Letter from First Presbyterian Church

Letter from First Presbyterian Church

Correspondence with National Organization of Women

This image is of a letter contributes to the certain challenges that the National Organization of Women and lesbians faced in their efforts to spread awareness of sexuality and lesbian rights. In that was sent from the Memphis First Presbyterian Church Clerk of Session David P. Cooper to the National Organization of Women Memphis Chapter President Julia Howell. Cooper writes addressing not only the president of Memphis’ chapter, Julia Howell, but also the lesbians within the organization itself (whether directly or indirectly). In this letter Cooper tells Ms. Howell and the organization that while the church supports the organization as a whole and promotes and supports most of the organizations endeavors in their fright for women’s rights, the church can no longer allow the Memphis Chapter of the National Organization of Women to meet at the church. Cooper writes telling that this is because that while the church supports most of goals of the organization that they do not agree with the fight for the right of sexuality or lesbian rights. It is because of this that the chapter has been banded from meeting at the church to hold their weekly meetings to discuss and plan events that would further their cause and help reach their goals quicker. Cooper writes that the church came to this decision because of the fact that to allow sexual freedom and to give lesbians rights would be against the church’s end goal and everything that they believe theologically. This Primary source serves a dual purpose. The first is that it shows the difficulties that the National Organization of Women faced in order to win rights for all women regardless of sexuality or race. The second is that it shows the nation how lesbians were treated and motivated all women and all lesbians within and outside of the National Organization of Women to join the cause to give rights to all.

First Presbyterian Church, David P. Cooper

The University of Memphis Libraries

July 20, 1976

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