Cal State East Bay Holds Mock Wedding for Marriage Equality

California State University, East Bay's Queer/Straight Alliance hosted a mock wedding entitled: A Wedding To Remember to celebrate Marriage Equality Month today. The Queer/Straight Alliance, Marriage Equality USA, and http://www.uniquedeb.com, which sold candles and soaps as a fund raiser for the Queer/Straight Alliance, all tabled for the event. The Queer/Straight Alliance and Cal State East Bay Associated Students Inc. sponsored the event in order to raise awareness about marriage equality.

Many Queer/Straight Alliance members remain critical of the institution of marriage but support expanding rights instead of limiting them. Their stance is if only two queer people in the whole of the United States wants a same-sex civil marriage, shouldn't they have that right? The mock wedding was symbolic of the idea that everyone has the right to marry and we should demand that right be recognized and legalized.

The mock wedding began at twelve noon on Agora Stage, which is the free speech area of campus. Four couples got “married” including three female/female couples and one male/male. Of the couples who “married” were Tina Phillips, member of QSA and Heather Thompson, the president. All of these couples were not “real” couples but just volunteers who wanted to lend their support in a symbolic action. All participants were students at Cal State East Bay. At the end students were invited to come up and get married, and there was a bouquet toss, and first dance.

As students were wed cheers from the crowd erupted. There were no instances of negativity or hate recorded and many people came up to the tables to purchase bracelets, buttons, soaps, candles, to learn more about marriage equality, eat one of the wedding cup cakes, and sign up for the Queer/Straight Alliance email list.

This even was a celebration of the diversity of the campus and the spirit of love. The Queer/Straight Alliance at Cal State East Bay currently has one-hundred and fifty members and has put on Queerfest two years in a row now, winning Program of the Year last year for the school's Presidential Student Leadership Awards. The Queer/Straight Alliance hopes to expand its efforts to provide safety, support, encouragement, awareness, consciousness, space, events, activism, and an affirming campus community for GLBT people and straight allies. In the past two years the campus organization has made great strides in this direction against great odds as many believe the campus to be somewhat homophobic and heterosexist. Hopefully with efforts like the Wedding to Remember, the GLBT and straight allied communities will grow in support and affirmation on campus. The next goal of the QSA is to open a Diversity Center on campus which will include a GLBT focus and drop-in safe space.