July 6, 2005
Roanoke Times, VA

Quakers hold rally for gay marriage
By Tonia Moxley, New River Current

BLACKSBURG -- A national religious group that considered canceling plans to hold its annual conference at Virginia Tech because of a state law that bans gay marriage and may invalidate wills and powers of attorney between same-sex couples held a "marriage equality" rally on Henderson Lawn on Tuesday.

About 300 attendees of the Friends General Conference, also known as Quakers, gathered near downtown Blacksburg in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

"We're not here to tell the people of Virginia what to do ... but be a witness for equality," said Petra Doan, a conference attendee.

Conference organizers planned to hold the weeklong annual gathering of Quakers from around the country at Tech before the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Marriage Affirmation Act last year. That law bans gay marriages, civil unions and any "partnership contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage."

Gay rights advocacy groups say they believe the legislation may void wills and medical and financial powers of attorneys between same-sex couples who live in or travel to the state.

While Quaker organizers say they have no plans to boycott Virginia when planning future conferences, they did consider relocating the gathering of about 1,500 members to another state this year.

"We were concerned about [same-sex] couples and their children who might be hurt by the law," said Tania Lang Burger, one of the organizers.

What if a same-sex couple brought their child and one of them got sick or hurt? Would that couple have access to their loved one at the hospital? Those were just some of the concerns a special Quaker committee discussed, prayed and reflected on when deciding whether or not to move the conference, said Carrie Glasby, a conference attendee and a speaker at the demonstration.

In the end, they decided to come to Virginia and "witness to the truth" of marriage equality, said conference director Bruce Britchard.

This is the second general conference the Quakers have held at Virginia Tech. The last gathering was held there in 2001.

No identifiable counter-demonstrators showed up Tuesday and few residents were milling around during the event, which began at 2 p.m.

Glasby, along with her longtime lesbian partner, Kathleen Karhnak, spoke to the group about their marriage in a Quaker congregation in Pennsylvania several years ago.

The couple also showed off their 5-month-old son, Timothy Karhnak-Glasby to the crowd, which cheered.

While Pennsylvania allows both women parental rights to the child and recognizes their wills and powers of attorney as valid, "there are still so many areas where we have no equality," Karhnak told the gathering. "I hope this message goes out into the world with love."