A one to two month organizing hub of Soulforce activists, community members, students, artists, and
rebels of all ages.
We are people of good will and open minds coming together to learn, teach, and create direct actions that incite thinking and reconciliation within fundamentalist institutions. Schools yes, but also critically considering the social agencies, political structures, and organizations that these schools influence.
More below the fold about how we come to this moment.
As an organization committed to ending the spiritual oppression of LGBTQ people, Soulforce has ventured far and wide to talk about the connections between religious fundamentalism and anti-LGBTQ policies. As you all know, since 2006, the Equality Ride has taken young adult leaders across the country to do just that.
Over the years we have become aware of two very important things:
1. While the ER has helped to create change at many institutions (18 policies and counting!) and within communities across the US, in order for more sustained changes to happen, we must be able to create programs that are localized for longer periods of time.
2. The oppressive impacts of religious fundamentalism goes way beyond the intersection of merely faith & LGBTQ identities.
Building off what we have observed in our 8 years of organizing the Equality Ride, this year, we will be doing something new with what has become one of our hallmark programs.
Starting this October, the Equality Ride will become the Equality Ride House. We’ll work with leaders of all ages, organizing in one city, for 1-2 months to create a sustainable project that will directly impact leaders and constituents living in that community.
From October 20th-November 17th, the Equality Ride House will have its first run in Charlotte, NC. Meeting primarily on weekends, the ER House will focus not just on the intersections of anti-LGBTQ policies and religious fundamentalism, but also systems of white supremacy within religious fundamentalism and how all three of these components inform each other.
This will be an intentional, collaborative meeting space where we seek to answer the question of how these three things are connected with the intention that LGBTQ activists, racial justice activists, and faith workers can come together to create tools, share stories, and plan actions that will address these things in the Charlotte, North Carolina community.
In a time where to be true activists, it is no longer possible for us to ignore the oppressive racialized implications that religious fundamentalism takes on, we hope that those of you in or near Charlotte will join us as we seek to dialogue about the intersectionality that must take place within our movements to truly resist the nature of our adversary.
To apply to be part of the Charlotte Equality Ride House, you can go to the Equality Ride section of our website here:
http://soulforce.com/programs/equality-ride/
We thank you for your continued support and will soon be releasing new resources and blog posts on the ways our work will remain focused on highlighting the voices of the entire LGBTQ community across identities and experiences.
federal judge on Thursday declared Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, joining judges across the country who have sided with gay couples wishing to tie the knot.
Daily Queer News 