Gay, lesbian group harassed in Sioux Center
By Alicia Ebaugh Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, March 09, 2007
Shortly after they rolled into Sioux Center, Iowa, Wednesday night, members of a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender social justice organization were harassed and found their bus vandalized with anti-gay slurs.
The 25 people, ranging in age from 19 to 28, are members of Soulforce Q, a division of the national organization that works to end political and religious oppression of GLBT people. They are in Sioux Center until Saturday visiting with Dordt College students, said media liaison Kyle DeVries.
It was the first stop in the organization's Equality Ride 2007, aimed to bring the message of equality and inclusion to Christian colleges like Dordt that have policies punishing gays and lesbians and excluding them from the campus.
"This is the reality created by fear and misunderstanding," said Katie Higgins, co-director of the group. "It saddens me that people have such hatred in their hearts, but this just demonstrates why we feel called to spread our message of the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings."
Wednesday night, three vehicles repeatedly circled the hotel where the riders were staying, DeVries said, and the people in them were making lewd comments and gestures such as dropping their pants. Thursday morning, he said they woke up to find anti-gay slurs, including foul language, written on the side of the bus.
"We're prepared to run into things like this, but we didn't expect it on the first night," he said. The riders left Minneapolis on Wednesday to start their tour east across the country. "That this happened really shows how these words become actions. If you have an anti-gay policy, it's only a matter of time until someone takes it to the extreme of vandalism, which can lead to violence."
The group contacted Dordt officials a few months ago to set up a panel discussion between its members and Dordt officials about the college's GLBT policies, also having students accompany members around campus and facilitate conversations, said Norlan De Groot, Dordt director of public relations.
"We allowed their visit for two reasons: We considered this to be a learning opportunity for our students and an opportunity for Christian witness," De Groot said.
Included in Dordt's faculty and student handbooks is that the college "specifically holds as unacceptable sexual relations with someone of the same gender. Dordt also prohibits promoting or advocating such activity."
College officials were "saddened" to learn about the vandalism and apologized to the riders for its occurrence in Sioux Center, he said. Dordt maintenance workers cleaned the graffiti off of the vehicle.
"We don't want to see that happen here," De Groot said.
Regardless of the incidents, DeVries said they all felt the visit has been productive.
"We believe the students really opened their hearts and minds to us," he said.
The harassment and vandalism was reported to Sioux Center police, DeVries said. There was no indication anyone associated with Dordt was involved in the incidents.
The 25 people, ranging in age from 19 to 28, are members of Soulforce Q, a division of the national organization that works to end political and religious oppression of GLBT people. They are in Sioux Center until Saturday visiting with Dordt College students, said media liaison Kyle DeVries.
It was the first stop in the organization's Equality Ride 2007, aimed to bring the message of equality and inclusion to Christian colleges like Dordt that have policies punishing gays and lesbians and excluding them from the campus.
"This is the reality created by fear and misunderstanding," said Katie Higgins, co-director of the group. "It saddens me that people have such hatred in their hearts, but this just demonstrates why we feel called to spread our message of the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings."
Wednesday night, three vehicles repeatedly circled the hotel where the riders were staying, DeVries said, and the people in them were making lewd comments and gestures such as dropping their pants. Thursday morning, he said they woke up to find anti-gay slurs, including foul language, written on the side of the bus.
"We're prepared to run into things like this, but we didn't expect it on the first night," he said. The riders left Minneapolis on Wednesday to start their tour east across the country. "That this happened really shows how these words become actions. If you have an anti-gay policy, it's only a matter of time until someone takes it to the extreme of vandalism, which can lead to violence."
The group contacted Dordt officials a few months ago to set up a panel discussion between its members and Dordt officials about the college's GLBT policies, also having students accompany members around campus and facilitate conversations, said Norlan De Groot, Dordt director of public relations.
"We allowed their visit for two reasons: We considered this to be a learning opportunity for our students and an opportunity for Christian witness," De Groot said.
Included in Dordt's faculty and student handbooks is that the college "specifically holds as unacceptable sexual relations with someone of the same gender. Dordt also prohibits promoting or advocating such activity."
College officials were "saddened" to learn about the vandalism and apologized to the riders for its occurrence in Sioux Center, he said. Dordt maintenance workers cleaned the graffiti off of the vehicle.
"We don't want to see that happen here," De Groot said.
Regardless of the incidents, DeVries said they all felt the visit has been productive.
"We believe the students really opened their hearts and minds to us," he said.
The harassment and vandalism was reported to Sioux Center police, DeVries said. There was no indication anyone associated with Dordt was involved in the incidents.
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M.G wrote on Feb 16, 2008 3:13 PM:
Why? wrote on Nov 26, 2007 5:25 PM:
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