A gay and lesbian advocacy group will make a stop at BYU on April 10, 2006, as part of a national tour of institutions they believe have discriminatory policies against homosexuals.

The group, Soulforce, was started by a church reverend and his partner to help achieve freedom for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender people from “religious and political oppression.” The Soulforce.org Web site says the group will achieve this through “the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.”

Borrowing themes and ideas from the civil rights movement, Soulforce has dubbed its seven-week national bus tour the Equality Ride, making 19 stops and visiting 18 religious schools to “challenge homophobia at the institutions that are largely responsible for GLBT discrimination.”

“Let’s be honest,” said Equality Ride co-director Haven Herrin. “BYU has a discriminatory stance against GLBT people, and we wanted to address that.”

Of the 220 schools across the nation that ban homosexuality on campus, Herrin said BYU has one of the toughest, most stringent policies.

BYU policy, laid out in the Honor Code, states that while homosexual feelings or orientation will not result in a violation, homosexual behavior will.

“Advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle (whether implied or explicit) or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature, are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code may result in actions up to and including separation from the University,” the Honor Code states.

However, it is almost impossible that visits from groups like Soulforce will result in change in Honor Code policy.

“Our policies are based on the teachings and doctrine of our sponsor church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins. “We do acknowledge that the BYU environment may not be for everyone, however that is a decision that students make in coming here and one that visitors will need to make in visiting our campus.”

But Herrin said a conversation about the BYU environment is worthwhile. And a conversation, she said, is all Soulforce is after.

“We’re not going to come trooping in demanding a change in policy,” Herrin said. “We don’t want to say ‘you’re wrong, you’re bad, you need to change.’ We just want to start the process of understanding what it’s like to be a GLBT, that it’s very real, that there is suffering. These students feel like they’re second-best, they’re often driven to suicide, because they feel like God does not love them.”

Herrin said that the 32 young adults on the Equality Ride bus will help bring “personal witnesses” that God loves all of his children, and he does not make exception based on sexual orientation.

While on campus, Soulforce hopes to pass out literature, engage in dialogue with students, perhaps even give speeches and set up booths.

But based on BYU’s public-expression policy, Soulforce likely won’t make too much noise.

In a recent e-mail sent to the student body, Student Life Vice President Janet Scharman said that while individuals can come on campus and “engage in civil dialogue,” they cannot be “disruptive to the campus community.”

However, what is disruptive can have different interpretations.

“That can be subjective,” said Ed Carter, assistant professor in the Department of Communications.

Traditionally, BYU classifies things like loudspeakers and posters in the disruptive category, Jenkins said.

“We do not allow single individuals to come on campus carrying posters to advocate whatever they are advocating,” Jenkins said. “And we would not accommodate any group hoping to use BYU as a public forum.”

Since BYU is a private university, meaning there are no First Amendment issues at stake, BYU’s public-expression policy is based on its own prerogative, said Carter.

“There can be public expression on topics and at times and in places of our choosing,” Carter said.

On Herrin’s part, she is grateful that BYU will allow Soulforce to come on campus at all, as other schools on the Equality Ride trip have denied the group any access.

“It’s a testament to the academic freedom on BYU’s campus,” Herrin said. “And in the end, we can disagree on doctrine, but we don’t need to disagree on dialogue.”



Copyright Brigham Young University 24 Mar 2006