News Coverage: 2008 Equality Ride Stop at Mississippi College

The Soulforce Q Equality Ride visited Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi on October 19-20, 2008. For more information on the Equality Ride, please go to www.EqualityRide.com

Coverage by WLBT-3

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• gay
• lesbian
• bisexual
• transgender
• soulforce
• mississippi
• college
• civil
• rights

[TheGrizzly201]

of institutions where students of this particular persuasion feel accepted?

[TheGrizzly201]

...someone prejudging a homosexual or a member of a racial minority because of stereotypes. Furthermore, to be openly conservative (this is not meant to reflect upon the diversity of opinion in the faculty, which varies greatly) in the world of academia is to be in the minority, so isn't it hypocritical for this group who supports minority rights to target the handful...

[TheGrizzly201]

...SF is just as prejudiced as an organization as it claims are some of the schools they target. It sees the terms "Christian" and "university" and proceeds on the offensive without really knowing the culture of the campus it inevitably disrupts and in some cases draws attention to that results in negative public perception. There is no difference in this than...

[TheGrizzly201]

...on the campus of NYU, and the administration and students determined that the topic was of no academic value or cultural significance to the social questions on which that particular institution needed dialogue, would it be any more logical to trespass on that campus? No one denies SF's agenda is of value to some campus somewhere, but at MC it is simply not a topic that necessitates a forced discussion...

[TheGrizzly201]

cheaper options available. however it is imperative to remind applicants that hostility towards any group just doesn't happen at MC. Secondly, SF insists this is a conversation that needs to happen, a conversation that in all reality is totally unwarranted on this campus. Think of it this way, if a group who felt passionately about the degradation of rural values wished to demonstrate...

[TheGrizzly201]

...The truth is, for one, this is a private institution that serves certain particular functions to the public. It is a Christian school, and further is affiliated with a sect that takes biblical interpretation literally. In other words, homosexuality is sinful, but love is a primary virtue. If this is an impediment to a student opting for MC, there are many educationally equivalent, and frankly,...

[TheGrizzly201]

...of the variety that young people coming from any number of experiences tend to exaggerate, than any substantive incident. It is genuinely plausible that at a large public school with all of its trappings (frat culture, sports interests, etc.) that this student's claims of marginalization and open hostility would have been considerably more pronounced...

[TheGrizzly201]

Furthermore, there are many openly gay students at MC, and while it is a very conservative school, the student body is among the most mature of any undergraduate institution in the country. Owing to this fact, harrassment of homosexual students is non-existent, and this letter they were citing seems more attributable to youthful feelings of persecution...

[TheGrizzly201]

I was a student on campus when this demonstration took place, and I feel obligated to inform all concerned of my experience that day. Very few students actually stopped to spectate the demonstators, and none were antagonistic. Several members of SF made very inflammatory comments at students passing by on a very obvious attempt at provocation.

[dmmnola]

I do support the message and mission of Soul Force, but having been raised a conservative Christian in the South showed me that you cannot gain acceptance and tolerance when the major premise of the Christian Right is that homosexuality is a choice and a sin. There is simply no reasoning with that. The only hope for GLBT students subjected to this kind of ignorance and misinformation is to leave and enroll into a university that is affirming, not condemning.