Compatible Contradictions: The Deep South’s Metropolitan Community Church’s Role in Gay Liberation

Abstract

This thesis examines the impact of the Metropolitan Community Church on the gay communities of Georgia and Alabama through the Gay Liberation Movement of the 1970s and into the rise of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The MCC spent years developing and nurturing the growing southern gay communities, facilitating the rising political power of the gay community by providing a physical space for community organization and offering a continuation of leadership as the Gay Liberation Movement of the 1970s gave way to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. This work used newspaper articles, primarily those of the Atlanta Barb and the Alabama Forum, as its primary source base to document the outreach methods of the MCC and their impact on local gay communities in Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. The thesis provides an example of how gay organizations were active in southern communities in the fight for gay rights and how they adapted to the shifting reality presented by the AIDS epidemic. The MCC utilized physical space as a tool to connect communities and facilitate a sense of belonging. The perceived respectability of a church provided a basis for growing political activism, and community outreach programs allowed the church to easily adapt to the shifting needs of its community. Most current historiography suggests that existing gay organizations were unable to adjust to the needs of local communities. However, the MCC successfully shifted its focus from political activism to caring for the sick and maintained its importance in southern gay communities.