Soulforce is an American social justice and civil rights organization that supports acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people through dialogue and creative forms of nonviolent direct action. Soulforce is inspired by the principles of relentless nonviolent resistance as taught and practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The organization is led by its Executive Director Rev. Cindi Love. It was founded in 1998 by the Rev. Dr. Mel White, who was a ghostwriter for Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and others until he came out as a gay man.[1][2]
Soulforce has sought nonviolent dialogue with leaders of every Protestant denomination and the Roman Catholic Church, as well as religious leaders such as James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson. When dialogue is denied, Soulforce, as directed by the principles of nonviolence, begins to plan and implement direct actions which have included vigils, protest rallies, sit-ins, marches, and various forms of peaceful civil disobedience. Soulforce has also helped share the stories of many "ex-gay survivors", most recently by creating the Ex-Gay Survivor Conference in 2007. Through the American Family Outing project, LGBT couples and parents, as well as straight ally families, created dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity at six of the largest mega-churches in the country, including those pastored by Dr. Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Bill Hybels, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. The Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights campaign galvanized hundreds of new straight allies, and its Right to Serve Campaign protested the Don't ask, don't tell policy in the United States military. Soulforce has also challenged policies at many Christian colleges and universities that allegedly deny academic freedom to LGBTQ students through an almost annual bus trip by young activists called the Equality Ride.
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Since 2006, Soulforce has supported a project called the Equality Ride led by young adults.[3] In 2007 it was divided into two different trips (eastern and western), each leg visiting 15-20 different colleges. Other rides were launched in 2008 and 2010. A fifth Equality Ride is planned for the spring of 2012. At nearly every school, the young adults find that many students are interested in conversations about faith, sexual orientation, and gender-identity. Some school administrators choose to allow the dialogue between students and Equality Riders. Other schools deny access.
The Right to Serve Campaign was the first nationally organized youth effort to bring attention to the Don't ask, don't tell policy of the United States Armed Forces. Nonviolent protests and events were staged in thirty cities in 2006. The Campaign centered on bringing media and governmental attention to the existence of qualified individuals who wished to serve in the military but did not wish to hide their sexual identity.