Soulforce visits Spring Arbor
Off-campus visit requested by students
Laniaya Alesia Hoofatt
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Features
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After the song, Hinkle spoke. He described how many of the students wanted more than a Facebook group, they wanted to meet in person and organize. He briefly described the harassment some students endured, the Federal Mail Investigation and the Julie Nemecek issue. He then explained S.A.F.E was not allowed to post flyers, or hand them out on campus to promote the event. The group resorted to Facebook, a popular website, using their flyer ads to get students to come and engage in dialogue.
Joanna Nemecek then spoke about her struggle in coming to an understanding about John, her husband, becoming Julie. After prayer, crying, searching scripture, she decided that she would stay married to Julie.
"Her brain was born that way and I need to love her for who she is," Nemecek.
There was a presentation with a "Gender Gumby" where riders drew different lines of definition regarding their given gender, how they see themselves and how society sees them. Angel Collie, a rider that identifies as transgender, talked about how a person sees themselves and how that idea can fluctuate with how the person feels.
There was a presentation called "The Transgender Umbrella" where they discussed the different terms that were acceptable in the community, such as transitional, cross dresser, inner sex, gender-bender, androgynous, MTF and FTM. Then they spoke on the terms that can be used to harm someone, such as "transvestite."
Robin Reynolds a Soulforce Rider from Valdosta, Georgia briefly spoke on how many groups were previously oppressed, trying to distinguish their struggles from those who are LGBT.
The Soulforce Equality Ride had been planned for months in advance, starting in October. The directors of Soulforce sent letters to colleges and universities in order to open up dialogue with administrators to see if they would be able have access to the campus and its students. Although Spring Arbor University was not originally on their list of schools to travel to, several members of the Spring Arbor University community wrote letters requesting they come visit the school. Since Soulforce had not been in conversation with SAU administration, they visited off campus to meet with the students, faculty, and community members that wanted to discuss the recent events on campus and university policies.
"You find that schools administrators will do many things to minimize presence… even actually threatening the students with discipline," said Jarrett Lucas, Co-Director of Equality Ride East Bus and Young Adult Director of Outreach.
Joanna Nemecek then spoke about her struggle in coming to an understanding about John, her husband, becoming Julie. After prayer, crying, searching scripture, she decided that she would stay married to Julie.
"Her brain was born that way and I need to love her for who she is," Nemecek.
There was a presentation with a "Gender Gumby" where riders drew different lines of definition regarding their given gender, how they see themselves and how society sees them. Angel Collie, a rider that identifies as transgender, talked about how a person sees themselves and how that idea can fluctuate with how the person feels.
There was a presentation called "The Transgender Umbrella" where they discussed the different terms that were acceptable in the community, such as transitional, cross dresser, inner sex, gender-bender, androgynous, MTF and FTM. Then they spoke on the terms that can be used to harm someone, such as "transvestite."
Robin Reynolds a Soulforce Rider from Valdosta, Georgia briefly spoke on how many groups were previously oppressed, trying to distinguish their struggles from those who are LGBT.
The Soulforce Equality Ride had been planned for months in advance, starting in October. The directors of Soulforce sent letters to colleges and universities in order to open up dialogue with administrators to see if they would be able have access to the campus and its students. Although Spring Arbor University was not originally on their list of schools to travel to, several members of the Spring Arbor University community wrote letters requesting they come visit the school. Since Soulforce had not been in conversation with SAU administration, they visited off campus to meet with the students, faculty, and community members that wanted to discuss the recent events on campus and university policies.
"You find that schools administrators will do many things to minimize presence… even actually threatening the students with discipline," said Jarrett Lucas, Co-Director of Equality Ride East Bus and Young Adult Director of Outreach.
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