12 Arrested at Southern Baptist Seminary

(Louisville, KY) -- Monday, 12 young adults were arrested for conducting a sit-in outside of the office of Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). In light of recent inflammatory comments by Albert Mohler, leaders of the Equality Ride eastbound bus decided to reroute temporarily in order to demand an apology for his remarks. Earlier this year, Mohler encouraged the intentional prevention of homosexuality. In an article on his website, Mohler wrote, "If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin."

Twenty-two Equality Riders sat in Norton Hall at SBTS awaiting a response from Mohler. After about 75 minutes, the Vice President of Communications listened to a statement read by Jarrett Lucas, Co-Director of the Equality Ride. Afterwards, the administrator informed the group that Mohler was unwilling to meet with them or speak with them via telephone.

An excerpt from the statement reads, "We are gathered here as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to demand that Albert Mohler openly recognize our right to life, love, and liberty. As it stands, his voice is terribly misguided in believing that God does not affirm the identities of gay and transgender people. So, we call on him to take responsibility for his bigotry and the hurtful effects of his statements, and ask that he issue a public apology for having said them. We have a moral obligation to speak out in the name of truth and justice."

After the statement was read, Louisville Police were called in and informed the group that their peaceful assembly would result in arrest. At that point, a delegation left to stand vigil outside of the Seminary. Twelve Equality Riders, determined to stay until Mohler apologized, remained seated outside of the President's Office. Eventually, they were taken into custody under criminal trespassing charges.

The 2007 Equality Ride is a 2-month journey that is taking 50 young adults on 2 distinct bus routes to schools that actively discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to www.soulforce.org or www.equalityride.com.

Mandy Arrested as Soulforce Equality Ride Continues

This has been the most eventful week on the road for me personally so far. Our week began with a journey from Oklahoma to Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Baylor is the largest Baptist university in the U. S., and their strategy for interacting with us was to try to ignore our presence.

We had two days of conversations with students planned. The administration had sent out an email earlier in the day to the student body saying that we were not invited guests because they did not want the conversation about sexual orientation to be controlled by anyone else but themselves, but the first day was productive in that we found a good mixture of students to talk to. I spoke with some students who were respectful but confused about why we were there, and others who had not heard about our arrival at all. I also spoke with a group of students who were ecstatic that we were there, and who wanted to help in whatever way they could.

Our second day at Baylor will remain in my memory forever. A few years ago, an underground Gay-Straight Alliance called Baylor Freedom organized and held meetings off campus. In 2003, the group dissipated, primarily because of fear and lack of support on campus. Student groups at Baylor are allowed to advertise information about their meetings on campus with sidewalk chalk, but whenever Baylor Freedom attempted to do so, the administration instructed that their messages be washed away with hoses as soon as possible.

Since I took a similar stand at my own university when I was a student there, and started a GSA there with my friends, the stories of Baylor Freedom resonated with me. So with the memory of Baylor Freedom in mind, and with the knowledge of the forced silence of current LGBT students at Baylor, we walked to the chapel building that second day and began to chalk the messages of hope and affirmation on the sidewalk that Baylor Freedom was never allowed to say. As I looked around, I realized that there were almost as many students chalking with us as there were Equality Riders.

After only a few moments, I was personally arrested with the chalk I was using still in my hands. This began an unexpected 26 hour ordeal within the Waco justice system. At first, we were taken to the Waco jail, and they began to process us, patting us down, emptying our pockets, and asking questions about our identity and history. Then things took an unexpected turn.

They divided us up into perceived females and perceived males. My friend Shawn, who is transgender and identifies as male, was forced to join the females in the group. They then took us to a room and made us strip down and performed a cavity search. Then they handed us black and white striped jumpsuits and plastic sandals, and ushered us to a holding cell. After 11 hours of being systematically ignored, they finally pulled us out of the holding cell to finish processing us at 2 AM.

When they had taken our fingerprints and gotten more detailed information from us, they split us up into smaller holding cells--each one a room about 5 by 9 feet in length, with a small seat and a toilet. We were given wool blankets, but nowhere else to sleep but the concrete floor. Shawn was moved into a cell with me. At this point, having been separated from the perceived males in our group, and having no contact with anyone on the outside of the jail, we were really
beginning to worry. We were told nothing but that we would be there at least until morning. All we could do was wait.

