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Spotlight

Christian Denominations

 
While denominations such as the Metropolitan Community Church and the Unitarian Universalists welcome full participation by glbtq members and clergy, others are divided over glbtq issues, and some are ardent supporters of the most homophobic elements of the New Right.
 
 
V. Gene RobinsonChurches of the Anglican Communion include the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. The recent consecration of Reverend V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as a bishop in the United States brought tensions within the worldwide communion into sharp focus.
 
 
The BibleThe Bible is the foundational text of Christianity. Perhaps no other book has been more influential--for better or worse--in determining the construction of gay and lesbian identity in the modern world, as well as social attitudes toward homosexuality.
 
 

Joseph SmithThe socially and politically conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long been antagonistic to the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.

 
 
Evangelical ChristianityThe core of Evangelical Christianity is its emphasis on convincing non-Christians to join the Christian faith. Evangelicalism is closely related to fundamentalism and tends to be both socially conservative and hostile to glbtq people and sensibilities.
 
 
Gay and Lesbian ChurchesSpurred by the gay liberation movement of the late 1960s, a number of religious groups--including specifically Gay and Lesbian Churches and Synagogues--have been formed to address the needs of gay and lesbian believers.
 
 
Troy PerryThe Metropolitan Community Church was founded by Rev. Troy D. Perry in 1968 to minister to the glbtq community. Today, the denomination has more than 40,000 members in 300 churches in 18 countries.
 
 
QuakersThe Christian group known as the Quakers is officially known as The Society of Friends. The Society of Friends, especially its conservative branch, has been a leader among Christian religious denominations in accepting homosexuality and gay and lesbian identity.
 
 
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the Western world. It may be the institution most responsible for the suffering of individuals involved in same-sex sexual relationships.
 
 

Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is an Evangelical Christian sect founded in the nineteenth century, which has recently become an arm of right-wing conservatism. During the late 1990s, the sect campaigned in favor of sodomy laws and against glbtq rights.

 

 
 
United Church of CanadaThe United Church of Canada has been instrumental in the increased acceptance of glbtq rights, including same-sex marriage, in Canada.
 
 
United Church of ChristThe United Church of Christ has attempted to make its churches a "place of extravagant welcome" for glbtq people.
 
 
Unitarian UniversalismThe Unitarian Universalist church in the United States has been outspoken in support of human rights--including, since 1970, those of the glbtq community. Though many of its members do not describe themselves as Christian, the church has Protestant historical roots.
 
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social sciences >> Religion 
 


 
 

Robert Hattoy
Political operative and advisor to President Clinton, Bob Hattoy (1950-2007) was deeply concerned about glbtq rights and the environment.

 
 
 
Camille Paglia Camille Paglia
The frequently outrageous cultural commentary and caustic criticism of Camille Paglia (b. 1947) have made her both famous and controversial.

 
 
 

NorwayNorway
Like most Scandinavian countries, Norway respects glbtq rights, and Norwegians are broadly tolerant of homosexuals.

 
 
 
video Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Marry  
 
 

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon MarryPhyllis Lyon (b. 1924) and Del Martin (b. 1921) were among the founders of a lesbian liberation movement that developed and enlarged the very definition of lesbianism.

On June 16, 2008, they became the first same-sex couple to marry following the California Supreme Court's ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

 
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read more about Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin  
 
 
 
Notable Birthdays this Week
  July 1 
 
 George SandGeorge Sand
ENORMOUSLY PROLIFIC WRITER KNOWN FOR HER CIGAR-IN-HAND CROSS-DRESSING, 1804
 Charles LaughtonCharles Laughton
A MOVIE ACTOR AND DIRECTOR TORMENTED BY INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA, 1899
 
 
 Farley GrangerFarley Granger
AMERICAN ACTOR KNOWN FOR PLAYING HANDSOME YET EMOTIONALLY VULNERABLE YOUNG MEN, 1925
 Hans Werner Henze
GERMAN COMPOSER KNOWN FOR A WIDE RANGE OF MUSICAL STYLES, 1926
 
 
 Paul Russell
NOVELIST KNOWN FOR INTRICATE NARRATIVES THAT EXPLORE GAY RELATIONSHIPS, 1956
 
 
  July 2 
 
 Donald WindhamDonald Windham
AMERICAN FICTION WRITER, MEMOIRIST, AND EDITOR, 1920
 Sylvia Rivera
LEGENDARY VETERAN OF THE STONEWALL RIOTS WHO HELPED SPARK THE EVENT, 1951
 
 
  July 3 
 
 Thelma Ellen Wood
ARTIST FICTIONALIZED IN DJUNA BARNES' NIGHTWOOD, 1901
 
 
  July 5 
 
 Wanda Landowska
MUSICIAN WHO REVIVED THE HARPSICHORD AS A PERFORMANCE INSTRUMENT, 1879
 Jean CocteauJean Cocteau
PROLIFIC FRENCH FILMMAKER, ACTOR, AND WRITER, 1889
 
 
 Harold Acton
AESTHETE WHO SOUGHT TO SHOCK THE NARROW-MINDED, 1904
 Amélie MauresmoAmélie Mauresmo
PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER AND ONE OF THE FEW ELITE ATHLETES TO COME OUT PUBLICLY WHILE STILL COMPETING, 1975
 
 
 
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Special Features

H o t  T o p i c s

Lesbians in Hollywood
 
Film Actors: Gay Male
 
Decadence
 
Music: Women's
 
Cross-Dressers: Male, Part 1
 
Rock Music Part 1
 
F. Valentine Hooven: Tom of Finland's Biographer, 1993
 
American Literature: Gay Male, 1900-1969
 
European Art: Twentieth Century
 
American Television Part 1
 
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