the morning of

the morning of our first college campus stop i woke up to "did you see the bus?"
i ran out the front door of the econo-lodge hotel and looked at the bus that is supposed to be my home for the next two months.
"GAY FUCKS"
"GOD DOESN'T LOVE GAY FEARY FUCKS"
(notice that they didn't spell "fairy" / "faery" right)
i am twenty one years old....twenty two in two weeks, and i have never been the target of a gay slur.
this was a first.
when i joined the equality ride i wanted to spread the love and support i have received without reservation from the people in my life who mean the most to me.
and now i have experienced first hand the hate that is out there.
no one was physically hurt.
but this was a hate crime none the less.
an act rooted in a hatred built from fear and ignorance.
we stepped of the bus onto the dordt college campus, snow banks twelve feet high.
a beautiful day with snow laying on the branches on trees growing in peace.
and we were welcomed, students and faculty alike, they were honest and wanted a day of conversation.
apologizing profusely for the act of vandalism that we awoke to.
the students were eager for dialogue.
asked thoughtful questions.
and were genuinely interested in what i had to say and what my fellow riders had to say.
our stories were told, they listened.
their stories were told, we listened.
my fears about our day were comforted by the words that surprisingly came out of my mouth.
i learned so much about myself through the conversations i had today.
seventeen more schools to go.
xoxo.