, C. B. P., Ferrer, Y. C. M., Candelaria, M. E. C., & Teng-Calleja, M. (2025). Faith isn't structured: The lived experience of reflexive spirituality among Filipino Catholic youth. Journal of Youth and Theology. https://doi.org/10.1163/24055093-bja10085
Antonio, J. F., & Romerosa, A. (2021). Becoming a gay caretaker of a religious image (camarero): Catholic devotion in the Philippines as a gendered social practice. Simulacra, 4(1), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v4i1.9927
Ashok, S., & Saranya, T. S. (2025). "Praying in or preying on my skin": a narrative study of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals' experiences with religion and gender identity in India. Frontiers in Sociology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1642404
Baidya, S., & Devi, A. (2024). Perceptions and linkage of Indigenous community in conservation of sacred natural sites in Assam, northeast India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 23(4), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.56042/ijtk.v23i4.199
Bennett, M. R., & Einolf, C. J. (2017). Religion, altruism, and helping strangers: A multilevel analysis of 126 countries. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 56(2), 323–341.
Block, K. (2023). Complicit silence, fluid identities and a shift to personalized faith: LGBTQ+ experiences in conservative Christian communities. Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses.https://doi.org/10.1177/00084298221128883
Bognár, B. (2024). Hybrid social spaces and the individualisation of religious experience in the Global North. Religions, 15(2), 241. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15020241
Borowik, A. (2024). Polowania na czarownice w XVII-wiecznej Nowej Anglii w perspektywie koncepcji kolektywnego wrzenia Émile'a Durkheima. Zeszyty Wiejskie, 30, 29–49. https://doi.org/10.18778/1506-6541.30.06
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706
Calano, M. J. T. (2020). Interiority, traslación, and the devotion to the Black Nazarene. Kritika Kultura, (34/35), 146–172.
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and self-regulation. In E. C. Chang (Ed.), Optimism and pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (1st ed.). American Psychological Association.
Castillo, F. Del. (2024). Pakikipagkapwa (fellowship) as mode for an inclusive and sustainable future. In M. M. Amin et al. (Eds.), Religion, education, science and technology towards a more inclusive and sustainable future (pp. 27–34). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003322054-4
Chepp, V., Skoczylas, M., & Gray, C. (2026). Summation, saliency, and saturation (3S): A continuum for a practical approach to assessing sample adequacy and analytic completeness in qualitative implementation research. Implementation Science Communications, 7(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-025-00833-7
Christy, A. G., Rivera, G. N., & Schlegel, R. J. (2020). Authenticity and the true self in religion and spirituality. In K. A. Vail & C. Routledge (Eds.), The science of religion, spirituality, and existentialism (pp. 133–148). Academic Press.
Clemens, S. (2026). Exploring the perceptions of religious trauma among former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who identify as a sexual minority (Order No. 32448048) [Doctoral dissertation]. Publicly Available Content Database. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/19705
Çolak, T. S., Özcan, N. A., & Peker, A. (2021). The mediation role of personal meaning profile in the relationship between resilience capacity and meaning in life. Participatory Educational Research, 8(3), 252–267.
Cornelio, J. S., & Dagle, R. C. M. (2024). Who am I? whom can I love? and why me?: Queer Christians and the spirituality of struggle. Critical Research on Religion. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503032241277494
Corneille, S., & Van Cappellen, P. (2009). 'Speak Lord, your servant is listening': Religious priming activates submissive thoughts and behaviors. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 19, 143–154.
Costantino, T. E. (2001). [Review of Narrative inquiry]. Visual Arts Research, 27(1), 107–111.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Day, N. E. (2005). Religion in the workplace: Correlates and consequences of individual behavior. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2, 104–135.
Derdziuk, A. (2017). The necessity of demonstrating respect for the sacred. Res Rhetorica, 4. https://doi.org/10.29107/rr2017.3.3
Ebejer, M. (2025). Absent presence: Religious materiality, the Order of St John, and the Counter-Reformation. Religions, 16(8), 988. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16080988
Eryilmaz, A. (2015). Investigation of the relations between religious activities and the subjective well-being of high school students. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 15(2).
Fraser, C. (1983). Moral education through the development of the moral atmosphere of the school. Journal of Educational Thought, 15.
Galen, L. W. (2012). Does religious belief promote prosociality? A critical examination. Psychological Bulletin, 138(5), 876–906.
