The night before All Hallows’ Eve, I celebrated at Seattle University. From what he thought was out of earshot, an attendant of the gathering — whom I had never met — likened me to an unintelligent bundle of sticks, or a pack of cigarettes. I don’t identify as gay, but many of my friends who were there that night do.

I sauntered over, lifted my hand and grabbed his ass.

“You’re cute. What’s your name?”

He stuttered and eventually confided that it was Mike B. I hinted that B. was a vocational surname, and that his father and father’s father before him likely sold and crafted anal beads. I told him he was probably a natural and asked if he wanted to find out. He got mad and walked away.

Certainly it wasn’t the most honest or mature way to address the situation, and as he left the party he revealed that he had a gun. You know, in case I couldn’t take my hands off of his 30-pounds-overweight, 40-percent-filled-in-beard-sporting body. Again, it was not the best way to handle the situation, but it illuminated a number of stereotypes.

Like, “members of the LGBTQ community are sex crazed,” or “every gay man harbors a fantasy of seducing an unattractive straight boy from a small town in Idaho.”

So, while Seattle is increasingly providing legal protections for LGBTQ people, acceptance is still a long way off.

That’s part of why I’m going to be kissing in Red Square today. Regardless of the results of last night’s election and the crucial Referendum 71, there is still a lot of work to do for LGBTQ equality. The new student organization SOLE (Students Organizing for LGBTQ Equality) is hosting its first event today, and it’s sure to grab a lot of attention.

The Kiss-In will feature couples and committed partners of every gender combination kissing. The organizers are hoping not only for a strong presence of queer couples, but as many straight allies as they can muster up.

There will be some things you can expect to see in Red Square today from noon to 4 p.m.: committed couples and partners showing their affection by kissing publicly, your friends and coworkers and teammates kissing, and a lot of people without partners handing out fliers, chocolates and kisses on the cheek (complete with bright red lipstick marks).

What you won’t see in Red Square today: A crazy orgy.

The people who are going to be kissing today will be members and allies of the LGBTQ community. At times, that gargled acronym can serve to distance people from the cause. The Kiss-In will help to put faces on this human struggle, so that when you think of LGBTQ equality you don’t just think of R-71 or Sean Penn in Milk, but rather your friends and fellow students.

This gathering is important for so many people.

“I’m in a relationship with a woman,” freshman SOLE member Daneil Newcomb said. “We want liberation, not just legal equality. There are quite a lot of people who are tolerant but not accepting. We want to show people that we’re not any different — that it’s still love.”

It’s crucial to comprehend this on a conceptual and visual level in order to understand and respect the LGBTQ movement. Members of the community aren’t fighting for lust or marching out of horniness. This is love, in all of its cheesy, heart-melting, inspirational capacity. So, regardless of the outcome of R-71, SOLE will remain active, and the strong and lively LGBTQ community at the UW isn’t going anywhere.

Reach contributing columnist Zach Gussin at opinion@dailyuw.com.