Hello, my name is....

[Randall]

Hello! My name is Randall and I am writing from Alexandria, LA. I recently learned of Soulforce and the groups efforts when the Soulforce Equality bus arrived in my city for a vigil at a local college. I was unable to attend the event but have close friends who were in attendance and I was very impressed with the work being done by this organization so here I am. I am a gay man in a committed relationship and have seen and heard the negativity and sometimes hatred demonstrated for GLBT persons in my area. I am a college student (not the university that was visited by Soulforce) and I also work in retail management. As I said above, I am in a relationship with a wonderful guy and have been so for the past 14 months. Between work and school I don't have much free time but when I do I try and make the most of it. I have two nephews, who both celebrated their 1 year birthday recently so they do bring much joy and laughter into my life. My boyfriend and I have a hyper-active dog named Harley and a spastic kitten named Toosie and they also bring alot of laughter into our lives. I would not consider myself an activist but I have always felt that one should never be ashamed of who they are and I think it is a sad fact that organizations such as this have to exist at all. I will say that seeing what took place here in my hometown and reading the stories from other locations on the Soulforce tour have truly inspired me to become more aware of what is happening in the fight for equality for this country's GLB&T community. I would also like to say that the citizens of this country will be making a very important decision in a matter of days and I encourage everyone to research the opinions and beliefs of our Presidential candidates with regard to GLBT issues. The two candidates have very differing opinions and this could be a step closer to equality for our community or 15 steps back....VOTE PEOPLE!

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by Randall

Hello! My name is Randall and I am writing from Alexandria, LA. I recently learned of Soulforce and the groups efforts when the Soulforce Equality bus arrived in my city for a vigil at a local college. I was unable to attend the event but have close friends who were in attendance and I was very impressed with the work being done by this organization so here I am. I am a gay man in a committed relationship and have seen and heard the negativity and sometimes hatred demonstrated for GLBT persons in my area. I am a college student (not the university that was visited by Soulforce) and I also work in retail management. As I said above, I am in a relationship with a wonderful guy and have been so for the past 14 months. Between work and school I don't have much free time but when I do I try and make the most of it. I have two nephews, who both celebrated their 1 year birthday recently so they do bring much joy and laughter into my life. My boyfriend and I have a hyper-active dog named Harley and a spastic kitten named Toosie and they also bring alot of laughter into our lives. I would not consider myself an activist but I have always felt that one should never be ashamed of who they are and I think it is a sad fact that organizations such as this have to exist at all. I will say that seeing what took place here in my hometown and reading the stories from other locations on the Soulforce tour have truly inspired me to become more aware of what is happening in the fight for equality for this country's GLB&T community. I would also like to say that the citizens of this country will be making a very important decision in a matter of days and I encourage everyone to research the opinions and beliefs of our Presidential candidates with regard to GLBT issues. The two candidates have very differing opinions and this could be a step closer to equality for our community or 15 steps back....VOTE PEOPLE!

Welcome, Randall. Keep the faith!

[HollyLee318]

Hi Randall.

It's so nice to see someone else from the Alexandria area on here!

[labguy22]

Randall, welcome.
This is a wonderful community here and a safe place to be yourself and add your voice to the discussions.

[Gennee]

Welcome, Randall. You're right when you say no one should be ashamed of who they are.

Gennee

[Jennifer5]

Welcome!

[Montanna]

Greetings and Happy New Year! It's good to know that the Equality Rides reach into communities and bring hope to those who couldn't get to meet with them. This is a terrific resource.