Equality Ride

The first Equality Ride bus showing part of its slogan, "Learn from History: End Religion-Based Oppression."
Soulforce Equality Riders with Rev. Phil Lawson and Congressman John Lewis
Equality Riders rally outside Regent University
In Cleveland, TN "Fags-Mobile" was spray-painted onto the bus.

The Equality Ride is a periodic LGBT rights bus tour made for young adults and sponsored by Soulforce, a national LGBT nonprofit organization. They seek to debate LGBT issues with students at conservative Christian colleges and military academies and secular universities.[1]

Early Rides

Jacob Reitan, a 23-year-old Christian activist from Minnesota and director of youth programs for Soulforce, initiated the rides. In 2005, he conducted trial runs at Liberty University in the spring and at the U.S. Naval Academy in the fall. At Liberty University he spoke informally to students. According to organizers, they tried without success to donate books about homosexuality to the library. Reitan said they asked the University to designate some place on campus where students could talk about being gay without fear of being expelled or having their parents informed. They were also unable to turn over to Jerry Falwell, the university's founder and chancellor, anonymous letters written, they said, by gay Liberty students. When asked about the school's policies toward gay students, a spokesman said, "We follow Scripture."[2]

2006 Ride

From March 10 to and April 26, 2006, a group of about 35 people all under the age of 26, half of whom were Christian,[3] went on the first Equality Ride bus tour. Inspired by the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, the Riders traveled to 19 colleges and universities, including sixteen faith-based institutions in the Christian tradition, two military academies, and one secular university with an ROTC program. Equality Ride contacted the schools in advance and, if they were unable to agree on a format for dialogue, planned to hold a demonstration.[1] Before leaving, they met with Congressman John Lewis, a participant in the original 1961 Freedom Ride and a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He told them: "My mother told me growing up, 'Don't get in the way; don't get in trouble.' I'm so glad I got in the way and got in trouble." He urged the Equality Riders to "make good trouble."[4] Some 35 Riders also met with officials of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., who said they took the arrival of the Riders as a chance, according to one report, "to replace the stereotype of the intolerant conservative Christian with a more compassionate 'Christ-centered' response–albeit a response that still views homosexuality as a sin."[3]

Azusa Pacific University organized a program for the Riders that included a breakfast, a chapel service, and a panel discussion. In advance of their arrival, the dean of students said: "The conversation is coming into the open. We don't need to go into a holy huddle."[3] An official said: "We believe it is our responsibility as Christ-followers to demonstrate loving, scriptural treatment of our guests while maintaining an unwavering commitment to our policy statement, which prohibits homosexual activity at the university."[1] At Liberty University, Riders attempted to cross into campus property after being warned not to. Some 24 were arrested for trespass.[5] Its president Falwell said that following the group's visit in 2005 "Several of the Soulforce delegation later professed faith in Christ and abandoned the homosexual lifestyle. However, it is now our firm belief that Soulforce is ... simply trying to use such encounters on Christian college campuses as a media attraction and for their ultimate purpose of fundraising."[1]

The Equality Riders also rallied outside a conference of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Dallas on March 31.[1] The ex-gay ministry Exodus International sent teams to some of the colleges in anticipation of the Equality Riders' visit. Its president, Alan Chambers, said Christians needed to prepare for greater activism on the part of homosexual activists, educate themselves, and then "go out in the public square and begin countering the lies ... with the truth."[1] At California Baptist University in early April, Riders and students challenged each other with Bible verses and their personal histories,[6]

On April 10, Brigham Young University allowed the Equality Riders to come onto campus property and speak to students individually, but prohibited public forums or displays on campus property. The University stated that this was general procedure for any group visiting the campus.[7] At one point the Riders were asked to leave campus for holding what was deemed a public forum and several were later arrested for holding a protest on campus property and refusing to leave.

