Soulforce (organization)
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Soulforce is an organization based in the United States committed to confronting religious-based hate, violence and discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons. The organization was founded by the Rev. Dr. Mel White.
Mainly known for confronting Christian organizations on the consequences of their teachings about homosexuality through the practices of non-violent civil disobedience, Soulfource protests at colleges they believe discriminate against gays and at military recruiting centers over the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. During the course of these protests, they have been arrested more than 1,000 times. Their protest tactics include attempting to donate books on what they refer to as "healthy" sexuality to fundamentalist and evangelical Christian college libraries. When blocked from speaking to students directly, the organization displays phone numbers on placards to provide a source of counseling for sympathetic people who see them. Dr. White has called their efforts "media-driven street theater," with a minuscule budget and a donor list of just 1,000, claiming it changes hearts and saves lives.
[edit] Equality Ride
Soulforce has supported a movement known as the Equality Ride, and, in the fall of 2006, the Right to Serve Campaign. In 2007 Soulforce once again organized a Equality Ride. It was divided into two different trips (eastern and western), each leg visiting 15-20 different colleges.
[edit] Baylor University incident
On March 20, 2007, six Soulforce representatives were arrested by Baylor University police on the school's campus after it was discovered that they had written various messages on campus sidewalks with chalk, including Bible verses and other phrases such as, "God loves you just as he made you." Baylor administrators contend that the six were in violation of university policy that allows only school-affiliated organizations to write messages on sidewalks (it's a common practice at Baylor for event promotion and other things), and that when police initially requested the Soulforce members stop, they refused. The members were detained in the McLennan County jail that evening and appeared before a judge the following morning. Baylor, a four-year private university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, was one of Soulforce's scheduled stops on their Equality Ride tour, and the group was on campus March 19th and 20th. On the morning of March 19th, Baylor's Vice President of Student Life sent a mass e-mail to students and faculty notifying them of Soulforce's visit. The wording of the e-mail upset many students, who felt it made the school come across as intolerant. Soulforce's request to host a discussion group in one of the school's auditoriums was denied, although Soulforce was allowed to be on campus grounds. University officials also forbade Soulforce from distributing any type of literature on campus, even after requests by Baylor students to do so. Although university's bylaws include a Statement on Human Sexuality, which condemns behavior outside "the biblical norm" including "heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior", a small number of gay students attend Baylor.
[edit] External links
- Soulforce website
- Equality Ride
