A University of Dayton senior explored how Catholic advocates for LGBTQ+ people interact with the Catholic Church and respond to its teachings and institutional structures as part of a donor-funded summer research project.
Katie Montgomery, a senior English major from Dayton, worked with her faculty mentor to create resources for LGBTQ+ affirming groups within the Catholic Church through the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Summer Fellowship program. The program allows undergraduate students to conduct summer research in any academic discipline under the guidance of a faculty mentor with funding from the College Dean’s Fund for Excellence.
Her mentor was Anya Galli Robertson, associate professor of sociology and UD senior fellow for gender and LGBTQ+ strategic initiatives, with whom she previously collaborated with on LGBTQ+ education initiatives on campus.
Montgomery's research shows how advocates and affirming groups — whose goal is to include forming self-acceptance and dignity — encourage full participation in the Church and society, provide openly LGBT-friendly worship spaces, and advocate for the full acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals within the Church.
Her project has continued beyond the summer into the 2025-26 academic year, during which she has spent time doing research and attending various affirming church groups and conferences around the Midwest. She presented her research on Feb. 3 at UD’s annual Catholic Intellectual Traditions symposium.
Outside of her research, Montgomery is connected with multiple LGBTQ+ groups on campus and in the Dayton area through her participation in an LGBTQ+ inclusion program at a local parish in Oakwood, Ohio.
Montgomery's work helped to build the foundation for Galli Robertson's research by creating a spreadsheet detailing LGBTQ+ Catholic networks. The spreadsheet is a comprehensive list that sorts informal groups and more formal organizations based on their approach to institutional change and individual actions.
"We were able to start with finding a foundation that will be helpful for Dr. Galli Robertson’s ongoing research, while also slowly building valuable resources for LGBTQ+ people in the Church," Montgomery said.
The shift from research assistant to summer fellow gave Montgomery more time, space and creative freedom to connect with the project personally.
“As my project needs evolved, the work for Katie also evolved,” Galli Robertson said. “It was a very iterative process and I really wanted it to be useful for Katie.”
Montgomery grew up in the Catholic Church, so her history and relationship with the Church made this project all the more meaningful to her.
“Katie started pulling down names and searching through archives and content about these organizations,” Galli Robertson said. “She actually did a training on oral histories and religious archives which ended up being really interesting.”
The majority of Montgomery's research is focused on the history of LGBTQ+ Catholic advocacy groups in the U.S. She said there have been LGBTQ+ affirming spaces within the Catholic Church since the 1960s.
“There's a long history of LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts at UD as well, that started in the ’80s and started in Campus Ministry,” Galli Robertson said. “One of the first advocates we had on campus was a Marianist.”
UD Campus Ministry and the Brook Center provide resources and support for LGBTQ+ students on campus.
In addition to her fellowship, Montgomery also attended a summer religious retreat in Illinois with members of the University's Campus Ministry and Father Ted Cassidy, S.M., to gain knowledge about LGBTQ+ Catholic resources and meet fellow advocates.
“I was one of, if not the youngest person there, which is beautiful, especially to see a lot of older members of the Church embracing the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people or at least trying their best to learn and understand,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery’s presentation on advocacy groups and history at the 2026 Catholic Intellectual Traditions symposium was part of her research grant, funded by the Jan Stets Science and Faith Fellowship.
“My goal with my research is not only to provide Dr. Galli Robertson with context, resources and documents for her future work, but also to provide a positive and useful resource for LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church,” Montgomery said.
Top photo: Katie Montgomery presenting at the 2026 Catholic Intellectual Traditions symposium.
Middle photo: Katie Montgomery and Anya Galli Robertson.