Anti-gay marriage protest prompts student response

On Thursday, the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSAGA), along with the Office of LGBTQ Life, held a counter-protest outside of Charles Street Market in response to a protest earlier in the day  by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) that advocated for heterosexual marriage.

“This is an anti-protest against what happened this morning,” sophomore Christianne Marguerite, a student intern at the office of LGBTQ Life, said. “There was a group of people who were protesting same-gender marriage.”

The TFP advocates for the maintenance of traditions of family and private ownership through various print publications and sidewalk campaigns.

“The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) is an organization of lay Catholic Americans concerned about the moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christian civilization,” its website reads.

Protesters distributed a pamphlet that expounded upon the “10 Reasons Why Homosexual ‘Marriage’ is Harmful and Must be Opposed.”

Some of the statements the pamphlet makes about homosexual marriage include, “It is not marriage… It violates Natural Law… It validates and promotes the homosexual lifestyle… It does not create a family but a naturally sterile union… It imposes its acceptance on all society… It is the cutting edge of the sexual revolution… It offends God.”

A group of about 15 students got together to offer a counter-protest later that afternoon. They stood on N. Charles Street and handed out candy, in order to symbolize that love is sweet, as well as LGBTQ flags.

They asked cars to honk at them to show support for gay rights, and many of the passing cars participated.

Defending the right for free speech, the DSAGA demonstrators said that the morning protesters had just as much of a right to protest and voice their opinions.

“The protesters had every right to be here because it is public space. They had every right to protest, but so do we. This is an anti-protest that is peaceful and that is supposed to show support for the LGBT community because this is our home, here on campus,” Marguerite said.

The TFP campaign utilized large banner flags and bagpipes to draw the attention of passersby, and many of the students involved in the counter-protest had emotional responses to the protest.

“This definitely made me angry, but I kind of cooled down a little as I was walking, and I heard a group of straight guys. They were reading through the pamphlet, and they were like, ‘Oh God this is all wrong,’” senior Tanner Liechty said. “At least Hopkins students are capable of knowing what’s educated and what’s uneducated, and the pamphlet seemed really uneducated.”

Will Anderson contributed reporting.