Gordon College

[BenL]

The Soulforce Equality Ride visit to Gordon College this spring has produced ripples in the form of a student publication concerning the treatment of gay students at the Christian college. Bay Windows, a Boston-based GLBT newspaper, ran the following story:

Gordon College students publish LGBT pamphlet

Last month Gordon College, a Christian college in Wenham with a policy banning homosexual acts within the campus community, received a high profile visit from the Equality Ride, a group of young people on a cross-country trek to visit Christian colleges and universities and urge them to support their LGBT students. The college welcomed the riders onto campus for a dialogue on homosexuality and Christianity, and the visit attracted the attention of both the LGBT press (see “Gordon College Takes Baby Steps In Recognizing LGBT Students,” April 19) and the mainstream media. But shortly after the Equality Riders and the press left campus, the Gordon community was again confronted with the issue of homosexuality when two students and one recent graduate published and distributed a pamphlet, “If I Told You,” containing 10 anonymous essays and one interview of Gordon students who are either LGBT-identified or who are struggling with their sexuality. The Equality Riders may have brought a pro-LGBT voice from the outside to campus, but “If I Told You” provided one of the few public airings of the perspectives of the largely hidden population of LGBT Gordon students themselves.

“It certainly made people realize, or at least the ones who read it, that same-sex attraction, homosexuality, LGBTQ stuff, whatever name you want to put on it, is an issue that affects people at Gordon and is not just an abstract thing,” said one of the contributors, a student going into his senior year who asked to remain anonymous because he does not want to be out on campus. “Because I’ve heard that some people at my school, believe it or not, had no idea that this is an issue that people who they know might have issues with or have to deal with.”

The stories contained in the pamphlet provide a snapshot of life at a school where there is virtually no openly gay student presence and where faculty, students, and even the student handbook describe homosexual acts as sinful. Some of the contributors struggled for years to reconcile their homosexuality with their faith, eventually embracing their LGBT identity and coming out to small circles of supportive friends on campus.

It's a lengthy story. This is the top of it

[Daniel]

BenL- Thanks for this article. My sister went to Gordon, so I've been following this story with some interest.

The link in the article to the pamphlet, If I Told You, doesn't seem to be working. But after a little searching, I was able to find this link to the PDF.

http://www.ifitoldyou.org/ifitoldyou.pdf

And I think it's just great that a straight student at Gordon took it upon himself to do something about this issue.

See. The ERide has made a difference.

Way to go Riders!

[u-dog]

What moving and powerful testimony! I am overwhelmed by the strength and courage of my younger gay brothers and sisters in Christ! (including the ones who hang out here and of course the e-riders) you guys, as they say, ROCK !!!!!!

[BrentRichards]

Wow. What powerful stories. They take me back to a bad place, but remind me of the better place I'm in now... praying for these young men and women to (continue to) meet themselves and God authentically!

[Progo35]

As a Gordon College student, I know that the fact that there was a group of Christians coming to our school to talk about this was very helpful to me in appreciating the visit. At first, I heard that it was a Christian group, then a minute later someone said that it wasn't. At the time, our school was having our symposium and I was preparing a presentation on disabled people and the Holocaust. This took a lot of my emotional energy, so I initially didn't look into it too much.

When I thought that it might be a secular group going to all the Christian colleges, I was angry: the reason being that I feel like the secular left wants freedom of speech and expression for certain minorities but then goes as far as to stereotype and attempt to silence others, who may just be trying to practice their religion without bigotry, feel conflicted about it...and have made careful decisons about what they will and will not believe. When I learned that it was a Christian group, I felt better because I felt that it was just another group of Christian students trying to talk to us about a different perspective on the Bible. And, that is very good.

The other thing was that Soulforce was coming during Symposium and G-Day, which I felt was manipulative (I don't know if this was on purpose or whether it just turned out that way). I still feel that it was manipulative if done on purpose, but aside from that I felt like Soulforce wasn't giving us too much of a choice, which made our decision to host the riders at least partially motivated by wanting to make sure that the school didn't appear homophobic. This, in essence, invalidates demonstrations of appreciation. I did, however, feel that if Soulforce had asked, and the school had said no, that would have made me angry, too. Gordon is an educational institution and should be willing, even enthusiastic, to listen to what the riders had to say, especially since they were a Christian organization. Not to do so would be prejudice and would be contrary to Gordon's stated mission of "freedom within a framework of faith," which, in Gordon's literature, is expounded upon as the freedom to make up one's own mind regarding how faith relates to learning and other issues.

