Pushing at the frontiers of change: A memoir of Quaker involvement with homosexuality

by David Blamires

In 2009, Quakers in Britain decided to seek a change in the law to see same-sex marriage as equal to opposite-sex marriage. It was a joyful and profound moment in Quakers’ history, but one that took decades to reach.In this fascinating book, David Blamires charts that history, from the publication of Towards a Quaker view of sex in 1963 and the response it provoked, to the challenges in the lead-up to 2009. ¬ Throughout, legal issues and attitudes in society are described alongside personal accounts and an exploration of Quakers’ wider input into the conversation about homosexuality. What emerges is a frank perspective on how small but committed groups of Quakers – their actions, meetings, publications and belief in equality – have contributed towards vast social change for gay rights in the UK.

Genres: Nonfiction

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2012

Reviews

[Fred Langridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering the period between 1957 and 2010, this brief history illustrates modern British Quakers' movement from thinking that the laws against homosexuality might be wrong, to celebration of same-sex marriage in identical terms to mixed-sex marriage.

I think it would be fairly dry reading for a non-Quaker, but it was an interesting quick read for me and I learned some stuff, including when bisexuality and transgender were first consciously addressed and included in Quaker LG/B/T thinking.