From: carlosm@tigger.cs.Colorado.EDU (Carlos Maltzahn)
Subject: Student organizes inaugural vigil
Followup-To: co.politics.amend2.discuss
Originator: gina@rintintin.Colorado.EDU
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 05:30:56 GMT

Reprinted without permission from Colorado Daily (11/20-22/
92):

Student organizes inaugural vigil

By Bronson Hilliard

When Gov. Bill Clinton becomes President Bill Clinton on 
Jan. 20, he'll be greeted by thousands of points of light 
from the nation's gays, lesbians and bisexuals, who will 
light candles in protest of Colorado's Amendment 2 in a 
silent vigil being organized by a CU student.

Former CU student union Rep.-at-large Todd Chamberlin says 
he has the support of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and 
Gays and the National Organization of Women in organizing 
the vigil, which will take place at state capitols and city 
office buildings across the country and throughout Colorado 
on inauguration night.

"We're looking right now at Boulder, Fort Collins, Denver, 
Durango, Aspen and Colorado Springs, but there could be 
other cities in Colorado as well," Chamberlin said Thursday.

After several organizational meetings this week, Chamberlin 
enlisted the support of CU's Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Com-
munity Alliance, and is hoping to get support, and mailing-
list assistance, from PFLAG and NOW for a project he is 
financing with his own money.

"Right now it's all coming out of my own pocket. Whether or 
not that continues depends on how expensive it gets," Cham-
berlin said.

On Thursday, Chamberlin also convinced Equal Protection Col-
orado, (EPOC), the group which unsuccessfully campaigned 
against the amendment, as well as Denver's Gay and Lesbian 
Community Center, to join in the organizing of the vigil, he 
said.

Lissa Whitlow, a co-facilitator with LBGCA, said her organi-
zation fully supports the vigil, regardless of what happens 
with legal action to block implementation of Amendment 2.

Requests for injunctions and a separate lawsuit seeking to 
block implementation of the amendment were filed last week 
in Denver District Court, but Whitlow said counting on them 
to work isn't a good strategy.

"The only thing I can see happening is a successful injunc-
tion, and that will just postpone the implementing of the 
measure," Whitlow said.

Whitlow said all the vigil's organizers are hoping that it 
will direct national media attention toward the amendment in 
every major market, educate people about its effects, and 
will be a "show of strength of unity among gays, lesbians, 
bisexuals and their supporters" nationwide.

"It will also send a very clear message to the people who 
passed Amendment 2, as well as the Congress and the presi-
dent, that a large number of people think this is wrong," 
Whitlow said.

Chamberlin, meanwhile, is nonchalant about his financing of 
a measure important to him. "For a college student, it's 
pretty noble, I guess," Chamberlin said.

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