?The Gay Marriage Debate? will appear at Penn State Berks on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. The debate features advocate Zach Wahls, the University of Iowa student and son of two lesbian mothers, who gained Internet fame in 2011 after video of his testimony before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee went viral, and opponent John H. Rogers, who is currently serving his ninth term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Rogers maintains that gay marriage should not be legalized; rather civil unions should be created for gay couples that incorporate the same rights afforded to married straight couples. This event is free and open to the public.
In 2004, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow only heterosexual couples to marry. Despite intense opposition, couples in other states sought the same rights, throwing the debate into the national and international arenas.
This presentation is part of the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.