BOSTON (AP) — A Cambridge Episcopal seminary’s plans to award an honorary degree to the founder of a primarily GLBT congregation is stirring criticism among conservatives who say it’s meant to antagonize them as a tense vote on gay unions looms at the church’s annual meeting.

The Rev. Troy Perry — the founder of the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) — is set to receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Episcopal Divinity School on May 22.

Divinity School president Bishop Steven Charleston called Perry one of the most important Christian church leaders in recent decades, pointing to about 300 MCC congregations worldwide.

“He has granted a whole new access to religious life to ... thousands of people around the world,” Charleston said.

The honor comes as officials prepare for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which starts in July in Minneapolis. A resolution to create a ceremony for blessing same-sex unions has been submitted for consideration at the meeting after narrow defeat by clergy and lay delegates two years ago.

The Rev. David Moyer, president of the North American chapter of Forward in Faith, a conservative Episcopal group, said the seminary’s choice of Perry is an “in your face” statement to conservative Episcopalians as the convention approaches.

“I think it’s just antagonistic and provocative,” said Moyer.

Charleston said the timing of the honor was not about “silly plots,” but rather because Perry, 62, is nearing retirement.

“We’re not political enough at this school to think of such a thing,” he said. “We’re priests and laity of faith.”

The Episcopal Church is the American province of the 70 million member Anglican Communion, and tends to be more liberal than worldwide Anglican branches.

Debate about gay marriage has intensified in the Episcopal Church since 1998 when Anglican bishops at the Lambeth Conference, a once-a-decade gathering to address doctrinal issues, voted that homosexuality was incompatible with Biblical teachings.

The resolution at this year’s general convention would, if approved, instruct the church to prepare rites for blessing same-sex couples. The issue is so divisive that a group of Episcopal bishops recommended in a March report against holding a vote at the convention, saying “we are nowhere near consensus.”

The Rev. Susan Russell of Claiming the Blessing, a Pasadena, California,-based coalition of gay and lesbian groups that support the resolution, said the legislation would move forward, despite objections.

“We’re not in consensus on a lot of things, but one thing we are in consensus about is we can’t solve the problem without having a conversation,” she said.

Many Episcopal bishops have already approved gay ordinations and same-sex union ceremonies — also backed by teachers at the Episcopal Divinity School — and the practices have gone unchecked in those dioceses for years, though the broader church hierarchy has not approved them.

Bruce Mason, a spokesperson for the American Anglican Council, an Episcopalian ministry, said he considers it “unfortunate” the seminary is honoring Perry, contending it should be upholding church teachings, but is instead defying the clear mandates of Scripture in favor of an “anything goes” theology.

“It just shows how out of the mainstream the seminary is,” he said.