"•' '*• Ijhe Voice ,BT and Ally Community STRAIGHT qmunity Fred Phelps Dies; Westboro Lives On What's next for Westboro Bap­ Shepard, people who died of tal standards for decency in We DO Give a Damn About tist Church now that Fred AIDS and U.S. service mem­ their unapologetic assault on Phelps is gone? bers killed overseas, Phelps's LGBT people. the Whole State of Michigan family indicated that no cere­ General Eric Holder to declare the Apparently, more of the same. mony was planned. In the process, some believe marriages legal. he even helped the cause of "God still hates fags," church gay rights by serving as such "It is an honor to join couples in members wrote on one of their a provocative symbol of intol­ marriage and I look forward to the blogs. erance. opportunity for all loving couples to marry in our great state/' Ingham Phelps, founder of the Kansas "The world lost someone who County Clerk Barb Byrum told De­ church and the "God Hates did a whole lot more for the troit's WWJ Newsradio. Fags" fundamentalist move­ LGBT community than we re­ ment, died on March 19. He Throughout his life, Phelps alize or understand," said Michigan Attorney General Bill was 84. and the Westboro Baptist Cathy Renna, a consultant to A federal judge in Detroit struck Schuette sought the stay and ap­ Church, a small congregation LGBT groups. "He has brought down Michigan's decade-old ban on pealed the ruling. Although some called for made up almost entirely of along allies who are horrified same-sex marriage with a ruling on protests at his funeral the his extended family, tested by the hate. So his legacy will March 21 that didn't include the Judge Bernard Friedman's order way he picketed services for the boundaries of free speech be exactly the opposite of hold on weddings that other courts read: "Many Michigan residents hate-crime victim Matthew and violated accepted socie­ what he dreamed." have recently granted. have religious convictions whose principles govern the conduct of More than 300 couples were issued their daily lives and inform their God Hates Everyone, Apparently licenses the next day by county own viewpoints about marriage. clerks in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Nonetheless, these views cannot Kent State University was the target of Westboro • Lady Antebellum: "Sin, sin and more proud Muskegon and suburban Detroit be­ strip other citizens of the guaran­ Baptist Church pickets earlier this year for suspend­ sin." fore a federal appeals court put tees of equal protection under the ing a wrestler over anti-gay tweets. But Kent isn't • Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender same-sex marriages on hold tem­ law." alone. Here are the church's other targets in 2014: Ally College Conference: "Wicked." porarily. They asked U.S. Attorney • Funerals of 14 U.S. service members. • Bill Cosby: "Promoted his own form of right­ • Lorde: "Will not teach young women to be eousness." sober and godly." • George Strait: "Money/fame idolator." • Kathy Griffin: "Archetype fag hag." The Month in Marriage • Super Bowl XLVIII: "Idols, covetousness, for­ • Miley Cyrus: "America's youngest whore." nication, witchcraft." Alabama: A state judge ruled state to recognize the out-of-state • Young the Giant: "Lascivious band of ne'er- • A&E: "Cooked Phil Robertson's goose." that a lesbian couple married in marriages of three couples. do-wells." • Long Island Medium: "Witch." Iowa couldn't get divorced in their • Academy Awards: "God hates Hollywood." home state. • Golden Globes: "Vile and disgusting slugs of Wisconsin: A federal judge said • University of Missouri: "God hates fag foot­ she won't block the state's marriage humanity." ball players." Colorado: Gov. John Hicken- ban as a court challenge moves for­ looper, a Democrat, announced his ward. support for marriage equality. to see iue LOOKOM Wyoming: Marriage-equality Kentucky: Attorney General Jack supporters launched a group called Conway said he will not appeal a Wyoming Unites for Marriage to federal judge's ruling in February build public support. that the state must recognize same- sex couples' out-of-state marriages. Courts: New lawsuits were filed in Arizona, Florida, Indiana and Oregon: Attorney General Ellen Wyoming. Rosenblum said she thinks the state's same-sex marriage ban is Romania: A Parliamentary com­ unconstitutional, and she won't de­ mittee overwhelmingly rejected a fend it in federal court when a law­ bill to allow civil unions for same- suit is heard on April 25. sex couples. Tennessee: U.S. District Judge Scotland: Queen Elizabeth gave Aleta Trauger issued a preliminary her formal approval to a marriage- injunction on March 14 ordering the equality law. 10 april 2014 It's a sad, sad, day when Michigan is ahead of Ohio. OH - O MY! outlookohio.com KAjb 0M/ -^AltOJStd/ to fAnMUMt/. 