Day of action planned for OBU campus to combat anti-LGBT discrimination

On March 9th, Bison 4 Equality will be partnering with Soulforce for a national day of action which calls on students, staff, faculty, and alumni at Oklahoma Baptist University to hold their institution accountable as OBU has quietly filed for and received a Title IX exemption - this exemption grants OBU the "right to discriminate" against LGBTQI and transgender students in admission, retention, employment, housing, and other areas integral to a student's health and education.

These actions include an on-campus demonstration during the morning and afternoon of March 9th, followed by an informational session open to the public at the Shawnee Public Library (101 N Philadelphia Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801) from 7pm-8pm and at Peloton Wine Bar & Cafe (900 N Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102) from 9pm-10pm. In addition, a petition affirming Bison 4 Equality's message is available at https://www.change.org/p/david-whitlock-give-back-obu-s-title-ix-exemption and has gathered over 100 signatures in its first week.

In addition to the actions taking place at OBU, students from Biola University in La Mirada, CA will be hosting public direct action to speak out against the actions of their institutions. Students at other schools who wish to remain anonymous are also working to organize dissent in the coming months as well.

Soulforce supports these students who are organizing in hostile environments with resources and community, and connects students across schools to stand up together against Title IX waivers and other forms of religious exemptions.

The national movement, #GiveBackIX, demands that Christian college campuses are held accountable to create learning environments where LGBTQI students can thrive educationally and spiritually without fear. Students demand, among many things, that their schools nullify their waivers. We know that students are more powerful when they work together across campuses.

The Gayly- 10:06 AM CST