On April 14, Riders were admitted to the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy as members of the general public, allowed to access public areas, but not private housing or secured cadet areas. Lawful demonstrators were allowed to protest, while 10 who violated the rules by handing out literature or speaking with a portable sound system were arrested for disorderly conduct.[8] On April 26, 21 were arrested in similar circumstances at the U.S. Military Academy.[8]

Reitan said he had bigger plans for the next year's Ride: "We're going to bring it to rural Alabama and Gary, Indiana, and Mankato, Minnesota, to Small Town, USA. And we're going to humanize and localize this issue for the American people."[9]

Documentary

A film crew documented the 2006 Equality Ride. Their feature-length film, Equality U, follows 34 Soulforce members and their meetings with and presentations to college groups.[10] One review described the participants as "like a gaggle of Real World stars," said the film "focuses on a handful of the riders, showing their ups and downs on the road," and found it "hard to imagine being ... on a bus for two months" with Reitan "bringing a little too much enthusiasm to the plan".[11] Another noted its focus on how "disagreements about strategy cleave the Riders almost from the start" and added: "Yet train a camera on humans long enough — especially in such hothouse conditions — and they will surprise even a viewer who has seen scores of documentaries about gay culture."[12]

2007 Ride

The 2007 Equality Ride lasted from March 1 to April 30. Two buses visited 33 schools. One toured the eastern United States, visiting 18 schools, and the other toured the western, visiting 15 schools.

Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, invited Equality Riders on campus for two days of classroom presentations, dialogue, meals with students, Bible study, and community meetings. Equality Riders gave a presentation on "Loving Like Jesus" and passed out informational pamphlets titled "What the Bible Says and Doesn't Say About Homosexuality." The Equality Riders' bus was vandalized with graffiti and the school denounced the activity and washed the graffiti off of the bus.[13]

Later in March 2007, a Baylor University official e-mailed faculty and students the day before the Riders' arrival, stating that the university would not allow a dialogue to take place on campus.[14] Six Equality Riders were arrested by university police on charges of criminal trespass when they refused to stop chalking sidewalks with what they called "messages of love and hope". Baylor administrators said they were in violation of university policy that allows only school-affiliated organizations to write messages on sidewalks after completing an online application.[15]

In early April 2007, Bruce Voyles, Dean of Students at Covenant College, expressed disappointment that the Riders did not accept his college's guidelines for a visit. He told newspaper reporters: "You have to wonder if they were really interested in dialogue or were just making some sort of statement." Twenty-six Riders arrived at the campus entrance and were warned by college administrators that they would be arrested if they set foot on school property. For nearly three hours, dozens of Covenant students prayed and read the Bible with the Riders and gave them boxed lunches and water. Four Equality Riders entered school property and read a statement to "encourage Covenant College to become an environment that reflects the wideness of God's grace and diversity of the body of Christ." Dade County police arrested them on charges of criminal trespass.[16]

On April 16, 2007, the Equality Riders visited Brigham Young University-Idaho. They had been told not trespass on the school's property. Marc Stevens, a spokesman for BYU-Idaho, explained that "BYU-Idaho is a private university that can't be used by any outside group to advocate its position." Eight Riders were peacefully arrested after attempting to enter university grounds.[17] At an earlier visit to BYU, Riders had made an issue of the school's honor code, which condemned homosexuality in general terms, including advocacy and "any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature". Following the Riders' 2007 visit, the school amended the code to more clearly ban those who engaged in homosexual acts rather than those with an LGBT sexual orientation. Officials said the change was under consideration before the Riders' 2007 visit.[7][18]

At Calvin College, administrators cited Christian Reformed Church instructions to create a better understanding of homosexuality. Vice President for student life Shirley Hoogstra said: "We have conversations about human sexuality on campus and the Equality Ride would fit into that series of conversations. Also a hallmark of a Calvin education is that we are willing to listen to other points of view, even those with which we are in disagreement, and we also appreciate opportunities to share our points of view." The school held several events in advance of the Riders' April 24 visit. Her assessment afterwards was: "Equality Ride reminded us that silence on issues of injustice cannot be tolerated. We stand with them on that issue. But there were also significant places where we had vigorous debate."[19]

The Riders also visited and were denied access to Central Bible College, Oklahoma Baptist University,[15] and Colorado Christian University.[20]

Later Rides

The 2008 Ride included stops at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Dallas Baptist University, where a lunch and discussion were scheduled, and a dozen more.[21][22]

