Silent vigil for gay rights

Student demonstrators protest the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage

By Elliott Wolf

Numerous Blair student groups sponsored a silent vigil to protest the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. Organizers estimated that 250 students and staff participated, standing silently in a line outside of the SAC on March 26.

"We stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in their struggle for equal protection under the law," said freshman Adam Yalowitz, an organizer of the event and member of Students for Global Responsibility (SGR).

According to Yalowitz, the majority of demonstrators were not gay or lesbian. "You don’t have to be gay to support gay rights, just like you don’t have to be black to support civil rights, or female to support women’s rights," he said.

Yalowitz believes that showing support for the gay and lesbian community in high schools is very important, because in high school, "kids are starting to realize that they may be gay or lesbian, and they might be facing trouble trying to come out."

The specific act of silence was designed to represent silence that many gays and lesbians must keep before revealing their sexual orientation.

Students also circulated a petition which expressed support for gays and lesbians and condemned any law or constitutional amendment that would "infringe upon the rights of the gay and lesbian community and all Americans."

The petition will also be circulated during lunch on March 29.

The event was organized by SGR and supported by Amnesty International, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the Young Democrats, the ACLU Chapter, Diversity Workshop, Responsible Individuals of Tomorrow and Angeni.