On Nov. 7, students have the chance to make history. We have the opportunity to take a stand, to say no to discrimination and to fight the civil rights battle of our generation.
This fall, Wisconsin voters will be asked to decide whether we should add this amendment to our State Constitution:
""Only a marriage between one man and one woman will be valid or recognized in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state.""
Gay marriage is already against the law in Wisconsin. This ban would not only permanently enshrine this discrimination into our constitution, but would also ban civil unions and other legal protections for gay couples.
Twenty states have voted on anti-gay amendments. Twenty states have voted ""yes.""
If state legislators have their way, Wisconsin will join in posting a ""gays not welcome here"" sign at the border. That is not the Wisconsin where I grew up, and it is certainly not one I would be proud to call home.
Wisconsin has always been a leader on issues of civil rights. At our own campus, students have historically rallied in favor of protecting and expanding rights.
UW-Madison students helped Wisconsin become the first state to oppose the fugitive slave laws in the 1850s. UW-Madison students stood with women in the suffrage movement. UW-Madison students fought to make Wisconsin the first state to add sexual orientation into its non-discrimination statutes in 1982.
Fighting for civil rights is as fundamental to UW-Madison as the Fifth Quarter or Mifflin Street Block Party. UW-Madison students have continually fought their own battles to make Wisconsin a better place for its citizens.
But now, it is our turn. It is time to fight the civil rights battle of our generation.
This election day, Wisconsin has the chance to be the first state to defeat an amendment to ban marriage and civil unions for gay couples.
Students can make the difference. Many are seeing the role that we can play in what happens this fall. Professor Kathy Cramer Walsh remarked recently in The Capital Times that ""...the campus vote statewide will be the deciding factor.""
But, there is far more at stake than UW-Madison tradition, flowery language and a few lines in a history textbook. If the ban passes this fall, we will see the far-reaching consequences on thousands of families around this state, and on our own campus.
In late August, Robert Carpick, a promising researcher and professor, announced his decision to leave UW-Madison for the University of Pennsylvania.
During his six short years at the university, he became a rising star in the nano-technology field and brought in numerous awards and millions of dollars for his research. He was the bedrock of a field UW-Madison is trying to expand. Provost Patrick Farrell characterized Carpick's departure as ""a great loss.""
But Carpick didn't leave because of any typical reasons. Instead, he left because he is gay and cannot get healthcare for his partner.
UW-Madison is the only Big Ten school that does not offer domestic partner benefits, and if this ban were to pass, the university would likely never be able to. In an atmosphere like that, Carpick's departure may only be the beginning.
If this ban passes, there is no doubt its effects would be far-reaching—hurting our friends, our families and our campus. The issue on the Nov. 7 ballot is so much more than gay marriage. It is about choosing the path Wisconsin wants to take on civil rights, and how we want to treat people in this state.
Students can cast the deciding vote. We can be a part of something historic. We can engage in our generation's defining battle and we can proudly embrace the tradition of our alma mater.
Take a stand, and join us in this fight. Students for a Fair Wisconsin will hold its kickoff meeting Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m., TITU.
Join us to find out more and to get involved and on Nov. 7, vote ""no.""
