“Do you demand equality under the law? Do you promise to fight discrimination in our constitution?” an officiator asked Anna Johansson (CAS ‘06) and Ginny Leavell (CAS ‘05). Dressed in white tulle, surrounded by friends and onlookers, Johansson and Leavell answered “I do.”
A wedding cake, a wedding dress and a bag of faux gold rings were all used to bring attention to this protest of the Federal Marriage Amendment from Monday to Wednesday in Red Square.
President George W. Bush declared his support for a Constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage last week. “If the amendment is passed, it will constitutionally codify the unjust denial of over 1,400 rights that you can get from civil marriage for same sex couples,” Organizer Liam Stack (CAS ‘05) said.
The protestors urged students to sign the Million for Marriage petition against the amendment. In addition students passed out pamphlets, posters and stickers provided by Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that defends gay rights. The protestors even offered cell phones, also loaners from HRC, to students so that they could call their congressional representatives and voice their opposition to the amendment.
Organizer Maria Moser (CAS ‘04) said the protest was a definite success, especially in comparison to the experience she had campaigning for the on-campus LGBTQ resource center three years ago.
In 2000, Moser and other supporters of the center chalked Red Square during GAAP weekend with the words “Gay Hoyas welcome you to Georgetown.” They were forced to guard their sign on Friday and Saturday night after opponents of the LGBTQ center tried to wash it off. As they waited, drunken students shouted derogatory comments. Later that week, several students submitted editorials to on-campus newspapers criticizing the protestors’ campaign techniques.
This time, however, the response was largely positive. Over 325 people signed the “Million for Marriage” campaign on the first day of the protest, and over 1,000 have signed in total. Moser attributed this to the positive, love-affirming atmosphere of the protest.
“The president has been trying to make this a fear-based issue, but we are trying to explain that loving, committed relationships don’t threaten anyone,” she said.
The Federal Marriage Amendment, if passed, would ban marriage between same sex couples. It would be impossible for same-sex couples to gain access to marriage rights, such as the right to inheritance and visitation rights for non-biological children.
