American academic and historian John Boswell was BOTD in 1947. Born in Boston, he studied at William & Mary College and Harvard, and became a history lecturer at Yale. He is best known for his studies of the history of homosexuality in the Christian church. His 1980 book Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality offered a revolutionary reading of religious history, arguing that the early Christian church was tolerant of homosexuality. The book won the National Book Award, providing useful ammunition for the 1980s culture wars between religious fundamentalism and gay rights. His 1994 book The Marriage of Likeness: Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe offered evidence of the Christian church acknowledging same-sex relationships, and was referenced in court cases arguing for legal recognition of same-sex unions. His works have become foundational texts in gay and lesbian studies, though many LGBTQ academics have disputed his essentialist view of human sexuality. Controversially, he stopped the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies from coming to Yale after insisting that its board be composed of professors, at a time when there were few openly LGBTQ professors in the United States. A devout Catholic, Boswell attended Mass daily throughout his life, and was in a relationship with Jerone Hart for 20 years. He died from complications of AIDS in 1994, aged 47.