Soulforce kicks off tour at ND
Becky Hogan
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: News
The Soulforce Equality Ride is making its way across the U.S. to spread awareness about religious intolerance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people - and its first stop among 32 Christian colleges and universities was Notre Dame.
A bus arrived on campus Thursday with representatives from Soulforce Equality, a non-profit organization that promotes "freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance," according to the group's Web site.
Last year, the organization began the Soulforce Equality Ride, a 50-day bus trip that visits schools across the nation.
This year the tour will make stops at 32 Christian colleges, but Notre Dame is the first and only Catholic institution on the Equality Ride's schedule.
Two buses with 25 riders and two co-directors will cover the country's territory. The first bus will tackle the West, while the second one will travel along the eastern regions of the United States.
The West bus arrived at Notre Dame Thursday and will remain on campus today.
The riders organized a press conference at one of the Notre Dame Avenue entrances Thursday, said Kelsey Pacha, a lesbian junior at Northwestern University and one of the 25 riders on the western route. But she said Notre Dame Security/Police did not welcome the demonstration.
"We were a little disappointed," Pacha said.
She said NDSP officers gave different riders citations.
"It was a hurtful [message] that we were silenced," said Delfin Bautista, another Soulforce rider. "We were trying to simply engage students in dialogue."
Pacha said the Soulforce riders hope to bring Notre Dame's attention to two issues: the University's failure to recognize AllianceND - a gay and lesbian support group on campus - as an official student organization and its refusal to allow the group to meet on campus.
"If there are 200 students on campus that support AllianceND, then it should definitely be able to be funded by University, publicize its events and meet on campus," Pacha said.
A bus arrived on campus Thursday with representatives from Soulforce Equality, a non-profit organization that promotes "freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance," according to the group's Web site.
Last year, the organization began the Soulforce Equality Ride, a 50-day bus trip that visits schools across the nation.
This year the tour will make stops at 32 Christian colleges, but Notre Dame is the first and only Catholic institution on the Equality Ride's schedule.
Two buses with 25 riders and two co-directors will cover the country's territory. The first bus will tackle the West, while the second one will travel along the eastern regions of the United States.
The West bus arrived at Notre Dame Thursday and will remain on campus today.
The riders organized a press conference at one of the Notre Dame Avenue entrances Thursday, said Kelsey Pacha, a lesbian junior at Northwestern University and one of the 25 riders on the western route. But she said Notre Dame Security/Police did not welcome the demonstration.
"We were a little disappointed," Pacha said.
She said NDSP officers gave different riders citations.
"It was a hurtful [message] that we were silenced," said Delfin Bautista, another Soulforce rider. "We were trying to simply engage students in dialogue."
Pacha said the Soulforce riders hope to bring Notre Dame's attention to two issues: the University's failure to recognize AllianceND - a gay and lesbian support group on campus - as an official student organization and its refusal to allow the group to meet on campus.
"If there are 200 students on campus that support AllianceND, then it should definitely be able to be funded by University, publicize its events and meet on campus," Pacha said.