Gay rights tour stops at Seattle Pacific University

Students visiting Christian colleges

By CHRISTINE FREY
P-I REPORTER

Gay and lesbian students who are traveling the country visiting Christian universities that have discriminatory policies against homosexuals will call on Seattle Pacific University Wednesday.

And, unlike such institutions as Notre Dame and Brigham Young, the Seattle school will welcome the students to campus.

SPU will host the group -- traveling under the name Equality Ride -- for worship and conversation about religion and human sexuality.

Campus officials have spent weeks preparing for the visit. President Philip Eaton recently published a lengthy memo online, writing that he hopes the campus will listen to the students and their message while communicating the university's position on sexuality. It opposes sex between people of the same gender.

Students and faculty met last week to discuss and ask questions about the pending event.

Eaton said he wants the community to "grow in our ability to tackle tough subjects" and treat others with respect "even when we disagree on things."

This week's visit is not likely to change the campus' long-standing policies, but those participating in the Equality Ride hope to put a face on the issue and engage students who may never have interacted with gays.

"The main goal is to really bring this conversation into the open," said Alexey Bulokhov, co-director of the westbound bus.

The group will also visit Northwest University in Kirkland.

SPU, founded by Free Methodists in 1891, has more than 3,800 students.

The university does not ask students about their sexual orientation, and officials say there are some openly gay students on campus. But students who attend SPU agree to abide by its lifestyle expectations, which prohibits premarital sex and "homosexual sexual activities."

In its statement on human sexuality, the university calls for treating all people, regardless of sexual orientation, with respect and dignity but specifies that sex take place between a married man and woman.

Though he welcomes the conversation about sexuality, Eaton said he did not want it to be the defining issue for the university, whose motto is "Engaging the culture, changing the world."

The students' visit will come a day after SPU's major downtown business breakfast, an annual event that draws hundreds of local community and business members.

The Equality Ride is sponsored by the group Soulforce, which works to end religious and political discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. It held its first bus tour last year.

The group has identified 200 colleges and universities around the country that it says have discriminatory policies against gays and lesbians.

This year two buses are visiting 32 campuses. Some, including Notre Dame and Brigham Young University, have not allowed them on campus. SPU has been welcoming of the group so far, Bulokhov said.

SPU student body president Bethany Krumm plans to meet with members of the Equality Ride when they come to campus this week. She said she's not sure of her position on homosexuality, but noted that college is a time to explore such issues.

"I'm still working that out," she said. "I'm really interested in hearing what's going to happen with the forum ... what this looks like and deciding where I stand on the whole issue."