The LGBT Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN) is an innovative venture in preserving history and encouraging scholarly study of le***an, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) religious movements around the world. First it assists LGBT religious leaders and groups in determining how best to preserve their records and papers in appropriate repositories. Secondly, LGBT-RAN provides an electronic info
rmation clearinghouse for these archival collections and other historical data about LGBT religious history for the use of historians, researchers and other interested persons. LGBT-RAN can best be understood as a "virtual" archive. It is not a physical repository that collects and preserves papers and records. Instead, LGBT-RAN is a resource center that enables the preservation of history and makes historical information easily accessible through this web site. Initiated in 2001 as a project of the Chicago Theological Seminary, LGBT-RAN has been a program of the Center for Le***an & Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry in Berkeley, California, since 2008
Recognizing that history is written from the perspective of those who preserve their records, LGBT-RAN's overarching purpose is to ensure the preservation and accessibility of the voices and experiences of a great diversity of LGBT religious leaders and groups.
