As four gay and lesbian couples made their way through a room draped in white and filled with flowers on Saturday, some cried and some glowed with excitement.
The Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students kicked off Pride Week with a Pride Commitment Ceremony in HUB Alumni Hall, during which couples promised to support each other in front of a crowd of about 700 people.
Despite opposition from the Faith Baptist Church of Altoona, the Pennsylvania Family Values Coalition and the Penn State Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students President Tom Koerber said he was pleased to see support.
"The room was packed, and the opposition was almost non-existent," he said.
Eight members of the Penn State Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) held religious icons outside as the couples walked inside.
OCF President Daniel Andresen (senior-computer science) said they tried to enter the hall, but Silent Witness PA (SWPA) volunteers and HUB directors told them no signs were allowed inside.
"We're not against the individuals-- more like hate the sin, not the sinners," Andresen said.
State College Mayor Bill Welch, who presided over the ceremony, said the event was the first publicly held same-sex commitment ceremony to ever be performed by a public official in Centre County.
"It was one of a kind, as far as I know," Welch said. He then referred to one other public official to perform a same-sex ceremony: former Philadelphia mayor John Street.
The couples walked from Boucke surrounded by SWPA volunteers carrying rainbow umbrellas, and the ceremony began when the couples arrived.
SWPA Executive Director Alanna Berger said the purpose of SWPA is to encourage a safe environment at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender events; 76 volunteers attended.
The two gay couples, Paul Datti (graduate-counselor education) and Frank Vasquez, and James Collins (graduate-materials science and engineering) and Ryan Fitzpatrick renewed their commitments.
Two lesbian couples, 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 committed to each other for the first time.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people. Just walking into the room and seeing the multitudes of people was heart-warming," Collins said.
Welch guided each couple through their vows and the sealing kiss.
Koerber then introduced Steve Glassman, the chairman of the PA Human Relations Commission, calling him the highest-ranking openly gay official in Pennsylvania.
" ...It would be impossible to witness this extraordinary sharing of love and commitment to one another without being profoundly moved," Glassman said.
