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SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: March 31, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Richard Lindsay, 646-258-7193
richard@equalityride.com
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(Dallas, TX) – Today at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities International Conference the Soulforce Equality Ride stood in vigil in honor of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students who are not welcome at religious colleges and universities. The CCCU is a coalition of nearly 200 mostly evangelical colleges and universities. The theme of the conference, which takes place every five years, is appropriately enough entitled "Significant Conversations."
The Riders stood outside of the Gaylord Texan Resort with community members in hopes that the CCCU would recognize the importance of conversation about the needs of LGBT students within their schools.
Rev. Dr. Cindi Love, executive director of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches attended the vigil and said, "We’re calling on members of the Christian community to repent of their homophobia. Throughout history religion has been used to discriminate against women and people of color; the Church has realized that this discrimination was a sin and its time for the Church to realize that the same is true of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."
Tonight, the Equality Ride is hosting a reception for all CCCU attendees. The purpose is to continue dialogue with administrators from schools the Ride has already visited and to begin in person conversations with administrators from schools not yet visited.
For more information on the Equality Ride visit www.equalityride.com/media.
The Soulforce Equality Ride is a journey to change the heart and mind of America on the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. Following in the footsteps of the Freedom Rides of the 1960’s, the Equality Ride uses principles of non-violence to confront military and religious colleges and universities with policies banning enrollment of LGBT students. The Equality Riders reflect on the lessons of history, which have shown past religion-based discrimination against women, people of color, and religious minorities to be an unacceptable abuse of the sanctity of religion. At each of the 19 schools on the 51-day bus tour, the young adult ambassadors of the Equality Ride bring this simple message to students, faculty and administrators: Learn from history; end religion-based discrimination.
The goal of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.