Don't Be Afraid Anymore: The Story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches

Estrangement from his family, an evangelical vocation and his homosexuality all led Perry ( The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay ) to found the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles in 1968. The church was established to serve chiefly gays and lesbians of various religious persuasions. Despite modest beginnings, internal schisms and the firebombings of 12 of his churches, Perry's mission was bolstered by formidable self-confidence--demonstrated in this less than modest chronicle coauthored with freelance writer Swicegood--and came to flourish in hundreds of churches established across the nation. Included along with accounts of gay activism in the '70s and '80s are personal stories of religious discovery and social solidarity which gays, rejected by established denominations (Perry himself was excommunicated for his sexual preference) affirm in his churches. Though its congregations have been thinned by AIDS, the Community's reach now extends to 34 countries. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)