Taking On 10,000 Southern Baptists
A Houstonian describes her experiences with Soulforce at the Southern Baptist convention in New Orleans
by Karen Morgan

On June 11-13, some 10,000 Southern Baptists descended on New Orleans for their annual convention. Perhaps the most egregiosly antigay religious group in the U.S., the gathering promised a concentration of homophobia and ignorance.

Believing that such misinformation should not go unchallenged , Rev. Mel White brought his Soulforce protesters from all over to spread their own message of hope and truth. Soulforce is made up of gays, lesbians, transgenders, bisexuals, and their supporters, all who follow the teachings of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. in advocating non-violent resistance. Participants are asked to take a pledge to uphold the ideals of Soulforce: to seek truth, to love, to suffer for the cause (or take on the perceived enemy’s anger without retaliation), to control passions, and limit possessions.

Becky Ingalls, one of our own Houstonians, attended the protest as a member of Soulforce. Ingalls has been a high school counselor for HISD for 13 years and also runs a private practice. Ironically, she was raised Baptist and her whole family is still of the Baptist faith. In her career, she has seen firsthand the kind of damage that the Southern Baptist teachings can do, and she feels a pretty high percentage of teen suicide can be attributed to this kind of misinformation. She became aware of Soulforce about two years ago and asked to receive the emails and periodic updates. She finally decided she wanted to take an active part.

"I was scared," Ingalls confessed. "This was the first thing I’d ever done in public."  

Before attending the convention, Soulforce participants were asked to write a letter to a Southern Baptist board member asking for just a few moments of their time to have a short conversation, a cup of coffee, anything to get a dialogue going and work towards a common end. Ingalls was asked to write her letter to a Pastor Coe from Arizona. He didn’t reply.

After arriving in New Orleans on Monday night, participants were directed to the St. Mark’s Methodist Church where they received training and watched videos on non-violent resistance. Tuesday morning Soulforce forces were divided into five different squads of 60 to 70 each; each took a two-hour shift outside the Superdome, where the conference was taking place, starting at 7:15 a.m. as the convention-goers arrived. Under a giant banner that read, "Southern Baptist teachings are killing our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children," the Soulforce participants stood in silent vigil for two days.

A very few delegates, some confrontational and some actually genuine, tried to ask what was meant by "Southern Baptist teachings." They were directed to a hospitality room in the Holiday Inn just down the block where Rev. White and other clergy talked to them about how harmful their teachings are, citing specific examples and answering questions. A small number actually went.

But for all their effort and care, Ingalls admitted that Soulforce’s presence didn’t seem to make much difference to the delegates; most just passed them by, without comment.

When asked if this treatment, these attitudes, made her angry, Ingalls replied, "You really have to have your head together." She said many of the protestors use some kind of mantra to prevent it from getting to them, to keep them focused on . One woman thought over and over, "They are victims of misinformation." Ingalls kept her mind filled with a song she sang in church–"Undivided," written by Mel Tunney, who, ironically, is himself a Baptist. "In our hearts we’re undivided, worshiping one Spirit, one God."

The notorious Fred Phelps was present, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, known for attending AIDS victims’ funerals carrying a sign that reads "God Hates Faggots." He and his church family were marching on the esplanade protesting the Soulforce presence. However, Ingalls did say that not all the Southern Baptist delegates were that extreme. At one point, some delegates stepped between Phelps and Soulforce members, shaking hands and apologizing for his behavior.

On Wednesday, to end the conference, Soulforce members held a "jazz funeral" to mourn the death of gay Southern Baptists, marching around the perimeter of the Superdome to the tune of "When the Saints Come Marching In." Ingalls was among the 34 protesters arrested on charges of trespassing as they attempted to take a casket inside the Superdome. On the bus headed for the New Orleans city jail, Ingalls asked Rev. Mel White what he thought would come of the arrests and the days of nonviolent protest.

"The best I hope for is that it affects the people that participated," he replied.

Ultimately no charges were filed. When the bus pulled up in front of the jail, a policeman told them they were free to go.

In summing up her experience, Ingalls says, "What was important to me is that I didn’t know I had the courage to do something like that. I don’t know if it was my conscience or the Spirit of God that led me to confront the Baptists and their teachings. I’m glad I did."

It looks like Reverend White got the best he hoped for.

To learn more, see Soulforce’s excellant website at www.soulforce.org. If you want to join forces with Soulforce, and receive notice of their actions, you can write P.O. Box 4467, Laguna Beach, CA. 92652 or email journey@soulforce.org.