PENN STATE: Commitment ceremony makes the right scream

Commitment ceremonies between gays have been ongoing for many years. These ceremonies have no legal standing. They are a public affirmation of love and commitment between two people, nothing more.

I attended one decades ago at a MCC church.

But the religious right is so insecure they are screaming and yelling about a commitment ceremony at Penn State University. They plan to stage a protest on the campus during the ceremony.

AFA President Diane Gramley said the ceremony, over which State College Mayor Bill Welch has agreed to preside, could be seen as a step toward legalized gay marriage.

Still, ceremony organizers are not backing away from their plans, Penn State graduate student Tom Koerber said.

He is co-director of the university Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students. The group has designed the ceremony as a public opportunity for same-sex couples to express love, devotion and pride, right at the start of the annual Pride Week in the gay community.

He said a Harrisburg-based group, Silent Witness, will provide a non-confrontational buffer between any protesters and ceremony attendees. Steve Glassman, the state Human Relations Commission chairman, is among the expected guests.

Organizers also have launched a Web site for the event: www.pridecommitmentceremony.com

Welch said he continues to hear support for the event. Personal e-mail messages and other communications to him are running roughly three-to-one in favor of the ceremony, he said.

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