'Marriages' part of LGBT Pride Month

Thirty-four ceremonies were performed during the rally.

By Jenna Youngs

Published April 12, 2005

As students swarmed under a sea of umbrellas and Etta James' "At Last" blasted from a stereo, Kendra Yoder officiated the marriage ceremony of students Eric Arevalo and Jason Ksepka.

Between 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday, members of Mizzou Students for Gay and Lesbian Equality staged a rally at Speaker's Circle and performed 34 "marriages." The event was part of MU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.

Co-organizer Patrick Buckalew said performing the mock marriages was important to keep people talking about the issue.

"Since gay marriage is such a hot-button issue, we need to keep it in the limelight in Missouri," he said. "It's an ongoing process. The federal amendment is still being discussed, and Kansas just passed their amendment prohibiting gay marriage last week. We wanted to give people an outlet here."

Co-organizer Kevin Hallgren said the issue still draws a lot of attention.

"We chose to have mock weddings because it really puts a face on the issue and shows how harmless it is," he said. "Two people of the same sex are in love and want the same rights. To a lot of people, two men or two women seems threatening, but when they actually see it, it's harmless."

Yoder said it was an honor to officiate the ceremonies.

"I wanted to participate, because I think everyone should be able to get married and express their love," she said during the rally. "People seem very supportive, and it's a celebratory mood. I feel sorry for whoever missed it. It's a celebration of equal rights."

Buckalew said he was pleased with the turnout and discussions.

"It was better than our expectations, especially considering the rain," he said. "We passed out so many fliers. It was a great opportunity to educate Mizzou."

Hallgren said the rally sparked a lot of conversation with passersby.

"A lot of people passing by stopped to check it out," he said. "There were a lot of positive comments. A lot of people were thankful we were out there. Even people who didn't necessarily support us came out and started a lot of thoughtful conversation. The point is to start dialogue. In that respect, it was great."

Arevalo said he was pleased so many people showed up though rain fell throughout the event.

"It was a great way to talk about marriage equality and get the dialogue going," he said.

Other events throughout the rest of the month include the Triangle Coalition's Trading Faces drag show at 8 p.m. tonight in Jesse Hall. Tickets for the show are $10. MSGLE will sponsor a day at the state Capitol later in the month for students to discuss LGBT issues with legislators, Hallgren said.