The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Will Halsey

Michelle Deferio arrived on Waverly Avenue outside of Newhouse I around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday wearing a long corduroy skirt and holding a sign that read, "Homosexuality is a sin, Christ can set you free."

In response, Chris Pesto, a junior acting major who is gay, made a sign that read "Corduroy skirts are a sin, homosexuals can help you," and stood next to Deferio in protest.

News of Pesto's protest spread. And Michelle and her father, Jim Deferio, who also went to preach to passersby that homosexuality is a sin, soon were facing a crowd of Syracuse University students, protesting against the Deferios, saying SU has no place for hate.

At the peak of the protest, about 60 students turned out. Some had signs, some encouraged passing cars to honk in solidarity for their cause. Although the Deferios only planned to stay on Waverly Avenue for three hours, they did not leave until around 7 p.m. The protestors stayed until 7:30 p.m., when the Department of Public Safety broke them up.

Michelle and Jim Deferio are open-air Evangelists, a religious group that preaches the gospel on city sidewalks, in parks, neighborhoods and on college campuses, among other places. The Deferios frequently preach on Waverly Avenue.

Jim went to school at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and lived on SU's South Campus. Jim said SU has warned him that if he steps on campus he will be arrested, but he said that he is not preaching hate.

Instead, Jim said he is showing love and offering hope. He said, just as he would warn someone if a car were about to hit them, he is warning homosexuals of their sins.

"Love warns people. It would be unloving of me not to warn them," he said. "God is the judge. There are going to be consequences. They can do that, but one day God is going to judge them, just like he will all of us."

To bring hope to the homosexual community, he said, Jim shared experiences he has had with ex-homosexuals to show that change is possible. He said he shared an apartment with one, and has friends who are ex-homosexuals as well. Jim used these examples to support his claim that homosexuality is not genetic, but a choice. He said he has worked for six evangelist organizations in the past but was on Waverly yesterday independently with his daughter.

Just as the Deferios defended their right to preach, they said they were also not against the students' peaceful protest. They had seen many like it before.

Continued...

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