Penn State College of Communications comMedia

Politics draws a crowd

By Erin Prah

PSU College of Communications


The politics of change swept across Penn State University and the State College community during the weekend of March 29. A same-sex commitment ceremony and a family values rally took place on Saturday and a campaign stop by Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barrack Obama (D-Ill.) took center stage on Sunday.
These events were especially conspicuous in light of the area's predominantly conservative ideology.

The same-sex couples' commitment ceremony began at 1 p.m. Saturday in Alumni Hall of the HUB-Robeson Student Union Building in the heart of campus. Commitment vows and rings were exchanged in front of a standing room only crowd. The only thing missing from the suits and the gowns was the legal standing to make these couples man and man and wife and wife in the eyes of the state.

Meanwhile, the Family Values Rally began on the steps of Old Main at 1:30 p.m. The Rev. Gary Dull of the Faith Baptist Church of Altoona and his congregation voiced their opposition to the commitment ceremony happening less than 100 yards away. When the ceremony ended, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) community, who were previously at the student union, walked to the Family Values Rally carrying rainbow strips of fabric. Each of the protestors had duct tape over their mouths to show they would be a silent presence. They stayed for about half an hour and left as quietly as they arrived.

They left because back at the student union the newly committed couples were sharing their first dance together and cutting cake in front of friends and family.

While the Faith Baptist congregation sang "Amazing Grace" and relentlessly recited prayers, the Obama camp gathered on the Old Main lawn nearby and assembled risers for reporters to view the next day's event.

The man people are calling the next JFK was coming to speak on the steps of Old Main - the same steps where Rev. Dull sang and prayed with his congregation.
Saturday saw about 20 members of the local media covering the commitment ceremony and rally, but even more came to report on Sen. Obama. By 9:15 a.m. Sunday reporters from all over the state were registering and checking in their equipment with the Secret Service. Sen. Obama wouldn't begin speaking until about 2:30 p.m.

While reporters were free to roam as they pleased the day before, on Sunday they couldn't leave the gated area around Old Main once they were admitted.
Secret Service agents checked each person for possible weapons before entering, a government sniper's laser light was spotted on a nearby building and the lawn was swept for bombs after equipment was set up.

While the commitment ceremony had about 750 guests, Sen. Obama drew a crowd of 20,000. State College families, babies, family dogs, Penn State students and visitors to State College who hoped to see Sen. Obama formed a line that circled the perimeter of campus. Even when he began talking, Secret Service agents were still checking people as they walked onto the lawn.

These events were radically different, but they were all pretty much after the same thing - change: the legalization of same-sex marriages in Pennsylvania, a return to traditional family values and optimism and hope in American government and politics.