Finally, at 10 AM, after 19 hours, a guard came and opened our cell door, and we sat with other perceived females to watch a video that told us our Miranda Rights. Then we were individually rushed before a judge who asked us briefly if we understood our rights and then set our bond at $2,000 per person.

Our hearts froze. This was much more than we had ever anticipated. Unsure of what was going to happen next, I used my one phone call to contact my girlfriend. This was my first contact with anyone outside the building, and she promised she would call the co-directors and let them know exactly what was going on.

We waited. Six more hours passed with no acknowledgment or interaction from anyone. Then, at four o'clock, 26 hours after being brought to the Waco jail, a guard came to our doors and we were led to the changing room again to put on our clothes.

When we stumbled out of the building into the sun, we were greeted by four Equality Riders who had stayed behind as the rest of the group had moved on in order to drive with us to meet them in Mississippi. We ran to meet one another.

Our next stop was at Mississippi College in Clinton, a town who had previously told us that within the town limits of Clinton, if any groups of Equality Riders exceeded more than three persons at a time, we would be arrested. After being sent a hasty reminder from the ACLU of our First Amendment rights, they rescinded that warning, but watched us very closely from the first moment we rolled into town with a police escort.

When we pulled in to the college, there were literally hundreds of students waiting. We held hands to cross the street as we got off the bus, and students who had planned to join us in our vigil also held hands to walk down the hill and meet us. We explained that we had made a collage of childhood photos of Equality Riders to present to the college as a statement that we are all God's children.

After a few more words from the people who had coordinated that stop, students were welcomed to come down to the property line and speak to us. Literally hundreds of conversations were had in the few hours that we were there. Five Equality Riders were arrested for simply stepping across that line to engage in conversation. They were sentenced to 10 days in jail suspended for those who had no prior convictions, but for the three Riders who had gone to jail before for justice, their sentence was 20 days in jail suspended with the stipulation that they do not get into legal trouble within the next 2 years. The other part of their sentence was that they must do four weekdays of community service. And as we were leaving Clinton, we were pulled over multiple times and told by the police to "go on and get out of town."

So our group has been divided again. The rest of us have had to move on while those three stay in Mississippi. This week has me examining the concept of voluntary redemptive suffering. In spite of everything we have gone through, I have to come to the conclusion that every pain that I must endure, every bail that we must pay is worth it for the life of one student who
is given the hope and encouragement to carry on.

This message is one that can no longer be silenced. The cost to stay as we are is much greater than the cost to continue.

East Route Riders Harassed by Police

(Clinton, MS) -- As a traveling group of young adults attempted to recollect and depart Clinton, Mississippi, they were stopped three times by police vehicles within less than ten minutes. Their driver was subjected to threatening demands to "get out of town."

In response to this clear act of harassment, the Co-Directors of the tour wrote a letter to the Attorney General of Mississippi that voiced their concerns regarding this maltreatment and stated their intentions to return today.

The young adults are participants of the Soulforce Equality Ride, a 2-month journey to Christian schools to address the suffering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. As their goal is social justice and loving inclusion, they are committed to and trained in the principles of nonviolence as taught by Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.

Please see the letter below.

Also available: Letter from leaders of major LGBT rights organizations to the Mayor of Clinton [pdf]

March 23, 2007

Attorney General Jim Hood

MS Attorney General's Office
Carroll Gartin Justice Building
450 High Street
Jackson, MS 39201

Sent Via: Facsimile

Re: "Get out of town"

Dear Attorney General Hood,

We write today out of deep concern for the actions of the Clinton Mississippi Police Department. We are the Co-Directors of the Soulforce Equality Ride, a bus tour of college students who are crossing the country to advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality. As a group we are committed to and trained in the principles of nonviolence, and have a history of peaceful dialogue and respectful interaction with college students and administrations across the country. Soulforce has an outstanding relationship with many police departments and honors the hard work that law enforcement officials put into their lives everyday.

