One night at a Chicago gay bar, then-Northwestern student Jacob Reitan learned from a Wheaton College student that the school prohibited being openly gay.

Reitan expressed his frustration with the rule. But the Wheaton student, though homosexual himself, responded with support for the policy because, he said, homosexuality was a sin.

At that moment, Reitan made a promise to himself to fight for gay rights.

“I had a sense of frustration and anger, since society (had taught him) to hate himself,” said Reitan, Communication ’04. “I would bring a message of healing and hope as a gay person. Based on that, the Equality Ride was born.”

Equality Ride, a Christian bus tour modeled after the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, visits colleges across the country – such as Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; and U.S. Military Academy West Point, N.Y. – that prohibit openly homosexual students from enrolling.

According to Reitan, there are more than 200 college campuses across the country practicing this policy.

“If you look at who He was in the gospels, Jesus time and again said, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ He loves the outcasts best. (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people) are the outcasts of society today, ” Reitan said.

This year, Equality Ride visited 18 schools on a 51-day tour across the United States.

One of the stops on this year’s tour was Wheaton College, where Reitan’s friend is now a senior. There, Equality Ride gave a presentation to a crowd of more than 1,000 people.

Since the tour’s message was so controversial, Wheaton administrators sent e-mails to students, parents and alumni alerting them that Equality Ride was coming to campus.

“As well known as (Wheaton) is, there has never been an openly gay speaker,” Reitan said. “It was a historic moment for Wheaton.”

But the tour is not so warmly received at most of the schools it visits.

“Many schools arrest us, but you’ve got to have that resolve, that we’re going to have this discussion one way or another,” Reitan said.

Despite the challenges Reitan has faced along the way, he remains strong in his mission. He plans to send two buses on next year’s tour, each covering different routes. This will allow Equality Ride to reach 22 more schools.

In addition to expanding Equality Tours, Reitan said he also wants to encourage more involvement from straight activists, such as Weinberg junior Monica Carmean.

Carmean, who is a member of University Christian Ministry and the Safe Space Program, spent two months on the Equality Rides because she “felt called to do justice.”

“I’m a member of the United Church of Christ, and we believe lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders are loved by God without reservation,” said Carmean.

At schools across the country, the group, which takes pledges of nonviolence, held forums for students to talk about these issues.

But at many colleges, police officers blocked Equality Ride from setting foot on campus and told students they would be expelled for interacting with Equality Ride members.

To overcome these obstacles, Equality Ride sometimes posted signs on campus with a phone number where students could get in touch with the gay rights group. From there, they arranged off-campus discussion groups for students.

Carmean said Equality Ride was important to help encourage equal rights for the LGBT community.

“We live in a country where there are violent hate crimes against GLBT people,” said Carmean. “We are told that GLBTs are sick and sinful, and it’s important to go to schools to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation.”

At NU, students like Weinberg freshman Elliott Higgins, who recently began attending Bible studies at University Christian Ministries geared toward the gay community, see a need for communication between the gay and Christian communities.

“I never realized how gay teens struggle with God and spirituality,” said Higgins. “People need to be more sensitive about the issue.”

Reach Andrea Castillo at [email protected].