Dressed in a corduroy skirt, 27-year-old Syracuse resident Michelle Deferio stood near the Waverly Avenue entrance of the Schine Student Center holding a sign.
"HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN, CHRIST CAN SET YOU FREE," it read.
Chris Pesto, a gay Syracuse University junior majoring in acting, was walking back from class around 3:30 p.m. He saw Deferio's sign and decided to make one of his own.
"CORDUROY SKIRTS ARE A SIN," his sign read.
More than 75 gay, lesbian and bisexual Syracuse University students and their straight allies rallied against Deferio and her father's anti-gay signs during an impromptu protest on campus today. Holding signs saying "I'm bisexual and proud" and "'CUSE, NO PLACE 4 HATE," the students said they wanted to stand together for their rights.
"She was making me uncomfortable, so I decided to make her uncomfortable," said Pesto, who started the rally. "I pay $50,000 a year to be here, and I have the right feel comfortable on campus."
Deferio and her father, Jim, regularly visit Central New York college campuses to preach their message about homosexuality being a sin, she said. She and her father target colleges because students are just starting to form their worldviews, she said.
Deferio said she was planning to leave around 3:30 p.m., but decided to stay longer -- until around 7 p.m. -- because of the student protest.
"We're coming to preach the gospel," Deferio said. "I think it's ironic that people claiming to be so tolerant are so intolerant of other people's views. People have said some vicious things to me."
SU senior Alec Sim said he stopped by the rally a few times during the day to support his gay and lesbian friends in between classes.
"I take that woman's sign with a grain of salt," Sim said. "It's amazing that there are so many people here. We didn't even plan this. People are just laughing about it."
SU sophomore Toby Marks stopped by the rally around 5:30 p.m. after hearing about it from a few of her friends on campus.
"Everyone should have a place to be comfortable," she said.