Gemar, A. (2025). Religion and social capital in the United States. Sociological Focus, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2025.2556478
Gino, F., & Pierce, L. (2009). The abundance effect: Unethical behavior in the presence of wealth. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109(2), 142–155.
Graham, J., & Haidt, J. (2010). Beyond beliefs: Religions bind individuals into moral communities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14, 140–150.
Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2008). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality. American Psychologist, 58(1), 64–74.
Hollier, J. (2023). Spiritual identity reconstruction among Australian LGBTQA+ Christians from evangelical traditions. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 36(1), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.21044
Icawalo, C., & Gepty, V. (2026). A lived experience of and an intersection of gay camarero and pagsasanto in Aklan: A gendered perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences, 14(2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20261402.15
Ifeyinwa, M., & Richards, B. (2026). "Somebody is watching, somebody still loves you:" Spirituality and religion in mental health and substance use care for youth of African descent. Adolescents, 6(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents6010013
Iwayama, M. O., Piamonte, M. A. M., & Quintos, S. B. H. (2022). An exploratory study on the practice of pagsasanto by openly gay santeros. Philippine Science Journal, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.52006/main.v3i3.275
Izluchenko, T. V. (2018). Religiosity as a criterion for analyzing the transformation of social rituals. Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin, 8(3), 45–59.
Justyna, L., Kubal-Czerwińska, M., Pawłowska-Legwand, A., Bilska-Wodecka, E., Sołjan, I., Sabrina, M., & Zielonka, A. (2025). Unveiling the interplay between religiosity, faith-based tourism, and social attitudes: Examining Generation Z in a postsecular context. Religions, 16(10), 1325. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16101325
Kim, S. S. (2025). Religion, migration, mediation: The transnational lives of Thai religious imaginaries in South Korea. Religions, 16(6), 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060748
Krause, N. (2002). Church-based social support and health in old age. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, 57(6), S332–S347.
Krause, N. (2015). Religious doubt, helping others, and psychological well-being. Journal of Religion and Health, 54, 745–758.
Krok, D., Zarzycka, B., & Telka, E. (2021). The religious meaning system and resilience in spouse caregivers of cancer patients. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(4), 2960–2976.
Labor, J. S., & Agonos, M. J. M. (2025). Queer religiosity through place-making and pakikipagkapwa. Journal of Gender Studies, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2025.2467880
Laird, R. D., Marks, L. D., & Marrero, M. D. (2011). Religiosity, self-control, and antisocial behavior. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 32(2), 78–85.
Lee, D. B., Neblett, E. W., & Jackson, V. (2014). The role of optimism and religious involvement in the association between race-related stress and anxiety symptomatology. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(3), 221–246.
Liamzon, G. M. A., & Banzon-Librojo, L. A. (2025). Religious identity construction of Filipino Catholic adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584251326252
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.
Liu, Z., Guo, Q., Sun, P., Wang, Z., & Wu, R. (2018). Does religion hinder creativity? Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1912.
Lowenthal, P., & Muth, R. (2008). Constructivism. In E. F. Provenzo Jr. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the social and cultural foundations of education. Sage.
Maner, J. K., & Gailliot, M. T. (2006). Altruism and egoism: Prosocial motivations for helping depend on relationship context. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37(2), 347–358.
Manjunatha, N. (2019). Descriptive research. JETIR, 6(6). https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1908597.pdf
Manning, L., & Miles, A. (2018). Examining the effects of religious attendance on resilience for older adults. Journal of Religion and Health, 57, 1–18.
Mannheimer, A. H., & Hill, T. D. (2015). Deviating from religious norms and the mental health of conservative Protestants. Journal of Religion and Health, 54, 1826–1838.
Mateo, R., Hurst, J., Dring, P., & Parkinson, S. (2023). Faith activities. In Recovery through activity (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Mattis, J. (2001). Religion and spirituality in the meaning-making and coping experiences of African American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 633–644.
McCullough, M., & Willoughby, B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control. Psychological Bulletin.
Michaels, J. L., Petrino, J., & Pitre-Zampol, T. (2021). Individual differences in religious motivation influence how people think. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 60(4), 933–948.