Baylor was anticipating the arrival of another Equality Ride in April 2010. The university granted the Riders access to the student union and campus food court, and the Riders planned not to chalk as they had on a previous visit. Vice president of student life Kevin Jackson: "Our desire is that our campus will show the care and compassion of our Christian faith. And in doing so, what we would hope is that individuals on campus would not feel compelled to protest." The stop was part of a 16-college tour that included Hardin–Simmons University and Abilene Christian University.[23]

The 2012 Ride was scheduled to leave from Philadelphia on March 3 and visit 12 cities.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Charisma Now: Michelle Van Loon, "'Equality Ride' Targets Christian Colleges," May 31, 2006, accessed March 9, 2012
  2. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (April 26, 2005). "Gay Freedom Riders". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  3. 1 2 3 Washington Post: Michelle Boorstein, "A Drive for Understanding," March 11, 2006, accessed March 9, 2012
  4. 1 2 Wisconsin Gazette: "LGBT Equality Ride begins in Philly," February 28, 2012, accessed March 10, 2012
  5. ↑ "Gay Rights Activists Arrested at Liberty University". FoxNews. March 10, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  6. ↑ Los Angeles Times: Arin Gencer, "Being Christian and Gay Aren't at Odds, Group Says," April 5, 2006, accessed March 10, 2012
  7. 1 2 BYU Universe: John Hyde, "Gay Rights Group "Soulforce" to Visit BYU to Protest," March 24, 2006, accessed March 10, 2012. The BYU Honor Code read: Advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle (whether implied or explicit) or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature, are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code."
  8. 1 2 PrideSource: Dawn Wolfe Gutterman, "Grandy arrested during Equality Ride stop at Military Academy," May 4, 2006, accessed March 9, 2012
  9. ↑ Tampa Bay Times: Waveney Ann Moore, "They ask, and tell," June 25, 2006, accessed March 10, 2012
  10. ↑ Internet Movie Database: Equality U (2008), accessed March 9, 2012
  11. ↑ MetroWeekly: "Equality U", 2009, accessed March 10, 2012
  12. ↑ Austin360.com: Michael Barnes, "AGLIFF Review 1: Equality U.," August 23, 2008, accessed March 10, 2012
  13. ↑ Minnesota Independent: Andy Birkey, "Less Than 24 Hours Later: Soulforce Equality Ride Vandalized," March 8, 2007, accessed March 9, 2012; EdgeBoston: "Dordt College officials apologize to harassed gay activists," March 10, 2007, accessed March 9, 2012
  14. ↑ St. Amant, Claire; Limmer, Melissa (March 21, 2007). "Soulforce members arrested on campus". The Baylor Lariat. Baylor University. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  15. 1 2 St. Amant, Claire (20 March 2007). "Equality ride preaches open dialogue". The Baylor Lariat. Baylor University. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  16. ↑ Herrington, Angie (April 2, 2007). "Equality Ride stops at Covenant". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  17. ↑ The Post Register (Idaho Falls): Paul Menser, "Gay-rights group members arrested," April 4, 2007
  18. ↑ Deseret News: Tad Walch, "BYU clarifies Honor Code about gay orientation," April 18, 2007, accessed March 10, 2012. The revised Honor Code read: "Brigham Young University will respond to homosexual behavior rather than to feelings or orientation and welcomes as full members of the university community all whose behavior meets university standards."
  19. ↑ The Calvin Spark: "Equality Ride visits Calvin," Summer 2007, accessed March 10, 2012
  20. ↑ Colorado Christian University denies access request to gay activism group
  21. ↑ Baptist Standard: Vicki Browen, "Gay-rights group targets Baptist colleges, including DBU," October 1, 2008, accessed March 10, 2012
  22. ↑ Edge Boston: Scott Stiffler, "Soulforce Rides into Dallas to promote Equality," October 17, 2008, March 10, 2012
  23. ↑ Baylor Lariat: Laura Remson, "Soulforce to visit campus on Tuesday," April 1, 2010, accessed March 10, 2012

External links

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