{"id":568,"date":"2014-06-29T14:05:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-29T14:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2014\/06\/unearthing-the-surprising-religious-history-of-american-gay-rights-activism.html"},"modified":"2014-06-29T14:05:00","modified_gmt":"2014-06-29T14:05:00","slug":"unearthing-the-surprising-religious-history-of-american-gay-rights-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2014\/06\/unearthing-the-surprising-religious-history-of-american-gay-rights-activism.html","title":{"rendered":"Unearthing The Surprising Religious History Of American Gay Rights Activism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
On New Year\u2019s Day 1965, hundreds of gay San Franciscans arrived at 625 Polk Street in the city\u2019s Tenderloin district for a much-anticipated \u201cMardi Gras Ball.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
The event organized by gay rights \u2014 or, to use the then-common term, homophile \u2014 activists was not unlike the thousands of public parties being held this June during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month: There were drinks and music, hand-holding, flirtatious glances and kisses between friends old and new. But it was also a private affair \u2014 $5 tickets had to be bought ahead of time \u2014 in a city where gay people regularly faced threats and arrests for gathering together and showing affection.<\/span><\/div>\n
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the San Francisco ball, however, was its purpose beyond merriment: It was held as a fundraiser for pro-gay clergy.<\/span><\/div>\n
Today, although Americans for and against gay rights cite their religious beliefs, those who oppose same-sex marriage and other civil rights for LGBT individuals have been especially vocal in declaring that God is on their side. That\u2019s not always been the expectation about the faithful. In the mid-1960s, LGBT activists often looked to men of the cloth as allies in their fight for justice and human rights, according to historians.<\/span><\/div>\n
Just months before the ball, about two dozen Bay Area Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal and United Church of Christ clergy and gay activists had formed the Council on Religion and the Homosexual to promote the \u201cneed for a better understanding of human sexuality\u201d and its \u201cbroad variations and manifestations.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
Read the rest here<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On New Year\u2019s Day 1965, hundreds of gay San Franciscans arrived at 625 Polk Street in the city\u2019s Tenderloin district for a much-anticipated \u201cMardi Gras Ball.\u201d The event organized by gay rights \u2014 or, to use the then-common term, homophile \u2014 activists was not unlike the thousands of public parties being held this June during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nUnearthing The Surprising Religious History Of American Gay Rights Activism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On New Year's Day 1965, hundreds of gay San Franciscans arrived at 625 Polk Street in the city's Tenderloin district for a much-anticipated "Mardi Gras\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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