6 October 1968
Metropolitan Community Church Founded by Troy Perry
Activism Cultural
Reverend Troy Perry held the first service of the Metropolitan Community Church in his living room in Huntington Park, California, with 12 people. MCC was founded specifically to welcome LGBTQ+ Christians excluded from traditional churches and grew to over 44,000 members in more than 300 congregations across 21 countries. Perry also performed what Time Magazine described as the first public same-sex unions in the United States.
Impact & Significance
MCC became the world's first church founded specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, proving that faith and queer identity were not incompatible.
Reference Record
- Date
- 6 October 1968
- Era
- 1950-1969
- Sources
- 1
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Questions This Event Helps Answer
Q When was same-sex marriage legalised in the UK? Same-sex marriage was legalised across the UK in stages, with England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland reaching implementation at different times. Q Which LGBTQ+ public figures changed visibility? They changed visibility in politics, science, activism and literature by showing that queer lives could be public, influential and historic. Q How did LGBTQ+ faith inclusion develop? It developed through LGBTQ+-affirming religious organisations, openly LGBTQ+ clergy, denominational policy changes and contested pastoral shifts.
