PROTEST Students Demonstrate At McCarrick’s Mass By Rebecca Regan-Sachs Hoya Staff Writer

A group of Georgetown students remained standing for the duration of a Mass delivered Sunday in Copley Hall by Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in order to draw attention to their continuing efforts to establish a gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender resource center on campus. The protests were the first in a series of planned events to raise awareness about the lack of such resources at Georgetown.

Twenty-one students participated in the demonstration. Its main purpose, according to a handout distributed at the mass, was to “urge the cardinal to respect the non-discrimination policy adopted by the university community” and allow Georgetown to make decisions regarding student affairs without church involvement. Though GUPride has been the organization primarily involved with the development of a GLBT resource center, member Danielle DeCerbo (COL ’03) said the organization did not organize the protests directly but that they were spearheaded by students concerned with the development of the resource center.

The possibility of a resource center for GLBT students has recently become a contentious issue at Georgetown. While GUSA unanimously passed a resolution last November supporting the creation of such a center, university administrators have been reluctant in supporting the construction of a center, according to GLBT students. Vice President for Student Affairs Juan C. Gonzalez agreed in December to continue listening to students, but has denied further comment on the issue. In early December he said he’s still “willing to have conversations with students.”

Earlier this month U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) (SFS ’66, L ’69) submitted a letter to University President John J. DeGioia voicing his support for a resource center after being contacted by GUPride President Joe McFadden (COL ’02).

GUPride members said they regard McCarrick’s presence on campus as an opportunity to further press their case regarding the resource center. “As a highly influential but seldom seen person, we felt the cardinal should be engaged as a person involved in influencing a GLBT resource center,” a statement from students who particpated in the demonstration said.

The protestors stood throughout the 10:30 a.m. Mass, which was held in conjunction with the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life the next day.

“We tried to demonstrate in the least disruptive but most effective manner as possible, but we don’t apologize for the manner in which it was done,” protestors said in the statement.

Since Georgetown already has a Women’s Center and a Center for Minority Education, several GLBT students say they feel they are an “invisible minority” and that the need for a comfortable and safe place of their own is especially important.

In their statement, protestors also expressed a feeling of being isolated from the Catholic Church.

“Our action was an attempt to make obvious what is too often ignored: that GLBT people and women, as well as those who believe in those causes, are not invited as full participants in the life of the church,” the statement said.

“Georgetown teaches in the Catholic and Jesuit traditions, but is governed separately from either,” the brochure handed out at the Mass read. “The Cardinal should allow and encourage Georgetown to implement policies to address the needs of its students without regard to age, sex, religion, race, sexual orientation, handicap, color, national or ethnic origin.”