Several students lined the sidewalks of Farm Lane on Wednesday afternoon in protest to National Conservative Coming Out Day activities planned on campus.
The group of about 30 protesters stood outside Bessey Hall - one of the sites conservative groups intended to use for the event - waving signs and voicing their concerns about the use of the words "coming out" to describe the event.
Professional writing sophomore Ben Rubinstein, a member of the MSU Stonewall Democrats, was among the protesters and said the terminology was offensive.
"We were there to help show our side of the story and our feeling that their calling this a national 'coming out' day was mocking," he said. "It is something the LGBT community does to try to take pride in the face of opposition - like the Republicans. They are turning this into their own thing."
Rubinstein added that during the about 45 minutes the group protested, no one from the conservative groups participating in the event appeared.
The MSU College Republicans were at Wells Hall and Brody Complex for about three hours Wednesday, providing information about the Republican Party and recruiting new members. The event was aimed at raising awareness about the conservative presence on college campuses.
Political science junior Meredith Phillis said the group opted against using Bessey Hall as was originally planned because it was an inconvenient location.
"We decided that Wells Hall would be a better choice with more students, and it was easier for students working the table because of work or classes," Phillis said, adding that she was unaware protesters were at Bessey Hall. "They are going to come and say what they want to say. They have a right to say and think opposite the way we do."
Rubinstein said the conservative group's absence at Bessey Hall was conspicuous.
"It seems too cowardly that they would wait until we were gone and pick the two spots that neglected the spot we were at," he said. "It doesn't seem like coincidence."
Justine Ivanoff, a political theory and constitutional democracy senior and MSU College Republicans chairperson, said the coming out day was not meant to be malicious.
"I don't understand why they would protest a day where we don't do any harm," she said. "We are out here trying to do a good thing, trying to show everyone how proud we are to be conservative."
Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Molly Messinger, a member of MSU Stonewall Democrats and MSU College Democrats, said although she didn't interact face-to-face with the conservative groups, the Democratic groups made progress.
"A lot of people saw us out there," Messinger said. "We got a message across - it's not right to use the term 'coming out' when they have all these policies that make it hard for gay people to come out. Anybody who saw us maybe was impacted."
