Human Rights . Social Equality . Legal Protection . Spiritual Justice
Rev. Troy Perry is a renown international LGBTQ+human rights activist, and a pioneer in social equality, legal protection and spiritual justice for LGBTQ+ people. Troy conceived the world's first Gay Pride Parade and co-founded the Christopher Street West organization to launch the first LA PRIDE event in 1970. From those early days in the struggle for LGBTQ+ acceptance, Troy has continued to lead the way in building a worldwide movement and played a critical role in paving the way for marriage equality.
"Call Me Troy"
The film "Call Me Troy" (above) profiles the life and times of Rev. Troy Perry, one of the LGBTQ+ community's most visible and tenacious advocates for change. This is a truly inspirational story about a remarkable and dynamic individual whose activism was decades ahead of its time. |
Historic . Visionary . LeadershipRev. Troy Perry created a revolution within a revolution a year before Stonewall when he began to save countless LGBTQ+ lives by building them a welcoming place for their spiritually homeless souls.
His visionary step in the creation of the first Metropolitan Community Church in 1968 would be historic: the first church to recognize the need to minister to the needs of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. Despite fire bombings of its sanctuaries and murders of its clergy, Rev. Troy Perry has led this movement and the expansion of the denomination to become one of the world’s largest LGBT organizations with hundreds of churches in countries around the world. |
First Public Same-Sex Marriage
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Only two months after founding Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles (now Founders MCC), the 28-year old Rev. Troy Perry performed what Time Magazine described as the first public same-sex wedding ceremony in the USA, marrying two Latino men.
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First Gay Pride Parade
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From Demonstration to Celebration
The idea of a Gay Pride Parade came to Rev. Troy Perry as a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. Along with Mr. Morris Kight and Rev. Bob Humphries, both community leaders, the three founded the Christopher Street West organization in Los Angeles, with film producer Pat Rocco as president, and held the Gay Pride Parade on June 28, 1970. As a direct outgrowth of this visionary action, LA PRIDE today is today the oldest gay pride parade in the world with Pride Parades held in cities and towns all over the world attracting millions in attendance. |
Women Ordained
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Rev. Troy Perry ordained women as pastors within the denomination.
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LA County Commission
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Rev. Troy Perry was the first openly gay person to serve on the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.
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First LGBT White House Meeting
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In 1977, Rev. Troy Perry was invited to the White House by the administration of President Jimmy Carter to discuss gay and lesbian civil rights.
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16-Day Fast for Gay Teachers
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Following an unsuccessful opposition to Anita Bryant's Save the Children Campaign in Miami, Rev. Troy Perry held a 16-day fast, beginning on September 4, 1978 on the steps of the Federal Building in Los Angeles to raise funds to fight the 1978 Briggs Initiative, which was written to ensure gay and lesbian teachers would be fired or prohibited from working in California public schools. The Briggs Initiative was soundly defeated in 1978, due in large part to Perry and grass-roots organizing.
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ACLU Humanitarian Award
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In 1978, Troy was honored by the ACLU (American Civil Rights Union) Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter with its Humanitarian Award.
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First LGBT March on Washington
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Together with activists Robin Tyler, Rev. Troy Perry participated in planning the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979.
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Peaceful Resistance for AIDS
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As one of the leaders in the AIDS epidemic, Rev. Troy Perry was arrested with other community leaders at a 1987 White House protest of President Reagan’s willful negligence on AIDS.
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Mass Wedding at IRS Headquarters
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During the 1993 march weekend, Rev. Troy Perry wed 2600 gay couples at once in front of IRS headquarters after having performed the first public same-gender wedding ceremony in the United States in 1969.
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White House Conferences
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Rev. Troy Perry appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton as an official delegate to White House Conference on Hate Crimes and the White House Conference on AIDS.
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First Lawsuit for Marriage Equality
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In 2003, Rev. Troy Perry and his spouse, Philip Ray De Blieck, were married under Canadian law. In 2004, they filed suit against the State of California seeking the state’s recognition of their Canadian marriage. On June 16, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled in their favor, and then was overridden by Proposition 8.
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White House - Stonewall Riots
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President Barack Obama became the third America President to invite Rev. Troy Perry to the White House in 2009 for the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
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