‘Too Queer to Be Quaker:’ The Limits of Liberal Quaker Inclusion of Lesbian and Gay People during the Cold War and Today

Before the gay rights movement gained momentum in the early 1960s, a few very small assemblies of Quakers publicly supported lesbian and gay people ahead of all other religious groups. Most Quakers in the mid-twentieth century, however, did not accept gay and lesbian sexuality, support same-sex partnerships, or attempt to create a sense of belonging for gay and lesbian people in their meetings. This lecture will describe the harm done by Friends in the 1950s towards gay and lesbian people, highlighting the Cold War era attitudes which reinforced the marginalization of gay and lesbian people in the Quaker world. We will also examine the limits of Quaker acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people today in order to speculate about transformations that are needed within the Religious Society of Friends

Leader

Brian Blackmore is the Director of Quaker Engagement at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), where he works to build enduring relationships between AFSC and Quaker faith communities, Friends schools, and Quaker organizations worldwide. Before coming to AFSC, Brian was the Religious Studies Department Chair and Quaker Worship and Spiritual Life Coordinator at Westtown School. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Temple University with a research focus on the role that Quakers played in the advancement of gay rights during the mid-twentieth century. Brian is a member of Gainesville Monthly Meeting (Southeastern Yearly Meeting).

If you would like to join us for dinner before the event, please sign up at least 24 business hours in advance. 

This and our other First Monday Lectures are streamed live and available as recordings on our YouTube channel, Pendle Hill USA.