Seattle Pacific University
Posted in West Bus by Amy Brainer-Medellin on April 12th, 2007
“I don’t know how to thank you for coming here. My friends and I have been talking about [faith and identity] ever since your presentation this morning, and we are going to keep talking about it.”
“You got me thinking about Genesis and the creation story in a whole new way.”
“Before you came, we talked about how to be gracious to you—but you are the ones who have been gracious to us.”
“I think this school is ready for a GSA [Gay Straight Alliance].”
“I want to apologize for all of the ways in which I have not supported my lesbian and gay sisters and brothers.”
“I don’t know what I believe, but you all have given me a lot to think about.”
“Thank you for being vulnerable.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Hearing myself say “it’s my pleasure” for the umpteenth time in just half an hour, I paused to reflect inwardly on the truth of that sentiment—truly, it is my pleasure to converse with students so genuinely eager to learn, to challenge themselves and others, and to grow in truth as a community.
The responsiveness of the Seattle Pacific University student body, and the strength of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population on campus, has unequivocally confirmed the need for a genuinely safe and affirming space at SPU, where LGBT voices are not merely tolerated, but celebrated. After speaking with administrators who conceded that no policy exists precluding the creation of such a space, with faculty and staff who identified themselves as allies, and with students who expressed an overwhelming desire to continue the conversation about faith and identity, I believe that change is forthcoming.
In his morning presentation, an SPU faculty member described change within the church as “glacial”. The April 11th issue of the school paper certainly had a glacial quality in many of its articles, including a cartoon suggesting that recognition of the worth and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is equivalent to a failure to think and reason critically (I would argue that just the opposite is true – that recognition of heterosexual privilege is a function of critical thinking of the highest order). Nevertheless, couched between assertions of heterosexual superiority, and shifting the “burden” of equality to the shoulders of those of us who live without it—a classic move in regard to oppression of all kinds—I felt the pulse of a people standing firm in their LGBT and allied identities. These are the people for whom glacial change is unacceptable.
When morality is at stake—recognizing that equality and human dignity are at the heart of morality; when the family is at stake—recognizing that condemnation of LGBT people has undermined and even destroyed families; when safety is at stake—recognizing that Scriptural justification for anti-gay and anti-trans violence is commonplace; when community is at stake—recognizing that sanctioned exclusion of any person on the basis of that person’s identity undermines the strength of the community and opens the door for Othering of many varieties; a swift response is not optional or debatable—it is imperative. I cannot and will not “agree to disagree” on the value of my own life or on the space allotted to me and to the people I love most.
I leave Washington and head toward Idaho inspired by the gratitude and resolve of people who are ready and able to move forward. With a challenging route ahead, the open hearts and minds that we encountered at Seattle Pacific University serve as a motivation for what I know is possible–open dialogue and real change.
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