Miss Hall goes to Washington

Welcome to another issue of the Phoenix! I am pleased to bring to readers, in the print edition of the Phoenix, the first-ever edition of the GSU Turnip! In honor of April Fools Day, the Turnip pays homage to fake news sources such as The Onion, The Heckler, Weekly World News, and many more. Make sure to pick up a copy of the Phoenix next time you find yourself on campus, as the Turnip stories  will not be posted to the Phoenix website (unless there becomes a strong demand for it).
Also, due to lack of interest, the Phoenix Comic Strip Contest has been canceled. As Homer Simpson would say, "D'OH!"
Switching gears, I would like to share something that I recently had the chance to be a small part of. Last week, I was in Washington, D.C., as the U.S. Supreme Court began hearings on same-sex marriage.
I had gone to DC on vacation with my girlfriend, Kay, and her two "kids" (a hyper Schipperke named Bebe and her equally hyper sister, a Maltese named Zoey). We had intended on going to DC during Spring Break, but due to a scheduling conflict at my job (I do work full time, along with attending classes and working on the Phoenix) the only time I could get off of work was the week classes started back up.
We had an amazing time in our nation's capital. However, the most memorable moment of the trip happened on the day we were leaving.
It just so happened that the day we were leaving town was the first day of the Supreme Court hearings on same-sex marriage. Although we would have liked to have stayed and joined the rally, unfortunately we had to start the long drive back to Chicago that day, Kay and I still wanted to show our support for marriage equality. The night before, we stopped at CVS to pick up some poster board and markers. The following morning, as the Supreme Court began hearings on California's Proposition 8, Kay and I drove down First Street, past the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol building. With the passenger window rolled down, I held our sign out of the window so all of the people rallying could see our sign, which read "Marriage Equality for ALL" with the "ALL" being done in the colors of the American flag.
The cheers that we got from people gave me goose bumps! Some of the supporters rallying took pictures. An ABC camera man filmed us. I yelled into his camera, "Marriage equality for everyone!" Bystanders cheered.
It was so gratifying to know that we were a part of something historic, albeit only a very small and brief part. We then departed for a brief stop in Baltimore, then home from there.
The topic of homosexuality and gay rights has been a hot topic lately. In fact, this very issue has hit especially close to the GSU community. Last month, the Phoenix reported on tensions between the H.O.M.E. Group (Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment) and GSU's Gay Straight Alliance.
I felt that it was very important for me to keep my personal views out of the discussion, as the first responsibility of the Phoenix is to report fairly and unbiasedly. In the aftermath of these events, however, I have no qualms about disclosing my personal opinion on the matter.
People are entitled to their opinions. Free speech is, after all, guaranteed by the First Amendment. If groups such as H.O.M.E. choose to believe that homosexuality is wrong, then that is their opinion and they have every right to express that belief.
However, it is wrong of H.O.M.E. (or any group) to distort statistics, use quotes out of context, and present their opinions as facts. Everyone that I have spoken to regarding H.O.M.E.'s presence on campus has indicated to me that this is how H.O.M.E. presented their materials.
While we are all entitled to free speech, one of the most basic principles we must abide by as college students is that any argument needs solid research to support it. Without it, that argument loses it's credibility. If any GSU student were to write a research paper in the manner in which HOME presented it's information, that student would receive a failing grade.
I hope that in the future, our school's administrators will think twice about what types of groups they allow on campus and give due consideration to the validity of the message a group is presenting. Allowing groups like H.O.M.E. (which has been classified as a hate
group by groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center) on our campus legitimizes the messages of hate groups and creates an uncomfortable environment on campus for all GSU students.