Equality Riders Arrested Again
Posted on | March 15, 2006
I have been hearing about this Equality Ride that the group Soulforce has been conducting. The ride is a tour undertaken by a group of activists who are riding across the country and stopping at various private colleges/universities that have policies against admitting homosexuals such as Regent University in Virginia which is affiliated with American Taliban leader Pat Robertson. Regent University originally was going to welcome the Soulforce activists but decided to follow the example set by fellow American Taliban leader Jerry Falwell and have them arrested like they were last week at Falwell’s Liberty University. The group heads to Lee University in Tennessee tomorrow.
So it seems that the process goes a little something like this:
- Arrive at a private university that does not like gay people
- Disregard warnings and go onto the private property
- Get arrested
- Get released
- Repeat
What is the point of that? So a private university does not want to admit gay people. These private universities have a right not to admit gay people. Boy Scouts of America v. Dale gives them their right to do so but Soulforce has a problem with that. But let us be honest here, would you actually want to attend a university like that? As a gay man I would not want to attend a school that did not want me there in the first place. Even if they were forced to admit homosexuals I would still not attend. Why would I want to get my higher education at a suit-and-tie version of al Qaeda training camps where things like the wheel and fire are denounced as witchcraft?
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9 Responses to “Equality Riders Arrested Again”
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March 15th, 2006 @ 2:28 pm
the way to work things out, is to communicate.
March 15th, 2006 @ 2:32 pm
True, but communication can only work if the receiving party is open to it. Clearly these school administrators do not wish to participate in any form of communication with Soulforce and so all Soulforce members do is attempt to martyr themselves by getting arrested.
March 15th, 2006 @ 6:54 pm
I have to agree with you. If homosexuality is a sin in their eyes, why would you want to be involved with them.
It’s no different than the Church saying you can be gay, just don’t do gay things and God will love you. Why try to get them to change their mind. They won’t.
As far as I’m concerned, the whole thing accomplishes nothing except perhaps making gay people look bad. What Soulforce is saying is to hell with you and your beliefs. You have to accept us and we are going to force it on you. That makes us appear to be no better then them.
Give it up and put your efforts somewhere where they will actually make a difference.
March 15th, 2006 @ 8:16 pm
I knew i saw this last night.
check it out.
March 15th, 2006 @ 8:18 pm
hmm, click my mame to see a good wash post article on what the hell i was talking about.
March 15th, 2006 @ 8:45 pm
yea, not sure how effective they will be. but soulforce is a cool organization… somebody has to talk to them. The problem of intolerance began with religion and superstition. bottom line is, these folks need information. some will change their views, some will not. some will later. the seed of truth needs to be planted. And, I kinda like the idea of talking, brother 2 brother.
March 16th, 2006 @ 5:28 am
Alex, I don’t disagree. Communication is important. But marching up to a privately owned university/ college/ institution, banging on the door and expecting to be let in is not the way to go about it.
Most people do not respond well when you force them into a corner. Especially when you are telling them very publicly that what they believe is wrong.
If Soulforce wants to present a message, then they should ask, in a public forum, that both groups sit down and talk. We present our side, they present theirs and at the end of it all, if an agreement can be reached, then great. If not, that’s good too. Move on.
In the course of that discussion, someone will start to think. And perhaps a seed of thruth will be planted. But if you force someone to defend their beliefs, they will.
March 16th, 2006 @ 9:19 am
It’s like when Murphy wants to join the men-only club that Jim’s in cause women aren’t allowed. She doesn’t really care about the club, it’s the principle of the thing, and when she finally gets in everyone is mad at her but she knows she did the right thing. In other news: try to forget that I just made a Murphy Brown reference.
March 16th, 2006 @ 9:21 am
aw, yes. But, sometimes you just need to give a nudge. Have you read the article? Followed the story? Look to the King. (Martin Luther of course.) These people will not sit down and talk to us without some encouragement. Kinda like the politicians need some encouragement to do the right thing.