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ATLANTA BARB-Page 3
Exclusive Interview With Rev. Troy Perry
Rev. Troy Perry
The Atlanta Barb was priv
ileged to interview the Rev.
Troy Perry recently during his'
visit to Atlanta to dedicate the
new building for the Metropol
itan Community Church, at
800 North Highland Ave. The
former Hilan Theatre was ac
quired by MCC M March
Their first service .was held
March 10th, with Rev. John
Gill, the pastor, delivering the
message.
Rev. Perry is one of the most
dynamic men I havemet;areal
leader who began in 1968 with
just a smallgroup of gay Chris
tians, and has since grown to
about sixty-two congregations
in the U.S. and free world.
Interview:
Barb: Rev. Perry, welcome to
Atlanta, and I must say it is a
genuine pleasure to have the
privilege of talking with you.
Let me begin by saying that you
are a very handsomeman, with
a persuasive smile. You are not
only a beautiful person physi
cally, but from within and I
certainly admire you for the
work you are doing. Suppose
you take a minute or so to tell
us a little about yourself; how
you began, what your goal is,
and just exactly how you intend
to achieve it
Rev. Perry: Alright, well, I
am thirty-three years old and I
was born in Tallahassee, Ha.
July 27th, 1940. I was raised
in the Southern Baptist and
Pentecostal tradition, here in
the South. At the age of thirteen
I started preaching, and at the
age of fifteen I was licensed to
preach by the Southern Baptist
Church. Marriedhetrosexually
even though early in my life
I felt that I was gay. I didn’t
have a label for my behavior,
and when I heard all of the
labels that are applied to gay
people; queer,fagot,fruit,Isaid
that’s not me. You know I am
not a child molester.
Barb: That’s very disgust
ing, isn’t it?
Rev. Perry: Very disgusting.
I said that I am not a gutter
cretture of some sort I don’t
particularly want to wear a
dress, and that of course was
the stereotype • .the only one
I had of a gay person. There
is np thing wrong with wearing
dresses, but for me. . .that’s
just something that I didn’t
want to do. I married at the
age of eighteen, a monthbefore
my nineteenth birthday to my
pastor’s daughter. He said that
if I got married that would
take care of these “fhnny feel
ings” I was having. A good
woman would do mat Well,
that doesn’t happen. I then
moved to Illinois and attended
Midwest Bible College, a Pen
tecostal school. Our oldest son
was born in Illinois. Then I
went back to Florida where I
pastored a small church in Lake
Alford where my second son
was born. Then I returned to
Illinois for more college. Later
the firm that I was working for
in Illinois, putting myself
through college, announced
they were opening a new plant
in Torrance, Calif. Since both,
my wife and I had relatives
there, we decided that we Would
like to go, so we moved to Cal
ifornia. I pastored a church in
Santa Ana, California for a
year and a half, until I came
to terms with my being gay.
When I did I had a long chat
with my wife; she and I sep«-
arated and I moved into Los
Angeles, got drafted into the
army, and rather than go ora
and on, I have a book en
titled “The Lord Is My Shep
herd And He Knows I’m Gay”
and I would encourage people,
if they really wanted to know
about Troy Perry, read that
Dook. I think they will enjoy
it.
Barb: Rev. Perry, speaking
of the book Are you aware of
the review you received from a
new newspaper in New Orleans,
called “C ontact”?.
Rev Perry: No. I haven’t
seen it I amnotfamiliarwithit.
Barb: They said the book
represents as boring an autobi
ography as could have been
written about such a dynamic
personality. It stated that it
could be compared to a 6th
grade essay, and was filled with
verbiage. He did say that you
deserve respect and that MCC
deserved our love
Rev. Perry: Let me say that
I havehadmixedreviewsonthe
bock. I tell my story exactly
the way I talk, and Ithinkwhen
you read the book, you’ll gath
er that after hearing me preach
here this weekend; however,
Publisher’s Weekly did an ex
cellent review on the book. Iwas
very pleased with that, in which
they called it a “real blow for
minority rights.” The El Paso
Tines, and the LA. Times, both
did really good reviews. They
said it was as though you were
really living the life of this par
ticular homosexual, that he
puts you right in the driver’s
seat, and they would encour
age everyone to read. it. Dr.
Walter Alvarez, vyho has a col
umn in over 600 newspapers
in this country, including theAt-
lanta Journal, also reviewed it
and said that he suggests every
doctor read it, as well as alf
laymen, to see what it was like^
being gay in this time, in this
period. He said it ends on a
happy note and that’s unusual
for gay books.
Barb: Rev. Perry, many min
isters object to having women
have a voice in the church,
but I understand that you have
several women as leaders in
your fellowship. What is your
v feeling on this?
Rev. Perry: Yes. Absolutely
the church doors are open to
women, period, in MCC. They
can hold any office in thefellow-
ship. In fact, we have as of this
last year awomanontheboard
of elders, our highest adminis-
trativ embody in the church. She
was elected, and not nominated
by the uummauom committee.
This was one of the most un
usual things that happened this
last year. She was nominated
from die floor, Rev. Frieda
Smith, who pastors our church
in Sacremento, California. She
is a Christian feminist and
very much involved in wom
en’s rights, as well as gaj
rights. Well, she won. I believe
women can do any job that s
man can, very honestly, i don't
believe there is anything in the
scriptures that would condemn
a woman for serving anyplace
in the church.
Barb: I believe that there
are some religions organiza
tions other than MCC thathave
ruled that they would accept
homosexuals in the church.Do
you care to comment on this?