Last night, while in the town of Clinton, Mississippi, we experienced a distressing form of police intimidation. After a day of dialogue at nearby Mississippi College, we parked our bus in downtown Clinton. We were waiting for the return of some of the members of our tour from area coffee shops. While waiting, a police vehicle approached the bus with its lights flashing, signaling us to move. Our bus driver immediately turned down the nearest road and into a church parking lot to await the Equality Riders. The same officer once again followed us into the parking lot, with his lights on and asked our driver to speak with him. The officer was quite aggressive in demanding that we "go on and get out of town." Our driver explained that we were still waiting on the remainder of our group, but was still forced to move the bus. At that time, we drove and parked the bus in a lot that was previously designated by the city of Clinton. For the third time, a police vehicle approached us with flashing lights. The officer who approached us was extremely indignant and asked us "what is your problem? We have already given you breaks today." Our driver explained that we were in the space the City provided for us. In response, the officer asserted that our driver would be arrested if he were to take us anywhere else and not leave the city of Clinton immediately. Soon after, a community member arrived with the rest of the Equality Riders and we left promptly. We are prepared to provide sworn affidavits from ten people who can attest to the above series of events.

This behavior on the part of a Clinton police officer is unacceptable and we consider it a violation of our civil rights. Law abiding citizens should be allowed to safely assemble in any town in America. Such actions on the part of a law enforcement agent serve to make gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people feel unsafe in the city of Clinton. The role of a police officer is to protect members of the public, not threaten or intimidate them.

These concerns are augmented by the fact that several days prior to our arrival in Clinton, we received a document from the Clinton Police Department that set restrictions on our First Amendment right to assemble. After being contacted by the American Civil Liberties Union, the city rescinded the unconstitutional restrictions and shamefully applauded Soulforce for "playing the game well."

We are planning on returning to the city of Clinton today for a preplanned community picnic and we will not tolerate a repeat of this sort of behavior from the Clinton Police Department. If threatened with arrest for lawful assembly today members of the Soulforce Equality Ride are prepared and willing to submit to such an arrest. Any arrests for lawful assembly would be challenged by us in court and followed up with a lawsuit on our behalf against the city of Clinton for violation of our civil rights.

We hope that you will take swift action by informing the city of Clinton that such behavior by the Clinton Police is unlawful and will not be tolerated in the State of Mississippi.

Jarrett Lucas & Katie Higgins

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Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to www.soulforce.org or www.equalityride.com.

Soulforce Equality Ride Update

(Provo, UT and Clinton, MI) -- Two weeks ago, 50 young men and women boarded two buses and set out on a remarkable journey. Their mission: to initiate conversations about faith and sexuality at 32 Christian colleges with policies that silence or exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. This week, the Riders face their toughest challenges yet as the westbound bus travels to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah and the eastbound bus travels to Mississippi College in Mississippi.

Thus far, the Riders have shared moments of reconciliation, prayer, and connection with conservative Christian students at colleges on two separate routes across the nation, but they have also faced harassment and intimidation. Their bus was defaced with anti-gay slurs in Sioux Center, Iowa and they were met by armed police on the rooftops at Central Bible College in Missouri.

Currently, 5 Equality Riders and 1 Baylor University student are being held in the McClennan County Jail in Waco, Texas. The Riders were arrested Tuesday on criminal trespassing charges after they wrote messages affirming LGBT students in chalk on Baylor sidewalks. The Riders' bail has been set at $2,000 each, which is equivalent to the maximum fine under Texas law.
Riders are also facing organized, official resistance as they prepare to visit BYU, where Mormon Riders have been banned from their own church, and Clinton, Miss., where police officials attempted to abridge the Riders' constitutional rights.

Clinton, Mississippi: Echoes of Past Civil Rights Struggles
Police Officials Attempt to Deny the Right to Assemble

On Tuesday, police officials in Clinton, Miss., informed the eastbound Equality Riders that members of their group would be cited if they "attempt to gather or travel in a group of four or more" near the campus of Mississippi College.

In an addendum to an assembly permit, Lt. Thomas R. Ruffin acknowledged that the department's actions "could be construed as conflicting with constitutional allowances," but suggested that the young people's presence in the city presented "valid public safety concerns."

Equality Riders immediately contacted the ACLU of Mississippi, who intervened on the group's behalf. In a letter to Ruffin, ACLU-Mississippi Staff Attorney John Williams cited Supreme Court precedents establishing prior restraints on the right to assemble as "the most serious and least tolerable infringement on First Amendment Rights."

