Her blood was still on my pants as we raced to the airport after our weekend in Lynchburg, Virginia. It had been called an Anti-Violence Forum by the Baptists at at Liberty University, but somehow I still felt violated and abused, and the pressing responsibility to speak up and take action for "the least of these" was weighing heavy on my heart.
We didn't know what kind of violence we'd be facing when we had arrived there just two nights previously. Rumors that the Klan and other hate groups would be coming to disrupt our historic meeting with our number one adversary,The Rev.
Jerry Falwell, kept me awake many a night preceding our Journey. Friday turned out to be a long day of travel for everyone, and my partner Mark and I arrived at the very last minute after two long flights and a three hour drive. But finally there we were, people of faith, gathered in the First Christian Church in Lynchburg - Soulforce Central.
The Rev. Mel White had called us there to try and end the hate speech that leads to fear, violence and death to God's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered children. We were called "radical gay christian activists" by the press. Actually, we "radical activists" were both straight and gay; we were parents and we were priests. We were Jews and Buddhists, Christians and Quakers. We were black and pink, and every color of God's Holy Rainbow. We were just plain folk - trying to do the right thing.
Mel had at one time ghost-written books for Billy Graham and other christian convervatives. He had even penned Jerry Falwell's autobiography,until, that is, he came out as a gay man. Now some eight years later, along with his life partner, Gary Nixon, White has formed an ecumenical group called Soulforce, Inc.
