Virginia colleges seen as key battleground in buildup to Nov. 7 vote on outlawing gay marriage.

By DIONNE WALKER

Date published: 10/23/2006

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

RICHMOND--The woman who confronted Virginia Tech student Leslie Crews over her views on gay marriage didn't say a word. Instead, she snatched a Students 4 Marriage sticker from the information booth Crews had set up, crumpled it and threw it at the senior.

"I just said, 'Have a nice day,'" recalled Crews, who admitted she was shaken by the incident a few weeks back on Tech's Blacksburg campus.

Virginia's college campuses are the latest battleground for the divisive debate over same-sex marriage in the commonwealth, as leaders on both sides of the issue tap young voters they hope will become supporters this fall and beyond. There were more than 400,000 registered voters ages 18 to 25 in Virginia last year, according to the State Board of Elections.

From the University of Virginia to the College of William and Mary, students are organizing protests and panel discussions of the amendment that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, guided by coalitions that see Virginia's youngest voters as the next frontier.

In the last month, amendment opponents have staged a forum at Radford University, campaigned dorm-to-dorm at the University of Richmond, and sponsored a series of rallies at U.Va., including an Oct. 6 speech by Candace Gingrich, sister of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Student supporters of the amendment are organizing their own panels and debates. Students 4 Marriage protested an anti-amendment rally at George Mason University earlier this month and have planned literature drops at schools where they have chapters, among them, Regent University, the Virginia Beach college founded by Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson.

Students such as Elizabeth Prescott are paying special attention to the heightening gay-marriage debate. The junior at George Mason visited Richmond last week for a student debate at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"It's important to everyone, but especially young people," said Prescott, who thinks young adults are more open-minded.

Both sides of the debate have placed a high value on these young voters, who they believe can infuse their campaigns with energy, as well as with votes.

"Student activism has always been a cornerstone of social justice and social change," explained Dyana Mason, head of Equality Virginia, a gay-rights group. "On this particular issue, it's no different."

Date published: 10/23/2006