Williams continued, "it is unconstitutional and unlawful for your office to deny citizens the right to peacefully assemble on public property without the above mentioned safeguards and restraints. From a legal standpoint your licensing requirement is wrought with constitutional violations and restrictions on First Amendment grounds."

Clinton police officials immediately withdrew the unconstitutional restrictions.

Mississippi College Administrator Likens Equality Ride Visit to 9/11

Officials at Mississippi College, the second oldest Baptist college in the nation, have made it clear that the Equality Riders' loving perspective on LGBT students is not welcome on campus.

In negotiations prior to the visit, one administrator likened the Riders to terrorists, vowing that the campus would deal with the Equality Riders "just like America dealt with 9/11."

In reality, the Soulforce Equality Ride is rooted in a philosophy of non-violent social change as reflected in the teachings of Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Thursday, March 22, the Riders plan a peaceful vigil on a public sidewalk adjacent to the campus at 10 am. During the vigil, Equality Riders will make themselves available to students who are interested in speaking with them. The vigil will take place on College Street, between Capitol and Jefferson.

"While fear plays a strong role on this campus and in this town, the truth of our message is stronger: God loves all of His children, regardless of their sexual orientation," says Stephen Krebs, one of the organizers of the Equality Ride visit to Mississippi College.

Brigham Young University: Mormon Equality Riders Barred From all Church Property

Last week, Soulforce Equality Riders on the westbound bus received a letter from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints asking that Equality Riders "not enter church property for any purpose." The Riders had planned to volunteer at the church-affiliated Welfare Square Cannery and to visit Temple Square to learn more about the LDS faith in preparation for a stop at Brigham Young University on Thursday, March 22.

The BYU Student Honor Code states that "no one known to be guilty of overt and active homosexual conduct is to be enrolled or permitted to remain at Church Educational System (CES) campuses as students." It also identifies "advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle (whether implied or explicit) or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature," as violations of the Honor Code.

The Equality Riders' goal at is to expose the suffering that this policy creates and to provide resources for hope and reconciliation.

"Many LGBT students in our community suffer in silence," says Kourt Osborn, one of the organizers of the BYU stop. "They feel lonely, without friends or avenues for support. They feel threatened by BYU or by their own feelings inside, without affirming and correct information to give them a sense of identity."

Tomorrow, Equality Riders and Provo community members will begin a six-hour "Walls of Jericho" walk around the outskirts campus in order to draw attention to the issues that LGBT students face at BYU.

During the march, Riders will hold a press conference for community members, students, and former students to present grievances, letters, and concerns to the BYU community. This List of Concerns represents contributions directly from the BYU community to the school administration. The press conference will be held at the corner of Bulldog and North Canyon at 11 a.m.

Immediately after the press conference, Riders, community members, and BYU students will attempt to deliver the List of Concerns to Vice President Jan Scharman. The Equality Riders have already received an official notice of trespassing and proclamation of arrest if they enter Church or University property.

Looking Back: Moments of Reconciliation and Witness

In spite of the resistance that the Ride has encountered, the Riders have also participated in moments of genuine dialogue and reconciliation. At Wisconsin Lutheran, Riders were not allowed on campus, but the did manage an off-campus meeting with administrators and select students.

"Many of the students bowed their heads, cried, and shifted uncomfortably as the school officials repeatedly condemned us. One brave young woman stepped forward and joined our closing prayer, despite the school officials' outright refusal to do so," said Alexey Bulokhov, Co-director of the Ride.

At Oklahoma Baptist University, the Equality Riders walked on to campus with a banner filled with Bible verses and affirmations of LGBT students. When the Riders were arrested, 2 OBU students, who asked to remain anonymous, picked up the banner and brought it the rest of the way to the Student Center.

"We just wanted to finish what they started," said one of the participating students. "People should know that what they're doing isn't wrong, that our lives aren't wrong."

Looking Ahead

The Soulforce Equality Riders will continue their journey through April 26. A complete list of stops is available online at the links below.

East Bus Route
West Bus Route

Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to http://www.soulforce.org/ or http://www.equalityride.com/.

Update from the Equality Ride #2

Soulforce Equality Rider Mandy Matthias checks in with us from the road:

There are quite a few moments that will remain in my memory from my experiences on the second week of Equality Ride. Individual conversations and the picture of my friends being arrested stand out to me as I reflect.

