The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Homosexual rights group pickets Mississippi College

By William H. Perkins, Jr. - Mar 29, 2007 - 1

Five protesters among about 28 people demanding equality for homosexual, lesbian, and “transgendered” people at Mississippi College (MC) in Clinton were arrested March 22 after being warned that they would not be allowed to come on the Baptist-affiliated school’s campus.

The protesters were members of Soulforce’s Equality Ride 2007, which is touring the country to protest policies at Christian schools that they allege discriminate against homosexuals, lesbians, and “transgenders”- people who believe they are members of the gender opposite their physical indications.

Michael Eide, a student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and the organizer of the MC stop on the Equality Ride route, told a small group of onlookers gathered on College Street just beyond the north boundary of the campus that being homosexual and Christian “aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Eide was the first protester to be arrested for moving from the public sidewalk along College Street on to the MC campus. The school’s administration, with the backing of the school’s trustees, declined to allow the protesters to enter the campus out of concern for the disruption of the school day and because the group’s stated goals are contrary to positions held by the school and the Mississippi Baptist Convention with which the school is affiliated.

Mississippi College’s Student Handbook defines premarital sex, extramarital sex, and homosexual activities as sexual improprieties that can result in disciplinary action by the school.

Eide said such a policy is “obviously discriminatory” and the protesters wanted homosexual MC students to know, “You are not alone.”

Stephen Krebs, a Soulforce organizer from Washington, D.C., told the crowd that MC students and alumni had expressed support for the protest at the school. However, when pressed by a reporter for The Baptist Record for the names of those supporters, Krebs hesitated and said he would have to go “off the record” to reveal the names because of a “climate of fear.” The reporter declined his offer to go off the record.

Krebs approached the reporter later and gave him the name of one person he said was a graduate of the school who supported the protest.

Protester Amy Scott of Azusa, Ca., was arrested after she walked on to the campus and confronted MC student Kevin Nelson of Clinton, who was standing with his friends and observing the protest.

“She said, ‘Thank you for coming and listening,’” Nelson said. “I told her, ‘We love you but I do believe you’re on the wrong path. I’ll be praying for you.’ She said, ‘I believe I’m on the right path.’”

MC President Lee Royce said prior to the protest, “Mississippi College seeks to be a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ, and to ensure that we fulfill our mission we make every effort to provide our students a quality Christian education in an environment where inquiry and truth are valued. In order to do this we do not allow political action groups to hijack our daily operations to present their ‘view’ because they feel their voice is not being heard.

“Soulforce is an aggressive challenger to the positions held by Mississippi College, the Mississippi Baptist Convention, and Southern Baptist churches. We will not allow our campus to be ‘taken over’ even for a day by those using bullying tactics to promote agenda.”

Article originally from “The Baptist Record.”

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Education, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality

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