Top 10 Ways to Support LGBTA Commitment Ceremony
By Tom .K. | March 19, 2008
From the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County:
- PARTY FAVORS: Help us create hundreds of party favors (little mesh bags with chocolates & congratulation notes from the UUFCC). We will start this at the Wonderful Soulful Wednesday potluck on March 12th. Materials will be provided. After the potluck we will show the film “For the Bible Tells Me So” which is a Sundance documentary. This film examines the ways in which conservative Christian groups have used — and sometimes exploited — holy Scripture to deny basic human rights to gays and lesbians around the world.
- WHITE RIBBONS: Help us create large quantities of white ribbons for people to wear as a sign of support for the event. This is the chosen symbol of support for the event, which can be worn in the weeks leading up to the event, as well as the event itself. We will start this at the Wonderful Soulful Wednesday potluck on March 12th. Materials will be provided.
- EMAIL MAYOR WELCH: Write a quick email to Mayor Welch, boro@statecollegepa.us thanking him for presiding over the ceremony.
- EMAIL PRESIDENT SPANIER: You can also write a letter or email to the President of the University, Graham Spanier, president@psu.edu communicating support for the event. (Though Spanier has not publicly expressed his support, he clearly has the power to cancel the event and has refused to do so. Therefore, he is also receiving emails and letters of protest.)
- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, communicating support. Centre Daily Times letters to the editor, email: cdtletters@centredaily.com; The Collegian opinions/feedback website: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/feedback/ops-letter.asp.
- FLOWERS & CARDS: Send congratulations cards and donate flowers. These can be brought to the ceremony. If you cannot attend the ceremony, you could mail cards to this on-campus address: “LGBTA Student Resource Center; 101 Boucke Building; University Park, PA 16802.” If you want to send flowers, you may wish to order them through the two local businesses that have generously donated some floral arrangements for the event. See these websites:
http://www.georgesfloral.com/ or http://www.avantgardenfloral.com/.
- CHEER FOR THE COUPLES or BE A SILENT WITNESS: On the day of the ceremony, we will be cheering the couples as they enter the HUB. This will be encouraging to them and will also serve to drown out noises from expected protesters. Everyone is invited to attend the ceremony. Please wear appropriate attire.
You can also attend training to be a “Silent Witness.” Silent Witnesses “provides a non-confrontational buffer between those who condemn others based on their sexual orientation or identity and those they condemn.” See this website for details: http://www.silentwitnesspa.org/. The director of this organization is on the Board of the Unitarian Universalist PA Legislative Advocacy Network (UUPLAN), which is currently keeping track of state legislation impacting the GLBTQ community and
lobbying on their behalf.
- THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR DONATING AND SIGNING FOR THE NEWSPAPER AD! The ad that we organized will appear in our Centre Daily Times on Wed (March 19th). In this ad we have signed for our individual names to appear as those who applaud Mayor Welch for presiding over this event. Many thanks to those who signed (169 names!) and donated a total of over $500, which fully covers the cost of the ad.
- PRIDE WEEK: Attend other Pride Week events to show support! (Pride week is the week following the commitment ceremony.)
- SPREAD THE WORD: Encourage your friends to do any of the above things.
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Volunteer for Silent Witness
By Tom .K. | March 13, 2008
“Silent Witness PA (SWPA) is an organization of gay and straight allies dedicated to providing a non-confrontational buffer between those who condemn others based on their sexual orientation or identity and those they condemn.” http://www.silentwitnesspa.org
If you want to volunteer to help out, then more information about the upcoming training session can be located here: Silent Witness of PA.
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State College Mayor To Preside Over Same-Sex Commitment Ceremony
By Tom .K. | March 6, 2008
The mayor of State College borough will preside over a same-sex commitment ceremony for gay couples in long-term relationships.
Quote about Love
By Tom .K. | March 4, 2008
‘If you are living in love, you are in heaven no matter where you are.‘
–Kate Braestrup, Unitarian Universalist
I really like this quote, and think that it truly signifies the message of this ceremony. Thanks Matt for bringing the quote to my attention.
Do you support the message of this ceremony?
By Tom .K. | March 2, 2008
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