YouTube sensation Zach Wahls speaks about non-traditional family at GV
Courtesy Photo/ Amanda Frazier
Justine Travis (left), Hayley Carter, Amanda Frazier and Danielle Weaver were some of the GVSU students who met Zach Wahls when he spoke on Monday.
Mar 20, 2012
After he testified in front of the Iowa House of Representatives, the video of his speech had more than 16.5 million views on YouTube.
He’s visited the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and his video has been seen on CNN, Good Morning America and other national news sites. And Monday, Zach Wahls visited Grand Valley State University to tell his story to the students of Allendale, Mich.
Wahls testified in favor of continuing civil unions in Iowa, as someone who has lesbian mothers. His testimony touched people all over the country, which is why he was brought to campus to speak.
“What Makes a Family” took place Monday evening, in the Cook De-Witt Center of GVSU’s Allendale Campus. Tom Coy, assistant director of Student Life, said students not only filled the seats, but lined the walls too.
“It was great to show students one way that some choose to become active in a cause they were passionate about,” Coy said.
GVSU student Amanda Frazier went to see Wahls with three friends.
“I had seen his video on YouTube and thought he was an incredible speaker and an amazing man for standing up for his family, so when I saw on Facebook that he was at GV I had to go,” Frazier said.
Wahls addressed the most common questions he gets, and talked about what it means to be married, both legally and religiously. He said that gay marriage is just marriage.
Frazier said she was impacted by Wahls’ message that there is no one type of family.
“Because he is a college student just like us, in a family just like ours, the campus and students respond to him,” Frazier added.
Danielle Weaver also saw him speak, and decided to go since she had seen the YouTube video when it first went viral.
“He is such an accomplished, brave, and inspirational person,” Weaver said. “The fact that he is my age makes him seem even more incredible.”
After the event, GVSU’s Speak Up! campaign group addressed the subject matter.
“We had students fill out cards… pledging HOW and WHY they, too, speak up against bias,” said Ashley Schulte. “The conversation was great in terms of starting a movement to change the campus culture at GVSU.”
