by Toni Pizanie
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Soul Force

Soul Force is Gandhi's term for militant nonviolent action. Soul Force principals are an individual's promise to seek truth, live by the truth, reject violence either physical or psychological, to be long-suffering for ourselves, our cause, our adversaries, to control all areas of our lives to be free to serve justice and, most difficult, to limit our need for possessions and use what we have to exclusively serve God in making things fair for all.

Many of us were first introduced to Rev. Dr. Mel White in 1995. Rev. White made national news by being arrested and jailed for trespassing at Pat Robertson's CBN Broadcast Center. Prior to writing his own autobiography in 1994, White was the respected Christian author who collaborated with and ghost wrote the autobiographies of several famous fundamentalist preachers such as Pat Robertson, Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell.

Since the 1960s, White has served as "pastor, seminary professor, best-selling author, prize-winning film maker and communication consultant." In 1993, White and his partner of now fifteen years, Gary Nixon, began their justice ministry as full time activists.

Today Mel and Gary travel the world teaching the "soul force" principles of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as based on the teachings and life of Christ. White has received the ACLU's National Civil Liberties Award for his "soul force" work towards justice for sexual minorities, is the author of Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America and the sequel Storming the Gate.

I had the privilege of meeting with Dr. White and one of his staunchest supporters, Bill Carpenter, at an organizational meeting for the upcoming nonviolent civil action aimed at the Southern Baptist Annual Meeting.

This June 11 - 13 in New Orleans, Mel invites all GLBT people of faith, their families and friends on a Journey to Justice where we will peacefully demonstrate at the Superdome. On Mon. evening, June 11, there will be a workshop, Hands on Training, at Soul Force Central in New Orleans. Here you will be trained in the principles of nonviolent resistance. These are lessons that we can take into our homes, our churches and synagogues to change our lives and educate those around us.

Tues., June 13, there will be vigils, teach-ins and media events at the Superdome. You will not be asked to do anything that feels uncomfortable or inappropriate to you. This is an all day action and you can participate as long or as little as you are able or as your work schedule allows.

The event culminates on Wed., June 13 with a vigil, media events, direct action and possible Civil Disobedience. Soul Force is working with police and officials to secure respect in all our activities. Should nonviolent civil disobedience be called for, you may stand in support if you do not wish to be arrested for direct action. That decision is for you alone to make.

I plan to take part in this action. I have marched and demonstrated before; however, this will be the first time that I will be willing to be jailed for my beliefs. I extend an invitation to the New Orleans community to join me, PFLAG, the Community Center, the MCC, AIDS Outreach Center and our friends. Let us share our strengths and tell our stories.

I asked Dr. White what he wanted GLBT people in New Orleans to know about his philosophy. These are just a few of his quotes: "I want to renew the persons who stand with us. It is a wonderful feeling to stand for the truth. The rhetoric of intolerance leads to death. Churches with intolerant teachings are giving license to murder and suicide. They don't mean to but they allow it. Written confessions from the murderers of Gays state that the Bible tells them to do it. We cannot cooperate with evil."

White reminds us that there are sixteen million Christian fundamentalists in this country wanting to see us eliminated in the name of God. If we can just "get there" or show up at the conventions and meetings and conferences, our adversaries' responses will change the thinking of right-minded people.

For years we have fought for a place at the political table. Today we must stand for our place in the religious community.

My story is like many others. I graduated from a private Southern Baptist school where I was taught that my desires were contrary to the teachings of God. These were also the teachings of the Methodist Church that I attended with my family. Fear of damnation caused me to make many bad decisions. I lived a life denying my true self.

One wonderful day, I read in the Bible that we will be judged by what we KNOW. Wow, it hit me, we won't be judged by what some preacher tried to force down our young throats or what mother said was correct but by what we know in our hearts to be the truth that God gives us through prayer and study.

I am a child of God and no man can take that from me. I have no fear that my soul is scheduled for the fiery pit. I know it is time that I stand with Dr. White and Soul Force members to tell the Southern Baptists that I am Gay, that they have injured me with their lies, intolerance and "unChristian" acts and that God loves me as I am.

Through reading and study, I know that Christ loved all people. He is the emancipator of women, He is solver of problems, He is forgiver of mistakes and best of all, the people He did get angry with were the greedy, self-important, religious men who defiled His Father's temple - men, in my opinion, like Robertson, Falwell and all fundamentalists who use the Bible against any of God's children who refuse to buckle under to bigotry and ignorance.

Please visit the Soul Force Web site at www.soulforce.org.