The week began in Springfield, Missouri with our stop at Central Bible College. We stood vigil, noticing security and police officers dotted throughout the campus watching us. My friends Abby and Brandy, both straight allies, walked onto campus and were promptly arrested with Bibles in their hands. While we stood and watched as they were taken away, some students
from Evangel, a nearby sister school, approached us and talked with a few of the Riders. They informed us that students at both schools had been advised not to speak with us. In spite of that warning, however, those students came to hear firsthand about our message, and two students from CBC also approached us later in the day.

We then traveled to Shawnee, Oklahoma for our visit to Oklahoma Baptist University. We wanted to attend chapel with the students there, which is something we had gotten to do at our first stop at Dordt College. Worshipping alongside students there had been wonderful, and we were looking forward to sharing that experience with students at Oklahoma Baptist. When we
came to the sidewalk in front of the chapel, we were each individually turned away. Five of the Riders continued, and I watched my friends getting arrested for attempting to join our peers in worship. That is one picture that will stay in my mind forever.

The next day we made a tapestry to give to the president of OBU, filled with Bible verses and reminders of LGBT students who have been silenced within Christian Universities. I watched six more of my friends get arrested when they carried the tapestry on campus.

On a more positive note, all of these actions spurred a lot of discussion among students and community members. Even though we were not allowed to step on campus, students sought us out on the public roads nearby, and in local parks.

After the last day we were there on campus, we went to a nearby park and sat in large circles with students, talking about the arrests and about the atmosphere of their campus. The students I talked to mentioned their desire to engage in the kinds of conversations we were having, and were as sad as we are that we were not able to have them on campus.

Tomorrow we journey to Waco, Texas to begin our week at Baylor University and Mississippi College.

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It's never too late to support Mandy and the other riders as they continue their journey.

You can learn more about the Equality Ride and view the schedules as well as contribute to Mandy specifically or to the ride in general.

Equality Ride Audio Update

Mandy Matthias and 49 other Equality Riders are making their way around the country, visiting 32 Christian colleges with homophobic student policies.

Mandy gives us her first report from the road in the latest Godcast from Whosoever.

Go here to listen to Mandy as well as an interview with Dottie Berry and Roby Sapp who were recently arrested at James Dobson's Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs.

Equality Riders Arrested in Oklahoma

Equality Riders Arrested at Oklahoma Baptist University

(Shawnee, Oklahoma) -- On Wednesday, March 14, five Equality Riders were arrested for attempting to worship at chapel with students from Oklahoma Baptist University. The Soulforce Equality Ride is a nationwide journey of 50 young adults visiting conservative Christian colleges to challenge policies that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. The arrests were made when all 26 of the East Bus Equality Riders and 1 community member sought to enter onto campus and were turned away with a warning of trespassing. Five of the Equality Riders, truly determined to worship with students, were arrested by the Shawnee Police. The 5 arrested were Katie Higgins, 23; Rachel Loskill, 21; Robin Reynolds, 23; Curtis Peterson, 21; and Angel Collie, 24.

The bus holding 25 diverse young adults, including former students of conservative Christian colleges, straight allies and gay evangelical Christians, traveled to Shawnee to visit OBU and bring a message of inclusion and academic freedom to students. This is the second time the Equality Ride has visited OBU. The first time came in 2006 when the administration allowed Equality Riders to remain in a single room, which limited dialogue with students.

Since the visit by the inaugural Equality Ride, the school's policy has become more extreme and explicit - it now bans advocacy and support for LGBT students by straight allies as well as openly gay and transgender students.

When the Equality Riders arrived on Thursday they were warned by campus security that any entrance onto campus would result in arrest. Relentless in their mission to talk with students about the university's discrimination against LGBT students, 5 of the Equality Riders chose to go onto campus anyway in the hopes of initiating conversation.

"Many OBU students are disappointed with the administration's decision to deny this opportunity for dialogue. Last year, important steps were taken in expanding the minds of students on the issue of faith, gender, and sexuality. This year, however, administration has decided to remove inclusive perspectives from the discussion, exemplifying the injustice that has brought the Equality Ride here," said Co-Director Jarrett Lucas.

In addition to the harsher policy, a student's request to include LGBT students in the university's anti-discrimination policy was rejected this past year. The rejection came in spite of the university's previous promise to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected groups.

