What were you reading in 1960?

February marks the fiftieth anniversary of the book Christ and the Homosexual, a pioneering effort that aimed to welcome gay men and lesbians into Christianity without demanding that they give up being gay.

Written by openly gay clergyman Rev. Robert W. Wood, 1960's Christ and the Homosexual (Vantage Press) was the second book ever published to include the word "homosexual" in the title -- and the first to be publicly sold bearing the author's real name. Wood's photo also appeared on the dust jacket and his congregation was identified in the book.

Despite the public attitude with which the book met more often than not, that same year, Wood was the recipient of an Award of Merit given by San Francisco's Mattachine Society -- one of the earliest LGBT groups in the country -- thanking the author for "the inspiration his outspoken message has given to so many."

Even prior to the controversial publication of Christ and the Homosexual, Wood's life was not without excitement. While attending Oberlin College in the late 40's, Wood recalled the anti-gay opposition he encountered within the religious community there. "I happened to be in a meeting one time when they started quoting all the negative verses in the scripture about homosexuals, and that frightened me," he told Oberlin's LGBT Community History Project. "I realized they were using these texts to bash me and other homosexuals, so I decided that when I went to Seminary, I would learn my Bible as well or more than they did so I could use the scripture to confront them."

And confront them he did. Wood lived publicly as a gay man, making no secret his longtime relationship with abstract artist Hugh Coulter (who died in 1989.) All three congregations that Wood led for a total of 35 years were also aware of his and Coulter's relationship.

Retirement hasn't slowed 87-year-old Wood down yet. In 1993 the clergyman and former Army man (who received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service during World War II) provided written testimony supporting the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly. The Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania (one of Wood's alma maters), honored the author as a gay pioneer in 2001, and in 2004, Wood was the recipient of the Pioneer Award, given by the UCC Coalition of LGBT Concerns to those who "have worked with courage, prophetic vision, and oftentimes with little support to pave the path for this current generation of LGBT folk."