Soulforce Needs Your Ongoing Support in 2008!

Dear %%First Name%%,

Happy Holidays from all of us at Soulforce!

Thanks to your loyal support, 2007 has truly been a year to remember:

The Equality Ride took fifty young adults to thirty-two Christian colleges and universities that currently ban LGBT students from attending, with tremendous impact as always. The Ex-Gay Survivor Conference & Initiative was featured on CNN's Paula Zahn, National Public Radio, and the Los Angeles Times, as it brought survivors together from all over the world to begin the healing process and held press conferences in a dozen cities to expose the damage caused by ex-gay ministries. The Right to Marry Campaign took thirty-two young adults on four different routes across New York to connect with residents and their legislators on the issue of marriage equality. Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights covered twenty-six states and thirty-eight cities as straight allies demonstrated their support for the civil rights of LGBT Americans. Our amazing team in Colorado continued our Focus on the Facts campaign with several direct actions at Focus on the Family and a powerful sit-in at the Denver county clerk's office to raise awareness about the need for marriage equality.

Our founder, the Rev. Dr. Mel White, appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and Anderson Cooper 360 following the death of Jerry Falwell, was voted as one of the top 40 most influential LGBT rights leaders in America by the readers of The Advocate, and was profiled with his son, Mike White, for this month's edition of OUT magazine. Soulforce Q Director of Outreach, Jarrett Lucas, was featured in a PBS special regarding his experiences with the Equality Ride. Finally - Dr. White, the Reitan family, Mary Lou Wallner, and our 2005 direct action outside Focus on the Family were all highlighted prominently in the ground-breaking documentary, For The Bible Tells Me So, that swept across movie theaters this Fall and will continue to enlighten the public for many years to come.

Since I'm also a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, I wrote "What the SCIENCE says - and Doesn't Say - about Homosexuality: Research based answers to ten of the most commonly asked questions about gay men, lesbian women, and their families." Simon LeVay, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and pioneer on the study of brain structures in sexual orientation, called it "A concise, accurate, and readable summary of scientific knowledge about homosexuality and gay people. This little booklet calmly and effectively demolishes the hateful myths and slurs spread by anti-gay forces in American society." This new resource, which will serve as a companion piece to Dr. White's "What the Bible says - and Doesn't Say - about Homosexuality," is at the printer now and will be available shortly after the holidays.

What a year!

Like you, we plan to share the Holidays with friends and loved ones before gearing back up for action in 2008. But, we need your help.

Will you consider becoming a monthly donor in 2008? Just $25, $50, or $100 each month will help us reach our goal of exposing religion-based oppression and lifting the voices of fairness and equality around the country. To join our dedicated ensemble of monthly donors please go to www.soulforce.org/monthlydonor.

If you cannot yet afford to give monthly, please consider making an online "New Year" gift to amplify our impact in 2008. You can make a one-time donation by going to www.soulforce.org/donate.

Here are the highlights of what can be accomplished in 2008 with your help:

• The Right to Marry Campaign: From January through early May, our Soulforce Q young adults will repeat their efforts in New York, using new and improved strategies learned from their first effort to advance the discussion of marriage equality across the state.
• The 10th Anniversary & Direct Action at the United Methodist Church General Convention: From April 22-24, 2008, Soulforce will continue our commitment to ending injustice within the United Methodist Church by staging a direct action at the general conference in Fort Worth, Texas. We'll also get together for a grand gala celebration of our first decade on Friday night, April 22, 2008 - featuring music, food, guest speakers, and a special video montage of our dynamic history. Don't miss it! Register now.
• The American Family Outing scheduled for six consecutive weekends between Mother's Day and Father's Day, will take dozens of same-gender couples and their children, as well as progressive clergy and supportive straight families, to visit six of the most influential mega-churches in America. Seeking meaningful dialogue about faith, family, and freedom for all people, the journey includes stops to see Rev. Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas; Dr. Rick Warren and Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California; Bishop T.D. Jakes and The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas; Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr. and Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland; Bishop Eddie Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia; and Rev. Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.
• The East of the Rainbow campaign, beginning in 2008, will build capacity, offer resources, and foster allies both at home and abroad. Our Soulforce Q staff are making friendships with faith-based activists in Poland, Russia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. They hope to provide non-violence workshops and seminars on faith, sexuality, and gender - as well as learn through collaboration with organizations on the ground in Central and Eastern Europe. Soulforce Q looks to establish and maintain an online community to discuss and disseminate information pertinent to the advancement of LGBT rights in Europe and raise awareness about the need for a global effort to end discrimination. Four young adult leaders from Eastern Europe will be recruited for the Soulforce Equality Ride in the fall of 2008.
• The Equality Ride will roll once again - this time in October and November with an emphasis on visiting Christian, Jewish, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities that ban LGBT students. A proven strategy for changing hearts and minds across America, the 2008 Equality Ride will continue to develop strong young leaders who will work for equality for many years to come.

As you know, accomplishing our goals takes significant time, tremendous energy, enduring passion and commitment, and yes ... money. We cannot do it without you.

On behalf of the Soulforce staff and board of directors, I wish you well this Holiday season and hope you find peace, joy, and justice in the New Year.

Blessings to you and those you love,

Jeff Lutes, MS, LPC
Executive Director
Soulforce, Inc.

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