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Student organizes gay marriage benefit
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by Meredith Dietrich
Thursday, April 8, 2004
In the hopes of furthering the equality of homosexuals and their right to marry, Doug Lyerly, a junior here at UW, is putting on a benefit for this minority, full of lights, color and music.
Angered by the increasing possibility that gay marriages will be outlawed, Lyerly decided that he wanted to do something to help the homosexual population. After talking to some of his friends at the Phoenix Co-Op about putting on a show with his bandmate PJ Macklin, Lyerly decided this show would be one to remember. He got together with Action Wisconsin to organize the event and get some publicity.
“If something actually angers you, do something,” said Lyerly, “and I don’t have a lot of money, or any political connections. I have a band and friends who are in bands, so I got together with Action Wisconsin and, with my loose organization skills, organized this event with the help of the Phoenix Co-Op.”
Action Wisconsin is a public rights group for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered individuals. The organization’s goal is to help educate and promote LGBT welfare. With Action Wisconsin’s help, Lyerly began to recruit other bands along with his own, PJ Macklin and the Doug Lyerly All Stars, to perform at the event. The other bands (If Then Else, Marzipan and Aquadora) all had their own sounds to bring to this eclectic event.
UW sophomore Caren Perlow believes this event will raise awareness. “I think that by doing an on-campus event like this, it helps raise awareness even more than just raising money for the cause, and awareness is what’s most important.”
Along with information booths scattered around the room to provide people with knowledge about the marriage conflict and homosexuals in our Madison community, there will be beverages, food from local restaurants and break-dancers performing at the event. The information booths are there to help members from the community learn about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender issues, and the problems these individuals face every day. Upon entering the Co-Op, people will be asked to make a $5 donation. All proceeds will go to Action Wisconsin in order to help further educate the public.
“I think that if people are coming to a show to benefit gay rights, it shows that they are generally in support of gay rights, but hopefully they can learn more about it from this event,” said Lyerly.
Macklin and Lyerly are very passionate about this event and hope that people can walk away from it with either a renewed sense of support for the gay community or having learned something new. They both believe that the issue of gay marriage has become unjust and an unnecessary conflict. Flyers have been circulating the campus and message boards informing people of the event.
“At the very least, people will come to this show to see the music, learn what it’s really all about, and be pleased that their money went to a good cause,” said Macklin.
Lyerly and Macklin’s band, PJ Macklin and the Doug Lyerly All Stars, began last year. They have one EP and are now working on their full-length album. Their band, they claim, sounds like a mix of comedic folk, a little pop and a little rock. Lyerly does the singing and the lyrics on the tracks, and PJ plays most of the instruments, including the keyboard, guitar and drums. Their songs will be featured in the benefit concert.
The benefit will be held at the Phoenix Co-Op, on the corner of Lake and Langdon Streets, across from the KK, and will begin at 9 p.m. Friday, April 9th. The charge is $5 for food, music and information.
