Silver, William, 1947-2007.

William Silver was born September 8, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Arts (1969) from Ohio Wesleyan University, majoring in Fine Arts and Pre-theology. He received a Masters of Divinity from the Union Theological Seminary in 1973. In his final year at Seminary, Silver came out as a gay man and based his thesis project on his coming out process. In 1975 Silver requested ordination in the Presbytery of New York. His request sparked a two year, church-wide debate on the ordination of gay men in the Presbyterian Church. The General Assembly of United Presbyterian Church in the United States adopted a policy that barred self-affirming, practicing gay men from ordination in 1978. Silver continued his involvement with the church as a layman until the 1980s. He was a long-time resident and active member of the Cherry Grove, Fire Island (New York) community. He worked as a graphic artist and events organizer. Silver died of complications due to AIDS in 2007.

From the description of William Silver papers, 1972-2007. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702186010

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