Romney is booed at commencement ceremony

Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney went to Suffolk University's commencement over the weekend to deliver an upbeat message, but his appearance was marred by protests over his opposition to same-sex marriage. When the Republican governor rose to speak, some in the crowd of 1,100 students turned their backs and booed. Others held up armbands symbolizing an equal rights campaign for lesbians and gay men. A few protesters were escorted out of the Fleet Boston Pavilion. Monique Dyment, 23, a sociology graduate from Hingham who wore an armband, said, "He's one of the most biased politicians of the day." Others strongly supported Romney's appearance. "They're calling us closed-minded, but they're really the ones who are being closed-minded," said Jonathan Peter Wilutis, 23, a physical science major from Long Island, N.Y. Romney's speech challenged the graduates to reach beyond their comfort zones and "swim in the deep waters of life." Romney shared anecdotes about friends and family who moved beyond the safe, "shallow" areas of life toward paths of service and selflessness. "Almost every dimension of your life can be held to the shallows or taken into the deeper water," Romney said. "Your career, your involvement with others, your spouse and your children, your politics--each can be lived with you comfortably at the center. Or they can draw you out of yourself, into service and sacrifice, into selflessness."