2014 An ABC News/Washington post poll in March found support for marriage equality at its highes* point ever among Americans in ten years. Jessica Landis and Melissa Kathmann met Scott and Jeremy Hoshor-Johnson were a mutual friend one afternoon in March married in Jamestown, New York, on Janu­ 2012 to watch Ohio State vs. Syracuse in ary 17,2014, officiated by Dr. Lillian Ney. the NCAA Elite 8. Scott works for the Ohio Department of Edu­ Neither one of them thought they would cation and is the federal liaison for the 2004 meet the love of her life that night, but the Race to the Top grant. Jeremy serves as vice rest is history. Jessica planned a secret pro­ president of academic affairs and accredi­ posal two years later during a casual photo tation for Hondros College. Pope Says He Might I Clinton Backers shoot by Emma Parker. Melissa, of course, Support Civil Unions I Ready for 2016 said yes, and the couple plans to wed in Scott and Jeremy are both active in their New York in 2015. Details are still being churches at Trinity Episcopal Church on worked out. Capitol Square and King Avenue United Methodist Church. Both enjoy the Columbus Jessica Landis is originally from Centerville. arts community, the Scioto Mile, concerts at Ohio, and is an Ohio State alum. Melissa is the Columbus Commons and all of the from a small town in upstate New York. great restaurants Columbus has to offer. They call Downtown home and enjoy all the With the blessing of each of their families, city has to offer. they are excited to start the next chapter of While reaffirming the Catholic Church's oppo­ LGBT supporters are revving up the their lives, and as Jessica's mom would say, They are proud parents of an academically sition to same-sex marriage, Pope Francis said Hillary Clinton bandwagon, even though "Lock it down!" and athletically gifted 18-year-old son, x in a newspaper interview in March that the the next presidential election is still l h Cory. They are looking forward to frequent church could support some form of civil years away. trips to West Liberty University (Wheeling, unions. Outlook publishes wedding and engagement an­ W.Va.) starting this Fall to support Cory as More than four dozen LGBT and allied nouncements every month for LGBT couples in he begins his collegiate golfing career. You In an interview published in Corriere della backers hosted a fundraiser in Columbus Ohio. Send your photos and announcements can often see Scott and Jeremy on the Sera, an Italian daily, the pontiff suggested on March 11 for a possible campaign by (200 words or less, please) to streets of Downtown with Bobby, their 8- [email protected] the Catholic Church could tolerate some types the former secretary of state, U.S. sena­ year-oldblueWeimaraner. of same-sex civil unions as a practical meas­ tor and first lady. "Out & Ready for ure to guarantee property rights and health Hillary" was sanctioned by a national po­ care. litical action committee that's urging Clinton to run. Give Them a Toaster The pope said that "matrimony is between a Kristian Nairn, an Irish actor best known for play­ man and a woman," but moves to "regulate Among those who attended: openly gay ing Hodor in the HBO series, Game of Thrones, diverse situations of cohabitation (are) driven Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seel- came out in March to the delight of bears every­ by the need to regulate economic aspects bach and openly gay Franklin County where. among persons, as for instance to assure Recorder Terry Brown, both Democrats. medical care." He came out in an interview with a Game of "I am supporting Hillary because she has Thrones fansite. A number of Catholic bishops have supported been a tireless supporter of LGBT equal­ civil unions for same-sex couples, including ity since she was first lady and probably "I've never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my Francis when he was the Archbishop of Buenos before that," said Terry Penrod, a mem­ whole life in fact, and I've been waiting for some­ Aires. He led the church's opposition to same- ber of Stonewall Democrats in Columbus one to ask about it in an interview, 'cause it's not sex marriage in Argentina, though, calling it and a delegate to the last two Demo­ something you just blurt out. I've tried to lead the "a destructive attack on God's plan." cratic National Conventions. questions a few times, to no avail!" outlookohio.com Behold the new King of the Bears: Hodor! apri2014 11 On Our Cover: Gavin Danger Gavin Danger, the beloved drag king gender blender behind Dangerous Productions, wi be back in Columbus for a show at Wall Street Nightclub on Saturday, April 26.