Organizing the silent protest of Franck’s lecture was junior psychology student Brittany Weiner and her partner Jess Graner, who graduated from Oglethorpe in 2008 and now works in the admissions office. Approximately 100 people attended the lecture, including more than half of those wearing purple and rainbow stickers to show solidarity.
“I thought his argument was very frustrating at times and the hairs would raise on my arms,” said Weiner. “But I was so proud of the Q&A and how we all united and banded together.”
Graner agreed the controversial speaker helped bring students together to show that Oglethorpe is an inclusive and open university.
“I am really glad students were able to come together … and show our solidarity and show that his view is not the majority here,” Graner said.
While there was opposition to Franck’s lecture, Graner said she believes in freedom of speech. But she said the event would have been better if there had been someone who supports gay marriage also speaking.
“One of our professors has invited Dan Savage to speak. That would be great if he would come and we would get another voice,” Graner said.
Weiner said that despite disagreeing with everything Franck said, having him speak was a great way to bring students together.
“It was very useful in getting us together and bonding more closely. I’m glad he came,” Weiner added.
One question Weiner asked Franck was how could he not see that banning same-sex adoption is discrimination because of the numerous studies that show children raised in same-sex couple households are typically well-adjusted, loved and suffer no harm.
Franck discounted those studies, however.
“I suggest we don’t have good social science on this with good sample sizes,” he said. “These are very small studies, small enough to be anecdotal.”
Weiner responded she has spent much time studying the research on same-sex adoptions and told Franck, “They are not anecdotal.” Her answer was greeted by applause.
Franck also told the students that a “handful of judges” are making the decisions on the legal acceptance of same-sex marriage and that gay marriage is an issue that should be left up to the people.
“If you want to get five judges [on the Supreme Court], if you want to get Anthony Kennedy to vote for same-sex marriage, it will be worse than the culture war that followed Roe v Wade,” he said.
Kennedy, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, is often considered the swing vote on high profile decisions.
The lecture is presented by Oglethorpe’s Division of History, Politics & International Science and is the first in the “Contemporary Constitutional Controversies” lecture series.
The lecture series is sponsored by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. The foundation is known for its support of right-wing causes. Oglethorpe History Professor Joseph Knippenberg, who invited Franck, is also a vocal opponent of gay rights, Project Q reported:
Franck was invited to speak by Joseph Knippenberg, a longtime history professor and blogger who recently compared homosexuality to incest. Franck’s lecture is sponsored by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, an organization that is funded by billionaire Charles Koch, who along with his brother David owns Koch Industries and have given more than $100 million to right-wing causes.
The Kansas-based Koch Industries, the second-largest private company in the U.S., owns Atlanta’s Georgia-Pacific.
To see photos from the event, click here.
Photo: Brittany Weiner (wearing the Mardi Gras T-shirt in center) and her partner, Jess Graner (far right), organized a silent protest of Dr. Matthew Franck’s lecture against same-sex marriage at Oglethorpe University. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)