ABSTRACT
One important but underanalyzed type of queer space is faith-based space [1]. There is a queer presence within mainstream denominations of US Christianity, but it is often closeted or marginalized because most congregations and most official church policies define heterosexual marriage as the only legitimate venue for intimate sexuality. In the late 1960s, a small group of Los Angeles Christians founded a church that would focus on the spiritual needs of gays and lesbians, affirming the biblical legitimacy of gay and lesbian identity and sexual expression. It became an international Protestant denomina tion, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UF-MCC), with hundreds of member congregations. In Washington, DC, members of a UF-MCC church are shaping a unique residential space centered on their church building and their religion.
