Excerpt from Lavender Rising, An Intersectional History of the Queer Struggle, by Thomas H. Leonard, with contributions from Purple Nails, Allan Turkington, and Jim Liddle, in preparation. Your comments and suggestions please.
During the 1990s, the hard-nosed churches of most dominations were largely back-tracking or pussyfooting around. That’s with the exception of Bishop Richard Holloway and several of his Scottish Episcopal colleagues, including my neighbour, the redoubtable Rev. Canon Jim Wynn-Evans, who relished living and partying in his immense flat on Bellevue Place, within walking distance of the delights of Edinburgh’s Pink Triangle.
Richard Holloway and Jim Wynn-Evans were instrumental in a related, ground-breaking reform. The first of many women ministers were consecrated by the Scottish Episcopal Church late in 1994. See SEC (2019) . Two diehard gay chauvinists promptly left Old St. Paul’s and created a women-free ministry in their flat in Portobello.
4.14 GAY CANON EXTRA-ORDINAIRE
Jim Wynn-Evans sadly died from complications due to AIDS in September 2010 at the age of 76. (Obituary, 2010), shortly after he’d complained to me about the ridiculous length of time it was taking to install the tram line on Leith Walk,
Jim climbed the stone staircase at OSP into his final week. He cherished his inner circle of gay friends, some of whom also battled with AID/HIV. I met them in 2005 in Jolly’s celebrating the life of another lost one.
Jim W. developed contacts with gay Episcopalians in the USA. He had a mission throughout his life to make the world a better place for the underprivileged. During his mission he pioneered many successful charity projects, most notably during his time at St David's in Pilton, visited occasionally by my friend Eagle Allan and other OSP members.
Jim negotiated valuable income for a medical centre for Pilton, and established houses where young adults on their gap year had the opportunity to experience care work alongside other Christians.
Jim W. set up a social care service for elderly people. In 2009, a charity venture saw him spend an hour on the top of the Plinth in Trafalgar Square as a ‘live artwork’, raising an impressive £6000 at the age of 75.
In 1997, Jim took on the full-time position of press officer for the then Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway. The former bishop has published at least 13 major books and served as Episcopal Primus of Scotland between 1992 and 2000. He must have therefore kept Jim busily occupied.
Jim W. also organised the repair of OSP’s tile-cracked roof, according to my (Tom’s) memory, strange breeds of plants were growing through the fissures. Jim climbed all over the roof-top himself directing the repairs with his sardonic brand of humour.
In 2005, Jim W. organised the hanging of Alison Watt’s huge, award-winning, line painting Still above the altar in the Memorial Chapel, He also decorated the back wall of the Nave with original artwork by Rev. Bridget Braybrooks and other talented artists of note.
Despite a funeral which jam-packed OSP with his many friends, and his brilliant fund-raising for OSP, Rev. Wynn-Evans didn’t receive the recognition that he deserved (e.g. an inscription in the Lady Chapel or a plaque next to Still in the Memorial Chapel) for his immense contributions to the community and to OSP
SEC (2019) Called by Name: Reflections from first women priests. Edinburgh: General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
https://www.scotland.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/Called-by-Name.pdf
Accessed 4 March 2023
Obituary (2010)Obituary: Reverend Canon James Naylor Wynn-Evans, 76 (The Scotsman) https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-reverend-canon-james-naylor-wynn-evans-76-1705451 Accessed 22 February 2023
NOTE ALSO
The Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway was a passionate supporter of LGCM (Liddle, 2023) and Canon Ian Paton of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral (much later Bishop of St. Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane) became the Edinburgh group’s chaplain. Following the Original Statement of LGCM, Richard and Ian were convinced that it is compatible with the Christian faith not only to love another person of the same sex, but also to express that love fully in a personal sexual relationship.
Ian Paton set up discussion groups, gave advice from the Scriptures, and helped and gave spiritual support to local members of LGCM on an individual basis (Jim Liddle personal communication). Ian was a highly supportive contributor to the gay cause to whom Scotland’s LGBT community should be truly grateful.
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