Faith and the Community in the Late 1970s

A major challenge of the LGBTQ community has always been reconciling who they are with their faith. One of the first organizations to address faith and the LGBTQ community in Richmond was Dignity/Integrity of Richmond. Five people met to discuss issues surrounding being lesbian and gay and faith in December of 1975. In January 1976, a Dignity chapter was established and the group was renamed Dignity/Integrity when the membership was pretty evenly divided between Catholics and Episcopals. The spiritual advisors for the group included the Episcopal vicar Edward Meeks “Pope” Gregory (1922 – 1995) and Catholic Brother Cosmos Rubencamp. The group continued to meet until late 1996 but disbanded shortly after the Integrity Chapter was decertified.

In addition to Dignity which formed to support gay and lesbian Catholics, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, under the guidance of Bishop Walter Sullivan, formed the Sexual Minorities Commission. The Sexual Minorities Commission was an official outreach group that ministered to the spiritual and pastoral needs of gay and lesbian Catholics and their families. Formed in 1977, this group also functioned in an advisory capacity for Bishop Sullivan. When Bishop Sullivan retired in 2004 the group disbanded.

Another Richmond landmark faith organization began in 1978. MCC Richmond was founded on July 8. MCC Richmond had the mission to provide a church home for LGBTQ Christians. MCC began meeting at the Friends Meeting house at 4500 Kensington Avenue and moved to their current location in 1993. Although the negative impact of religion on the LBGTQ community is often evident today as well as in the 1970s, with Anita Bryant’s campaign being a case in point, the religious community in Richmond also had a very strong positive impact on the community. Pace Memorial Methodist Church and the Friends Meeting House were two of the most frequently used locations for meetings for the community, and the Friends Meeting House was also used for dances. The support that these churches offered was vital in the development of LGBT organizations in Richmond; if there was no place to meet, the groups would never have had a chance.