Spring Break
Students rally in support of same-sex marriages
Jeremy Hsieh — The Diamondback
Issue date: 4/7/04 Section: News
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - About 150 people rallied Saturday afternoon for gay marriage rights in Washington to the tune of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" and the words of Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's (R-Colo.) - a staunch opponent of gay marriage - being ripped to pieces.
Speakers read quotes from Musgrave, the chief author of a Constitutional Amendment bill banning gay marriage, ripped them up and deposited them into "the trash can of bigotry."
"Anyone that would [promote] hatred is trash," said Graham Murphy, a speaker and event organizer. "We're gonna rip up whatever they say and call it what it is - trash."
The rally, sponsored by a network of Washington-area university students dedicated to fighting for gay rights called the Student Equal Rights Campaign, brought about 60 new people into the organizations listserv and took place at Washington Circle near the Foggy Bottom Metro stop. There are 300,000 gay men and women and 20,000 same-sex couple households in Washington, Virginia and Maryland, according to www.dcgayexpo.com, a pro-gay rights Web site.
In addition to students from the University of Maryland, students from other Washington-area college and universities attended the rally, including George Washington, Howard, American, George Mason and Georgetown Universities, said Murphy, who is SERC's direct action coordinator and a George Washington student.
"Our goals are pretty similar to the national organizations," Murphy said. "The great thing about being in this area is that we can take on national issues."
Murphy said the organization will neither be accommodating nor compromising on its stance toward gay rights and is more radical and progressive in its means than other pro-gay rights organizations.
SERC plans to go directly to Rep. Musgrave's office in about two weeks to demand an audience. The congresswoman's office has not returned any of the organization's calls, Murphy said.
"Our philosophy is that you're with us all the way, or you're not with us at all," he said. "I guess we're a little bit militant."
Speakers read quotes from Musgrave, the chief author of a Constitutional Amendment bill banning gay marriage, ripped them up and deposited them into "the trash can of bigotry."
"Anyone that would [promote] hatred is trash," said Graham Murphy, a speaker and event organizer. "We're gonna rip up whatever they say and call it what it is - trash."
The rally, sponsored by a network of Washington-area university students dedicated to fighting for gay rights called the Student Equal Rights Campaign, brought about 60 new people into the organizations listserv and took place at Washington Circle near the Foggy Bottom Metro stop. There are 300,000 gay men and women and 20,000 same-sex couple households in Washington, Virginia and Maryland, according to www.dcgayexpo.com, a pro-gay rights Web site.
In addition to students from the University of Maryland, students from other Washington-area college and universities attended the rally, including George Washington, Howard, American, George Mason and Georgetown Universities, said Murphy, who is SERC's direct action coordinator and a George Washington student.
"Our goals are pretty similar to the national organizations," Murphy said. "The great thing about being in this area is that we can take on national issues."
Murphy said the organization will neither be accommodating nor compromising on its stance toward gay rights and is more radical and progressive in its means than other pro-gay rights organizations.
SERC plans to go directly to Rep. Musgrave's office in about two weeks to demand an audience. The congresswoman's office has not returned any of the organization's calls, Murphy said.
"Our philosophy is that you're with us all the way, or you're not with us at all," he said. "I guess we're a little bit militant."
