Upcoming Weekend Promises Something for Everyone
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Michfest Responds To Equality Michigan Boycott Sterling Heights Seeks Right To Discriminate ‘Drag Race’ Contestant Struts Into Lansing MICHIGAN PRIDE ARRIVES Upcoming Weekend Promises Something For Everyone WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM AUG. 21, 2014 | VOL. 2234 | FREE 2 BTL | August 21, 2014 www.PrideSource.com COVER 16 Lansing LGBT Milestones I chose to be visible (about my Michfest Responds To Equality Michigan Boycott Sterling Heights Seeks Right To Discriminate ‘Drag Race’ Contestant Struts Into Lansing HIV status), because if people don’t see for their own eyes that MICHIGAN PRIDE ARRIVES it’s OK then they will never know Upcoming Weekend Promises Something For Everyone “what OK looks like. – Trinity K. Bonet, pg. 18 FREE AUG. 21, 2014 | VOL. 2234 | WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM NEWS 4 Local residents sign-on for right to discriminate in Sterling Heights 5 Federal court to hear arguments ONLINE EXTRA NEXT WEEK FACEBOOK in Michigan marriage recognition ” lawsuit, rally proceeding hearing 5 Mental health providers access latest training on LGBT clinical issues 8 Extending marriage to same-sex couples could bring millions to Michigan 14 Open letter on Michael Brown #Handsupdon’tshoot OPINION 6 Michfest responds to boycott 12 Parting Glances 12 Tobacco use and prevention in See More BTL Archive Photos From Past Lansing Our Exclusive Interview with Like Us On Facebook And LGBT community Prides In The Pride Guide Online At Pridesource.com Mark Schauer & Lisa Brown Join The Conversation 14 Creep of the Week Don’t miss next week’s issue of Take a trip down memory lane in our online galleries of Lansing Pride Let us know your opinions LIFE BTL and our exclusive interviews photos throughout the years! with Michigan Governor on Michfest online at 17 Michigan Pride schedule candidate Mark Schauer and Pridesource.com and on 18 The Holy Trinity Lieutenant Governor candidate our Facebook page. Search 24 A coming-of-gay story Lisa Brown. for “Between The Lines 26 Googly-eyed ambitions yield fuzzy Newspaper” returns 28 Happenings 34 Deep Inside Hollywood VOL. 2234 • AUGUST 21, 2014 • ISSUE 877 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 AJ Trager, [email protected] fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by our advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for Copyright 2014 Pride Source Media Group, LLC materials provided by advertisers or their agents. www.PrideSource.com August 21, 2014 | BTL 3 Local Residents Sign-On For Right To Discriminate In Sterling Heights BY AJ TRAGER STERLING HEIGHTS – The Sterling Heights Non- Discrimination Ordinance that was passed earlier this year in June, to include gender and sexual orientation, could be placed before voters in November. A group of Sterling Heights residents, who call themselves the Sterling Heights Referendum Petition, have submitted petitions to the Sterling Heights city clerk in hopes of putting the ordinance to a vote. According to City Clerk Mark Carufel, the petitioners must submit a minimum threshold of Residents encourage people not to sign the petition to put the recently passed ordinance in Sterling Heights around 5,900 signatures. If the on the November ballot. Photo Facebook minimum threshold is not met the petition drive would fail. The petitions were submitted Aug. 6th. quickly claiming that “the wording of ordinance) on the ballot.” The next step in the process is to this ordinance is ambiguous and vague, Skrzyniarz was among a group that have the clerk verify the signatures and and threatens to restrict our freedom of protested against the petition gatherers determine if the petition circulators met speech and religious expression,” Elias and believes while it is the right of the proper criteria before the measure can be said. petition gatherers to get it on the ballot placed on the ballot. If enough signatures “We understand that people are it is also his right to oppose their efforts. were not garnered then the group has gathering signatures. We hope that the “What the petitioners are asking the 15 days to collect more to meet the city takes a look to see that they are voters to do is for the voters to say, ‘We requirement, Carufel added. valid signatures. We understand that want to have the ability to discriminate “We’d like the citizens of Sterling some people are upset because of the against people for the fact that they’re Heights to make the decision,” Stering religious exemption that was put into gay or lesbian,’” Skrzyniarz said. “The Heights resident Fred Kummer said. the ordinance at the last minute and we bottom line is this ordinance makes it He believes the ordinance to be too also understand that some people are illegal in Sterling Heights to fire someone important to leave the decision to just gathering signatures because they want just because they’re gay.” seven city council members. to be able to discriminate in Sterling Michael Taylor, a council member, The group wants to give voice to the Heights,” Sommer Foster, the director of also appeared in support of the ordinance entire electorate of the city. Since Aug. 2 political advocacy at Equality Michigan on different occasions. “They (the they have gathered at the Sterling Heights said. petition gatherers) even disputed that Public Library and other city spaces in Opponents of the ordinance have we had a right to be there,” Taylor said order to get more signatures, specifically questioned the necessity of singling out describing his opposing viewpoints as targeting areas on Aug. 5th the Michigan the LGBT community believing that “good old-fashioned First Amendment.” Primary election. it could impede some people, such as “We plan to see if some of the “With residents having a strong business owners, from freely practicing signatures can be invalidated, and we opinion either way, we felt that the their religion but also add that they are will do what we need to do so that the people, not the City Council consisting a group of concerned residents who people in Sterling Heights are protected,” of seven members, should decide on such “believe that all residents should have Foster said. “We’re working with Unity a controversial ordinance,” member of equal rights,” Elias said. and City Council members to see what the group who wrote the petition, Sanaa City Councilman Doug Skrzyniarz has the next steps are.” Elias said. showed support of the ordinance that he The Sterling Heights Referendum Elias, like many of her group members helped champion in June. He believes Petition’s website is currently of 15-20 activists, believes that the residents seeking to gather signatures unavailable. ordinance was pushed through too have “every right to try and get (the 4 BTL | August 21, 2014 www.PrideSource.com BRIEFS Federal Court To Hear Arguments DETROIT Motor Ball And Geared For Life Move To MAC In Michigan Marriage Recognition Attendees at this year’s Motor City Pride on Saturday June 7 capped off the evening at Motor Ball, a revival of an event last held in Detroit in 2005. More than 500 people Lawsuit, Rally Preceding Hearing were at the party, and raised nearly $6,000 for the Michigan AIDS Coalition. Motor Ball, originally called the GEAR Party (Generating Education, Awareness, ACLU Asks For Court Order Requiring Michigan To Immediately and Respect), was a fundraising product of a now dissolved organization called Geared for Life. GFL was around from 1994 Recognize Marriages Of Same-Sex Couples Who Legally Wed until 2005; the mission was to raise dollars for area AIDS organizations that provided education, financial assistance, and service BY BTL STAFF recognize the marriages. Although the programs for people infected and affected DeBoer case is pending on appeal in the Sixth Information: by HIV/AIDS. DETROIT – A federal judge will hear Circuit, the ACLU lawsuit seeks permanent WHAT: Hearing and rally in the ACLU of Michigan Entirely volunteer driven, GFL was arguments on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 9:30 recognition of the 300 marriages no matter lawsuit challenging the state’s refusal to important to the community as it provided a.m. in the American Civil Liberties Union what happens on appeal in DeBoer. recognize the marriages of 300 same-sex much needed financial support for AIDS of Michigan lawsuit challenging Michigan’s In a virtually identical situation to Michigan, couples who were lawfully wed after a federal non-profits.