Kevin Gisi

As the debate about what constitutes a marriage continues, there is another debate going on in Washington, about whether or not the names on petitions pushing the gay marriage ban should be revealed.

Sites such as www.knowthyneighbor.org allow people to view petitions for a gay marriage ban, and even the names on these petitions.

Since the site’s creation, countless others have pushed to have these names made public, and for good reason.

The reasoning for wanting these names made public is that often these petitions can gain enough common support that they actually can begin the process of being made into a law. And in fact, many ballot measures are intended to bypass or override the legislative process.

The courts have released the names of petition signers on other ballots, so what exactly makes these petitions different? Is it because it could lead to people feeling uncomfortable knowing that others will see exactly what they think of such a hot button issue?

Many people say they feel their opinions on matters like this should be kept private, as should their decision to support such a ban.

When asked if he thought petitions banning gay marriage should be made public, sophomore Corey Elling said, “The entire process is supposed to be public, there’s absolutely no reason for these names to be kept confidential.”

Junior Brittney Keough said, “I don’t understand why someone would put their name on something like this . on something that is going to affect so many people if they don’t even have the nerve to let others know their position on the issue.”

Many are afraid of being intimidated by others in their community if their stance is made public.

Arline Isaacson, a lobbyist in Washington, as well as the co-chairman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, says the entire petition process is layered with various degrees of public access, from the moment a potential signer begins to talk with a signature gatherer, all the way to the state validation process.

These names were never meant to be private, it’s just that people never took advantage of it before. The question a lot of people have is why do these groups want these names? A part of it is to discourage people from frivolously adding their names to the petitions, as it is far easier to support a controversial issue with anonymity than with your actual identity.

Another reason is as a check against fraudulent adding of names to the petitions.

Freshman Courtney Golbach said, “These names should be public. If these people believe so strongly that gay people shouldn’t be given the same rights, then they need to stand up for their positions.”

Junior Carrie Borpahl said, “It’s ridiculous that they think these petitions should be different than any others in the past.

So far, they’ve been public, and they need to be public, we have a right to know who is pushing for these kinds of changes in our community.”

Riedel is a junior English literature major and a guest columnist for The Spectator.