Equality Ride - 2007 Ride

2007 Ride

The 2007 Equality Ride lasted from March 1 to April 30. Two buses visited 33 schools. One toured the eastern United States, visiting 18 schools, and the other toured the western, visiting 15 schools.

Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, invited Equality Riders on campus for two days of classroom presentations, dialogue, meals with students, Bible study, and community meetings. Equality Riders gave a presentation on "Loving Like Jesus" and passed out informational pamphlets titled "What the Bible Says and Doesn't Say About Homosexuality." The Equality Riders' bus was vandalized with graffiti and the school denounced the activity and washed the graffiti off of the bus.

Later in March 2007, a Baylor University official e-mailed faculty and students the day before the Riders' arrival, stating that the university would not allow a dialogue to take place on campus. Six Equality Riders were arrested by university police on charges of criminal trespass when they refused to stop chalking sidewalks with what they called "messages of love and hope". Baylor administrators said they were in violation of university policy that allows only school-affiliated organizations to write messages on sidewalks after completing an online application.

In early April 2007, Bruce Voyles, Dean of Students at Covenant College, expressed disappointment that the Riders did not accept his college's guidelines for a visit. He told newspaper reporters: "You have to wonder if they were really interested in dialogue or were just making some sort of statement." Twenty-six Riders arrived at the campus entrance and were warned by college administrators that they would be arrested if they set foot on school property. For nearly three hours, dozens of Covenant students prayed and read the Bible with the Riders and gave them boxed lunches and water. Four Equality Riders entered school property and read a statement to "encourage Covenant College to become an environment that reflects the wideness of God's grace and diversity of the body of Christ." Dade County police arrested them on charges of criminal trespass.

On April 16, 2007, the Equality Riders visited Brigham Young University-Idaho. They had been told not trespass on the school's property. Marc Stevens, a spokesman for BYU-Idaho, explained that "BYU-Idaho is a private university that can't be used by any outside group to advocate its position." Eight Riders were peacefully arrested after attempting to enter university grounds. At an earlier visit to BYU, Riders had made an issue of the school's honor code, which condemned homosexuality in general terms, including advocacy and "any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature". Following the Riders' 2007 visit, the school amended the code to more clearly ban those who engaged in homosexual acts rather than those with an LGBT sexual orientation. Officials said the change was under consideration before the Riders' 2007 visit.

At Calvin College, administrators cited Christian Reformed Church instructions to create a better understanding of homosexuality. Vice President for student life Shirley Hoogstra said: "We have conversations about human sexuality on campus and the Equality Ride would fit into that series of conversations. Also a hallmark of a Calvin education is that we are willing to listen to other points of view, even those with which we are in disagreement, and we also appreciate opportunities to share our points of view." The school held several events in advance of the Riders' April 24 visit. Her assessment afterwards was: "Equality Ride reminded us that silence on issues of injustice cannot be tolerated. We stand with them on that issue. But there were also significant places where we had vigorous debate."

The Riders also visited and were denied access to Central Bible College, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Colorado Christian University.