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Students Walk Out On Santorum Graduation Speech
by Beth Shapiro
365Gay.com Newscenter
New York Bureau
May 19, 2003
12:02 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) More than 100 of the 800 graduating students at Saint Joseph's University walked out before the Jesuit school presented Sen. Rick Santorum with an honorary degree Sunday.
Students had urged the university to rescind its invitation to Santorum after his controversial interview with the Associated Press in which he likened homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery. (story)
The university refused, but did offer students opposed to Santorum, the number three Republican in the Senate, to leave before he was honored. One in 8 left the commencement ceremony.
The students filed out as Santorum was called to the podium amid competing boos and applause..
Santorum made only a casual reference to controversy in his keynote address.
"We are all called to love one another, even people we disagree with, even people who hate us for what we believe," he said.
[Don't you just love when christian bigots in positions of power claim to be the victims of hatred and prejudice?]
"Revolution starts at home, in your heart, in your refusal to compromise your beliefs and your values."
While many of the students who walked out were gay most were not.
"Senator Santorum and I are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum," said graduate Sara Foglesong. "I am not incestuous. I am not a bigamist. I just happen to be bisexual. It offended me."
Across the street from the campus a small group of protesters denounced Santorum. Signs held by the protestors said: "No More Rick in 2006" and "No to Santorum".
"He represents homophobia, (which) I don't believe is a value based on Christian love," said demonstrator Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, a Philadelphia-based gay and lesbian group.
"Homophobia encourages hate crimes and Senator Santorum needs to be held responsible for that."
©365Gay.com Ltd® 2003