“The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay”

·55 min·5 clips

A San Francisco church from the 1970s used cassette tapes to preserve queer worship during the AIDS epidemic.

The episode begins with host Anna Sale introducing stories of support and community, focusing on a Christian church in San Francisco that serves the LGBTQ community. It transitions to a call for listener stories about emotional relationships with AI chatbots, sharing anecdotes about using ChatGPT for reassurance and encouragement. The main segment delves into the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in San Francisco, using archival cassette tapes from the 1970s to 1990s. Lynn Gerber, a religious studies scholar, hosts the series 'When We All Get to Heaven' and discusses her research on the church during the AIDS crisis. The episode includes a sermon by minister Jim Metalsky about forgetting lost loved ones due to the high number of funerals. It covers the discovery of tapes in the church's AV room, stored haphazardly in boxes. Lynn Gerber explains her personal connection to MCC, attending as a Jewish non-lesbian for community. The history of MCC is traced back to founder Troy Perry, a Pentecostal preacher who started the church in Los Angeles in 1968. Troy Perry's memoir, 'The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay,' is mentioned, and his activism in the gay rights movement, including arrests at pride events, is detailed. The episode explores how MCC provided a public space for queer people, contrasting with bars and parties. It includes an interview with Connie Staff, who describes caring for a friend with AIDS and the fear involved. The discussion reflects on the importance of gathering spaces and rituals in modern times. The episode concludes with the song 'When We All Get to Heaven' sung by MCC members, emphasizing joy in the face of death. Production credits are given to the Death, Sex, and Money team at Slate.

As heard by us

A gay Pentecostal pastor's story anchors a portrait of faith, exile, and LGBTQ communal care.

Slate centers this episode on a Christian church in San Francisco serving the LGBTQ community, then traces the care it offered as AIDS brought illness and death into the congregation.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want to hear how an LGBTQ-serving San Francisco church carried people through the AIDS crisis.

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