Joining the 2010 Equality Ride

A long time in coming, this one: I've signed up to join the 2010 Equality Ride. Some of you may be familiar with the Ride through its past exploits across the country at schools like Brigham Young University, Baylor University, or (more close to home) Seattle Pacific University. Though all springing from different Christian faith traditions, each of these schools and the many others visited on the 2006, 2007, and 2008 rides shared something in common: harmful policies targeted at lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.

The first ride began just as I had graduated from college. Fresh from achieving an English degree (and what DO you do with a B.A. in English anyway?) and with no idea what I wanted to do in the long run, I thought 2 months on a bus struggling for gay rights sounded like a grand adventure, if also a trifle terrifying. But my summer job in Alaska prevented me from being able to commit to the mid-summer training, and so I missed out. Crisis of terror averted, right? Scary bullet dodged! It's not like things like the Ride will come along more than once.

Then the 2007 Ride was announced. Again, the flutter of excitement and terror struck in that part of my gut I try to ignore if I know what's good for me. But the decision, thankfully, was out of my hands - I was already in the middle of my first year with AmeriCorps, traveling around in a 15-passenger van instead of a bus. Sorry, equality! I'm busy on another adventure.

And again, in 2008 I was staying in Sacramento serving my second year, and missed out on the third Ride - once again, just barely missing the training because of other scheduling conflicts. Shucks (phew). Oh well (thank goodness).

There was always a reason not to go. They were good reasons, too. Life-shaping adventures I couldn't have had if I had chosen the Ride instead. But the Ride never escaped my consciousness, and all these years I've found myself intermittently checking the website, wondering when they'll announce the next one.

By mid-2009, I had just finished spending my first year in Los Angeles, luxuriating in a good job and living in one place for more than a few months. I had a community of friends and was happy, and my thoughts of the future usually revolved around the GREs, grad school, and dating. Life was good.

And then they announced the next Ride. Having just survived three rounds of layoffs in a vulnerable economy, I was not eager to exit a now-protected livelihood to spend two more months traveling around in search of some naive, idealistic vision of equality. I give to charities! I volunteer! What more could be expected of me! But it stuck with me this time, and I found myself sending in an application right as the deadline struck. Even *if* they accepted me, I could always say no, right?

And then they said yes. And then I said yes. And then my job agreed to let me come back to work after going on the Ride. All my excuses were gone, my defenses worn down. What else can I do but go?

I'm still terrified - terrified of getting arrested, terrified of people I don't know shouting that I will go to hell, terrified of failing and making no difference at all. But there's no avoiding it this time: I'm going.

The other riders and I just finished a week of intense training in Austin, TX (more on that later) preparing for the journey of a lifetime. I'll be updating this a few times before the Ride itself (in March and April) and during the Ride about once a week.

Until then, check out my Rider page (yes, we do need money for hotel rooms, gas, food, etc.) on the right, or if you don't feel comfortable, check out all the rider bios to get a sense of who we are, and check back here for more of my insane thoughts.

Much love and many blessings, y'all!
Stuart