Day 2 at Baylor began with the group splitting in two. About half of us headed over to the nearby coffee house, Common Grounds, while the other half went to the Truett Seminary chapel service with our gracious 3rd year seminary host, Daniel. Fernando Ortega was the special guest, singing hymns and some of his own piano-driven Christian tunes. Our re-congregation in the hotel lobby led to a fascinating discussion of our plans for the day. For the first time on the ride, we lacked unanimity in deciding how the day should proceed and how we could best serve our goals and the LGBT community at Baylor. Should we follow up the apparent good will shown us with another day of small-sided conversation on campus? After all, our first day on campus had led to many positive interactions and a couple prominent, encouraging articles in the school newspaper. Or was Baylor simply attempting to appease us to the point where we were willing to acquiesce and become nearly invisible and inconsequential to the students and to the future of LGBT discussions on campus?

In an exceptional display of courtesy, clarity, honesty, and integrity, the Riders opened up about their concerns and thoughts on following through with our plan for civil disobedience, eventually deciding it was the correct course of action. A couple years after an underground GSA, Baylor Freedom, was finally forced into complete silence by the school, we wanted to bring back their spirit in messages chalked onto campus pavement. Chalking is a popular way for student groups to spread information about themselves and about their events to fellow students, faculty, administration, and other employees. But Baylor Freedom’s messages were always quickly sprayed away in passive-aggressive, cowardly displays of power and denial by the university. We wanted to write all the things Baylor Freedom had been kept from expressing, what every LGBT student at Baylor could never see written at their school: words of Christ’s love and affirmation of LGBT people. God loves you as you are. God loves this gay man. Christ is an ally. I am gay and a Christian. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, gay nor straight, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

After 5 minutes of chalking, the police showed up (in street clothes, apparently to follow us in secret) to put an end to our messages of love and peace. A few of us stopped after they made their demands. Josh Polycarpe, Amanda Harris, Mandy Matthias, Vince Cervantes, Shawn O’Neil, and a courageous Baylor student would not quit. They refused to allow an oppressive policy upholding the climate of fear on campus to dictate when they would stop spreading their messages of truth. Each was arrested in front of Baylor’s chapel, in plain view of many students. Tears were shed by Riders and students alike as we sadly broke into songs of freedom, love, and equality. The arrestees were held for over 24 hours on charges of criminal trespassing.

The story will not end there, however. The following day, the Soulforce Young Adult symbol, “Q”, was chalked in 3 prominent campus locations along with a message about the beginnings of a new underground group. There are hundreds of LGBT students at Baylor, and I know that this time the university will not be able to silence them. The time is right and the truth will no longer remain veiled. It is encouraging to know that our brief presence and civil disobedience were not in vain. Indeed, our short visit may create the impetus for a strong, steady community push toward achieving open, fearless, equal, first-class status for all Baylor students.