The Mississippi Closet

We rolled into the Clinton MS on Saturday the 18th and I feel like as we are leaving there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in this town. This is the one stop on the Ride that I have been planning and working on since July and now that its come and gone I feel like there is much more that needs to be done.

We held our meeting about the stop on Saturday the 18th and I gave everyone a run down of how I wanted the days to look and go and a general schedule. Planning seems to be in my blood. After answering some questions we broke for the night and I met up with Mary Sue, the student I had been communicating with all summer and just to see the smile on her face when she saw me and the bus was amazing. We went out to eat and I told her what the next few days would look like. After dinner we went back to the hotel and I met a few other students and alum who I had been working with. It was so great to finally see them.

Sunday we were invited to go to church at Northside Baptist with a local man by the name of Cliff Johnson. Cliff and his family are probably some of the most amazing people I have met in my life time. I have never felt so welcomed at a church in my life. Some of the Riders went with me and as we were leaving I looked at the pastor, and told him that it was the first time in years I had left a church happy and closer to God. He just smiled and said “Your Welcome.”

We when got back to the hotel we had a feast provided for us by the amazing people at Safe Harbor Community Church in Jackson. We ate and hung out with them and it was truly awesome. Safe Harbor is a predominantly LGBT church in Jackson MS. They invited us to a revival that night and I was definitely gonna take them up on that offer and some riders and I did. You have never been to a revival till you have been to a revival at a Queer Church. So much love and compassion and joy just flowed from everyone. They invited us to speak a little about who we were and what were about. I invited them all to our candlelight vigil that night. We had to leave the revival early because justice called and it was time to get ready for our candlelight vigil at MC.

We got there and lined up and light our candles off the a main pillar candle. I spoke at the about the importance of candlelight, and how every time a candle is lit, there is a purpose and how that night the candles were lit in remembrance of people and stories who had been thrown in to the darkness to be forgotten. We stood silent and solemn and it was a beautiful scene we had students watching us from afar and a few even came out and joined us. We had two students who bought us hot chocolate just because they wanted to. We ended the night with people sharing why they lit their candle. It was a beautiful moment. We packed up and headed back to the hotel for tomorrow we would be on campus.

We pulled up the next morning and it was a totally different scene than last year. No SWAT vans, no crazy amounts of police. Just campus security watching from a distance. We stood silently for a while then I decided to keep up with what had been going on campus in the months before our arrival, chalking. I broke the vigil line and told the riders it was time to “chalk the block” and we did. It was the most powerful thing to watch all the riders break line and start chalking messages such as “John 3:16 says WHOSOEVER, that includes LGBT people” and “I am YOUR sister.” all up and down the block and even in front of the steps of the main entertain. By this point in the day we had students starting to watch us and engage us and faculty and administration come out. They however refused to acknowledge our presence and humanity. The lady who does the PR for the school actually turned her nose up at me.

At about 1pm that after noon we gathered all the Riders together and read a letter that an MC student wrote and sent to me. It talked about what it was like to be gay at MC, how he is harassed and can't come out. How if he would tell the school he was being harassed he would be in trouble. After we finished reading it Cait, Alex, Mary Sue and a student by the name of Johnathon walked on to campus together. Cait and Alex were arrested as Mary Sue and Johnathon stayed behind.

After the girls walked on many students came down and talked to us. Asked us why? Why was it important that we have this conversation on campus? Why did we walk on knowing what might happen? My answer was the letter. The letter we read was a clear example about how LGBT students feel on campus everyday. It was important to walk to show that the administration would go so far to arrest two young women who hold a different view to keep that view off campus.

The rest of the day was spent talking about the chalk, the messages behind it and so on. When I went to lunch I got a phone call from Mary Sue that said “They trying to power wash the sidewalk what do you want us all to do?” The sidewalk we chalked on was public sidewalk, the 'they' was Mississippi College. I told her pick a square and sit on it and to tell the other riders to do the same. I ran back down to the College and they had just driven off, without spraying down the sidewalk.

Our last day in Clinton we had a community picnic and a few students showed up as well as random passerby stopped by to say Hi and see what we were about. She sat and listened as an MC student poured her heart out us and told her story. As we were leaving she asked to board the bus and speak with us. She told us that we were loved not only by her but by God and that she admired what we were doing. She gave us a sending prayer and wished us luck and safe travels. We ended the night with dinner at Cliff's house with his family and members from the community. We had students and faculty there. It was a great way to end our time in Clinton, MS.

A student referred to Mississippi College as Mississippi Closet. Now I see why. The LGBT students on that campus are forced into silence everyday. This was my stop on the ride and I can truly say that my work in this community is far from over.

From the Road,

Zak Rittenhouse