LGBT Rights Freedom Ride Over the Rainbow

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Image by Soulforce / www.equalityride.com

In October more than a dozen young gay-rights activists piled in a bus for a different kind of college road trip: a six-week tour of 15 Christian campuses in the Deep South. Through panels, forums, worship, and good old conversation, the freedom riders, many of whom are devout Christians, set out to combat homophobic stereotypes through “reconciliation, not confrontation,” reports Yes! (Fall 2008). 

Vandalism, harassment, and multiple arrests have not deterred the Equality Ride from convening on more than 50 campuses since 2006 to discuss students’ often conflicting views on faith, tolerance, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. According to Robin Reynolds, who participated in the 2007 trip, it “was harder to throw out one-liners and rely on stereotypes when students were face-to-face with LGBT people.”

  • Published on Dec 8, 2008
UTNE
UTNE
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