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SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: April 18, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandy Daniels, East Bus Media Director
Cell: 612-715-6284, brandy@equalityride.com
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(Wenham, Massachusetts) — The Soulforce Equality Ride spent several days holding presentations and dialogue at Gordon College about its discriminatory policy towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and the doctrine that sustains it. The Gordon College administration fully welcomed the Equality Ride as they sought to bring a more inclusive conversation about sexuality and gender to an environment that has tended to show only one side.
The administration of Gordon College welcomed this academic opportunity for their students, and gave space for two Equality Ride presentations, as well as allowing time for open dialogue and interaction within classes. The students attended the events in large numbers and had many educational interactions with members of the Equality Ride.
“A lot of students have taken for granted some of the things that they have grown up believing,” said Gordon College Student Government Association President John Stoeckle, 22. “These things they believe are abstract ideas that are not grounded in life. Soulforce’s visit has brought a face to the issue, has helped students realize the reality behind the abstract principles.”
Local community members also appreciated the Equality Ride’s visit. Gordon alumna Jewel Jones, in commenting about the Equality Ride visit to Gordon College, has said that the effect has been “tremendous” and that “it is through groups like Soulforce that change at schools like Gordon is going to occur. The Equality Ride has definitely opened doors.”
Gordon College 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.