by Soulforce Admin
Mason and Haven of Soulforce in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: Kevin Jones, Board Member for Soulforce
Hello everyone:
Today, I had an opportunity to join Mason, Haven, Cindi and her sister at the National Mall, where panels of the AIDS Quilt were displayed. Cindi invited us to join her family and see the display of love and reverence for her brother. It was my first time seeing the many panels in such a profound and historic place. As the rain came, those viewing the panels were asked to help fold the different quilts. Without hesitation, everyone gathered to help. People didn’t grunt or moan. We sweated as the weight of the panels and the wind were an unexpected upper body workout. I met many strangers. We were all of different races, probably practiced various religions, maybe even loved and acted in every way imaginable. In the many minutes it took to fold the panels, everyone understood the importance of the task. We were united out of love and reverence. Once we thought the task was done, we were then asked to bring the panels to the sides of the Mall. After a while, I grew tired. I was able to carry one but had to rest. When I looked up, I saw Haven and Mason running to get yet another panel.
This is why I support Soulforce: even when I grow weary, I have allies who will pick up and do at times when I’m not able. Soulforce is willing to stand up and do the work, even when it is hard and the goals seem impractical. I could not have asked for a better way to pay respect. Thank you Mason and Haven.
Kevin Jones
by Soulforce
On July 8, TransLutherans was announced as a new affinity group in ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation at our assembly in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the board for approving the formation of this group at its 2012 spring meeting in Minneapolis. TransLutherans has been a long time in the making. A word or two about the history of this process is in order.
by Soulforce
DURING STEVE SLAGG’S freshman year at Wheaton College in Illinois, a gay-rights advocacy group called Soulforce announced that it was embarking on a nationwide bus tour of conservative Christian colleges that had campus policies against homosexuality to facilitate some of the first open conversations about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Wheaton College was one of their stops.
“We were talking a lot on campus about Soulforce and what we were going to do about them,” remembers Slagg about the spring 2006 tour. “It felt like nobody was really aware of the fact that there were people in this community who were gay.”
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by Soulforce
Contact: Sharon Singh, ssingh@aiusa.org, 202-675-8579, @spksingh
(Washington, D.C.) – Amnesty International today urged the Ukrainian parliament to reject two draft laws that are a direct assault on lesbian, gay and bisexual people’s rights.
The draft laws, which purport to protect the rights of children by denying them information relating to homosexuality, are in contravention of Ukraine’s international obligations to protect the right to non-discrimination. If enacted, the legislation would discriminate against lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in their exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.
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