The Equality Ride plans to return to OBU's campus Thursday in hopes of continuing conversations with students just outside of campus grounds. The group will also be presenting a tapestry of affirming statements and biblical verses.

The Equality Ride East Bus was in Springfield, MO earlier this week, where two straight allies were arrested for attempting to enter onto Central Bible College's campus. After its stop in Shawnee, OK the Equality Ride plans to visit Baylor University in Waco, TX where Equality Riders are being allowed onto campus as guests of students.

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Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to www.soulforce.org or www.equalityride.com.

West Route Riders Arrested in Wisconsin

Soulforce Press Release

Eight Equality Riders Arrested at Wisconsin Lutheran College

(Milwaukee, WI) -- A group of gay and straight young adults, members of the Soulforce Equality Ride, joined students on campus Tuesday, March 13, at Wisconsin Lutheran College to talk about gay and lesbian issues and faith. Equality Riders stood with Bibles in hand, offered literature, and attempted to worship in the campus chapel service. The school met this peaceful visit with the decision to press trespassing charges.

The 2007 Soulforce Equality Ride is a national tour to colleges with policies that silence or exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. The mission of the Equality Ride is to create dialogue about religion-based discrimination.

On Monday, a delegation from the college and seven Equality Riders met in an off-campus location outside Milwaukee to conduct a formal introduction and explore the possibility of a school visit on Tuesday. "The administrators were unsympathetic, but the students were excited to speak with us," said Alexey Bulokhov, Co-Director of the Ride.

"Many of the students bowed their heads, cried, and shifted uncomfortably as the school officials repeatedly condemned us. One brave young woman stepped forward and joined our closing prayer, despite the school officials' outright refusal to do so."

Pastor Nathan Strobel and other administrators iterated the school's position that "the homosexual lifestyle" is a sin and that the school disciplines accordingly.

As the introductions took place on Monday, twenty remaining Riders stood vigil in front of the school, singing and praying, for eight hours. Students came off-campus to speak with Riders, talk about the Bible, and pick up pamphlets.

No agreement was reached for an on-campus meeting. As Riders and community members walked onto campus Tuesday, campus security made it clear that they were not welcome. Within an hour, police had arrested six Equality Riders, a local pastor, and another local man. They were charged with trespassing for remaining in vigil at the campus chapel and speaking with students on the campus quad.

Those arrested include: local pastor Wendy Woodruff, local man Ray Vahey, and Equality Riders Emily Van Kley, Allison Eby, Jonathan Hilbrands, Justin Hager, Kourt Osborn, and Emil Pohlig.

Wisconsin Lutheran was the second stop for the Equality Ride's westbound bus. On Thursday, March 15, the Soulforce Equality Riders will join Kansas City students in planting flowers as part of the Tulips on Troost Project. The service project is the commencement of the Riders' two-day visit to MidAmerica Nazarene University, which will include forums, presentations, and classroom visits to talk about faith and sexuality. MidAmerica Nazarene University is one of 32 schools, all of which discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, scheduled for the second annual Soulforce Equality Ride this March and April.

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Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to www.soulforce.org or www.equalityride.com.

Soulforce Riders Arrested in Missouri

Soulforce Press Release:

Fear Leads to Arrests at Central Bible College

(Springfield, MO) -- Monday morning, March 12, two young adults were arrested for attempting to enter the campus of Central Bible College. Abigail Reikow and Brandy Daniels, both straight women, stepped onto campus in order to talk with students about religion-based discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. The Central Bible College student handbook lists "homosexuality" and "lesbianism" as possible grounds for probation or suspension.

Reikow and Daniels are participants in the Soulforce Equality Ride, a nationwide journey of 50 young adults on two buses who are visiting conservative Christian colleges to open a dialogue about the painful consequences of discrimination and the religion-based prejudice that sustains it. Like many of the Equality Riders, Daniels comes from an evangelical Christian background. She was raised in the Assemblies of God, a charismatic Christian faith. Central Bible College is considered the flagship school of the Assemblies of God.

