Members of Nationwide Journey of Gay and Straight Young Adult Leaders Dialogue about Anti-gay Policy
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SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: April 22, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandy Daniels, East Bus Media Director
Cell: 612-715-6284, brandy@equalityride.com
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(Cedarville, Ohio) — The Soulforce Equality Ride visited Cedarville University on Thursday, April 19th to discuss its discriminatory policy towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students, the doctrine that sustains it, and the environment it creates. Cedarville University administration agreed to allow the Equality Riders on to campus for a day of dialogue and presentations. Riders gave a presentation on the effects of spiritual violence on LGBT people and participated in panel discussions on faith, gender, and sexuality with Cedarville professors.
A Cedarville student who wished to remain anonymous, said about the visit, "I have really been learning that the Christianity we see in America doesn’t even scratch the surface of what the message of Jesus is really about."
Equality Rider Amy Scott echoed her sentiments, saying, "My hosts were incredibly open to dialogue and we found many questions that we were able to mutually ask of our faith and where it needs to be challenged."
Cedarville University still stands by their policy, which allows for the dismissal of any student, gay or straight, who disagrees with their Biblical view on homosexuality.
Cedarville University is one of 32 Christian colleges and universities that Soulforce will visit as part of its second annual Soulforce Equality Ride. The 2007 Equality Ride is a 2 month journey by bus that is taking 50 young adults on 2 distinct routes to schools that actively discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
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.