NOW rally comes to steps of PSU

By TERESA BEARDSLEY
Collegian Staff Writer

As part of the National Organization for Women's 100-Day Countdown on Violence Against Women, a rally was held on the steps of Old Main last night to kick off Pennsylvania's statewide campaign.

"One event like this is occurring every day somewhere here in the United States," said Joanne Tosti-Vasey, who officially started the rally.

"This rally has been organized by Ni-Ta-Nee NOW and co-sponsored by Penn State Pro-Choice, and is one of 40 throughout Pennsylvania that is being held today to bring out the information on violence against women and to memorialize those women who have been victims of violence," said Tosti-Vasey, treasurer of Pennsylvania NOW.

The first speaker, Ann Swinburn, opened the rally with a somber recollection.

Swinburn, NOW Campus Liaison, looked back at the incident that occurred on Dec. 30. A man had entered an abortion clinic in Massachusetts, shot at workers and killed two receptionists.

Since 1993, Pensacola, Fla., has been the sight of three deaths as the result of anti-abortion violence, said Swinburn, adding that similar incidents have occurred in Wichita, Kansas.

"Our government does little to deter this type of violence from happening again," she said. "As Americans, we need to do something to stop this violence."

"We need to call on our communitites to reject the anti-abortion movement and all its rhetoric," she urged. "We must make clear that violence, harassment, threats and intimidation will not be tolerated. Finally, we must encourage law enforcement agencies to enforce clinic-access legislation because only then will we be ensuring American women the right to their own reproductive decisions."

Catherine Buck, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Alliance political co-director, also recalled a melancholy incident of violence against women.

On Feb. 3, four women were attacked and verbally harassed for their sexual orientation by 20 men and one woman on the corner of Beaver Avenue and Locust Lane.

People do not realize the degree to which violence comes to play, Buck said, adding that the main cause of the harassment of gays and lesbians is that they are seen as not fitting into the proper gender role.

Rebecca Borders, co-director for Womyn's Concerns, also spoke at the rally last night.

The Take Back the Night protest, the purpose of which is to expose how many people are victims of violence, is sponsored by Womyn's Concerns and will be held on April 20, said Borders. Men Stopping Rape will also be involved in the protest.

Darlene Bellarmino (junior-psychology), a spectator at the rally last night, said she attended because she is training to be a volunteer at Centre County's Women's Resource Center, and she was interested in what was being said because she is learning how to counsel victims of this type of violence.

Jessica Rickard (junior-therapeutic recreation) was also at the rally.

"I was interested in seeing what it was about and to support the cause," Rickard said. She also said that it was a shame that there was such a small turnout at the event.

"It proves that this topic is being ignored," she said.