An LGBTQ+ faith event opened its doors as Turning Point USA shut people out, deep in the heart of Texas

At Baylor University, a private Baptist institution in Waco, Texas, where questions of faith and identity have long been tightly policed, students gathered Wednesday for something that, until recently, would have been difficult to imagine.

They called it “All Are Neighbors.”

The event, organized by a coalition of student groups, brought LGBTQ+-affirming Christian voices to campus in a deliberate counterpoint to a same-day stop by Turning Point USA, the far-right political group that targets young people.

For the first time, Baylor students were permitted to host prominent LGBTQ+ Christian advocates, including Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush of the Interfaith Alliance. It marked a rare moment in which out gay Christian voices were given a sanctioned platform at the university.

Related: Texas Baptists might end 140-year relationship with Baylor over one LGBTQ+ event

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson speaks about LGBTQ+ people and faith out of personal experience.Human Rights Campaign

Robinson made clear the moment didn’t come easily.

“We are here. On this campus, in this moment, together. Because this didn’t just happen,” she said. “This moment exists because people spoke up. Because students organized. Because a community decided that if harmful ideas were going to have a platform, then truth would have one too.”

She widened the aperture beyond Baylor.

“Democracy doesn’t just happen every other year in November,” Robinson said. “Democracy is happening right here, right now, and I want you to know they are talking about you and your courage in Washington, D.C., and on campuses across America.”

Turning Point USA’s event, part of a national tour, was closed to the press, including student journalists and local news outlets, shortly before it began. “All Are Neighbors,” by design, was open to students, to faculty, and to the public.

And people showed up.

According to The Baylor Lariat, the university’s student newspaper, the event drew about 270 ticketed attendees and roughly 350 people in total when including speakers and guests, nearly filling the space. The crowd skewed older than a typical campus event, with faculty, staff, and members of the Waco community making up a significant share alongside students. The paper reported that speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that faith is not a barrier to LGBTQ+ inclusion but a reason for it.

Related: Baylor University returns $643,000 LGBTQ+ grant, calling it 'inconsistent' with values

Attendees of the All Are Neighbors event arrive for a community conversation at Baylor University.Human Rights Campaign

Baylor English professor Dr. Greg Garrett, who said Turning Point USA once placed him on a “professor watch list,” used his remarks to push back on the idea that faith and inclusion are at odds, the Lariat reports.

“They don’t understand a Baylor education, and they don’t comprehend my deep faith,” Garrett said. But he also urged restraint, framing the moment less as a clash and more as a test of values. “One of the things I needed to be reminded of is that the people over at the Turning Point rally are not our enemies,” Garrett said. “We are called to love them.”

The Baptist General Convention of Texas, which has maintained a relationship with the university for more than a century, has been increasingly vocal as Baylor has inched toward a more visible accommodation of LGBTQ+ students and programming. Flashpoints have included the university’s recognition of the student group PRISM in 2022 and ongoing debates about how, or whether, LGBTQ+ identity can coexist with Baylor’s stated beliefs.

Related: LGBTQ+ Christians invited to speak at Baylor University to counter Turning Point USA event

A faith leader speaks with attendees of the All Are Neighbors event at Baylor University.Human Rights Campaign

This week’s event appears to have reopened that divide.

Leaders within the convention have signaled they are reviewing their relationship with Baylor, arguing that hosting LGBTQ+ Christian speakers runs counter to traditional teachings. Baylor, for its part, has taken the position that allowing events to proceed reflects a commitment to dialogue rather than an endorsement of the views expressed.

Still, the direction of travel is hard to ignore.

“You are making the change so many people only talk about,” Robinson told the crowd. “We are fighting for freedom without exception. We are fighting for democracy without exception. We are fighting for joy — without exception.”