Equality Michigan I don’t think the LGBT community necessarily embraces Revs Up Marriage Drive “other social issues. Certain pockets do, for sure. But as a whole, I don’t think it Wayne County Expands necessarily does. Employment Protections –Liz Marshall, ”pg. 16 Couples Hope Judge Rules For Equality WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM FEB. 27, 2014 | VOL. 2209 | FREE 2 BTL | Feb. 27, 2014 www.PrideSource.com COVER STORY 6 Emotional outpouring for marriage at Equality Cabaret Photo: Kim Borger and Audrey Wojokowsi I’m not gonna end up I don’t think the LGBT Equality Michigan community necessarily embraces “other social issues. Certain pockets do, Revs Up Marriage Drive for sure. But as a whole, I don’t think it a tragedy so that gay necessarily does. Wayne County Expands –Liz Marshall, ”pg. 16 Employment Protections “people can live and feel comfortable with me. Couples Hope Judge Rules For Equality –Jennifer Holliday, pg. 26 FEB. 27, 2014 | VOL. 2209 | FREE WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM ” NEWS 4 Gala celebrates progress, mourns founder OLINE EXTRA PET GUIDE SAVE THE DATE 4 Michigan marriage case begins 5 Wayne County adds LGBT protections 8 Pugh update: civil suit coming 8 Access opens healthcare enrollment assistance to public OPINION 12 Creep of the Week 13 Parting Glances 14 Viewpoint PET 16 Empathy for animals 19 Why we should care (more) about Access The Spring Pet Guide BTL’s Ultimate LGBT Wedding & animals More Portraits Of Michiganders Waiting To Online All Year-Round Anniversary Expo Returns 20 Yellow means doggies need space Marry Online At Pridesource.com 24 International victories for animals See the portraits and videos of the many couples waiting to marry Get this issue’s great pet- BTL’s Ultimate LGBT Wedding & in 2013 featured on this week’s cover online at Pridesource.com! The video was related content online at Anniversary Expo will be bigger LIFE created by Aaron Fown, with photographs by Kim Borger and Audrey Pridesource.com in the Pet and better than ever this year Wojokowsi and music by Razvan Veina. Guide section. Find LGBT-friendly with a new location, fantastic 26 And she’s telling you ... groomers, boarding services and food and great vendors. Mark 29 A stunning ‘Angels in America’ at more with the Featured Advertisers your calendars: April 12 at the The Ringwald section – or even check out Southfield Civic Pavilion! 30 Happenings previous pet-related features! 31 Hear Me Out 32 Cool Cities: Ann Arbor 38 Puzzle VOL. 2209 • FEB. 27, 2014 • ISSUE 853 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 Andrew Potter fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims Providing Content and Community to LGBT Media Calendar Editor made by our advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for Copyright 2014 Pride Source Media Group, LLC Shelby Clark, [email protected] materials provided by advertisers or their agents. www.PrideSource.com Feb. 27, 2014 | BTL 3 Gala Celebrates Progress, Mourns Founder Announces Freedom To Marry To Help Michigan’s Marriage Equality Drive BY JAN STEVENSON equality, Dievendorf announced results of a new Glengariff Group, Inc. poll that show DETROIT – Unity, collaboration and marriage equality is already winning in the getting things done were themes at Equality court of public opinion. More than 56 percent Michigan’s 2014 Annual Dinner Feb. 22. The of respondents in Michigan support marriage elegant event at Motor City Casino’s Amnesia equality, and 59 percent think that the current ban Lounge attracted about 200 people and featured in unconstitutional. These numbers are up over great food and drinks, awards, speeches and a 12 points from just a year ago. Evan Wolfson, silent auction. executive director of Freedom To Marry, has Dr. Henry Messer, who had died earlier in said often that 60 percent public approval is the the week at the age of 86, was remembered by tipping point for marriage equality to win in any many and a special tribute to him was set up given state. with a photo and candles. The longtime LGBT “We’re there as a people, but we’re still getting activist founded the Triangle Foundation in 1991, there as a movement,” said Dievendorf. “The the organization that has evolved into Equality message for this year; leave nobody behind. We Michigan. Director of External Relations Greg need to become more functional as a movement. Varnum spoke eloquently about his relationship We need to be more honest as a movement. We with Messer, saying he felt closer to him than to have not shared the stage, we have hoarded the his own grandfather. stage. We need to be a machine. We need to think Emily Dievendorf, the group’s newly named three steps ahead, and we need to be honest.” executive director, and Equality Michigan State Rep. Brian Banks with Emily Dievendorf, executive director of Equality Michigan. Photo courtesy of received a special tribute from the Michigan Equality Michigan. House of Representatives in honor of their work The Awards to advance LGBT civil rights in Michigan. Rep. people like this group that gets it done!” and experience to Michigan to help win full Jon Hoadley and his consulting firm, Badlands Brian Banks who was joined at the podium by Richard Carlbom from the Freedom To Marry marriage equality here. He said Freedom To Strategies, received the Partners in Progress other Democratic state house members including Project delivered the keynote address. He had led Marry, a national organization focused on getting Award. In presenting the award, Dievendorf Vicki Barnett, Bert Johnson, Roberta Tinsley- the campaign to defeat a proposed anti-marriage marriage equality passed in all 50 states, will called Hoadley her “gay life partner.” “Jon is Talabi, Adam Zemke and Rudy Hobbs presented ballot initiative in his home state of Minnesota work with Equality Michigan and the Marriage brilliant and is part of everything happening the tribute plaque. and then six months later led the campaign in the Project on legislative initiatives and a possible in Michigan,” she said. Hoadley leads Unity In accepting the award, Dievendorf said, “We Minnesota legislature to pass the bill bringing ballot initiative in 2016 to make marriage legal Michigan, a coalition of LGBT groups focused need to focus on who is running for office and freedom to marry to that state. He announced in Michigan. we need to hold them accountable. Because it is that Freedom To Marry will bring its resources Adding further momentum towards marriage See State of Equality, page 10 Michigan Marriage Case Begins Rare Case Among The Recent Pack For Marriage Equality upcoming case in a conference call Feb. 20, couples suffer harm and discrimination by Kaplan said that he does “believe that putting it in context for community leaders being denied equal protection under the there is going to be a favorable decision,” and the media. Constitution of the U.S., and they will try but also cautioned people that a win does not “What’s very unique about the Michigan to show that same-sex parents are just as fit necessarily mean equal marriage will happen case next week is this is only the second time to raise children as heterosexual ones. The right away. Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer with their three in terms of any marriage litigation that there’s state will use experts who oppose same- Other states, including Utah, Oklahoma, children. The couple are the named plaintiffs in the actually been a hearing where there will be sex parenting and adoption, who will try to Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, have had federal case that could result in marriage equality for examination of scientific studies and factual prove the premise that those relationships are marriage cases win in Federal District Court Michigan. Photo courtesy of the DeBoer/Rowse family. information to support these presumptions. inferior and against the interest of the state. recently, but they have had “stays” issued, BY CRYSTAL A. PROXMIRE Other than in California, with all these other “I think it’s one thing for a politician to make meaning that the resulting law is put on hold federal court decisions, the judges have just a statement in support of a discriminatory until it can be heard by the Appeals Court, and Testimony in the historic case of DeBoer been relying on the documents they read, policy or to make a generalization about a possibly even the U.S.