Speaker talks of Jesus

Jesus Week speaker Amy Tracy told a crowd of 200 that finding Jesus changed her life. Five years ago, Amy Tracy dated women, defended abortion rights, hated Christians and felt a vast emptiness in her life. Now, she says all that has changed. Tracy spoke to over 200 people last night at Zellerbach Theater about her abandonment of her lesbian lifestyle in a speech called "Homosexuality, Hate Crimes and Christians," sponsored by Jesus Week. Tracy's unhappiness began to take root in high school, she said, when her short-term success running on the cross country team ended abruptly. Her father, who always supported Tracy, began to beat her when she lost. "It seemed like jumping off a cliff was an easier road than finishing the race," Tracy said. "A wall of pain developed." In college, Tracy says she accepted the advances of a female college professor and entered the gay community. Her devotion to women's rights led her to the esteemed rank of press secretary for the National Organization for Woman. But Tracy said she still felt empty. She discovered an advertisement for a church in the local paper and decided to check it out. Even when she attended the church, Tracy felt conspicuous and awkward, until the minister began to speak. It was then, she says, that her life changed forever. "Here I was, a prominent feminist, lesbian activist, sitting in a conservative evangelical church," Tracy said. "But I learned that it is possible to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." In 1995, Tracy said she formally "accepted Jesus" into her life. She testified to the "unconditional love" that she receives everyday from God. The controversial topic of a lesbian turned straight sparked a myriad of questions and comments from the audience. College freshman Rudy Ramirez insisted that he is not condemned by God because of his homosexuality. "Every day I wake up and I feel so much joy," he said. "My mother taught me to love God. I feel like God loves me." Others present echoed the notion that they find strength in God despite their sexual orientation. "If I shake my fist and say 'dyke power,' then my God is behind me," proclaimed a University staff member. Although Tracy no longer considers herself a lesbian, she conceded that it is possible to be a homosexual and a Christian at the same time. However, Richard Yates, a self-proclaimed ex-homosexual who spoke briefly after Tracy, disagreed. Yates cautioned the vocal homosexual members of the audience about the danger of creating their own God. "I let my gay friends know I pray for them," Yates said. Although many people disagreed with the beliefs of Tracy and Yates, there were no shouting matches. "Tracy was respectful and open minded," said Engineering sophomore and chairperson of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Association Kurt Klinger. "I found at times she was trying to be tactful." Evangelist "Brother" Stephen White, who has often voiced his opposition to homosexuality, attended the program but did not speak. "I think they're being overly sensitive to the homosexual population in the audience," White said. Tracy's speech was followed by a coffee house at the Veranda for more discussion and dialogue.