It’s called a “Commitment Ceremony” and six same-sex couples, pairs of men or women, will be celebrated in some form under the auspices of the mayor of State College. Gary Dull is the Pastor at First Baptist Church in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

"Even though it's not something that's being sponsored by the Penn State University itself, it's being sponsored by organizations of the university and on the campus.

It amounts to something approaching matrimony for the same-sex celebrants. Tom Shaheen of the Pennsylvania Family Institute is not impressed with the solemnity of the occasion.

“The parties involved and the mayor are trying to make a political statement.   I’d call it a political stunt.”

“Stunt” or whatever, Pastor Dull says it has the backing of Mayor Bill Welch and the support of a number of gay, lesbian and transgender college groups.

“There are seventeen organizations, that we’ve been told, that are sponsoring this event.”  

He hasn’t seen the names on that List of Seventeen but he says whoever is involved, flaunts the laws of Pennsylvania and, more importantly, of God.

"Simply because the family is the first institution of God. It's between male and femail; not two males and not two females."

The pastor has started a petition drive to protest the event. The church's website is www.fbcaltoona.org.