The last thing, which I feel is both valid and selfish at the same time, was that I was/am sick and tired of Gordon putting on appearences of tolerance while ignoring other serious issues that it still FAR away from appreciating, such as disabilities. Like the people on this forum, I have experienced serious prejudice that has made my life at Gordon (and in general) extremely difficult. So, what irked me is that since I've been at Gordon, we've always talked about homosexuality. For example, we had the Day of Silence before Soulforce came. While I didn't want to discuss this issue LESS, I wanted the administration to take initiatives to discuss disabilities MORE, which they still have not done. So, in my bitter moments, I felt exasperated at the Soulforce riders for complaining about something in our conduct statement when I had had to deal with much worse. I was also significantly worried about what Soulforce was going to do: since they hadn't asked, and were going to come no matter what, I was worried that the riders would picket and that everything else discussed during symposium would have to play second fiddle to that. As I explained above, this made me really mad-it was hard enough to get people to listen to my arguments without the Soulforce event going on at the same time. Prior to the Soulforce visit, we had an entire week of presentations on homosexuality, including major discussions by faculty. In addition to my presentation, there was a video on disabilities that some of the disabled kids at school put together, and I wanted people to come and listen to those presentations. So, in a sense I was jealous-Soulforce was getting a whole two weeks, with all of its preparations, and disabilities were getting three hours.

One of the major reasons that I felt this way was that Gordon does have a habit of giving disabled students the short end of things whenever it needs to "clear space" for something else. For instance, a few years ago the school needed more room for faculty offices-so it asked the Academic Support Center, where all students with disabilities take their tests, to move into one of the most dilapidated road hall dorms on the campus. This is at least a quarter mile away from the main scholastic building. That meant that instead of climbing one set of stairs, students on foot would walk to this building just to take their tests, while faculty with cars could go to the main scholastic building. Moreover, there are two blind students at the school and that building is next to a busy road. In short, the school was willing to put disabled students at a major geographic disadvantage in regard to their needs.

Furthermore, this building is the most removed from the rest of the campus. To me, this reflected a desire to relegate what the school saw as an undesirable association with its image to the least visible space available. Why do I think this? There are numerous examples, but the most telling for me was when I participated in a year long honors class that had only fourteen students. I qualfied for the program because I was a Pike Scholar, wrote incredibly well, and had over a 3.5 GPA. Those were the requirements for the program.

When the director saw the few accommodations that I needed, he said, "I have to protect the image of the program. The Provost has charged me with elevating the academic standards of the college, and these accommodations have to reflect that. I don't want to say, 'Meghan, you have to leave the program,' but I will if I feel that I have to." I stayed in the program, but this remained an issue throughout its duration and afterwards. So, you can see where I am coming from there. The school defnitely needs a wake up call where these things are concerned, which is why I was upset about the Soulforce riders coming on that particular week. It just goes back to being sincere about diversity: if Gordon can't understand that it's disabled community is a minority and seek to appreciate such people as potentially gifted students-then it practices hypocrisy.

In respect to the conduct statement, I felt the way I did because I accessed a secular website that said Soulforce was going to Christian colleges that barred homosexuals from admission, which made me mad: we don't have a "gay screening test." This same website also said that the new hate crime legislation would make it a hate crime to say that homosexuality is a sin, which violates free speech, and, I feel, is unfair to those Christians who are not saying that because they LIKE the idea or think what Dobbs thinks about homosexuals.

Nevertheless, once I read their schedule and realized that Soulforce was coming to talk to us about various issues, I felt much more positive about the visit and began to reexamine my angry feelings at having been, as I saw it, stereotyped. And, I saw it as a unique opportunity to learn from other Christians who had really delved into this issue, which I felt I hadn't had the opportunity to do. Unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to this until after Soulforce had come, as I was busy and also was not going to its events in protest. This must seem awful, and now I regret it, but to be fair I have been boycotting ALL diversity events on campus since my sophomore year unless they are for a class, because, as I said, the school seems to embrace whatever is popular to be appreciate rather than expressing true love and appreciation for differences.

I was also really overwhelmed with work at the time, but I saw some of the soulforce riders in the cafeteria and heard that their presentations were really good. Their "loving like Jesus" talk was one that I saw on the schedule and was interested in, because, as James says, that is what goes into being a Christian to others, and the school definitely lacks there. Then I was also called to talk the situation over with God-and I confessed that while my concerns were legitimate, I had been feeling angry at Soulforce's timing because of something the administration did, and that no one at Soulforce knew about what I was facing. I also reminded myself that they had come to discuss a very significant issue, just like I wanted to discuss a very significant issue. Given my feelings, I felt lead to do more research on the subject and learn more about those who were Christians and gay at the same time.

