With LGBTQ+ Speakers, Baylor University Makes History
The nation’s largest Baptist university held an event called "All Are Neighbors" on campus, organized by several student groups, that featured LGBTQ+ speakers.
On Wednesday, April 22, history was made at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. The nation’s largest Baptist university held an event on campus, organized by several student groups, that featured LGBTQ+ speakers.
The event, called “All Are Neighbors,” started out as counter programming to a rally on Wednesday on campus with Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk that advocates for conservative policies to students. The Baylor student groups responsible for putting together “All Are Neighbors” included the Baylor College Democrats, the NAACP, and Students Demand Action.
Speakers at their program included Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman, a Baylor alum; Interfaith Alliance President and Baptist minister Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush and Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, a leading organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. The Texas Signal spoke with Robinson just ahead of the event at Baylor on Wednesday.
Robinson gave immense credit to the student groups that worked hard to put the event together. She noted that many students at Baylor had been working for decades to bring LGBTQ+ representation to the Waco campus. “This is about celebrating the power of student voices,” said Robinson.
Many of the speakers, including Robinson, highlighted the role faith has shaped in their life, especially as progressives. According to the Baylor Lariat, over 350 attended the “All Are Neighbors” gathering. There was also a prayer vigil held outdoors.
The Turning Point USA event was originally supposed to include Donald Trump Jr, but he could not attend and was replaced by Attorney General Ken Paxton. Other speakers including “Border Czar” Tom Homan and conservative commentator Benny Johnson. Hours before the TPUSA event was supposed to start, the organization had to clarify the event was only for students, per guidelines they agreed to with Baylor.
Reaction to both the restrictions to the TPUSA tally and the sanctioning of the “All Are Neighbors” gathering came swiftly from some prominent conservative figures. Popular conservative radio host Mark Davis posted on Twitter, “This is not your Dad’s Baylor.”
Ahead of the dueling rallies, the Baptist General of Convention, which represents over 5,000 churches in Texas, told Baylor they would be launching a review of their relationship to the university over the LGBTQ+ speakers at “All Are Neighbors.”
On social media, Skye Perryman confirmed the “All Are Neighbors” event “went great” and that it was standing room only with press present. The Turning Points USA event was closed to all forms of press, including the Baylor Lariat. They reported on the event, which focused heavily on immigration, through general admission seating.
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