By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 7/1/04)

Virginia Delegate Robert Marshall, a member of All Saints Parish in Manassas, was about to send invitations to his son’s high school graduation party two weeks ago when suddenly, his plans, and the plans of his entire family changed.

The day the invitations were to be mailed, Marshall received a call from the police informing him that Equality Virginia —a group advocating for the rights of homosexuals — would be staging a march through Manassas and past his family home in Prince William County to protest the passage of the Marriage Affirmation Act, HB 751. The bill, passed by both houses of the General Assembly, prohibits "a civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage" and declares any such "civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement entered into by persons of the same sex in another state or jurisdiction shall be void in all respects in Virginia and any contractual rights created thereby shall be void and unenforceable."

In a press release issued before the march, Marshall said, "The decision of the homosexual advocacy group — Equality Virginia — to picket my family home represents a turn for the worse in the conduct of public policy disagreements," and that "civic issues should be debated and discussed in civic forums." Marshall urged Virginians, whether they agree or disagree with him, to "organize their arguments and their neighbors toward civic forums and, ultimately, the ballot box."

Marshall had previously agreed to meet with members of Equality Prince William to discuss HB 751 and other concerns of his constituents. He had made arrangements to meet with them at a local library and was waiting for a specific date to be set when he heard of the public protest that would pass his home.

Approximately 50 protestors met at the Judicial Center in Manassas and marched through Old Town and into Prince William County, following the Prince William Parkway to Marshall’s neighborhood. The convoy, led by two men carrying a rainbow flag — a symbol of the gay community — also included people carrying the state flag of Virginia, the United States flag and various signs.

The protestors, following guidelines, left their signs in a pile as the group marched into Marshall’s neighborhood. Kirk Marusak, who during the march had carried a sign reading "Delegate Marshall, I am a practicing Catholic. I live in your district. Repeal HB 751," led the recitation of the Our Father and Hail Mary as they quietly marched past Marshall’s home.

"It is ironic in the extreme that those who have founded their movement on exaggerated, but, no doubt, heartfelt notions of a right to privacy, should compromise my family’s most elementary claims to privacy, to just be left alone on the street where we live," Marshall said in the press release.

Although Marshall and his family were not home and did not see the protest, after reading reports in the Manassas Journal Messenger and the Washington Times, Marshall reacted to the signs that read "Stop Sending Bigots to Richmond" and "Virginia is for Haters." Marshall said this use of negative messages is simply to "evoke feelings of sympathy from onlookers."

One onlooker not affected was Katie Stauffer, a young woman from Manassas who rode her bike to the entrance of Marshall’s neighborhood and sat silently, holding a sign saying, "Love the sinner, not the sin."

Ron Weisse traveled nearly an hour from Gore, Va., to "show support and solidarity" for the group opposing the house bill. He said he came to the protest to "bring more awareness to the homophobic state we live in."

In response to the bill itself, Marshall said about marriage, "I believe, as do the vast majority of Virginians, that it was fashioned by God Himself for the good of individuals and society and that it not only must not be changed, it cannot be changed."

State Attorney General Jerry Kilgore was quoted in a press release, saying "This office is prepared to defend this legislation as passed. (HB 751) provides a needed safeguard for the institution of marriage while not depriving any individual rights currently available to all citizens." In a letter to Marshall he said, "The purpose of this legislation is not to prohibit business partnership agreements, medical directives, joint bank accounts, or any other rights or privileges not exclusive to the institute of marriage.

Following the protest, Marshall said, "You cannot possibly have men being married and have marriage still exist. We have to affirm marriage. We cannot have it counterfeited."

Marshall said that heterosexual marriage transcends culture and religions. "The institute is oriented toward love and life — with the possibility of children. It’s almost puzzling that I have to discuss why men should marry women. It seems so elementary."