Four Equality Riders arrested in Georgia

Four gay rights youth activists were arrested Monday for walking onto a Christian college campus and attempting to engage in dialogue with students. Soulforce's eastbound bus--one of two that make up its Equality Ride 2 mission, which is to travel to Christian colleges across the country that have policies silencing or excluding gay students--visited Covenant College in Georgia, where Jarrett Lucas, Rachel Loskill, Adam Britt, and Bronwen Tomb were arrested and spent a night in jail. Bail has been set at $1,000 each.

The goal of the group's trip to campus was to request that the administration create an "environment that reflects the wideness of God's grace and diversity of the body of Christ," according to a press release from Soulforce, which sponsors the Equality Ride.

Katie Higgins, the codirector of the eastbound bus, said in the press release that the group's persistence will not wane.

"For every administrator who blocks our dialogue, we have countless students who earnestly want and need to hear an affirming perspective," she said. "On this route, we have faced many campus property lines that are heavily guarded by police. Yet each time, our message of inclusion remains strong and our convictions relentless." (The Advocate)