Pro-gay organizations united at UNR
by Zhizhong
Li, Outpost
staff
The passing of California's Knight initiative banning same-sex marriage and the proliferation of anti-gay propositions throughout the United States has re-energized local gay organizations.
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Meghan Arentz, vice president of the GLBSU, expressed her opinion about same-sex marriage at the rally. Photo by Zhizhong Li |
More than 40 gay, lesbian and bisexual students at UNR gathered together with their supporters for the first pro-gay rally in the Reno area presented by the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Student Union (GLBSU) and the Rainbow Place, a local gay organization, on April 25.
The rally was held in front of Getchell library on the UNR campus. The purpose of this pro-gay rally was to promote the legalization of same-sex marriage and gay rights.
Ben Felix, executive director of the Rainbow Place, addressed UNR students saying that the whole gay, lesbian and bisexual community should organize together to work for the their human rights.
"Straight people who hate us should understand, there is a room for every single person in this world," he said. "They should understand people need diversity."
Gay students and their supporters took the microphone to talk about their feelings towards anti-gay activities.
Meghan Arentz, vice president of GLBSU, said she does not think the words "sexual orientation" or "sexual preference" are accurate terms.
"I don't think we should use these words to mark people," she said. "The only result of using these words are separating people much further. All the people, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter straight or gay, should learn to love each other, not hate each other."
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Dan Diggins, a UNR freshman, said people should not use labels to separate each other. Photo by Zhizhong Li |
As a sophomore at UNR, Arentz feels sad about the reality that she and her girlfriend cannot officially get married because of the law.
"I feel sick," said Arentz, after she first walked to the microphone. "I feel sick because I love my girlfriend, but I can't marry her; I feel sick because I can't always hold her hands and kiss her in public; I feel sick because the law made us not allowed by the society."
Asking for the same human rights that straight people have was the most popular topic among the speakers. They all agreed everyone should be treated the same, especially in the United States, a country that promotes freedom and equality.
"You can't have a label," said Dan Diggins, a UNR freshman. "Once you got a label for somebody, you will stop thinking about all labels together.
"You have to say, 'I'm who I am. There is no label!'"
Arentz said that making same-sex marriage legal has always been the ultimate goal of the gay community. Students at the rally expressed their indignation towards a local organization, the Protection of Marriage, which works against same-sex marriage.
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Erica Barton hugged a friend to celebrate the success of the rally. Photo by Zhizhong Li |
"What they did is a ridiculous waste," said Erica Barton, a first-year graduate student at UNR. "Although same-sex marriage is something broad, it is also something personal. To know you will never be able to marry someone you love is very sad."
Barton thinks it is shameful that the Protection of Marriage use religion to attack gay people.
"For me, religion is all about loving people," she said. "It is not about hating people."
Anthony Thomas, GLBSU's president, said that anti-same-sex-marriage organizations are using religion to push people to stay in the heterosexual mainstream and try to take away human rights from gay people.
He said he believes that with more activities and more efforts of GLBSU and other local organizations, same-sex marriage will eventually be legalized in the United States.
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the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student
Union |
Posted April 27, 2000
Copyright 2000 Nevada Outpost
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