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SOULFORCE MEDIA ALERT: January 13, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jacob Reitan, 952-212-8311, jake@soulforce.org
Robyn Murphy, 612-965-0838, robyn@soulforce.org
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(Dallas, TX) With only fifty days till the wheels start rolling; Soulforce announces the historic itinerary of colleges and universities that have anti-gay admission policies. “Colleges and Universities don’t want to make this list! This list means you have policies that devalue the life of GLBT people and slam the door on academic freedom.” explains Equality Ride Director Jacob Reitan.
Like the Freedom Rides of the 50’s and 60’s, the Equality Ride will take 35 young adults; age 18-27, on an eight week bus tour to confront nineteen religious and/or military colleges that ban the enrollment of GLBT students. Reitan adds, “Our hope is that these colleges will see our visit as an opportunity to embrace the ideals of academic freedom, welcome us, and engage in open frank and productive dialogue with us.”
Scheduled to take place March 5 through April 30th, the itinerary for the ride is as follows:
March 5: Arrive in Washington D.C. for a week of training and preparation
March 10: Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA
March 14: Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA
March 16 and 17: Lee University, Cleveland, TN
March 20 and 21: Oral Robert University, Tulsa, OK
March 23 and 24: Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, OK
March 27: Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX
March 29: Texas A&M, College Station TX (Our focus will be on the discrimination which takes place in the ROTC)
March 30 and 31: Council for Christian Colleges and Universities International Conference, Dallas , TX (This conference happens only once every five years.)
April 4: Biola University & California Baptist, both in the Los Angeles, CA area
April 5: Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA
April 10 and 11: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
April 13: Colorado Christian University, Denver, CO
April 14: Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
April 17: North Central University, Minneapolis, MN
April 18: Bethel University, St. Paul, MM
April 20 and 21: Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
April 24: Eastern University, St. Davids, PA
April 26 and 27: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
April 29: Debrief in Washington, D.C.
April 30: Depart for home
The students selected for this groundbreaking bus tour represent a diverse mix of bright, faith-filled, young adults from all corners of the country. At each stop along route these confident and engaging activists will present a powerful case for GLBT equality.
Bans on open enrollment of GLBT students can force young people into closets of fear and self-hate. The Equality Ride empowers young adults to challenge such policies, while also advocating for the closeted students they meet and educating the college leadership they confront.
This week the Equality Ride students and leadership are meeting in Dallas, Texas for training in effective activism and nonviolent resistance.
Soulforce’s purpose is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance. For more information go to www.equalityride.com orwww.soulforce.org.