The 25 Riders on the eastbound bus arrived in Springfield Saturday evening and participated in community events all day Sunday. Today Equality Riders arrived at Central Bible College and held a silent vigil in honor of the LGBT students who have been harmed and silenced by CBC's discriminatory policy. "Central Bible College had a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversation about faith and sexuality with a new perspective added, but they chose to reject an affirming voice and went so far as to arrest two heterosexual Equality Riders who wanted to address their peers," said Jarrett Lucas, co-director of the East Bus.

The Equality Riders remained undeterred in their determination to bring a message of inclusion and academic freedom to Central Bible College. Reikow and Daniels walked onto the campus in order to talk with students exiting from CBC's worship service. Springfield police immediately arrested both women for criminal trespassing.

The vigil and civil disobedience action came after campus officials refused the Equality Ride's attempts to initiate dialogue. Today's civil disobedience was conducted in a spirit of nonviolence, in the hopes of creating conversation among students about discrimination against LGBT students. Central Bible College is the second stop for the East Bus of the Soulforce Equality Ride. The first stop was at Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA where the Equality Riders were invited onto campus and dialogue was welcomed.

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Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. For more information go to www.soulforce.org or www.equalityride.com.

Update from the Equality Ride #1

After a harrowing start to the journey, Whosoever's correspondent on the Soulforce Equality Ride 2007, Mandy Matthias, files her first report from the road:

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My first week as an Equality Rider is drawing to a close as I'm on the bus to Springfield, Missouri with 26 people who have rapidly become my family. Our Ride began with a touch of insanity as all of us were trying to fly into Minneapolis during one of the biggest snowstorms to hit this season. It took three days for us all to arrive from being stranded at airports across the nation, but we soon got down to work and hit the road.

The East Bus drove down to Sioux Center, Iowa for our stop at Dordt College. We arrived the night before, and as a few of us were in the hotel lobby finishing our planning for the next day, we saw a car circle the parking lot a few times. Not long after that, two young men walked up to the window and made an obscene gesture. A bit shaken, we decided to take our planning
session up to one of the rooms.

When we came downstairs the next morning, we walked outside to see that our bus had been defaced. Two pieces of cardboard had been attached to the bus, one scrawled with obscenities, and the other simply saying, "Get Out." All the windows on the driver's side had also been spraypainted with graphic pictures of male and female genitalia, and with the message, "God doesn't love gay feary [sic] f*cks." It was this last message that really hit me.

I know that if I would have seen that message two or three years earlier, before I had reconciled my faith and sexual orientation, I would have been crushed. This is exactly the message that students are receiving on the campuses we are visiting--whether directly or indirectly, by their peers or administration, by their culture or religion. We hope to counteract this by bringing a message of hope and love--that God created them and accepts them and loves
them.

With the gravity of these graffitied messages in mind, we soberly loaded the bus and drove the short distance to Dordt College. In spite of our morning, our day at Dordt was a beautiful success. Each of the Riders were assigned one or two hosts who showed us around campus for the day. This was a great opportunity to connect one on one, and we walked away from the day remembering some great conversations.

The next day we went to the mall and another popular coffee shop in town and met with students for the afternoon. A lot of them stopped by to hang our or to ask more questions.

Even if the Ride was to end tonight, before we get to our second stop, I know it would have been worth it. The students at Dordt were a great reminder of why we are on this adventure, and I know each of the Riders will carry the students they connected with in their hearts and memories throughout the rest of the Ride.

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It's never too late to support Mandy and the other riders as they continue their journey.

You can learn more about the Equality Ride and view the schedules as well as contribute to Mandy specifically or to the ride in general.

Soulforce Bus Vandalized in Iowa

On the opening day of Equality Ride 2007, the 50 young Riders faced grim reminders of why they are on 2 buses, headed for 32 Christian colleges with policies that silence or exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. Last night the eastbound bus made its first stop in Sioux Center, Iowa, where Riders were harassed at their hotel. This morning they awoke to find their bus defaced by graphic anti-gay graffiti.

The Equality Ride traveled to Sioux Center to visit Dordt College, a school that counts "sexual activity with someone of the same gender" as possible grounds for "an employee's discharge or a student's dismissal." The Equality Ride's mission is to open a dialogue about the painful consequences of discrimination and the religion-based prejudice that sustains it.

