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Reverend Austin Amerine Miss Leni Lanae'
A Man Worth Remembering
by Maureen Nickerson
"We are called to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
-Rev. Austin Amerine
A man of God and a former Assemblies of God minister, Austin Amerine is responsible for starting several Metropolitan Community Churches throughout the northwest, including Spokane's Emmanuel MCC in 1981. There is not a great deal of personal information about Rev. Amerine to be found in the public arena but what little I have found points to a highly respected and beloved spiritual leader who spent his life ministering to a community of Christians who had been exiled for their sexual orientation, gender identity or for their association with their GLBT brothers and sisters. The Austin Amerine Retreat Center is a sacred space in Lower Lake, California that serves as a meeting place for seekers of many faiths named in his honor and founded upon the vision of equality he inspired in those who were touched by his ministry. The board of elders of the Metropolitan Community Churches calls him an "MCC evangelist and church planter." So it was to the churches themselves that I went in search of his legacy. I contacted several MCC congregations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, asking their leaders for information and personal stories about Austin and his ministry. I really wanted to get a sense of how many churches the Reverend Amerine had chartered. I received many replies, but only a few detailed responses.
I now know for sure that he started MCC Portland in 1976, and Overlake MCC in Bellevue sometime after he began Spokane's own EMCC. I have been told that he might have started other congregations as well, but have yet to chase down a concrete list of congregations whose organization can be credited to Reverend Amerine directly. I have learned, however, that he may, in some ways, be responsible for the creation of more churches than he himself physically started. This is a man whose influence extends far and wide. For several years, Austin was the Northwest District Coordinator for the MCC fellowship, in an area that included Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and N. California. Under his direction the fellowship established churches in several cities where none had existed before, including Salem, Roseburg and the TriCities. Although he himself was not the inaugural pastor he was the fan that fed the flame, so to speak.
I wanted to get a feel for this man, who he was and how he is remembered by those who knew him, so I asked for a few anecdotes to help me personalize him and this is what I got: Austin Amerine was a good hearted man who appreciated the irony of cosmic humor, who deferred to a God whose purpose he frequently questioned, who did not hesitate to bend the rules of men in service of the greater good and one whose passion, and commitment sustained and connected the many isolated pockets of queer Christian activism that each MCC congregation represented.
Apparently, when Austin began the Salem MCC he rented worship space from a Baptist Church, although the arrangement only lasted for about a month. Now, you may ask how it is that a Baptist Church thought to allow homosexuals to conduct services on their premises and in 1978 no less. It would seem that the good Reverend simply 'forgot' to fully explain the queer nature MCC fellowships. Of course once the Baptists discovered the kind of people that attended MCC services they asked them to leave. It was during these early years of the MCC presence in Oregon that he and his comrades in Christ would caravan to the various services throughout the region to boost attendance and morale along the way. This reminds me of the biblical story of Paul, a man whose sole mission in life became the propagation of Christian fellowships. It also reminds me of another book, The Tipping Point, for both Paul and Austin were idealistic "connectors" without whom the message of their faith would never have survived. Austin Amerine, whatever else he may have been, was a charismatic and inspirational leader who commands the respect and adoration of his followers to this day, some ten years after his death. This is a man who inspired hundreds of Christians to accept themselves, as gay men and women, and to rejoice in God's love together. His is a message worth remembering. If you are a writer or have ever felt the call of the written word and this seems like an interesting topic to pursue, consider publishing your experiences with Austin or start collecting stories about him and his ministry. What a legacy you could leave in the preservation of a figure so instrumental in the history of the Metropolitan Community Church and the movement for queer rights everywhere. May we never forget the history of oppression nor the contributions of hope.
" Too many of us are sitting on the premises rather than standing an the promises."
-Rev. Austin Amerine (I921-1998)
Miss Leni Lanae' talks about severing in the Court
It was around 1980 when my then bf and I became acquainted with HIM Empress 3, Dahlee. I remember Greg and I sitting on the edge of Dahlee's (Patrick Gass) bathtub as she 'painted' in preparation for a show. I am forever indebted to Dahlee for her wonderful generosity is 'teaching' me the ropes: everything from makeup application, to choice of 'hair', etc. In 1983 I became romantically involved with a darling man by the name of Billy D. Lorenzo who's drag name was Miss Billi Dee. Some years prior, Billi Dee had learned the artistic world of female impersonation and drag in New York and was a major headline at one of Seattle's lounges in the early 80's. While the relationship between us did not last, the impression Miss Billi Dee had on my life has! By 19841 finally got up the nerve to enter the wonderful world of drag entertainment for myself. I was the first Spokane 'drag' to take gospel music into the bar scene. I put together a small 'troupe' of 'queens', many of whom were also involved with Emmanuel MCC, as I was, and I began what became "Celebration Ministries" -a 'bar ministry' of gospel and contemporary Christian music as well as sharing personal testimony and sharing the message that God's love is truly "unconditional" and it makes no difference if we are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, whether we be drag queens, leather queens, flannel queens or WHATEVER, we are ALL part of God's creation.. In 1985/86, during the reign of HIM Emperor 10, Mel Evans and HIM Empress 14, Connie 'Constance' Colville, Mel selected Miss Leni Lanae' to be part of his Imperial family with the title of Grand Duchess. The following year, 1986/87, during the reign of Emperor 11, Shelley Hutchinson and Empress 15, Lucy Ball, Shelley named me as part of her Imperial family with the title of Crown Princess #11. At their 'step-down' Coronation Emperor Shelley bestowed upon me the "In Pertpetuem" title of H.I.H. "Miss Christianity" Crown Princess 11, Leni Lanae'. Through my Celebration Ministry, Emmanuel MCC, and my membership in the Imperial Sovereign Court of Spokane, I was privileged to help with many fundraising efforts and gained wonderful, loving support and respect by many in our community. I am eternally grateful to such people as Dahlee, Kenny and Billy, Met and Connie, Shelley and Lucy, Rachel Ravage' and my dear friend Eunice Kennady Smith, as well as SO many others whose names, unfortunately, are not coming to me at this time. Patrick Gass for the first few years of my drag experience actually 'painted' my face and designed my wig hairstyles and loaned me some fabulous gowns and jewelry, until I was able to have my gowns custom made and learned to do my own make up, etc. In the early 80's and throughout my involvement with the 1SCS, while there was fierce competition among the 'queens', there was also a wonderful sense of 'community' and those involved took great pride in 'doing it right'. Drag entertainment, in those years, was a pretty classy act because the 'drags' invested the time, energy, and yes, money, to seriously rehearse to know their words, do choreography, and 'out-do' one another with FABULOUS gowns! What GREAT fun it was! I 'retired' from drag in 1992. In 2003, Miss Lanae' came out of retirement to emcee and perform in the gala celebration of Emmanuel MCC's 20th Anniversary, where once again dear friends such as Eunice, Echo (my dear Troy—what a treasure) and the reigning Emperor Ken and Empress Caress were all there to support and participate in our celebration.