When the African Methodist Episcopal Church held its quadrennial General Conference in Ohio in August, one of the key issues on the agenda was same-sex marriage. The Rev. Jennifer S. Leath, a prominent figure within the church, has been advocating for a change in the church's stance on this matter for over two decades.
Leath, who identifies as 'quare,' a term that encompasses her same-sex attraction and intellectual heritage as a 'blackqueer womanist' thinker, has been at the forefront of the debate within the AME Church. The church's current position, established in 2004, prohibits participation in same-sex marriages or unions.
