Riding for equality

DETROIT – When Chad Grandy ventured through the United States with 32 other LGBT and allied riders in gay activist group Soulforce's bus plastered in equality slogans he wasn't sure what to expect.
"My worst fear was that something would happen to one of the Equality Riders or myself, [that] someone would get beat up," Grandy said. "That was a major concern of mine leading up to the ride."
Now back at home in Mount Pleasant, the 20-year-old is sharing his story with friends, family and local colleges. On May 22, Grandy discussed his journey to 17 Christian campuses and three military academies with attendees at the Triangle Foundation office in Detroit.
Although the trek lasted nearly two months, and Grandy spent countless hours speaking with closeted gay students and militia, he didn't appear tired. He smiled – a lot. But, when you're Grandy, you have something to smile about.
"It was amazing," Grandy told attendees. Sure, his answer was simple, but how else could he summarize his trip when faced with the infamous question: how was it?
"It's hard to put it into one sentence," he said.
Before leaving, Grandy assumed most people wouldn't be very friendly, and he expected biblical references to be thrown in their faces, leaving "little room for conversation and understanding."
"I was very surprised to find that neither of these two things were true," he said.
When the group first released letters to schools that they were coming whether they were welcome or not, Virginia's Liberty University Founder Jerry Falwell denied them access to the campus. According to Grandy, Falwell claimed "we were not interested in speaking to his students but rather getting attention from the press to raise awareness of our group and receive money."
Still, they went.
Twenty police officers and several reporters greeted the group at the gate of the university. There were 24 arrests.
Still, the Christian schools didn't scare Grandy.
"The Christian schools … had a responsibility, specifically their administration, to assure that their students stayed in line," he said.
At Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., Grandy felt "bad" that students had to conceal their homosexuality on the campus. As campus police guarded students from the riders because of "security reasons," the group held up a sign with a cell phone number. "Any student seen talking to us would not be allowed back on campus that day," he said.
Moments later the riders received a phone call and the students met them at a gas station across the street.
"It made me feel really bad that these students could not openly discuss homosexuality on their campus," he said. "I also felt a real sense of failure on our part. As a community we need to be doing more to reach out to these sheltered youth."
Some of Grandy's group members participated in a bible study that night and the next day some of the Regent students met at their bus to apologize for the wrong doings of the Christian community toward the LGBT community.
"Their thoughts and feelings on this matter are not based on ignorance but rather a real lack of exposure," he said. "No one ever took the time to go to a school like this and speak to them about these issues. No one had ever clearly sat down with them on a one-on-one basis in a way that they could ask questions."
Grandy felt more unsafe at the military academies, where some of the riders put black tape over their mouths to protest "don't ask, don't tell," and the group faced threats. At West Point Academy in New York, Grandy was arrested. The group used a portion of their $260,000, which Soulforce gave to the group to pay trip expenses, for legal fees.
"At the military academies there was less emphasis on Christian values, violence was not something that everyone there agreed was wrong," he said.
Although they faced specific restrictions at Lee University in Tennessee and had "Fags-Mobile" spray painted on their bus, Grandy said most of the campus' pupils were "polite," especially at Abilene University in Texas, where the school paid for their hotel and meal accommodations. In fact, the school has since changed their policy allowing gay students the right to remain in their school.
"It was a real opportunity to talk to a university that really welcomed us," he said.
While MTV aired news coverage of the Equality Ride, Grandy said a documentary film is in the works as well. Grandy hopes it will be released in time for the Reel Pride Michigan's Film Festival. To help fund the project please visit http://www.equalityridethemovie.com for more information or contact Dave O' Brien at 213-610-0667.
Checks can be made to Film Arts Foundation. Please send all donations to Eyethink Pictures, 1310 Old Bayshore Hwy., Ste. 21, Burlingame, CA 94010.