Equality U

Examining the complicated relationships between schools, religion, and human rights, Equality U is a feature-length 2008 documentary following a group of young activists on a two-month, cross-country tour to confront anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination policies at 19 conservative religious and military colleges.

Against the backdrop of the Equality Ride, the film focuses on seven of the “Equality Riders” and two courageous students they encounter along their journey. And while most of the young Riders identify as Christian, not all of them do so in the same way, if at all. At each stop, the Riders exercise relentless non-violent resistance and often face arrest for trespassing. They must confront the controversial question: “Do schools ultimately have the right to decide who does and doesn't belong?”

But even in the most seemingly unwelcoming of campuses, the Riders find students who are interested in a dialogue. Can this small group of activists sow the seeds of dialogue as their bus rolls down the highway? How will the road change them? For the Riders that identify as both Queer and Christian, how will the journey challenge or transform their faith? And what happens to the outed students they encounter and then leave behind?