Smithsonian Institution Archives

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A collection of items from Rev. Troy Perry and the Metropolitan Community Churches is held by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. It was presented to the Smithsonian on the 51st anniversary of the founding of the church. The deed of gift was signed October 7, 2019, by Perry and his husband Phillip. It consists of personal items used by Troy Perry in the founding of the Metropolitan Community Churches, historical Items from members and friends concerning Metropolitan Community Churches as well as Items that detail the work of the church and Troy in their struggle for equal and civil rights.

The items donated to the museum include a Book of Common Prayer that Perry used to lead worship at the first MCC worship gathering and many other services, weddings and funerals over the decades.  Troy also donated a book of sermons that he wrote out by hand. The artifacts were symbolically donated to the Museum at a special worship gathering at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. on Sunday, October 6, 2019.

Three-dimensional objects—like the prayer book and a set of Troy's vestments—will be housed in a special section of the Museum. The papers and photographs will become part of the LGBT Collection (1915-2019) #1146, which contains over 57 cubic feet (172 boxes) of material related to the national LGBT community spanning 1915 to the current time. 

Some of the other artifacts and records that were donated to the Museum include:

* The charter of MCC San Francisco describing the rights of membership;

* General Conference program books from the 25th, 40th, 50th years that provide information about MCC’s development;

* An inclusive language hymnal from 1990;

* The original pamphlet “Homosexuality: Not a Sickness, Not a Sin” explained MCC’s belief about sexuality and spirituality. Over 100,000 copies were printed & distributed;

* An original copy of a 1971 issue of Life magazine with a photo of Rev. Troy Perry marrying a couple at MCC Los Angeles; and

* An original copy of the Service of Faith and Freedom to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Stonewall at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

Another artifact is a small cross made of stained glass from one of the destroyed windows of the original Los Angeles mother church [in an] arson fire in 1973.

The bulk of MCC’s historical records are preserved at the Center for LGBTQ & Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS) in Berkeley, California, and the ONE Institute in Los Angeles.