Two lesbian couples and two gay couples will commit to their partners tomorrow at the HUB-Robeson Center, while hundreds of guests and about 75 people acting as buffers look on.
Meanwhile, mere hundreds of yards away, the Pennsylvania Family Values Coalition will hold its first public event, a Family Values Rally, outside Old Main.
The same-sex commitment ceremony, being held from 1 to 5 p.m. tomorrow in HUB Alumni Hall, will be the first major event of Pride Week.
The ceremony is a nontraditional way to educate the community about gay and lesbian rights, said Tom Koerber, president of the Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students, which is hosting the event.
The rally outside Old Main will be organized by Pennsylvania Family Values Coalition, a newly-founded organization started by Faith Baptist Church of Altoona's Rev. Gary Dull, who serves as chairman of the group.
Dull, who will conduct the rally from 2 to 4 p.m., said its purpose is to stand in support of the biblical and traditional family and heterosexual relationships. There will be prayer for family values, live music by a gospel singer and speakers, including Dull, who advocate for heterosexual relationships.
While Dull said the rally will stay at Old Main and any protests at other locations are not endorsed by the Pennsylvania Family Values Coalition, the commitment ceremony will employ "non-confrontational buffers" to escort attendees past any protesters.
The buffers are volunteers from Silent Witness PA (SWPA), its director of operations Blaise Liffick said. Liffick said about 100 people were trained Saturday, and he estimates that between 60 and 75 volunteers will show up outside the HUB at noon to participate.
"I'm pretty confident this is going to be a peaceful event," Liffick said.
Despite objections from the Faith Baptist community, State College Mayor Bill Welch will preside over the ceremony and is "looking forward" to it.
Welch said he met with the Pennsylvania Family Values Coalition Wednesday morning, where group members gave him a petition they say contains 6,000 signatures in favor of canceling the commitment ceremony. Welch said he has not had time to look through or count the signatures, but from what he saw, there weren't many State College addresses.
"It wouldn't matter to me. I've told these people I'm going to do it, and I'm happy to do it," Welch said.
Partners Paul Datti (graduate-counselor education) and Frank Vasquez, and James Collins (graduate-materials science and engineering) and Ryan Fitzpatrick will renew their commitments.
Kat Sinclair (graduate-human development and family studies) and Delia Guzman (senior-crime, law and justice), along with Donna Coffman, a Penn State research associate, and Amanda Applegate will commit to each other for the first time.
Koerber, who the couples referred to as their "wedding planner," said he has reserved seats for 500 guests, but, if needed, he is prepared to accommodate a maximum of 800. So far, Koerber said his group has received between $5,000 and $8,000 in donations, which will be used to fund the ceremony.
Guzman said she and her partner, Sinclair, finished shopping for their dress and pantsuit a few weeks ago, so now they are focusing on mentally preparing for the day.
"Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner, and then Saturday's the big day," Guzman said, adding that she is nervous and excited. "It's getting a lot more real now."
