A new research project is uncovering the overlooked role of progressive congregations in the 1970s as sanctuaries for early LGBTQ+ activism. “The Architecture of Pride,” led by Heather White, visiting professor of gender and queer studies, explores how faith communities — mostly from mainline Protestantism — provided safe spaces for organizing in the years just before and following the 1969 Stonewall riots — a moment often considered the symbolic birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
The project aims to challenge long-held assumptions about the relationship between religion and queer history, offering fresh insights into the intersections of activism, community, and faith.
White’s work recently received a $55,000 grant from the Louisville Institute, a foundation that supports research at the intersection of religion and public life. The award will support archival research and oral history collection, helping to shed new light on how churches became unexpected allies in a pivotal era for gay rights.
“I think the generalization can be made that in almost every single town and city in the U.S., a first meeting place for early queer organizing was in a church," White said.
White notes that they use the terms “queer” and “gay” when referring to her research because the language has shifted in use over time, a change that is also encompassed by the modern acronym LGBTQ+.
The idea for this project emerged from discoveries made during research for their 2015 book, Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights (UNC Press). White says they were intrigued to discover that all the major groups activated by the Stonewall riots met in the same Episcopal congregation in New York City. This led White to begin collecting a set of files on churches that served as meeting places in the early years of activism.
“Churches were, in many places, the earliest queer community centers,” White said, revealing a history that has been largely overlooked.
White’s research goes beyond simply identifying these meeting places; it also seeks to understand the complex motivations and negotiations that made this possible. They hypothesize that progressive Protestant circles were involved in a wide range of social justice causes and saw these movements as spiritual, not secular. Their faith compelled them to look for God outside the church walls, leading them to support social movements.
These congregations, often located in urban areas, became centers of movement activism, providing meeting spaces not just for LGBTQ+ groups but also for civil rights, women's rights, and anti-war movements.
“Religion can mean sharing space, and there's a history of that,” White said.
Their research will not only produce an academic book but will also contribute to a web exhibit that will be hosted on LGBT Religious Archive Network, making these stories accessible to the public. By bringing these hidden histories to light, White will help rewrite a more complicated and inclusive chapter of both American religious and queer history.
