History of Soulforce NYC

SFNYC was founded in 2003 by Andrew Brewer and Ed Poliandro out of a desire to concentrate the work of Soulforce locally in New York City. It is an organization made up almost entirely of volunteers and in the five years since its inception has worked with well over 1000 individuals, hosted dozens of events, and supported numerous national campaigns.

Soulforce has worked nationally with members of the Gandhi and King families and SFNYC is excited to bring the energy of non-violence to New York City.

In 2008, Soulforce NYC decided to shift its focus from support and advisory to action, networking, and education. Additionally, numerous participants of the Soulforce Q Equality Ride have relocated to New York City. SFNYC is excited to welcome them as board members, workshop leaders, and campaign organizers.

Mission Statement

The mission of Soulforce NYC is to realize freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless non-violent resistance. To that end, SFNYC is grounded in the teachings of Gandhi and King which teach us to view our current sitation not as an argument to be won but an oppurtnity for reconcilliation to be reached. Open communication is key, but when dialogue breakdowns, SFNYC recongizes that bold and direct action is required to stimulate social consciousness.

Recent Highlights

  • 2005 - In response to a national action, SFNYC helped organize an ad hoc committee on pastoral care for LGBT people within the Roman Catholic Church, which includes conversations with laity, clergy, and hierarchy. This group continues to meet today.
  • July 2007 - March 2008 - Co-sponsored the Right to Marry campaign, including NYC-based young adults in the campaign and supporting the young adults of Soulforce Q financially
  • October 2007 - Organized events in Albany and New York City for the Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights campaign which emboldened straight allies to take a public stance for LGBT equality
  • April 2008 - Raised funds and awareness for the 2008 Equality Ride at a benefit which was featured in nearly all NYC gay media, as well as fetching promotion on Sirius Radio and The Advocate magazine

We continue to build on our productive past and encourage you to check out our upcoming events and current campaigns.