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Integrity, Inc. was established in 1974 as a network of gay and lesbian Episcopalians, their families, and allies. Sparked by Louie Crew’s newsletter Integrity Forum, the first chapter formed in Chicago under James Wickliff, followed by the inaugural national convention in 1975 at the Cathedral of St. James, Chicago. Over time, the organization grew to over 70 chapters across the U.S. and Canada.

Integrity made a significant institutional impact at the Episcopal Church’s 1976 General Convention in Minneapolis, most notably contributing to the passage of resolution A069, affirming the full dignity and inclusion of homosexual persons. That same year, the Rev. Malcolm Boyd publicly came out during Integrity’s national convention in San Francisco. In 1977, Ellen Marie Barrett, a former co-president, was ordained by Bishop Paul Moore, Jr., marking a milestone in LGBTQ+ inclusion in the ordained priesthood.

Integrity fostered ecumenical relationships with organizations such as Dignity (Catholic), Lutherans Concerned, and the Metropolitan Community Church. Its national structure, driven largely by lay volunteers, coordinated local chapter activities and organized annual conventions. Advocacy efforts centered on influencing policy decisions at The Episcopal Church’s General Conventions. The Fund for Integrity, Inc., established in 1981, supported its mission financially. The organization formally dissolved in 2022.

Samuel Farmar Jarvis was born on January 20, 1786, the son of the Rt. Rev. Abraham Jarvis, second Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut. He graduated from Yale College and was ordained in 1811 before serving at St. Michael’s Church in Bloomingdale, New York, followed by St. James’ Church in New York City (1813-1820) and St. Paul’s Church in Boston (1820-1826). During this period, he earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1819) and taught Biblical Learning at the newly established General Theological Seminary (GTS) (1819-1820). In 1820, he transferred to Boston, where he served as the Rector of St. Paul’s Church.

Jarvis resigned from St. Paul’s in 1826 and spent the next nine years living in Europe, at which time he assembled his collection of fine Italian paintings. He returned to the United States in 1835 and began a professorship of Oriental Literature at Washington (Trinity) College; however, he resigned to become the Rector of Christ Church (Holy Trinity Church) in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1837. He would resign from that position in 1842.

Jarvis additionally served as Historiographer for The Episcopal Church (appointed in 1838) and wrote multiple books on the history of the church. He was a Trusteed of both Washington College and GTS and elected as a deputy to the 1844, 1847, and 1850 General Conventions. He died on March 26, 1851.

Edgar Legare Pennington, was born on January 15, 1891, in Madison, Georgia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (1911) and Bachelor of Laws (1914) from the University of Georgia and practiced law for three years prior to serving in the United States Navy, during which time he survived the sinking of the USS President Lincoln by a German U-boat in 1918. After World War I, he pursued religious studies and was ordained in 1922. He served in multiple churches before rejoining the US Navy during World War II. He then served as Rector of St. John’s Church in Mobile, Alabama, until his death on September 10, 1951.

Pennington contributed not only to the understanding of The Episcopal Church’s history, particularly its American Colonial period, but also to the development of historical practices in The Episcopal Church. He was a co-founder of the Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, member of the Church Historical Society, and Historiographer of The Episcopal Church from 1949 to 1951.

Howard Albert Johnson (1915–1974) was an Episcopal clergyman, theologian, author, and educator. He was born on October 8, 1915, to Mark Peter Johnson and Jessie Lulu (Howard). He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Riverside Junior College in 1934, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1936, and a Bachelor of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1939.

He was ordained to the diaconate in July 1939 and to the priesthood in March 1940 by Bishop Stevens of the Diocese of Fond du Lac. His early ministry included service as Vicar of St. Andrew’s Mission in Elsinore, California (1939–1940), and Minister of All Saints’ Church in Pasadena (1940–1941). In 1942, he worked as Assistant Student Worker at the Procter Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey. He then served as Assistant Minister of St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C. from 1943 to 1946. From 1946 to 1948, he was Assistant at St. Alban’s Church in Copenhagen and a Fellow of the American-Scandinavian Foundation.

Johnson was Associate Professor of Theology at the University of the South from 1949 to 1953 and served as Adjunct Professor of Religion at Columbia University from 1954 to 1958. Concurrently, he was Canon Theologian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City from 1954 to 1964. He was a visiting lecturer in Hong Kong and Macao in 1969 and served briefly as Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Oakland, California (1969–1970).

In addition to his academic and clerical work, Johnson was an author, editor, and contributor to numerous theological and religious publications. He died on June 13, 1974.