Hailing from across the country, and one from Cyprus, the 2010 team brings a multitude of unique experiences and backgrounds, bound by a common desire to make campuses and communities safe, welcoming and affirming for people of all identities.

The Riders will board the bus on March 4th to begin their two-month long journey - stopping at 16 campuses in the Northeast, South, and Midwest - all with policies that are discriminatory to LGBTQ students.

We are placing a special focus on community work this year, and are hoping to engage not just with the campuses we visit, but with the communities they live in. This means partnering with communities in volunteer work, hosting activism/organizing forums, linking students with community members, and offering our support for the justice work that is already happening in the places we are visiting.

The Riders will have one more opportunity to train at the end of February before boarding the bus on March 4th. - but they need your support! We would like to be greeted by affirming community members along the way. If you or a friend live in one of the areas along our route, and might be interested in volunteering with us, hosting an event, participating in a potluck, or anything else, please get in touch with the Rider coordinating that stop, or one of the Ride’s co-directors (Andi& Asher) soon.

Being in touch with supportive community members is vital to planning a successful Equality Ride stop!

Every day, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people suffer harassment, violence, and discrimination at the hands of those who do not understand them. This oppression usually hides in plain sight, masquerading as rigid doctrine or timeless tradition. Consequently, it often goes unchallenged and unchanged. Guided by principles of nonviolence, we at Soulforce Q approach these controversial issues with a readiness to meet people where they are. It is our belief that open and honest discussion begets understanding and healing, and that philosophy is at the heart of our work.

The Equality Ride is a traveling forum that gives young adults the chance to deconstruct injustice and the rhetoric that sustains it. It allows emerging young leaders to unite in the struggle for common equality. The idea is this. We get on a bus and journey to various institutions of higher learning. Through informal conversation and educational programming we explore concepts of diversity, comparing the effects of inclusive and exclusive viewpoints. More practically, we share and gain insights about how our beliefs influence policy and culture, thereby impacting society. Our goal is to carefully and collectively examine the intersection wherein faith meets gender and sexuality. Such discourse, especially when it affirms the beauty of our differences, plays an essential role in creating a safe learning and living environment for everyone.

Thus far, the Equality Ride has engaged nearly seventy academic communities. Many have shown considerable hospitality in welcoming us, and our legacy at those schools is one of mutual growth and compassionate fellowship. In addition to panels and schoolwide symposiums, we have joined students in cafeterias and coffee shops, participated in Bible studies and worship services, and given presentations in packed classrooms. Unfortunately, not every school chooses to host the Equality Ride. Voluntary redemptive suffering in the form of civil disobedience may become our avenue towards progress if, and only if, a school ignores the urgency and rejects dialogue.

A Movement in itself, the Equality Ride is empowering future generations to put their faith in action and make social justice a reality.

Resources for the Media   Donate to the Equality Ride

An Equality Rider is a young adult, age 18 to 28, who recognizes that we must work with religious attitudes if we are to reach reconciliation. A Rider may live anywhere, come from any ethnic background, and may or may not identify as a person of faith. They understand the value of meeting people where they are and that the process towards peace and liberation begins with a conversation, not hostility. What we look for is a willingness to learn, to engage, and to create.

So far, over 100 young adults have joined together as Equality Riders to challenge the religion based discrimination coming out of religious colleges and universities in the US!

Get to know more about each member of the 2010 Equality Ride and read about how you can sponsor a Rider on this amazing journey!

Check out where the 2010 Equality Ride is heading, and find out how YOU can get involved!