Edith Allen Perry
BornSeptember 11, 1916
Jasper, Florida
DiedMay 17, 1989 (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationActivist
Children5, including Troy Perry

Edith Allen Perry (September 11, 1916 – May 17, 1989), also known as Mom Perry, was an American activist for LGBT rights, and mother of Troy Perry, founder and moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Early life

Edith Allen was born in Jasper, Florida,[1] the daughter of William T. Allen and Georgia W. Driggers Allen.

Activism and honors

Perry helped her eldest son Troy Perry when he launched the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles in 1968 as a welcoming religious community for LGBT people. "All I know and need to know is that Troy is my son and I love him", she told a Los Angeles newspaper in 1970.[2] In 1969, she co-founded a parents' organization with another mother, Vi Anderson.[1] Perry appeared with her son and his partner in parades and rallies through the 1970s and 1980s, including the first Pride Parade, in Los Angeles in 1970.[3] She appeared on the "Human Rights Train" in 1977, the first gay rights organization float to appear in the Hollywood Santa Claus Lane Parade.[4] In 1980, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Christopher Street West, a Los Angeles gay pride organization.[1] She wrote the foreword to her son's memoir, The Lord is my Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay (1972).[5] He dedicated a later memoir, Don't Be Afraid Anymore (1990) to her memory.[6]

Personal life and legacy

Edith Allen married at least four times.[6] In 1940, she married Troy Perry Sr., a bootlegger, as her second husband; they had five sons together before he died in a car accident while being chased by police in 1952.[7] She remarried a few months later, but soon divorced her third husband.[8] She died from cancer in Los Angeles in 1989, aged 72 years.[1] For her work, she was described by Chris Glaser as "a saint in the cause of lesbian and gay Christians."[9]

The Edith Allen Perry Chapel at the Metropolitan Community Church's visitors' center in Los Angeles is named for her,[10] as is the denomination's Edith Allen Perry Award, for parents or family members who are exemplary allies.[11]

Edith Allen Perry Award

Recipients of the Edith Allen Perry Award have included Betty DeGeneres (1999),[12] Marian Schoenwether and Barbara Chase Wilson (2007),[13][14] the family of James Byrd (2010), Linda Brock of Canada (2005), Edafe Okporo, a refugee from Nigeria (2021),[15] and Nan McGregor (2003)[16] and Rev. June Norris (1997) of Australia.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Edith Allen Perry". Bay Area Reporter. June 1, 1989. Retrieved 2022-06-03 – via Online Searchable Obituary Database, GLBT Historical Society.
  2. ↑ Stumbo, Bella (1970-06-27). "A Man, A Minister...a Minority". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved 2022-06-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Riemer, Matthew; Brown, Leighton (2019). We Are Everywhere: A Visual Guide to the History of Queer Liberation, So Far. Ten Speed Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-399-58181-6.
  4. ↑ "The Human Rights Train in the Hollywood Santa Claus Lane Parade". University of Southern California Digital Library. November 1977. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  5. ↑ Perry, Troy D.; Lucas, Charles L. (1972). The Lord is my shepherd and he knows I'm gay; the autobiography of the Rev. Troy D. Perry, as told to Charles L. Lucas. Internet Archive. Los Angeles, Nash Pub. ISBN 978-0-8402-1249-8.
  6. 1 2 Perry, Troy D; Swicegood, Thomas L. P (1992). Don't be afraid anymore: the story of Reverend Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312069544. OCLC 1244603187.
  7. ↑ "Obituary for Troy T. Perry". Tallahassee Democrat. 1952-06-29. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-06-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Dubose, Renee (2010). Two men, two movements and our call to seek justice: Bayard Rustin, Troy Perry and the civil rights and gay rights movements. Sherrill Library Episcopal Divinity School. Cambridge, MA: The author. pp. 36–37 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ Glaser, Chris (1990). Come home! : reclaiming spirituality and community as gay men and lesbians. Internet Archive. San Francisco : Harper & Row. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-06-063124-6 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ↑ Meckley, Nathan (August 1996). "Meet the Designers of our new 'Work of Art'". Keeping in Touch. pp. 2, 3. OCLC 1244603187. Retrieved 2022-06-03 – via Internet Archive.
  11. 1 2 A page of family photos of Edith Allen Perry, posted by her son Troy D. Perry Jr. on his website
  12. ↑ UFMCC (1999). UFMCC General Conference 1999 Reports and Directives. p. 52 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ "Marian Schoenwether". Metropolitan Community Churches. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  14. ↑ "Obituary | Barbara Wilson". Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  15. ↑ "CONNECT Reminders and Events". Metropolitan Community Churches. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  16. ↑ Thomas, Shibu (2022-04-20). "LGBT Community Pays Tribute To Nan McGregor, Co-Founder Of PFLAG Victoria". Star Observer. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
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