SOULFORCE MEDIA ADVISORY
September 29, 2008

Contact: Katie Higgins, katie@soulforce.org, 843-259-8876

LIBERTY U. TO ALLOW EQUALITY RIDERS ON CAMPUS

Young Adults Tour Christian Colleges to Advocate Safety
and Inclusion for All Students

What: On Wednesday, October 1, the Soulforce Equality Ride, a youth-organized bus tour to faith-based colleges, will bring a message of inclusion and love to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Five young adult Equality Riders will donate gay-affirming Christian books to the Liberty University library and talk with students about safety and acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

Why: More than 200 U.S. colleges and universities have explicit policies that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. At Liberty University, gay and lesbian students are subject to reprimands and disciplinary consequences, including ex-gay conversion counseling and expulsion.

When: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
1:30 pm, Equality Riders arrive on Liberty University campus
7:00 pm, Public forum at First Christian Church in Lynchburg.

Where: Equality Riders will enter campus via University Blvd.
First Christian Church is located at 3109 Rivermont Ave. in Lynchburg.

Who: The 18 to 26-year-old Equality Riders are members of Soulforce Q, the young adult division of Soulforce, a national social justice organization. Soulforce was founded by Lynchburg resident Rev. Mel White, a former ghostwriter for Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.

Since 2006, the Equality Ride has visited 50 schools, hosting public forums, participating in panel discussions, and taking part in worship services and Bible studies.

The organizers of the Equality Ride use a collaborative approach, writing to college administrators months in advance and inviting them to work together to design programming that examines diverse points of view—including points of view that affirm gay and transgender students.

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