Gay Rights Group Visits Liberty University

About 55 members of Soulforce, a national gay rights group, visited the conservative Liberty University on Monday to discuss and exchange views about sexual orientation and gender identity.

Dozens of students at Liberty met with the Soulforce members, reported the Associated Press. They gathered together in small groups before and after their regular morning convocation, during which the school’s founder and chancellor, Jerry Falwell, reportedly said "Contrary to rumors, this is not 'Gay Day' at Liberty University."

Aware of their visit, the school received the group that took an “uninvited visit” to its campus.

According to AP, the members of Soulforce, representing several Virginia colleges and universities, came wearing brightly colored shirts with the organization's Web site URL printed on the front.

Furthermor, Soulforce director Mel White planned to deliver copies of a book titled What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality to the school library and bring the letters from gay and lesbian students at LU to Falwell.

However, when the group returned from an afternoon news conference, they could not get back on campus due to high security from campus police and Lynchburg city police. But no incidents have been reported.

White estimates that there are at least 300-to-400 gay and lesbian students among Liberty's student population of eight thousand.