The bus full of young adults, including former students of conservative Christian colleges, straight allies, and gay evangelical Christians, arrived in Sioux Center in the early evening. On the night of March 7th, three vehicles circled the hotel where the Equality Riders were staying, harassing the young adults who were staying inside. In the morning, anti-gay slurs were found written on the side of the bus, along with a hate-filled message on a piece of cardboard: "God does not love feary f****"

To view uncensored pictures of the defacement click here. (Warning: Photos show obscenities and hate speech.)

Last year, the Equality Ride received a similar welcome in Cleveland, Tennessee. There community members wrote "fags-mobile" on the side of the bus. Katie Higgins, co-director of the Eastbound bus and a rider from last year commented, "This is the reality created by fear and misunderstanding. It saddens me that people have such hatred in their hearts, but this just demonstrates why we feel called to spread our message of the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings."

The Equality Riders remained undeterred in their determination to bring a message of inclusion and academic freedom to Dordt College. They visited the college to have conversations with students about the college's discriminatory policy and the harm it does to LGBT students. During the visit, Dordt's President publicly apologized for the community's behavior.

As the Riders on the eastbound bus were meeting with students and administrators on the Dordt College campus, the Riders on the westbound bus were supporting gay students at Notre Dame who attempted to speak publicly about their experiences in the cafeteria of the Student Center. One Notre Dame freshman, Eddie Velasquez, was announcing further opportunities for dialogue with the Equality Riders when an administration official approached him and attempted to escort him away. Velasquez was approached by the campus police and his information was taken down; repercussions for him and the other students are currently unknown. Six of the Equality Riders were issued trespassing warnings by Notre Dame campus police.

Later this evening, Carrie Call, of St. Mary's College is hosting the Equality Riders along with PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), students from St. Mary's College and Notre Dame, and gay community members of South Bend for an evening of entertainment and presentations.

At 10 am on Friday, March 9, the riders will hold a second press conference at the main gate of Notre Dame (intersection of Notre Dame Ave. and Angela/Edison). Directly after the press conference, the riders and students will present a wreath to the Tom Dooley Statue located on campus. Tom Dooley was a gay military hero who was discharged under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. At the statue, riders will hold a vigil and partake in the St. Francis prayer and song. Many of the riders who have been issued trespassing warnings will be taking part in this ceremony. Arrests are likely.

Throughout their two-month journey, the Equality Riders will be blogging from the buses, including the posting of video clips. To read the daily blogs go to www.soulforce.org/blogs

The 2007 Equality Ride would not happen without your financial support. The buses are on the road, but we still need to raise the funds to fully pay for this action. Can you make a financial contribution to the Equality Ride and help counter the message of hate the riders received today?

Whosoever Partners With Soulforce on Equality Ride 2007

Whosoever is proud to be one of the many sponsors of Soulforce's 2007 Equality Ride.

Fifty young adults going to thirty-two Christian colleges and universities. Two buses are taking the group on two distinct routes around the country in creative pursuit of social justice. In doing so, they are empowered to change countless lives.

Whosoever is sponsoring 23-year-old rider Amanda Matthias from Wayne, Pennsylvania. She was convinced to join this year's ride after Soulforce visited the Christian college she was attending last year.

Amanda said she is glad to have this opportunity.

"I feel honored to be giving updates to Whosoever readers about my experiences on the Soulforce Equality Ride. Whosoever was actually one of the first websites that was suggested to me when I came out to an affirming professor at my Christian university. I must have spent hours looking around the site, and as a younger person who was really struggling to reconcile my faith and sexuality, it was invaluable to me. It is my identity and experiences as an LGBT person of faith that has inspired me to take this journey, and I look forward to sharing it with you all along the way."

Whosoever is honored to have Amanda (who goes by Mandy) reporting for us along the way. We look forward to her first report.

The partnership is a first for Whosoever and Soulforce, two groups that have been working separately for years to achieve many of the same goals.

"I am delighted that Whosoever is sponsoring a stop on the Soulforce Equality Ride for 2007. Soulforce and Whosover have been friends for several years now. I personally have admired Candace's work as a pioneer in using the Internet to bring hope and help to GLBT people and our allies across the world. Let this be the first step in working even closer together as the years go by," said Soulforce founder Mel White.

You can keep up with the Equality Riders by checking out their schedules:

• East Bus Route
  
• West Bus Route
  

The riders continue to need sponsors throughout their trip. Please make a donation to the ride today!