Equality Ride
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The Equality Ride is an annual civil rights bus journey across the United States led by young adults. It primarily fosters dialogue -- or, failing that, confronts colleges and universities that it believes discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. As a part of the faith-based organization Soulforce, the activism focuses on religious colleges, while occasionally including military academies and secular universities.
College policies confronted by the Equality Ride either specifically banned LGBT people from attending or contain clauses in their official policies prohibiting non-heterosexual relationships. Some policies require the expulsion of gay students, while others discourage heterosexual students from supporting a viewpoint other than the school's.
Prior to visiting any campus, the Equality Ride contacts the college about their impending visit; however, they do not give the colleges a choice. The Equality Ride comes on the promised date, wanted or not. In the interests of creating dialogue, a majority of colleges work with the Equality Ride to create a productive day of presentations and dialogue with students. Campuses that do not choose this route get protested by the Riders and the community, often with former students coming forward to the media.
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[edit] 2006 Ride
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Note: Photos from EqualityRide.com |
Throughout March and April 2006, thirty-three young adults from the ages of 17-28 rode together on a bus creating the first Equality Ride.[1] Inspired by the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, the first Equality Ride traveled to 19 colleges and universities throughout the United States where they confronted discriminatory policies.
The first Equality Ride was the idea of Jacob Reitan, a 23-year-old Christian activist from Minnesota who conducted trial runs prior to the launch. (Spring 2005: Liberty University, Fall 2005: the US Naval Academy.[2][dead link]
Before officially launching the journey, the Equality Riders met with Congressman John Lewis—a member of the original Freedom Ride in 1961 and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He gave the Equality Riders his blessing and 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.”
Sixteen colleges targeted were faith-based institutions in the Christian tradition. Two were military academies. One was a secular university with an ROTC program. The Riders voted on these schools out of a list of over 200 colleges with similar policies.
Under the umbrella of Soulforce based out of Lynchburg, Virginia, the Equality Ride launched its journey right at home. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, also based in Lynchburg, was the Ride’s first stop. Liberty University arrested 14 Equality Riders and 10 community members who crossed onto campus hoping to speak with students.[citation needed] The university cited protection of students as well as trespassing as the reason for the arrests.
From there, the Equality Ride traveled from coast to coast confronting schools they had been in contact with about their impending-- and usually uninvited-- arrival. The Equality Riders also rallied outside a conference held once every five years by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
After the first several stops, most schools allowed official forums in large group settings and in classrooms. One presentation by the Equality Riders entitled “A History of Violence” portrayed the modern violence against LGBT people in American society in a deeply emotional way, and then encouraged people to stand up against that violence as people of faith.
[edit] Itinerary
[edit] 2007 Rides
Another Equality Ride was launched in 2007. The 2007 Equality Ride lasted from March 1 to April 30. For this Ride, two buses visited 33 schools. One toured the Eastern side of the United States, visiting 18 schools, and the other toured the Western, visiting 15 schools.
[edit] Responses from Colleges and Universities
While most schools chose to allow the Equality Riders onto campus, some have arrested Equality Riders for trespassing as they crossed onto campus property, including Liberty University, Regent University, Oral Roberts University, Baylor University and the United States Military Academy.
The military institutions cited their position as enforcement of federal law. Military institutions must comply with don't ask, don't tell, a federal policy signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Through this policy, gay service members are unable to be open about their sexual orientation; the Equality Ride maintained this was government-sanctioned discrimination, claiming that over 10,000 gay and lesbian soldiers were discharged between 1993-2005 at a cost of $364 million. The military states this is an issue of “unit cohesion.”
Faith-based institutions largely used their interpretations of the Bible as a reason to bar the Equality Riders. For many of the schools, correct exegesis lends itself to a clearly anti-gay interpretation of seven Biblical passages condemning homosexual conduct. These institutions tend to believe in conversion therapy as a solution for students struggling with their sexual identity and orientation, considering acceptance therein damaging to spiritual well-being.
[edit] Brigham Young University (10 April 2006)
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. 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.[citation needed]
[edit] United States Air Force Academy (14 April 2006)
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The protesters at the United States Air Force Academy were allowed on base with the same freedoms of the general public. They were allowed access the public areas, but were not permitted into the private housing or the secured Cadet area. All lawful demonstrators were allowed to protest unharassed, while those who violated the rules (for example, handing out literature or speaking with a portable sound system) were arrested for disorderly conduct. It is important to note that all the service academies are considered military bases which means (especially since September 11, 2001 attacks) the security has been increased to protect the military personnel.
[edit] Dordt College (8 March 2007)
Dort College and the community of Sioux Center, Iowa, invited Equality Riders on campus for two days of classroom presentations, dialog, 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."[3] While Equality Riders were officially welcomed by the college, their bus was vandalized with paint by unknown perpetrators. The school denounced the activity and washed the graffiti off of the bus.[4]
[edit] Covenant College (2 April 2007)
As Dean of Students at Covenant College, Bruce Voyles told newspaper reporters, "You have to wonder if they were really interested in dialogue or were just making some sort of statement." He reports disappointment that the Riders did not accept the college's initial offer for a visit under specific guidelines and a schedule, including meetings with administrators, faculty, students and a chapel service. Twenty-six Riders arrived just outside the entrance, standing along a public street, and were warned by college administrators that they would be arrested if they set foot on campus property. For nearly three hours, some students prayed and read the Bible with the Riders, and gave out boxed lunches and water to them. Four Equality Riders were arrested by Dade County police on charges of criminal trespassing after entering school property and reading a compact intended to "encourage Covenant College to become an environment that reflects the wideness of God's grace and diversity of the body of Christ."[5]
[edit] Baylor University (19 March 2007)
Six Equality Riders were arrested by Baylor University police on charges of criminal trespassing when they refused to stop chalking sidewalks, a common practice at Baylor, with what they called "messages of love and hope". Baylor administrators contend that the six were in violation of university policy that allows only school-affiliated organizations to write messages on sidewalks after completing an online application. Baylor e-mailed its faculty and students on the day prior to the Riders' arrival, stating that the university would not allow a dialogue to take place on campus.[6]
[edit] Equality U Documentary
Throughout the Equality Ride, a small film crew documented the journey. Director Dave O'Brien[7] and his team rode with the Riders, filmed important meetings, and watched while the activists made presentations to college groups. The documentary called Equality U[8] is by Eyethink Pictures [9] and is currently on the film-festival circuit. The documentary is feature-length at 90 minutes.
[edit] See also
- LGBT-welcoming church programs
- Right to Serve Campaign, a Soulforce campaign that grew out of the Equality Ride
[edit] References
- ^ The Equality Ride
- ^ Gays protest outside
U.S. Naval Academy - Washington Blade - ^ http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible
- ^ http://equalityride07.blogspot.com/2007/03/dordt-college.html
- ^ Herrington, Angie (2 April 2007). "Equality Ride stops at Covenant". Chattanooga Times Free Press. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/02/Equality-Ride-stops-at-Covenant. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ St. Amant, Claire; Limmer, Melissa (21 March 2007). "Soulforce members arrested on campus". The Baylor Lariat. Baylor University. http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=44715. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
- ^ Dave O'Brien (II)
- ^ Equality U
- ^ http://www.eyethinkpictures.com/
