KARE 11 on Equality Riders and Me On Tammy Faye

KARE 11, Minneapolis' NBC affiliate, has a story up about the Soulforce Equality Riders who set off today to make a difference in the realm of religion and GLBT rights (I had a prior commitment at the U of MN speaking about GLBT rights, or I would have attended. Sorry guys!).

The Equality Riders are highlighting GLBT discrimination at 2 Minnesota schools of higher education: Bethel University and North Central University.

In response, Bethel University Provost Jay Barnes said, "We believe whether a student is gay or straight that those intimate forms of sexual behavior can only be expressed in the context of traditional marriage."

You'll note he said 'traditional marriage.' Jacob Reitan of the Equality Ride responds: "Gay and lesbian people do not have that freedom at Bethel and that is discrimination." And we don't have that freedom in Minnesota.

North Central University is extremely Christian, but it's not as bad as it could be: it's the alma mater of tele-evangelist Tammy Faye Baker, a most unlikey ally of GLBT people. And if you haven't seen the "Eyes of Tammy Faye," you really should. Here's what Tammy had to say about the film and gays:

"MW: Your film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, had enormous camp value. And it seemed to do well within the gay community.

TAMMY FAYE: It was popular with everybody -- not just the gays. It turned my life around, really. The gay guys have Tammy Faye parties all the time where they show the film. That just makes my heart melt right down to nothing. One young gay man came up to me and told me every time somebody comes to his house, they can't live without the film. And so he gives it to them and buys himself another one. He said “Tammy, I've bought twelve of them.” And that really touched my heart.

MW: What is it do you think about the movie that’s made it so popular with gays?

TAMMY FAYE: So many things have happened to the gay people -- they've been made fun of, they've been put down, they've been misunderstood. A couple of the gay guys told me, “We put it on every time we get discouraged.” I've even heard people outside the gay community say that every time they get discouraged they put that movie on and they realize they can make it. I didn't know how that movie was going to turn out, I wasn't promised anything on that movie, but I'm just in disbelief of what has happened to my life [because of it]. I thought I was a Titanic and that I was going to sink and never come up again. But I guess I had the greatest captain in the world -- the lord Jesus Christ. He promises to get us safely to the other side and He certainly has."

If only North Central University would take a hint from its most famous alumnus, this world might be a little bit brighter. If only we all could take a lesson from Reitan and the Equality Riders, the world would definitely be brighter.