Equality Ride Faces Vandalism, Arrests at Palm Beach

Equality Ride Faces Vandalism, Arrests at Palm Beach
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SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE: October 13, 2008
For Immediate Release

Contact: Caitlin MacIntyre, 
Equality Ride Media Director
Cell: 612-715-6138
caitlin@equalityride.com
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(West Palm Beach, FL)-- Just hours ago, sixteen young adults arrived at the DeSantis Family Chapel on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University. The Equality Riders were immediately restricted to the far side of the sidewalk and were greeted by an organized group of parents. During the conversations that ensued, a few students did join the group and one came out as a lesbian who is in her first year at PBAU. She was able to speak firsthand about the lack of safety for gay and lesbian students on campus, which affirms Soulforce Q's reasons for visiting the Christian school: to talk about safety and inclusion for all.

At 11:00 am EST, the sixteen Equality Riders walked to the DeSantis Family Chapel doors and were confronted by city police at the doors. School officials read a statement that barred the young adults from participating in the worship service with the students with whom they had been talking. A similar statement followed from the West Palm Beach Police Department. Inspired by the conversations that they had with students during a picnic hosted by the Equality Ride on Sunday, the Riders moved forward with good faith that they would be allowed into Chapel.

As ten of the Riders were turned away, six remained and were arrested, one by one. Those arrested were Jarrett Lucas, 22, from Philadelphia, Danielle Cooper, 19, from Maplewood, NJ, Lauren Parke, 25, from Seattle, Enzi Tanner, 24, from Minneapolis, Nicholas Rocco DeFinis, 22, from Lansdale, PA, and Zak Rittenhouse, 21, from Frankfort, OH. Students looked on as the young adults were placed in handcuffs and moved into a police van.

The remaining Equality Riders are still standing vigil and speaking with students on the corner of S. Olive Avenue and Okeechobee Road. They will remain there until 4:00 pm EST. The arrested young adults are scheduled to go before a magistrate Tuesday morning.

Today's visit to PBAU comes after a night of harassment for participants of the Equality Ride. Sunday evening, the glass door of the bus was bashed in with a hard object. Two panes of glass were shattered and small portions of the vinyl wrap were scratched off. A police report of the incident was filed.

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 goal is to inspire further conversation and to empower students, faculty, and administrators to make their school welcoming to all students. 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.

Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through relentless nonviolent resistance. For more information, go to www.equalityride.com.

Six Soulforce Q Riders Arrested Trying to go to Church

According to a article by By Scott Travis of the SunSentinel.com six Soulforce members were arrested Monday the 13th of November after attempting to enter the Atlantic Palm Beach University chapel sanctuary to attend a 11:00am service.

The SOULFORCE PRESS RELEASE of October 13, 2008 tells of the terrifying night leading up to the arrests of the Q Riders. Late at night the door of one of the buses was broken and the exterior damaged.

It is this writers question, what was the Q-riders offensive behaviour that predicated such a preemptive move by this University. Did the University beleive that perhaps this sexual Conduct code found in "the navigator" was in immediate danger of being violated?

"*Sexual Misconduct
Definition:
Sexual activity that is inconsistent with biblical teaching, such as: sexual activity outside
the bonds of marriage, sexual harm*, sexual harassment and homosexual behavior"

Or perhaps the University feared the unraveling of historic and religious misconceptions and rhetoric by the realization that GLBT people experience the same irresistible love for Jesus Christ as non LGBT people and that we all are sinners and loved by Jesus the same?

Kelli Busey
planetransgender

Day Of Remberance, Transgender people mourn our dead

The Transgender Day of remberence, November 20, 2008 is a annual event held by transgender people worldwide to solomly come together and remember the transgender people who violence has claimed from us.

It is not a event for orginizations who benifit in sales of our on going trajedy.

HRC to avoid the trama of 2007, http://www.washblade.com/2007/11-22/news/localnews/11602.cfm HRC DO NOT HOLD A DOR. You are expecialy NOT welcome November 20, 2008.

Your continued adherence to a agenda which EXCLUDES transender people from ENDA MAGINLIZES transgender pepole while you continue to profit in the MILLIONs nightly at your "Black Tie Dinners."

The DOR belongs to transgender people. It is our family that has been victimized.

Presidential McDivorcee Court/zowee who's getting the state?

The Huffington Post Trooper Gate A story of the use of political power being wielded against law enforcement in a vindictive attempt to settle a score over a contentious divorce. It could be on cops or divorce court but nooo it's on the big world wide television in the sky. Guess what. We are the chimps running around for the global viewers delight. I'm suddenly craving some crackers.
Its a good thing we didn't have to spend the last 8 years watching the same channel. Oh ya, we did. Mcbush reality island. Watch as judges run for cover as pot shots from a drunk vice president wings their little behinds. Hilarious. Rated (s) stupid.

Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission

Justin Flippen who is running for Wilton Manors City Commission, Florida, has won the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz according to a Sun-Sentinel.com article.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz is a member of the House Sub Committee on the Judiciary: Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

You may wonder, why does kelli in Dallas care so much about Broward County, Florida? Waymon Hudson's Fight OUT Loud slapped us with the question "Wheres The RAGE?" and helped us out of our post traumatic shock after the Lawrence King tragedy.

Waymon and friends have remained vigilant, a true T friend, sounding an alarm when the White House was being spirited away by someone who figured out how to us paper chafe to insure a Republican stayed in the white house 4 four more economy busting, war waging, liberty crushing years.

Our LGBT family in south Florida have remained vigilant. They have let us know about Justin. Flippen is a good man. Justin Flippen has invited us to a fund raiser so he get this thing kicked off!

Say No 2 Florida's Amendment 2- New TV Ad