Rev. Perry: The United
Church ofChristexecutivecom-
mittee has ruled that if any in
dividual is gay and is qualified,
they should be accepted into the
ministry. Two years ago, the
Unitarian Universalists, in
their general assembly, also
passed a comparable statement
that said they would welcome
as ministers and lay-people,
homosexuals, and bi-sexuals.
However, there are some prob
lems with that Bill Johnson
was the first young man or
dained by* the Church of Christ
They ordained him knowing
he was a homosexual because
he made an issue of it. As yet,
none of those individuals are
pastoring churches anywhere
and that really bothers me
While sometimes the denomi
national leaders might OK it’s
time for a change, they haven’t
quite reached the pew yet. And
die pew, the man, or woman
sitting there, until educational
process has taken effect, I am
afraid we are still going to see
some problems in actually get
ting gay people, men and wom
en who openly say “I am gay”
really pastoring churches in
those mainline Christian
groups.
Barb: I have been reading
the Advocate, and other nation
al publications about* your in
volvement with demonstraxiods-
to get gay rights, not necessar
ily for gays, but for minority
groups; and I would like to ask
you now do you fed when you
are demonstrating? Iknow mat
you take a firm stand and will
not back down, and I certainly
admire you for this.
Rev. Perry: I fed frightened,
to be perfectly honest with you,
and anyone would lie to you
if they said that they didn’t
You never know wnat’s out
there, or what kind of persons
you may encounter. I have
been slapped before, spit on,
but never been physically
knocked down. I did in a dem
onstration in San Francisco a
couple of years ago have a
young man jump up on a plat
form where Iwas standing, and
broke a bottle. This was out in
the open and I have never seen
the police materialize so quick*
ly in my life. They were watch
ing, but we didn’t realize that
they were around. This was
Union Square, an outdoor
rally. But I know this too. . .
somewhere along the way you
have to take a stand as an in
dividual. For mq I have al
ways bdieved I’m going to
have my human rights, and
I’m going to get them. I be
lieve you don’t have to demon
strate everyday for gay rights,
for instance. There have been
times when we, yes, we demon
strated and I will still demon
strate; but it’s something where
we are pushed, just as other
people are pushed, when wesay
ithat we have got to do some
hing to at least fetthe general
population know what’s going
on. The only way wecanaothis
is to demonstrate. Of course,
when we do, the television cam-
eras, the newspapers and radio
show up, and we tell them what
we are doing here at the police.
station or m iront oi tnis bus
iness; or whatever it mav be..
But honestly, I still get butter
flies because as I said, I am
not any more brave than any
one else. The whole thing is
that again, I am going to stand
up for rights. This is my own
philosophy, and I anr a great
believer that youcan’tbe afraid
of dying tf you are going to
make any changes. I certainly
don’t have a Messiah complex.
I don’t want to be crucified
tomorrow. Bi?t on the other
hand, I am not afraid any
more, and whatever comes,
comes; but in the meantime,
we will win our dignity, and we
will win our battle over oppres
sion, period.
Barb: Do you have more
planned demonstrations in the
near future?
Rev. Perry: Oh yes* I’m sure
that probably our general con
ference of our. church will be
held >in 1976 in Washington,
D.C.; and we plan to visit the
White House, the Capitol, be
cause we think it’s time for our
legislatures on the federal level
to know that there are gay
people. It will be a peaceful
demonstration. We believe in
non-violence. . .total non-vio
lence; and that’s the way we will
win.the war.
Barb: Do you usually get a
hassle from the police or offi
cials when you go in tc inform
diem you are going to have a
demonstration?
Rev. Perry: No. It’s very
strange I always usually use a
lot of humor when I am going
in. . .1 have only been arrested
once. That was our first gay
parade in Los Angeles I wrote
the Chief of Police a letter and
told him that I was going- to be
wn the corner of Hollywood
Blvd. and Los Palmas after die
parade fasting and praying.
After the paradethepolicecame
along and told me to move but
X informed them that I didn’t
have to because I had written
the Chief of Police a letter and
told him that I was going to be
there. They arrested mefor first,
inciting to riot, then the charge
was dropped because I wasn’t
inciting a riot I was actually
asking the gay people to please
leave. So they changed* the
charge to viciously and mal
iciously blocking the sidewalk
with intent to do harm. I said
well, if praying for the Chief
will do him harm, I guess lam
guilty. I had three trials, each
time the judges were so preju-
diced that die appellate court
sent it back and it finally ended
in the State Supreme Courtand
they ruled in my favor. That
ended that It was indiscrimi
nate enforcement of die law.
But I don’t go to demonstra
tions to get arrested. I don’t
think that’s important You go
there to prove a point. Since
then I have never had prob
lems with the policedepartment
in any city where I have been.
I’ve always found them usually
very courteous. I usually tell
them what’s going to happen,
here’s the parade route, and
they will usually send someone
to even direct the traffic.
Barb: I would assume that
it’s sometimes diffkultto recruit
people to demonstrate, is that
correct?
Rev. Perry: Well, the only
thing I do is make announce
ments. Ijust announce therewill
be a demonstration and all of
you who would like tobeapart
of it. come out and be with us.
And I never know. . .we get
anywhere from two or three
hundred to 1200.
Barb: Well, Troy, I can cer
tainly see why you would be.
so successful with that persua
sive smde and that dynamic
personality of yours. This
should not be at all difficult
for you. Thankyou very much,
Rev. Perry, it certainly was a
pleasure spending these few
minutes with you andldohope
that you enjoy your stay in At
lanta. We welcome you back
anytime.
Congratulations
And Best Wishes To
"Miss Gay America Winner”