The John E. Boswell Lecturship Fund

Praised and critiqued, lauded and contested -- John Boswell's scholarship continues to provoke questions, inspire new academic work and in many ways set the bar high for LGBT religious scholarship. On February 24 and 25, 2006, CLGS brought together some of the leading voices in both academic and activist circles to consider the legacy of Boswell's scholarship and the path it continues to chart for so much work that still needs to be done.

CLGS was pleased to make that conference the occasion for establishing a special endowment fund to honor John Boswell's life and scholarship. Several significant gifts have already been made toward the goal of $250,000 for this fund, which will bring leading scholars in LGBT religious studies to the PSR campus for an annual lecture and symposium.

Twenty-five years ago John Boswell published a book that historian of sexuality Michel Foucault called "a truly groundbreaking work." Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century charted bold territory in both historical and religious scholarship, setting a new benchmark of academic excellence for gay and lesbian studies. Equally significant, if not more controversial, was his 1993 book, Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, in which he tried to show historical precedence for the religious blessing of same-sex relationships.

In 1975 Dr. Boswell joined the Yale University faculty as an assistant professor after studying at the College of William and Mary and Harvard University. In 1990 he was named the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History at Yale where he later served a two-year term as the chair of the history department. In 1987 he also helped organize the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale.

Martin Duberman, founder of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the City University of New York, considered Dr. Boswell "one of the major innovative figures in gay and lesbian scholarship. John was very brave and pioneering. And very brilliant."

Although John Boswell died from AIDS-related illnesses in 1994, his trail-blazing efforts in historical scholarship continue to shape and inspire academic, activist and faith communities of all traditions. The John E. Boswell Lectureship Fund will ensure that his legacy endures for many years to come.

You can donate securely to this important fund online (click here). For more information, contact Jay Johnson, jjohnson@clgs.org or by writing to CLGS at 1798 Scenic Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709.

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