Lawyers Named In Historic SCOTUS Case Josh Groban Opens Up About Gay Fans, Rumors Indiana’s RFRA Receives ‘Avalanche’ Of Criticisms A NEW ERA Affirmations Welcomes Detroit Native Darrious Hilmon As Executive Director WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM APRIL 2, 2015 | VOL. 2314 | FREE COVER 6 Affirmationselcomes w new executive director BTL Photo: Andrew Potter This guy comes up to me and goes, ‘Hey, I just want you to know, the bears love you.’ I’m like, ‘Excuse me? What?’ And I didn’t know what Lawyers Named In Historic SCOTUS Case Josh Groban Opens Up that meant! I’m like, ‘Are you a baseball team?’ About Gay Fans, Rumors Indiana’s RFRA Receives ‘Avalanche’ Of Criticisms – Josh Groban, pg. 20 A NEWAffirmations Welcomes DetroitERA AsNative Executive Darrious Director Hilmon FREE APRIL 2, 2015 | VOL. 2314 | WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM NEWS 4 Backlash in Indiana over anti-gay SAVEYELLOW THE PAGES DATE CALENDAR ENTER TO WIN law 5 Lawyerswyers namedNamed forfor SCOTUSSCOTUS same-sex marriage case 7 Stabenow,w, PetersPeters commentcomment anan ACA anniversary 17 First trans population study launched 18 AIDS Partnershipartnership MichiganMichigan and HIV/AIDS Resource Center announce merger OPINION 4 Creepeep ofof thethe WeekWeek 14 Snyder:yder: thethe timetime toto talktalk isis overover 14 Partingarting GlancesGlances Pick Up Your Copy Of The Pride Source Yellow Pages Publicize Your Events Online Enter To Win Two Tickets To And In Print Today See The Blue Man Group WORSHIP GUIDE Pick up the 2014 Pride Source Yellow Pages at our drop sites Head over to Pridesource. Enter to win two tickets to see 10 A differenterent kindkind ofof CatholicCatholic churchchurch throughout southeast Michigan. Don’t forget! You can also access com/Calendar.html and tell Blue Man Group on April 21 at 12 Beattietie takestakes thethe helmhelm ofof UnityUnity the directory anytime online at Pridesource.com. us about your concerts, social the Fisher Theatre. Royal Oak gatherings, rallies and more and we’ll promote them online and in Enter at www.Pridesource. LIFE print with our calendar! com/tickets_contest.html 20 Josh Grobanoban bearsbears allall 24 Gay-ownedy-owned FerndaleFerndale businessbusiness winswins big 26 Happenings 30 Puzzle VOL. 2314 • APRIL 2, 2015 • ISSUE 909 EDITORIAL CREATIVE ADVERTISING & SALES ONLINE AT Editor in Chief Art Director Director of Sales PRIDE SOURCE MEDIA GROUP Susan Horowitz, 734.293.7200 x 12 Benjamin Jenkins, [email protected] Jan Stevenson, 734.293.7200 x 22 “Between The Lines Newspaper” 20222 Farmington Rd., Livonia, Michigan 48152 [email protected] [email protected] Phone 734.293.7200 Webmaster & MIS Director Entertainment Editor Kevin Bryant, [email protected] Sales Representatives Follow us @YourBTL PUBLISHERS Chris Azzopardi, 734.293.7200 x 24 Ed Bohach, 734.293.7200 x 15 Susan Horowitz & Jan Stevenson [email protected] Contributing Writers [email protected] Charles Alexander, Michelle E. 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Between The Lines is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims Copyright 2015 Pride Source Media Group, LLC made by our advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. www.PrideSource.com April 2, 2015 | BTL 3 Mike Pence OPINION BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI The original federal law, which t’s a shame about what’s been happening to the Christians in Indiana Pence incorrectly claims ever since the godless homosexuals Itook over the state. Indiana’s law “mirrors,” was On Oct. 7, signed by Bill Clinton in 1993 2014 the gays finally realized in response to a specific their dream of destroying Supreme Court decision marriage in the that had nothing to do with Hoosier state. It was only green-lighting discrimination a matter of time before the gays against LGBT people (that would swapped the be the Defense of Marriage Mike Pence torch on the official state flag for a Act you’re thinking of). giant flaming penis Thousands of opponents of Indiana Senate Bill 101, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, gathered on the lawn of gripped in a fist. Pence incorrectly claims Indiana’s law the Indiana State House to rally against that legislation Saturday, March 28, 2015. Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed But before heterosexual couples were “mirrors,” was signed by Bill Clinton in a bill Thursday prohibiting state laws that “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. AP forced to divorce and all of the children 1993 in response to a specific Supreme Photo/Doug McSchooler. were sent to gay-education camps, a Court decision that had nothing to do hero stepped up to save Indiana from with green-lighting discrimination the homos. against LGBT people (that would be That hero is Indiana Governor Mike the Defense of Marriage Act you’re Backlash In Indiana Over Anti-Gay Law Pence. And with the stroke of a pen, thinking of). Pence saved Indiana’s “Religious So-called religious freedom laws Liberty” by signing a bill that many have been popping up in recent years in RFRA Language Permits Discrimination say would legalize discrimination in direct response to LGBT people getting the state. equal rights. So-called Christians think And for some reason people are losing that their disapproval of LGBT people BY BTL STAFF RFRA and the federal RFRA are very different. their shit. should be given protection under the law The Indiana law explicitly allows any for-profit Thousands of people protested in so that they don’t have to bake cakes for INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Gov. Mike Pence business to assert a right to the “free exercise of Indianapolis. Angie’s List, the company gay weddings. signed SB 101 March 26, which was authored with religion.” The federal RFRA doesn’t include that that tells you whether or not the plumbers So in Indiana you’ve got an interesting the intent of ensuring that the government cannot specific language and only one other state of the coming to your house are going to unclog situation where two men or two women force a citizen to violate their religious beliefs. 19 with RFRA bills, South Carolina, includes your toilet or strip the copper pipes from can get legally married, but they are In spite of overwhelming opposition from such language. Louisiana and Pennsylvania, for your walls, put a hold on expanding their not protected under the state’s anti- corporations, civil rights advocates and major example, explicitly exclude for-profit businesses business in the state. Wilco cancelled an discrimination laws. This presents convention organizers, Pence signed into law a from the protection of their RFRAs. upcoming concert. And #BoycottIndiana an opportunity for hateful folks. The sweeping bill that will allow individuals to use The Indiana law states: “A person whose is trending on Twitter and Facebook. so-called religious freedom law Gov. religion as an excuse to discriminate against the exercise of religion has been substantially Just what is everyone so mad about? Pence signed is a death rattle of a dying LGBT community and minorities. burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, The gays, of course. But they’re not anti-gay fringe seeking to harm LGBT “The timing of this legislation is important to by a violation of this chapter may assert the mad at the gays this time. They’re mad people when and where they still can and understanding its intent: The bill was introduced violation or impending violation as a claim or for them. expecting protection when they do so. as a backlash reaction to achieving marriage defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding, And it’s about damn time. When Gov. Pence claims that, “As equality for same-sex couples in Indiana,” said regardless of whether the state or any other As many people, including Pence governor of Indiana, if I were presented a Jane Henegar, executive director of the ACLU governmental entity is a party to the proceeding.” himself, are pointing out, Indiana isn’t bill that legalized discrimination against of Indiana. “We are deeply disappointed that the No other state that has passed RFRAs has the only state with a so-called religious any person or group, I would veto it,” he governor and state lawmakers have been tone-deaf language to such a degree. Texas, which passed its freedom law on the books. There’s even is either a liar or an idiot or both. to the cries of legions of Hoosiers – including RFRA in 1999, contains similar but not identical a federal one! And nobody is threatening A March 30 IndyStar editorial urges businesses, convention leaders, faith communities language. The Indiana statute explicitly recognizes to boycott those states. So what’s the big Pence and the legislature to clean up and more than 10,000 people who signed petitions that a for-profit corporation has “free exercise” deal about Indiana? their mess by passing LGBT inclusive against the bill – who say they don’t want this matching those of persons or churches, following There isn’t enough room in this discrimination laws.