Equality Ride Training in Minneapolis

Hey all,

Thanks for wanting to follow up on my experiences. I have found that I am going to have to MAKE myself write in this, as I am no longer conscious of time. Everything goes by so quickly, and there is so much I am always supposed to be doing.

We arrived to training in Minneapolis late because of a huge snow storm… so we were three days behind schedule. We missed the majority of the media training with GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). But we learned how to use our personal stories with the media and what sound bites are effective in portraying our message.

The following day (the 5th) we worked with Peterson Toscano, an ex-gay survivor. He is an activist and performer now who travels sharing his experiences about the ex-gay movement and its falsities. You can check out his blog at http://www.a_musing.blogspot.com/

He gave us insight into how the ex-gay movement operates and the rhetoric its leaders use because we will be speaking with many students who feel like Queerness is something that is chosen and is something that can and should be changed. Many of the campuses we are visiting are having ex-gay speakers come before the Equality Ride arrives, which is quite indicative, in my opinion, of the weakness of the schools’ stance on homosexuality. This shows that our visit brings fear. It brings anxiety. It brings the recognition that the school is wrong and is desperately seeking ways to validate their oppression. Peterson shared with us a stark reality about the majority of ex-gay program seekers: they are overwhelmingly gay, white men who have found their effeminacy problematic in seeking leadership positions in the church. Peterson said that one of the reasons he wanted to cure himself so badly was because for once in his life, he saw a door shut on him… a door that said “you cannot have everything you desire.” And he responded, “what do you mean, I’m a white man. I get what a white man wants!” So, ultimately many men seek reparative therapy to gain power in the church that they are denied.

Later that day we had extensive nonviolence training similar to the training Freedom Riders experienced. We watched segments of Eyes on the Prize to gain a better understanding of how simulated nonviolence training works. Phil Lawson, the brother of the famous Civil Rights activist Jim Lawson, spoke to us about his experiences with civil disobedience and direct action. He actually learned about nonviolent resistance from white band mates who refused to eat or pay at a local lunch counter unless he was served along with them. He said a lot of really cool things, which I wrote down in a notebook, which I’ll hopefully transcribe here soon. I also talked with him about my thesis, and he gave me suggestions to seek the experiences of Black communities at my stops to better understand the culture at all of our stops.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lawson
http://www.soulforce.org/article/151 (phillip lawson)

We simulated some things we might encounter like screaming in our faces, insults, threats, etc. This gave us a better understanding of how it feels to be the person saying these terrible things. It is not easy, and it comes from deep-seated fears. So when dealing with these actions, we must understand the places they are coming from. We must know that saying hateful things is hard on the soul of those speaking them as well.

Our last night, we ate Chinese food, the same dinner that the Freedom Riders ate the night before embarking on their ride.

So overall, training was amazing. Leaving my boyfriend Kourt was not so amazing, but I have great friends to take care of me along the way. I am at peace knowing he is on a journey as well… and when we return, we will have grown so much.

Ok, next post is about Dordt!

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