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2007 Equality Ride
February 17, 2007
KANSAS CITY – The Soulforce Equality Ride is a continuing journey to change the hearts and minds of America on the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. Joining the work for equality this year is Wick Thomas, a Kansas City resident and recipient of the 2007 Creating Change Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
At religious colleges around the nation bans on LGBT enrollment force students into closets of fear and self-hate. These bans devalue the life of LGBT people and slam the door on academic freedom. The Equality Ride empowers young adults to challenge these policies and the thinking behind them.
Through dialogue with administrators, faculty and students, the young activists of the Equality Ride make clear the harmful effects of the false notion that homosexuality is a “sickness and a sin,” and “a threat to the nation.” To make public their case for equality, the young activists on the Equality Ride held vigils, Bible studies, class discussions, community forums, and press conferences.
The work is not over. In 2007, the Soulforce Equality Ride will host two buses with separate routes: twice the schools, twice the reach, twice the activists, and twice the change. Young adults will continue to press for dialogue, understanding and equality. Over 200 schools in the nation carry similar policies to those schools visited in 2006. The opportunity to get involved in the next evolution of the LGBT rights movement has not passed. History shows us that change is coming.
Each Equality Rider has a goal of $3,500 to raise to help pay for living expenses while on the ride. Wick will be holding a sending-off party at 7:00 p.m. at McCoy’s in Westport on Sunday, February 25 to raise funds for his trip. For more information or to support Wick Thomas visit: www.soulforce.org/wick_thomas and www.equalityride.com
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