Hundreds of University of Colorado students gathered around the Dalton Trumbo Fountain on Monday night in a show of support for gay rights.

The demonstration came before a same-sex marriage debate on the CU campus organized by the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought.

"I want to promote love and equal rights," said CU freshman Alexandra Deary. "We're here and not going away. We want our rights now."

The students waved banners, sang and carried flowers intended for picketers from the Westboro Baptist Church led by Fred Phelps. But members of the Kansas church -- who, according to the church's Web site, were going to protest against gay rights outside the debate venue -- were nowhere to be found.

Westboro's position on gay marriage includes "God Hates Fags, God Hates Fag Enablers and God Hates You all in Boulder," according to the Web site.

"We're not for hate," said CU freshman Shelbi Taylor, who was among the students demonstrating before the talk. "We believe in God. We believe he loves everyone."

Pastor Phelps' daughter and Westboro church member Shirley Phelps-Roper said she didn't know why the protest didn't happen as planned. A call to a member of the Westboro "team" in Colorado wasn't returned.

The intellectual debate, titled "Should the Government Approve Same-Sex Marriage?," was between Jonathan Rauch, a Washington, D.C., journalist and author, and Maggie Gallagher, president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy who lives in Westchester, N.Y.

Rauch argued that gay marriage would be good not just for those who are gay, but also for society at large and the institution of marriage. Not allowing gay people to marry, he said, will turn marriage into a civil rights violation and make it an unpopular choice.

"We'll no longer be able to keep marriage on a pedestal if it's discriminatory," he said. "Marriage is really special. We want to be a part of it."

Gallagher countered that while she could support civil unions, marriage should be reserved for heterosexual couples. Allowing gay marriage, she said, could erode the institution of marriage.

If gay marriage is legal, excluding gay couples would amount to discrimination for organizations that receive federal money, she said. That means religious organizations, such as adoption agencies and schools, could be forced to choose between their values and maintaining nonprofit status and funding.

"There's a line around marriage," she said. "I support marriage equality. I just don't support gay marriage."

Whitney Bryen, For the Camera, contributed to this report.