1 Views on sexuality vary from person to person.

Some are adamant that homosexuality and same-sex marriage should not be allowed because it goes against the Bible and their views of morality. Some stand on the side that there should be marriage equality for every person. Then there are those who stand somewhere in the middle without knowing which direction they stand. People like Caitlin ONeil. ONeil, a 21 year-old business management major at SRU, is the president of RockCATHOLIC, a religious group on campus. Fidgeting with her floral scarf and twirling her brown, curly hair, she anxiously put her thoughts on gay marriage into words. The Catholic viewpoint is that gay marriage is wrong, ONeil said. However, I do have close friends who are gay, but havent been married. I feel like its a choice that people make, but I know that there is a lot of evidence to prove otherwise. I just go along with whatever Ive heard during my life. ONeil, like a lot of other people, is stuck on the corner of religion and human rights. Its an issue that I try to stay away from because people can get heated about it, said ONeil, nervously tugging on her scarf. Marriage equality has always been a big issue in the United States, especially recently with a Supreme Court ruling. A pastor marrying his son to another man has also sparked debate with marriage equality and religion. With the Supreme Court ruling section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, married homosexual couples are able to receive the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, but the act of marriage itself is still a state issue. The pastor, Reverend Frank Schaefer, a Methodist from Lebanon, Pa., married his son, Tim, to another man, and has come under the scrutiny of the United Methodist law, and faces a

2 trial by jury and if found guilty, faces losing all his ordination credentials. This event brings the issue from a nationwide scope to a local one. Campus Crusade for Christ staff member Randel Veccia, 30, thoughtfully rubs his chin as he considers the pastors actions. I definitely think the pastor did it out of love for his son, whether or not it supported his full view of homosexual marriage, Veccia said. He didnt necessarily say he would continue to marry other homosexuals, but when it came to his son, he wanted to do it for him. Homosexuality and religion have been batting heads ever since the issue first came up for debate. Christian religions base their opinions off of the values described in the Bible, and its no secret that in the Bible, homosexuality is condemned as an evil. Its not a new issue in our society, since obviously it was talked about in the Bible basically since humans were created, Veccia said. ONeil agreed, saying that in the Catholic religion, marriage is supposed to be three things: permanent, based on fidelity to the other person, and open to procreation. On the other side, a lot of people feel love is love and that if there is equality for one, there should be equality for all. Kelsey Eppinger, a 21-year-old early education/special education major and Catholic supporter of marriage equality, is thoughtful about her relationships and what she would do if people questioned them. If I had a relative that was gay and wanted to be married I would want to be supportive of them, said Eppinger, tucking her brown hair behind her ear. I look at my relationships and expect people to be happy for me, so why shouldnt I be happy for someone else for the same reason.

3 Adjusting his glasses and setting his hands determinedly on the table, RockOUT president Kris Hawkins, a 21-year-old music and psychology major, explains his attitude about the issue. The law is absolutely unacceptable, Hawkins said. In ruling DOMA unconstitutional, many lesbian and gay citizens across the nation have gained rights in their respective states that have already legalized gay marriage. In Pennsylvania, we still have a ban. It is unacceptable for people to be denied several hundred rights on the severe basis of an archaic law contained in an archaic book written 3,500 years ago. As the president of RockOUT, Hakwins describes what the organization is about and what it aims to do on campus. With a smile on his face, the passion he has for the organization and the issue of marriage rights is evident. RockOUT is the student lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer/questioning, intersex, and ally organization, Hawkins said. We hope to educate, advocate, and provide a support system for the LGBTQIA community on our campus. Our main goal is presence! We want people to be aware and by doing this we are able to ensure a campus that promotes equality and diversity. The whole stigma against homosexuality stems from the Bible, and its messages are interpreted kind of like how people can see the Constitution of the United States as a living document, it can be interpreted to fit the times, or as a precedent, it must be interpreted literally, said Eppinger. The reality is that we have modernized and reevaluated several of the texts in the Bible, Hawkins said. You dont often see people being criticized for eating shrimp because the Bible tells us not to eat shellfish. It basically boils down to a fear of the unknown. People dont

4 understand what it means to be gay, and have a severe misrepresentation of our population. When we dont understand something, we often attack it or run from it, and unfortunately, religion has been used as a tool to marginalize gay people. RockOUT and Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), while having different views on this issue, tend to agree with each other in one respect -- the bottom line of is that we need to love each other more. There is going to continually be room to grow in the aspect of loving one another, CRU staff member Veccia said. Whenever I was a student at SRU, I was a part of CRU and we partnered with RockOUT during their day of silence. We wanted to come alongside them and help people realize that there is always love for one another, regardless of where youre at in your faith or sexual orientation. We need to learn to love one another better. When asked whether gay marriage will ever be fully accepted in the United States, ONeil, Veccia, Eppinger, and Hawkins all agreed it will become more mainstream. But a dived remains on whether it will be fully accepted, or just tolerated. I think that Americans have become more tolerant of it, but to really accept it is something different, said Veccia. When you accept something, you accept all of it. When you tolerate something, you accept some aspects of it, but you can still hold on to the belief that there are some things you cant accept. ONeill agreed saying it may take a long time for it to be accepted, but that she thinks, regardless of peoples perspectives, they are going to have to deal with it, whether they respect it or not. Looking down at his hands and getting set in his answer, Hawkins looks up.

5 Gay marriage, like every other civil issue in this country, will come to pass, Hawkins said. Its not about anything more than equality under the law. Its important that we have the right to marriage equality because of just that, its our right.