Unexpected participants in democracy: Refuge, community, and activism in a congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church.

Abstract

The findings indicate that this denomination offers a unique contribution by empowering certain individuals who would otherwise not participate in the gay liberation movement. The ethnographic study suggests that in more conservative areas of the nation, small congregations of gay Christians may provide the only voice on behalf of the sexual minorities in the community. Although the political impacts noted seem minimal when compared to the substantial gains of other social and political activists, when calibrating the difficulty in changing society's views toward homosexuality, a degree of political efficacy is achieved.

This dissertation explores the role that the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches plays in the gay rights movement, by examining how the denomination addresses the social discrimination and religious condemnation directed toward its predominately gay congregations. An extensive ethnographic study of an individual congregation demonstrates how the denomination's three-pronged message of salvation, community development, and Christian social action contributes to local political action. The narrative explores barriers faced by the denomination in coordinating efforts with secular gay and lesbian groups, but the importance of faith communities in the American cultural, social, and political experience is reaffirmed.