Alan Bray (13 October 1948 – 25 November 2001) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

and

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

activist. He was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and had a particular interest in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

's relationship to

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

Early life

Bray was born in Hunslet, Leeds, to a working-class family. His mother died when he was 12, an event that profoundly affected his relationships. He attended

Leeds Central High School Leeds Central High School (previously Leeds Central Higher Grade School) was the first local authority secondary school opened by the Leeds School Board, West Yorkshire, England, in 1885 using the school-room attached to Oxford Place Chapel. In ...

, where he met his lifelong friend Graham Wilson. He attended

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

and spent a year at an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

seminary before beginning a career in civil service.

Gay rights activism

He became involved with the

Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...

in the 1970s and actively campaigned for gay rights. His interest in sexual politics influenced his work on history, which culminated in two books. His groundbreaking book ''Homosexuality in Renaissance England'' was published in 1982. His second book, ''The Friend'', was published posthumously after his death from heart failure in 2001.

Legacy

The Roman Catholic Caucus of the

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement OneBodyOneFaith, formerly the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM), describes itself as "UK-based international Charity which challenges homophobia and transphobia, especially within the Church and faith based organisations". History The Gay ...

, of which Bray was a member, instituted a series of Alan Bray Memorial Lectures on Catholic theology and homosexuality. British historians Michael Hunter,

Miri Rubin Miri Rubin (; born 1956) is a historian and professor of medieval and early modern history at Queen Mary University of London. She was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Cambridge, where she gained her doctorate a ...

, and Laura Gowing co-edited the book ''Love, Friendship and Faith in Europe, 1300–1800'' (

Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains offi ...

, 2005), a collection of essays inspired by Bray's idea of finding some universal component of homosexuality within the experiences of intimacy and friendship without "locating a discourse that identifies persons as homosexual." Nick Rumens' ''Queer Company: The Role and Meaning of Friendship in Gay Men's Work Lives'' ( Ashgate, 2011), is also inspired by Alan Bray's scholarship.Nick Rumens, ''Queer Company: The Role and Meaning of Friendship in Gay Men's Work Lives'', Ashgate, 2011, p. 29 Valerie Traub (''Thinking Sex with the Early Moderns'') is amongst many subsequent

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

scholars who have engaged with and been inspired by Bray's scholarship.

Bibliography

*''Homosexuality in Renaissance England'' (Gay Men's Press, 1982) *''The Friend'' (

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It pu ...

, 2002) *''The Clandestine Reformer: A Study Of The Rayner Scrutinies'' (1988)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Alan Historians of LGBTQ topics British LGBTQ historians 1948 births 2001 deaths LGBTQ Roman Catholics English LGBTQ writers Roman Catholic activists British gender studies academics 20th-century British historians British gay writers English Roman Catholics Alumni of Bangor University