Baylor University is the largest Baptist university on the globe. Our fourth stop on the ride, we arrived not knowing just what to expect. The administration took a most effective position on our visit, from their perspective at least. In effect, they decided to ignore us—to put their heads to the sand like ostriches and hope we just passed on by. No police, no swat cars, but also no panels, no classroom visits. We were permitted to be on campus while forbidden from entering buildings or handing out literature.

Initially, I think a lot of the riders found our position on the Baylor campus incredibly frustrating. Sure, we could walk around, approach people and chat with them. However, the very nature of our interactions with students provided them with tactful means of avoiding or dismissing us (e.g “Sorry, I’m late for a class” or “Gotta make a meeting”). However, it seemed that as the day wore on, word got around to students and many of the riders found ourselves involved in meaningful conversations with many students.

What caused the shift? I believe part of it was thanks to the university, albeit they provided aid unintentionally. The morning of our visit a cryptic mass email went out to students. The purpose of it was to reassert the university’s viewpoint (i.e. that Baylor follows Biblical teachings on human sexuality, and thus imply that we do not). What it ultimately accomplished was sparking curiosity among much of the student body.

Late in the afternoon we moved from campus to a nearby park in order to hold a rally of sorts. I was part of a presentation group that was scheduled to speak. About half an hour before the rally was slated to begin, the group and the organizers of the Baylor stop decided that we needed to provide something different. This decision was a heartening one, and we made if for the best of reasons. We had encountered so many supportive students that to offer a presentation targeted at those who still view lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons as “sinful” was pointless. Instead, we used the time alloted for the presentation to talk with students about forming a gay-straight alliance. Hearing students talk about ways in which they were prepared to cohere into a unified community of affirmation was one of the best parts of the visit.

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