Marching Orders

What are you doing this weekend? I'll be joining these folks to make it clear that sane people won't keep quiet when fringe groups attempt to demonize gays and lesbians. I hope you'll join me.

As co-presidents of Elmhurst College's LGBT/Straight Alliance, S.A.G.E, we lead a growing community of LGBTQQIA individuals on our small campus. Our organization has recently challenged many aspects and ideals of our college, and continues to make a difference in our community. Unfortunately, that community is about to be invaded.

About two weeks ago, our campus was approached by a representative of the Concerned Women of America (CWA), an ultra-conservative Christian women's group, with promotion of the "traditional" marriage on their agenda. This representative stressed her concern pertaining to the college's policy of "allowing homosexuality to exist" on our traditionally Christian campus. And then requested permission to hold a "protection of marriage" rally on our campus. Much to our relief our college chaplain, a LGBT ally, denied her this request.

A few days later, it was brought to our attention via numerous flyers and posters hanging in public forums of the campus that the CWA would indeed be holding their "protection of marriage" rally, directly across the street from our college's entrance.

The CWA suggests that homosexuality is not only wrong, but also dangerous, and promotes hate in the guise of "good Christian morals." Their flyers speak of saving marriage by not redefining it to include same-sex couples.

We are a small group of LGBTQQIA individuals, existing on a small campus. A rally challenging everything we stand for, and are fighting for, will be hosted in our front yard this weekend, to show our community how "wrong" our ideals of family, love, and freedom are in their eyes.

It is imperative that the LGBTQQIA community has a strong presence at an event such as this, to protest this invasion of our ideals, and our college cannot do it alone.

S.A.G.E. is asking for help in making this presence felt. Please join us in protecting and promoting freedom and our right to love and marry whomever our heart tells us to.

Our protest is not aimed at creating an environment of hate, but simply to make our presence known in a peaceful manner, and to let the CWA and our community know that the LGBTQQIA community is thriving throughout our world, despite what they may think.

Local media will most likely be covering the event, which makes it even more important that our message is heard.

The rally/protest will be held on Saturday, October 16th at 5pm.

We understand that notice is short, but if any or all of your organization, friends, partners or family could attend, the protest of the CWA's anti-same-sex marriage rally would be strongly felt.

S.A.G.E. and its allies will be gathering on the EC college mall, at 4pm in order to organize before the 5pm rally, held in Wilder Park.

We are located at 190 Prospect Ave, Elmhurst IL, 60126. The CWA rally/protest will be held in Wilder Park, located at 175 Prospect Ave in Elmhurst, directly across from the official
entrance to the college.

Elmhurst College is easily accessible via the Union Pacific West Metra line, for $5 round trip (departing at Olgivie Transportation Center), Interstate 290, and Route 83/Kingery Highway. Parking is free, and a guide will be waiting at the station to direct groups to the campus, located a block away.

Please let us know if your group can attend the protest, and feel free to contact us with any questions, ideas, and comments.

Thank you for your support,

S.A.G.E. and its Co-Presidents,

M. Allen and K. Kozinski

In case you're wondering, LGBTQQIA stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersexed and allied." So whether you're one of the first seven letters, or whether you're the friend or family member of someone who is--and if you're reading this, you're probably that last one--it would be great to see you on Saturday.