UPDATED Nov 2nd: Stepping into History CA College Tour
15 Oct 08 12:00 AM EDT
Fall 2008 California College Tour
by Sylvia Rhue, Ph.D.
Director of Religious Affairs
National Black Justice Coalition
Updated November 2nd
Media Coverage: Civil Rights Veteran Speaks for LGBT rights
Updated October 24th
UC Santa Barbara
I was joined by People For the American Ways' Dennis Nelson on the trek to UC Santa Barbara. We showed the DVD by People For on combating homophobia in the Black Church which features NBJC's Religious Advisory Committee member Rev. Ken Samuel. The straight students wanted to know how to bring up the discussion of lgbt rights to their friends and family. We told them to start where the person is and go from there. We made ourselves a resource for the students for future events. We plan to return to this beautiful campus.
Next stop: UC San Diego
At this point, I have to remark on how far the UC's, USC, and UCLA have progressed on space for LGBT and gender studies. San Diego's space for multicultural studies was magnificent, high tech and stunning. Dennis Nelson also joined me as we talked to the students. UC San Diego only has a 2% Black Student population out of 18,000 students. We talked to a remarkable Muslim student from the Phillipines who said that the South East Asian Muslims are concerned about the 'Arabinizing' of Islam into a less tolerant and more homophobic Islam. He said that in Indonesia and the Phillipines, gay men had a place in society historically, similiar to the Native American 2 Spirit People concept. One student asked me why a minister would deliberately lie (as in Rod Parsley). I said that they see themselves as the "good guys" and therefore the end justifies the means.
Next stop: UC Santa Cruz
Large update posted October 15th
UCLA
In 1969 I applied to go to UCLA to get a Masters degree in Social Work. I got accepted but was told that I was almost rejected by the committee because the feeling was that I didn't need a degree because I was just going to get married and have children, so it would be a waste. Thank goodness a student fought for me to be able to attend. I was glad that I wasn't regarded as only a life support system for a waiting womb. So, I returned to my alma mater for my 6th stop on the "Stepping into History" marriage rights and religion tour.
I have a tape of Rev. Rod Parsley who gives a vicious homophobic diatribe with absurd statistics on homosexuals, ie most gay men die at 42 and most lesbians, die at 44, or they cheat on their taxes, etc. The students laughed at his absurdity and asked questions beyond our alloted time. One question was about how was the campus in 1969 after the Stonewall Riots. I answered that the Vietnam war was the big concern on campus, including police and protestors on campus. At the time, Stonewall was not even mentioned in the West coast papers, and just an article in the New York Times. We had no idea how big it was going to be. Also, in the Black church, there were no anti-gay sermons before Stonewall. After Stonewall, when the pride parades and marches began the increasing visibility of lgbt people began to trigger homophobic sermons.
Next stop: UC Santa Barbara
Santa Monica College
Another energetic group at Santa Monica College made this midpoint of the "Stepping into History Tour" on marriage rights and religion a real pleasure. A woman from PFLAG attended and asked a lot of questions. But the best part was the organic class response to the meeting to have a campus debate on Prop 8 before the November election. They started to make plans right after my presentation. At this halfway point on the tour, I have made real connections and potential friends. I can't believe how quickly the time is passing and how well it is all going.
Next stop: UCLA
Redlands University
Redlands University has a beautiful campus and is located only a few miles from UC Riverside. The "Stepping into History Tour" on marriage rights and religion was well received as a lavish sit down dinner was provided. The most intriguing question was posed by a student who followed me out to my car. He asked me if the church had ever used biblical verses to block interracial marriages. I said absolutely. In the church I grew up in, the 7th Day Adventists preached (in the segregated white churches, not the black segregated churches) that Blacks (Negroes and Colored people) were under the "Curse of Ham" and worthy of contempt. Many white Adventists were against interracial marriages. The verse they used was "be ye not unequally yoked" which meant don't marry an "unequal and inferior" Black person. They never quoted the whole verse, "be ye not unequally yoked to an unbeliever". The racism I experienced in my fundamentalist, biblical literealist church gave me life long scars,
psychic shrapnel that still makes me wince.
