John J. McNeill (September 2, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American
Catholicpriest, psychotherapist and academic theologian in the United States, with a particular reputation within the field of
queer theology.[1][2][3][4] McNeill was awarded the National Human Rights Award in 1984 for his contributions to lesbian and gay rights, and was made the Grand Marshal of the New York City Gay Rights Parade in 1987. McNeill was expelled from the Society of Jesus in 1987 at the request of the Vatican.
McNeill played a part in widening the activities of
DignityUSA, a support group for LGBT Catholics.[5]
In 1976, he published The Church and the Homosexual.[5] The New York Times described the book as "the first extended nonjudgmental work about gay Catholics, a subject that had long been taboo in official church discourse. It has been credited with helping to set in motion the re-evaluation of the religious stance toward gay people – not only among Catholics but also among those of other faiths – that continues today."[5]
According to
Charles Curran, the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith systematically attempted to silence authors critical of the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning homosexuality, citing the "highlighting" of errors by the Congregation in McNeill's The Church and the Homosexual.
McNeill was expelled from the
Society of Jesus in 1987 at the request of the Vatican, but remained officially a priest.[5]
Grand Marshal of the New York City Gay Rights Parade in 1987
The National Human Rights Award in 1984 for his contributions to lesbian and gay rights
The 1989 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Blanton-Peale Institutes of Religion and Health
The Humanitarian Award in 1990 from the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists
The 1993 Distinguished Contribution Award of the Eastern Region American Association of Pastoral Counselors for outstanding contribution to pastoral counseling
The United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches Special Award for his "dedicated work in spreading the Gospel to the lesbian/gay community"
The 1997 Dignity/USA Prophetic Service Award "In Recognition of over 25 years of extraordinary work on behalf of the
Catholic Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Community"