Students responded enthusiastically to the Queer Straight Alliance's (QSA) launch yesterday afternoon of the Tufts branch of the National Marriage Boycott, a student movement centered on lobbying the U.S. Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The act, passed in 1996 under the Clinton Administration, stipulates that the federal government cannot treat same−sex relationships as marriages for any purposes, thus denying same−sex couples 1,138 federal marriage−related rights, according to the movement's website.
"[National Marriage Boycott] is a student−driven movement that challenges DOMA and questions the institution of marriage as a privilege rather than a right for everyone," sophomore Allister Chang, QSA co−president, told the Daily.
Students participating in the movement's Tufts launch at the Mayer Campus Center signed an online pledge stating that they would boycott marriage until DOMA is repealed. Pledging students were given an equality ring symbolizing their commitment to the cause.
The supply of rings ran out within the first hour of the event due to extensive participation.
Participants also elaborated on the reasons behind their decisions to boycott marriage and shared their personal experiences with the issue.
Students' reasons for boycotting marriage included intrigue with the movement's rebellious nature, the desire to separate themselves from religious movements' agenda of banning gay marriage and the belief that people should have the right to love whomever they want.
Sophomore Matthew Schuman, who knew little about DOMA until he spoke with QSA leaders and decided to sign the pledge, expressed his concern about the societal implications of DOMA.
"As a straight person, I'm given this whole bag of privileges that my gay friends struggle with everyday," Schuman told the Daily. "I see that my friends feel awkward kissing or hugging in public, and on a national level, that translates to me having a privilege they don't have."
Freshman Matt Sanda likewise was unaware about the movement but decided to sign the pledge.
"It was kind of an impulsive action on my part, but I feel that until all my friends and everyone have the freedom to marry whoever they choose, it's not fair that I get to have certain freedoms that they wouldn't necessarily have," Sanda told the Daily.
The National Marriage Boycott originated in Stanford University to protest the passage of Proposition 8. Freshman Jessie Belfer, a QSA member, decided to bring the movement to Tufts due to her involvement with it in high school.
"I live right next to Stanford, where the movement started … and started going to Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation meetings at the time they were forming the boycott," Belfer told the Daily. "I wanted to bring it to Tufts since then."
The Tufts branch is one of the first to form in Boston and was funded by a grant through the Tufts Progressive Alumni Network, the same group that sponsors Jumbo Janitor Alliance, according to Chang.
Chang explained that the movement was meant to provoke thought.
"The boycott is less about the action of marriage and more about stimulating people to think about the problem," Chang said. "People generally don't think of marriage as a federal privilege, but it is. I didn't see this as a separate−but−equal issue until I looked deeper."
Chang stressed the movement's goals of education and raising awareness to create continuous pressure to repeal DOMA.
"An indicator of the event's success would be the educational aspect rather than the action," Chang said. "That's the base of getting something done."
Belfer added that bringing the movement to Tufts will give students passionate about LGBT rights the opportunity to connect with the national network.
"The national movement is focused on creating a network of activists who can come together around this cause as well as providing a basis for local−level campaigns," Belfer said.
Chang said that QSA plans on making the National Marriage Boycott pledge signing a yearly event until DOMA is repealed. Ellen Kan contributed reporting to this article.