Next stop: Santa Monica College
Thursday, October 9th
The University of Riverside is nestled below the San Bernadino Mountains. One would pass Riverside if they were on their way to Palm Springs or Big Bear. I gave the "Stepping Into History" presentation at UC Riverside and this time there were oppositional voices to lgbt rights. A Greek Orthodox priest, an imposing man in his 30's, radiated hostility throughout my presentation. Another student felt we must have a society based on biblical principles (as opposed to the separation of church and state). We discussed their positions in a respectful manner. Most of the students and faculty present were allies. I talked about how I travel with a Bible and a copy of the Constitution, and hold them both up to ask the audience "which is the law of this land?." They resonated to the fact that the US Constitution is the sacred text of American society.
I always show a clip of Rev. Rod Parsley, a vitriolic anti-gay preacher from Ohio. At least one person was upset by the vitriol and misinformation that Parsley preaches. We took time to go over the erroneous points and misinformation. The student who didn't believe in the separation of church and state used the term "sexual preference" and I talked about how the word "preference" is inaccurate. A student came up to me after and wrote down my quote about sexual "preference".Students were eager to get the materials I had, including NBJC's "9 Most frequently Asked Questions About Marriage Rights" and the "Discrimination is Not an Option" brochure NBJC and the NAACP produced.
Next stop: University of Redlands
Coming Out Week Blog Extra: Pasadena City College Report
Dr. Rhue,
This is Neil Wade. We met last night when you spoke at PCC.
I cannot express how exciting it was to see you speak last night! Speaking with you afterwards was so inspiring and has really energized me to continue in my activism with greater fervor.
I will spread the word about the rest of your tour as much as possible.
In any case, I do want to keep in touch and become more involved with the overall LGBT rights movement, both on campus and off, during and beyond Proposition 8.
I look forward to seeing you again and I will certainly be keeping in contact.
Thank you again for all you have done and all you are doing. You truly are an example of the leader our world needs.
Peace and best,
Neil A. Wade
Wednesday October 8th
In 1965, I had just graduated from High School in Pasadena, California. For my first year of college, I attended Pasadena City College (PCC).
During that year it became apparent to some of the students that I was a lesbian. I felt my secret was out and I made plans to leave town. I transferred to a bible college in Huntsville, Ala.
I returned to PCC last night to present the "Stepping Into History" series which is designed to talk to students about marriage rights and religion. We had an energetic, sprited discussion and the best question of the night was posed by a heterosexual ally: "How can heterosexuals help lgbt people keep their marraige rights?"
I told her to have discussions with friends, family, and co-workers. We cannot do this without our heterosexual allies. The LA Times had an article about Yes on Prop 8 gaining ground. As of today Prop 8 is 5 points ahead of No on 8. It is crunch time.
On the way to my next presentation, I was listening to the radio. People were calling in to dedicate love songs to their sweethearts. A woman named Angela dedicated a song to her wife Tonia. The DJ didn't skip a beat and said, "There a lot of love out there". So different from 10 years ago when DJ's inLA would not allow same sex lovers to dedicate their songs to each other.
Next stop: UC Riverside.
Monday, October 6
This is Coming Out Week at USC, the University of Southern California. I spoke in front of a packed room to the USC LGBT Queer Programs on Marriage Rights and Religion. USC was the first stop on a 10 College/ University "Stepping Into History" Tour. Students were shown clips from anti-lgbt clergy and responses to anti-marriage sentiment. They were interested in how to convince their heterosexual friends to vote for marriage rights and we discussed how to let friends know how important marriage rights are. Many people don't think anyone will be harmed or anything negative will happen with the denial of marriage rights.
They found it hard to believe that people think the earth and human history are only 5-6,000 years old and the Creation Science Museum has a saddle on a dinosaur--as if to indicate Adam and Eve rode a dinosaur to church. But, as we were reminded at the Town Hall on Civil Rights and Marriage, hosted by NBJC and the NAACP at USC the previous week, strong resistance to marriage rights were presented based on biblical literalism and the notion that marriage was created in the Garden of
Eden. This is the continuing challenge we face as we try to turn hearts towards justice.
Next stop, Pasadena City College. Stay tuned.
Sylvia Rhue, Ph.D.
Director of Religious Affairs
National Black Justice Coalition
