Radical Congregants: Liberal Protestantism and Gay Liberation in 1980s North Carolina

Not only is gay liberation typically treated by historians as a secular movement, but in places like the Bible belt, the presence of religious fundamentalists cast a long shadow over the religious landscape. Yet, in places like North Carolina—where religion was embedded into the very fabric of daily life—movements like feminism and gay liberation simply would not have succeeded without the support of mainline ministers and other gay-friendly religious groups. Ecclesiastical leaders and lay members intimately understood the dynamics of power that supported social hierarchies because these practices were inscribed within their own religions traditions, and, accordingly, they stood uniquely poised to change them. In this presentation, I explore these dynamics through the lens of Durham, North Carolina's 1986 gay pride march, and reveal how local activists fought to claim their identities as gay and lesbian Christians despite a strong fundamenalist backlash.