Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Stop #1: Phoenixville, PA - Valley Forge Christian College

Our first stop on the 2010 Equality Ride was last week in Phoenixville, PA at Valley Forge Christian College.  Because we were not invited onto campus, we got a permit to gather at a public park adjacent to the college and planned a rally there, to help us be visible to the student community and share stories of faith and justice.

We were met at the park by several community groups who came in solidarity and support, as well as by a group of protesters famous in Pennsylvania for bringing hate speech to any public gathering centered around LGBTQ issues (parades, public forums, family picnics, etc.).

I don't use the term hate speech lightly, by the way, and I probably don't even mean it in the way you think - see, these folks really believed that they needed to tell us about our sins, so that we could repent, be forgiven, and go to heaven when we die.  Cherry picking Bible verses to support their homophobia and transphobia may be misguided, but I can believe that it comes from a place of genuine concern and love.  At least hypothetically.

But shouting profanities at us through a megaphone as we held hands and sang "This Little Light of Mine" didn't feel like love.  And targeting the women in our group by calling them all dykes and claiming they had all been sexually molested didn't feel like love.  Calling African-Americans "negroids" and refusing to be corrected absolutely didn't feel like love.  And telling me that I deserved to be physically assaulted for being gay ("I could understand why a non-Christian would want to attack a homosexual," in response to my telling of a story where I had been physically assaulted for being a little too flamboyant in a straight bar) didn't feel remotely like love.

I don't care what you think your motivations are.  That is hate.

Still, it was nothing you don't expect.  We were prepared, and we engaged them in conversation to help reduce their volume so that our message of love and support cold be better heard, and we were indeed visible to the students on campus.

Visibility may be all we achieved, but this is important.  We had been informed the day of our arrival that students were warned by the school that if they came out to talk to us, they would be expelled.  And so, at the end of the rally at the park, we stood in vigil as close to campus as we could get, and sang songs of hope and love, and just prayed that they knew we were there and that someone loved them.

After awhile, we finished up and began walking to the bus, then saw several students standing behind a glass door far away from us on campus - their hands on the door, pressing out but unable to push through the barrier created by the school's threat of expulsion.  They waved.

They waved!

Later that night and throughout the next couple of days, we were welcomed at several community events throughout the area, including potlucks at the local gay center, meals and communion at several local churches, and a service project on the streets of Philadelphia.  The love was tangible, a welcome change from the hate, fear, and silence encountered earlier.

As we left town, I found myself exhausted by the contrasts - the love and the hate, and hope and the fear, the silence and the visibility, having all been displayed so vividly over the course of just a few days.  I guess I'm not sure what is the most important thing to take away from it all.  The shades of gray are just too big.  I know what we did mattered, though I don't know how much.  I hope that things will change there at Valley Forge.  Those students deserve love and affirmation.  Everyone does.

Onward, then.

PS: During part of our talks with the protesters, I asked the loudest and most virulent of them about sacrificial love.  He told me that a few days ago, his daughter had a serious and tragic medical emergency that was devastating to their family (she is alive, but recovering) - but he came to protest us anyway.  If you are inclined to such things, please love and prayers to this man and his family as they recover during this difficult time.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, sacrificial hate. Lord, have mercy.

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  2. The students waving at you from behind the glass got me choked up this morning. Thanks for sharing that, Stu. - Roy

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  3. Get ready there is only more to come and by the end this journey you will be saddened by things you have seen but also encouraged by the many hopeful things you have seen. God be with you and the other riders as you travel this road to share your important message.

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  4. thanks for posting your experiences. like roy, the students waving from behind the glass provoked strong emotions as i read that. be well and know that you and your fellow riders are thought of often and well.

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  5. So much, and just at the first stop. Rest up friend.

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  6. My dear friend Stu, thank you so much for sharing your stories of this journey with me and the world. Just as you pray that the students know they are loved, I pray that you and your group feel loved as well :)

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  7. The last paragraph is what got me, Stuart. This is what a Christian looks like, dammit.

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  8. Thanks for sharing these experiences with us. I'm looking forward to reading the entries to follow. You and the other riders are doing great things! God bless, and miss you!!! (=

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