Ben Rozak“Hey, hey, ho, ho, homophobia has got to go!”
This message was brought through campus Tuesday courtesy of the Cal Poly Pride Alliance as part of Same Sex Hand Holding Day 2008.
At 11 a.m., members of the Cal Poly Pride Alliance and allies (supporters of the cause) marched through campus holding hands with members of the same gender in an effort to promote equality.
“We want to increase our visibility and show that there are same-gender couples on campus,” physics sophomore Brandon Boswell said.
The event was open to everyone, and more than 100 people attended.
“We had a lot of straight allies come and support us, which is always nice,” said biology sophomore Seth Winkenwerder.
The group gathered together at Dexter Lawn. Then, the couples walked through campus, culminating in the University Union plaza where the couples marked fabric with their handprints to show that “a hand is a hand; it doesn’t matter the gender,” said liberal studies junior Amy Narevsky.
To ensure that their message was seen and heard, the group marched through The Avenue at lunchtime and brought megaphones.
Organizers of the event hope that seeing these messages will inspire students to be comfortable with themselves.
“We want students who are scared to come out to know that there are people here on campus that will support them,” said business sophomore Megan Sullivan.