Moskowitz, G., & Gill, M. (2013). Person perception. In The Oxford handbook of cognitive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Muluneh, D. (2025). Praising the miracle worker: The role of Ethiopian social, religious, and political thought in shaping the Geˁez miracle stories about Our Lady Mary (Order No. 32396914) [Doctoral dissertation]. Publicly Available Content Database. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/praising-miracle-worker-role-ethiopian-social/docview/3285519445/se-2
Myers, R. M. (2024). Playful practice: Christian sexuality as context for learning God's love (Order No. 31768723) [Doctoral dissertation]. Publicly Available Content Database. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/playful-practice-christian-sexuality-as-context/docview/3163432574/se-2
Noor, A. M., Chee, C. S., & Ahmad, A. (2013). Is there a gay advantage in creativity? International Journal of Psychological Studies, 5(2).
Norenzayan, A. (2013). Does religion make people moral? University of British Columbia.
Ochola, G. O. (2018). Can religion transform human behaviour? Rongo Varsity.
Omodeo, M. J. (2025). Queer decolonial feminism and travesti resistance in Camila Sosa Villada's Las Malas. Chasqui, 54(2), 201–219. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/queer-decolonial-feminism-travesti-resistance/docview/3281932649/se-2
Pedroso, J. E. P., Tangco-Siason, A., Ortiz-Roces, C., & Magramo-Basbas, J. I. F. (2022). Implementation of guidance and counseling services during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISSRA Journal of Education, Linguistics and Literature, 2(1), 1–12.
Perrin, R. D. (2001). When religion becomes deviance. Teaching Sociology, 29(2), 134.
Power, E. A. (2018). Collective ritual and social support networks in rural South India. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 285(1879), 20180023.
Rodriguez, E., & Quellette, S. (2000). Gay and lesbian Christians: Homosexual and religious identity integration. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 39(3).
Shariff, A. (2015). Does religion increase moral behavior? Current Opinion in Psychology.
Shen, W., Yuan, Y., Yi, B., Liu, C., & Zhan, H. (2017). A theoretical and critical examination of the relationship between creativity and morality. Current Psychology, 1–17.
Smith, S. G. (2019). Responsibility in religiosity. Religious Studies, 57(2), 249–265.
Talvacchia, K. T., Pettinger, M. F., & Larrimore, M. J. (2015). Queer Christianities: Lived religion in transgressive forms. Choice Reviews Online, 52(09).
Tamayo, J. A. L. L. (2024). Lent and Easter in the Philippines: Catholic religious practices in the discourse of gender performativity. Különleges Bánásmód - Interdiszciplináris Folyóirat, 10(Special Issue), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.18458/kb.2024.si.123
Tay, P. K. C., Hoon, C., & Hui, J. Y. K. (2018). Integrating religious and sexual identities. International Journal of Sexual Health, 30(4), 337–353.
Tiatco, S. A. (2024). Philippine religious festivals and the sacred-spectacular binary. [Reference as cited in manuscript].
Timbers, V. L., Gandy, M. E., Paciak, R., & Hopwood, R. A. (2023). Faithful foundations: Positive experiences of transgender and gender expansive individuals in faith communities. Mental Health Religion & Culture, 26(5), 470–486.
Vieweg, J. C. (2018). Prosocial behaviors: Their motivations and impacts on organizational culture. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 11(2), Article 12.
Villani, D., Sorgente, A., Iannello, P., & Antonietti, A. (2019). The role of spirituality and religiosity in subjective well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1525.
Walker, S. (2022). Narrative marginality and the rhetoric of the Christian Right (Order No. 29069641) [Doctoral dissertation]. Publicly Available Content Database. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/narrative-marginality-rhetoric-christian-right/docview/2717745109/se-2
Watkins, S. (2003). Religiosity and aggression in college students [Master's thesis]. Electronic Theses and Dissertations, Paper 799.
Watts, G. (2025). Romantic liberalism, spirituality, and the populist threat. In B. Scharffs & J. Temperman (Eds.), Boundaries of religious freedom. Springer.
Xygalatas, D. (2015). Collective ritual and social cohesion. [Reference as cited in manuscript].
Yih, C. (2025). Belonging and longing to belong: Being LGBTQ+ in the Church. Practical Theology, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073x.2024.2437282
Yilmaz, O., & Isler, O. (2019). Reflection increases belief in God through self-questioning among non-believers. Judgment and Decision Making, 14(6), 649–657.
Yip, A. K. T. (2005). Queering religious texts: An exploration of British non-heterosexual Christians' and Muslims' strategy of constructing sexuality-affirming hermeneutics. Sociology, 39(1), 47–65.
Zhang, H., Chen, K., Schlegel, R., Hicks, J., & Chen, C. (2019). The authentic moral self: Dynamic interplay between perceived authenticity and moral behaviors in the workplace. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1), Article 17.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 AUTHOR