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by Rachel Jonas and Abby Peterson
Friday, February 6, 2004
Last week’s proposed amendment to the Wisconsin state constitution defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman is posed to affect people around the state and students at the University of Wisconsin.
Since this amendment would make gay marriage illegal in the state of Wisconsin, some gay students have become vocal in their opposition claiming their civil rights would be violated.
“It is a bit cynical and hypocritical to make this proposal,” Eric Trekell, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center, said. “This amendment will deny equal civil rights to a section of the population, and the only time that has been done before was for slaves. We called that slavery; now we’re calling that marriage.”
Becky, an openly gay UW student, also openly disagrees with the proposed amendment.
“It is a right that is granted to the majority of the population; a right that is denied to me for no good reason that I can see,” Becky said.
Gay students who hope to one day get married will be affected if the proposed amendment is adopted. Trekell believes marriage is something that almost all students, straight or gay, think about when they contemplate their futures.
“When you set up this situation where you say you can never have the white house and picket fence with the minivan in the yard to take the kids to soccer — I know a lot of students who want that,” Trekell said.
However, those in support of this amendment argue that marriage is a sacred institution and that those rights should not be shared with homosexual citizens.
“[Legislators] have been undeterred by a small group of very vocal opponents and have led the charge to protect one-man/one-woman marriage — the institution that gives our society social and economic stability,” Julaine Appling, executive director of The Family Research Institute, said in a release.
Additionally, many argue that Wisconsin citizens are opposed to gay marriage and would support an amendment banning gay marriage. A recent Badger Poll found 64 percent of Wisconsin citizens favor a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
“Many people feel strongly, morally opposed to gay marriage,” Frank Harris, president of the UW chapter of College Republicans, said.
But opponents to the proposed legislation claim the amendment severely infringes on the rights of the state’s homosexual citizens by denying them the right to marry.
“Fine, don’t call it a marriage, who cares, but give people equal civil rights,” Trekell said. “If this amendment passes, it has an impact far beyond saying you cannot get married. I think it makes us feel like we’re not real citizens.”
According to Becky, the passage of the proposed amendment makes people like her feel like “second-class citizens.”
“I’ve made my own opportunities, but this is one area where it is not entirely up to me,” Becky revealed. “I feel powerless.”
To take action against the proposal, the LGBT Campus Center is co-sponsoring a town meeting Feb. 12 from 7-9 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater, located at 216 State St.
“It is a town hall meeting to talk about this,” Trekell said. “There will be a number of LGBT leaders there from the state and national level.”
