Support gay liberation movement elder Robert Mary Clement

Welcome to the "Friends of Robert Mary Clement" fundraising page!

This fundraiser has been created to support and honor the legacy of Archbishop Robert Mary Clement. Archbishop Clement was a pioneering spiritual leader in the Gay Liberation movement throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In a time when LGBTQ people were excluded from participation in most faith communities, Archbishop Clement was a vocal and passionate public advocate for the spiritual dignity and worth of LGBTQ folks. 

Robert “Bob” Mary Clement was born on March 12, 1925 in Lee Park, Pennsylvania. While attending Wilkes College, now Wilkes University, (class of 1947) Bob felt called to prepare for the priesthood. His plans for the priesthood were briefly interrupted by military service during WWII, but he soon resumed his spiritual path and was ordained a priest in the Old Catholic Church of America on August 8, 1948.

 

In 1968, Archbishop Clement founded the Church of the Beloved Disciple in New York City. While the Church of the Beloved Disciple was not the first church to welcome LGBTQ people, it was the first “gay” church with openly gay pastors and an almost exclusively LGBTQ congregation in NYC. In addition to providing a safe place for LGBTQ folks to gather in spiritual community, the Church of the Beloved Disciple provided space for numerous other community organizations working for LGBTQ equality.

In 1970, Archbishop Clement, together with the clergy and congregation of the Beloved Disciple, started celebrating “Holy Union” marriages. These Holy Unions, affirming the dignity and love of queer couples, were an important step towards marriage equality. The Holy Unions provoked a good deal of controversy with city officials and in the news (the New York Post referred to them as ‘mock marriages’). Click on this link to watch a YouTube clip of the Gay Activist Alliance occupying the New York City marriage bureau after city clerk Herman Katz threatened legal action against Archbishop Clement and the Church of the Beloved Disciples for performing these Holy Unions.

On June 28, 1970 Archbishop Clement marched in New York City's first Gay Pride Parade (then called Christopher Street Liberation Day) marking the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots as the only openly-gay and in-collar priest. He carried a banner that said “Gay People This Is Your Church.” You can learn more about Archbishop Clement's pioneering contributions to the LGBTQ community here Clement - LGBTQ Religious Archives and here Interview with the LGBTQ History Project

Now 99 years old and living in an LGBTQ retirement community in Hollywood, Archbishop Clement, or “Bob” as many of us know him, needs our help! Since he spent his working years outside the mainstream religious organizations, Bob doesn’t have a pension or 401(k). After a lifetime of serving the LGBTQ community, Bob's fixed income from Social Security is insufficient to cover the increasing costs needed to ensure that he can continue aging with dignity and safety. For example, while Bob continues to speak at community events, he needs hearing aids so he can continue sharing his story! Hearing Aids are very expensive and Bob’s medicare plan provides zero coverage. Bob is also in need of in-home assistance to continue making his apartment accessible and safe.

In addition to supporting Bob’s current living needs, to honor his legacy we are creating an educational/research archive. This archive will make sure that Bob's historic and pioneering contributions to the Gay Liberation movement are preserved and made available to the larger LGBTQ community as well as future generations of scholars. This archive will be housed at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and curated by Dr. Roy Fisher, Assistant Professor in the History of Spirituality and Mysticism. We plan to open the archive with a special exhibition coinciding with Bob’s 100th birthday. While our funding priority is for Bob's hearing aids and some in-home assistance, we are also raising money to support the launch of the archive with a special birthday celebration/exhibition that would publicly honor and celebrate Bob's pioneering contributions while he is still with us.

June is Pride month and what better way to celebrate Pride than to support our LGBTQ elders who helped pave the way for the equality and freedom we enjoy today!

Join us in celebrating Pride by contributing to support Archbishop Robert Mary Clement in gratitude for a lifetime of advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

Initial Fundraising Goal = $9500*

*note: any additional funds raised beyond our $9500 goal, will be held and dispensed to provide for additional in-home-care as Bob continues to age and his mobility lessens