Good Job and Good Night Riders

[awediot]

Maybe too soon, but what do you see as the success of the Equality Ride?


I myself think the fresh voices and spirits that showed up here to be comforted is a wonderful result. Considering maybe one out of (?) thirty, fifty, a hundred, thousand...that were touched by the riders made their presence felt here, much good was accomplished and many hearts put on the path to acceptance.:)

As for any concrete change in the powers that be and their policies, I do not know, nor can I see yet the slow process that no doubt has been furthered. I am proud of all involved...:love:

[Emproph]

I don’t think there are (too many) illusions that it will create discernable concrete change. I look at it like the long term change will be and already is discernable. Despite that some “tactics” of confrontation, though non-violent, were perceived as spiritually violent, the same violence we claim to be fighting against.

I am so frustrated and SO much of it is because of the hell that I went through and am still paying for, and that is still happening, even worse for some people today. It’s the overwhelming unnecessary worse part that beckons me. I’m supposed to be getting on with my life, yet here I am and this is it. That’s fine, I’m grateful to be certain of my position, but the point is that the pain itself for those who haven't gotten to my point in life yet is being invalidated by those who not only are responsible for it, not only dismissing that responsibility for it, but are also blaming the victim for it, unless someone has a better idea, I don’t yet see a better practical option to bring attention to that pain.

The complaint of the damages as far as blocking doors and political agenda and especially increased attention toward closeted students that already have it bad enough are all valid but are collateral damage, that's life. (and yes I would go through the same or again if need be.) Whether it be Soulforce or those students we’re trying to protect, the students affected at the schools, or the misunderstandings that could have been handled better. And I don’t mean to be glib about that or minimize any harmful effects or portray every aspect as a total success.

But if it weren’t for the riders we wouldn’t be talking about it, it wouldn’t have been in the news. Good or bad, these discussions no matter how unproductive we think they may be would not be being had. We (speaking officially for Soulforce of course :D) can learn from this to make it better next time, or decide to scrap the idea and do something new and better. That’s the difference, we know we can learn different. The purpose of the equality ride is to point out where learning has ceased and to educate, non-violently, on the harm of that type of thinking, and must continue to be relentlessly addressed, even if not resolved.

Every single student in every single one of those schools touched, or not directly touched for that matter, will be better familiar with this issue, talking about it, have more practical information to come to their own conclusions, etc.,

The equality ride has ensured that we remain in their BRAINS. I’m hoping more so good than bad, but even if bad, the truth of the situation will remain, and when it does, after enough of the lies have been removed, they’ll be that much more apt to recognize it.

[closetcougar]

I really like what you said Emproph. It reminds me of what Melissa Etheridge said at the GLAAD media awards this year. She was talking about all of the amendments banning same sex marriage and she said even if gay marriage was banned, it still meant that those people had to actually look at gay marriage as an option on their ballots, and the fact the we're even talking about it (for or against) and that they even had to vote on it, is HUGE.

I was deeply affected by the ER. I mostly watched from the sidelines with my partner, but now I see how this movement can take place through relatively peaceful means. The most powerful part was seeing so many straight allies/students come to the event in the park and dialogue wth SF on campus. This has been a great experience and I plan on going to the march in CO this summer.

[Jennifer5]

Yes, I completely agree with all of you... no matter what people are thinking about the Equality Ride, they probably are thinking about it. One of the best things in my opinion was after the bus was spray-painted, seeing the picture of so many people working together to clean it off... I thought that said something. I think it's pretty clear that many of the Equality Riders reached their goal on this trip.. "to reach at least one person, and help them to under stand"..or something along those lines... I think many were touched by this trip, and are becoming more aware of what's going on.:) :love:



One thing that I think would be neat for any future Equality Ride... if there is one... is if on the bus it was a similar group, but with a few allies as well... in my opinion that would say... we're all here together, what-ever that means. I think if you put just like 2 or 3 straight allies in there, people might also like that... just to see how well we all mix, and show even more that we really are all the same.........sorry...just an idea... I don't know exactly I should have written it to, so I put it here.:)

But over all great ride and I really think it has/will make a big difference.:pray:

[Emproph]

One thing that I think would be neat for any future Equality Ride... if there is one... is if on the bus it was a similar group, but with a few allies as well... in my opinion that would say... we're all here together, what-ever that means. I think if you put just like 2 or 3 straight allies in there, people might also like that... just to see how well we all mix, and show even more that we really are all the same.........sorry...just an idea... I don't know exactly I should have written it to, so I put it here.:)

I think that’s a really good idea. Maybe even some straight but sympathetic evangelical allies who went to schools like that, ex-ex-gays maybe even. That has potential.

Kind of like you said, that would also help force them to respond to or at least think twice about the fact that some of the equality riders, being heterosexuals, were “actual” Christians. It would at least help to lessen the blanket dismissal of ‘all on board’ so to speak, because they'd knowingly identify with some of them.

Does anybody know if that wasn’t done, or if it was decided it would be best if everyone was LGBT? It seems to be implied that everyone was, but not explicitly.

[Vanessa White]

In many of the stories of the riders that I read here at SF, it identified most of the riders as gay, lesbian, bisexual(maybe??) and transgendered. I am not sure if all were LGBT or not. I absolutely agree, that Allies and/or family members and friends have to also create a visible presence, sometimes I think that takes away the stigma of making everything we say as gay persons a political agenda. Yes, some aspects of this did not work possibly as well as the riders wanted, and the riders were put in a very negative light much of the time. Change is difficult for all involved, on all sides of the issue. Change is happening whether it happened in the riders' presence or not. The message was seen by easily thousands, if not millions of people, when you consider all forms of media exposure. In addition, it will motivate some of the rest of us, like myself, to become more actively involved in speaking out, sitting in, whatever may help to end the intolerance and bigotry. This can help to be a starting point for all of us. Vanessa

[awediot]

Not to mention they were rarely identified as Christian or at all spiritual people. Thus the extreme militant and gay agenda labels tainted their path.

[Vanessa White]

I almost find the ignorance of the riders' spirituality amusing, since they conducted prayer vigils and groups at almost every stop. I would imagine the statement that was read at each stop, often before being arrested, also was inclusive in terms of the Christian/spiritual message. Even if you try to force someone to hear your message, they don't until they are willing to open their own ears and hearts.