Finally, I felt inspired by the Soulforce ride because it had made me really think about this issue by presenting it in a context that I had never been exposed to. Thus, in addition to learning about the homosexual community through these forums, I hope to get some good ideas about what I might do to make people more aware of disability issues. I also hope to find ways of developing collaborations between human rights groups, by which activists would have backers outside their own organizations that could offer advice and support as other minorities. This, I think, would really benefit all of those involved in the struggle for equal rights.

Lastly, I read "If I Told You," and felt grieved to see a lot of the prejudice that I had witnessed in the last few years. (Such as by reading Dobb's book and talking to adults who didn't even take the Bible literally but bought into homosexual stereotypes that I mention in the hate speech thread, and those Christians that I didn't think had adequately examined the issue or were not aware enough of what was facing the homosexual community, and, thus, weren't in a position to combat prejudice).

I idenified with two of the writers especially, one of whom wrote that when he told his family he was gay, his mother wanted to know if he was dying from AIDS and whether he was also a pedophile. Another person wrote about talking with someone they were attracted to and getting raped (or almost raped? I'm not sure which) by that person. The person felt that he couldn't tell anyone because they would blame it on them for being gay. Another girl wrote that when she told her best friend about being gay, the friend just hugged her and told her that things were going to be okay, and that she loved her the way that she was, which is what I would want to do if one of my friends told me that, and what I feel innately inclined to do in living like Christ and appreciating others.

Thus, it helped me to really think about my innate compassion for others vs. my sincere desire to honor God, and since that time I have been trying to build new bridges that help me to honor my principles. I have been seeking to know more about the homosexual community and what they are facing, while nonetheless admitting that I am not sure how the Bible should be interpreted on this issue. In short, I don't think that feeling compassion and learning has to involve denouncing particular interpretations of Biblical text, it should involve more exploration, kindness, and knowledge. This is what I've always thought but Soulforce's visit gave me the opportunity to consider these issues from the perspective of other Christian leaders and think about how little I know about what such people are going through. Knowing about Soulfore and its mission has really opened my eyes to diversity within the homosexual community-something I've always known was there but hadn't been exposed to.

[Progo35]

P.S.-Another thing that the "If I told you," publication did was establish how strong these feelings were for the people who had them, and that it definitely wasn't something that they chose.

[Progo35]

For some more specifically religious reflections, see http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3024

[BenL]

Thanks, Progo, for your perspective as a Gordon student.

Originally Posted by Progo35

while I didn't want to discuss this issue LESS, I wanted the administration to take initiatives to discuss disabilities MORE, which they still have not done.

What I have found is that the way you treat one class of people has a way of spilling over into how you treat other groups. In this case, disability rights are every bit as important as gay rights are, so I can understand your frustration in trying to get the attention of the authorities. Your work for people with disabilities is bound to help all of us who are GLBT. Freedom is indivisible, it seems to me.

Very few of us on the forums are involved in the leadership of Soulforce, and even fewer, I suspect, in setting up the itinerary for the Equality Rides. But my guess is that the timing for the Gordon College visit had more to do with travel arrangements than it did with wanting to disrupt Symposium or G-Day.

Originally Posted by Progo35

Finally, I felt inspired by the Soulforce ride because it had made me really think about this issue and they were presenting this issue in a context that I had never seen it presented in.

One of the Equality Rides' first principles is to open minds and hearts to the cause of GLBT people who have been discriminated against. Your reaction to the Ride's visit shows that you are willing to open yourself to God's grace and to consider aspects of the issue that you may not previously have had occasion to think about. For that, I thank God and you, without in any way wishing to tell you how your intellectual and spiritual quest should turn out. The mere fact that you are here tells me that you are honestly seeking ... that and the fact that you did not come out swinging but have been willing to listen and to engage the people here.

Originally Posted by Progo35

P.S.-Another thing that the "If I told you," publication did was establish how strong these feelings were for the people who had them, and that it definitely wasn't something that they chose.

Whenever a person bares his or her soul and puts himself or herself into such a vulnerable position as the writers of "If I told you" did, I think it's important for people to listen -- really LISTEN -- to what they have to say. Even if people end up disagreeing with them, they are owed the courtesy of an honest hearing. It sounds like Gordon College claims to honor community, to the point that they consider the college community to be family. In any family, there are going to be people who disagree, who feel different than the majority. They deserve acceptance and love, too. The college has every right to follow its religious principles by prohibiting sex outside of marriage. The prohibition should be the same for straight students and gay students. To condemn someone for orientation and not acts seems immoral and uncharitable to me. You, Progo, seem to understand that.

Thank you for coming here to talk to us. Please keep up your work for people with disabilities. It is a very important ministry. While you combat privilege for the able-bodied, think what your GLBT brethren have to combat in heterosexual privilege.