Too many voters think they Tracking Intimate can’t make a difference or that all the Partner Violence “candidates are the same. I want those voters to know that I will listen to their concerns and that I am committed to Michelle Brown being their voice in Lansing. –Rudy Serra, On Nelson Mandela State Rep. Candidate, pg. 8 ” WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM DEC 12, 2013 | VOL. 2150 | FREE COVER 14 My 8 minutes with Britney Spears We love our gay market and we wanted Photo: Michelangelo Di Battista to make sure we provided a song for our Too many voters think they can’t make a difference or that all the Tracking Intimate “candidates are the same. I want those Partner Violence voters to know that I will listen to their concerns and that I am committed to being their voice in Lansing. Michelle Brown –Rudy Serra, gay market that they could really enjoy, State Rep. Candidate, pg. 8 On Nelson Mandela ” and we did exactly that. Everybody else followed, thankfully. – Mel B of Spice Girls, pg. 16 DEC 12, 2013 | VOL. 2150 | FREE WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM NEWS 4 Former State Rep. Agema speaks against homosexuality ... again ONLINE EXTRA HEARD ON FACEBOOK ENTER TO WIN 5 Tracking what you don’t talk about: intimate partner violence 5 When violence happens, call Equality Michigan 6 Judge orders Colo. cake-maker to serve gay couples 6 School official backs transgender remark 8 Between Ourselves: Meet Rudy Serra, state rep. candidate 12 National briefs OPINION 6 Creep of the Week 10 Viewpoint A Trial Full of Experts: Incredible And Not Credible Join The Conversation With Win Two Tickets To See ‘War 11 Parting Glances Between The Lines, 24/7 Horse’ At The Fisher Theatre Judge Bernard Friedman will hear a lot of export testimony as he Join nearly 5,000 others and Enter online to win two tickets LIFE to “War Horse,” a heartwarming 16 Scary stories faces the decision of whether April Deboer and Jayne Rowse should tap into national news, breaking be allowed to get married and jointly adopt each other’s children. stories and riveting discussion tale of loyalty and friendship, and 19 Cool Cities: Ferndale winner of five 2011 Tony awards! Head over to Pridesource.com for in-depth analysis of the witness list on the “Between The Lines 23 It’s a candy cane of a musical Newspaper” Facebook! The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24 Happenings for the Hazel Park couple’s upcoming trial. 17 at the Fisher Theatre. Enter 30 Puzzle at http://www.pridesource.com/ tickets_contest.html. 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Brown, MEMBER OF Associate Editor Todd Heywood, Jerome Stuart Nichols, Ann Cox, 734.293.7200 x 13 “Between The Lines Newspaper” Michigan Press Assoication Benjamin Jenkins, 734.293.7200 x 14 Kate Opalewski, Anthony Paull, [email protected] National Gay Media Association [email protected] Andrea Poteet, Eric W. Rader, National Advertising Representative Q Syndicate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Dawn R. Wolfe News Staff Writer Rivendell Media, 212.242.6863 Follow us @YourBTL Crystal Proxmire Cartoonists Our rate cards are available online. All material appearing in Paul Berg, Dave Brousseau Between The Lines is protected by federal copyright law and Email your op–eds to Arts & Theater Editor may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission [email protected] Since 1995 Donald V. Calamia, [email protected] Contributing Photographers of the publishers. 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 Sign up online to receive our E–Digest Copyright 2013 Pride Source Media Group, LLC Shelby Clark, [email protected] materials provided by advertisers or their agents. www.PrideSource.com Dec. 12, 2013 | BTL 3 Former State Rep. Agema Speaks Against Homosexuality ... Again Equality Michigan Calls for National GOP Committeeman’s Removal BY CRYSTAL PROXMIRE a former state legislator who proposed eliminating HIV funding and spearheaded Speaking at the Berrien County Republican legislation to take away domestic partner Party holiday reception Dec. 5 at Pebblewood benefits for all public employees. In April, Banquet Hall in Bridgman, the Michigan he did a radio interview with “Washington national GOP committeeman slighted the Watch Live with Tony Perkins” where spoke LGBT community once more speaking of homosexuality as a sin and said, “So if you against gay marriage and implied that gay people with AIDS should not get health insurance. According to The Herald Palladium It is unconscionable that in of Benton Harbor Agema said, “I stand for traditional marriage, no 2013 a political figure in a prominent homosexual ones... The family unit “ is the basic unit in society. When you position would feel so comfortable tear the family apart, you tear the spewing lies about real people in a country apart.” He claimed that when he worked at pathetic attempt to deny fundamental American Airlines, gay people would claim to be partners with an AIDS- rights to families in Michigan.. infected person just so that person could get medical care. “Folks, they (gay people) want free - Equality Michigan Managing Director Emily” Dievendorf medical because they’re dying (when they’re) between 30 and 44 years really love someone, if you old,” he said. “To me, it’s a moral really were concerned about issue. It’s a Biblical issue. Traditional someone, if you saw your marriage is where it should be and it’s friend, for example, dying in our platform. Those in our party of alcoholism would you who oppose traditional marriage are just stand quietly by and wrong.” watch it happen? Or would Equality Michigan decried Agema’s you speak up and say, ‘hey, I remarks with Managing Director want to help you.’” He also Emily Dievendorf saying, “It is shared an anti-gay article on unconscionable that in 2013 a political his Facebook page claiming figure in a prominent position would Dave Agema that homosexuals account feel so comfortable spewing lies about for half of the murders in real people in a pathetic attempt to deny large cities. fundamental rights to families in Michigan. Equality Michigan has called on Republican “Republicans have made tremendous leadership to denounce Agema’s remarks and strides over the past year in reaching out to its seek his removal as a committeee member LGBT constituents. Equality Michigan feels of the Republican Party. The organization is strongly that the next obvious and necessary also encouraging the healthcare community step Republicans must make to show that they to correct Dave Agema’s erroneous remarks stand on the side of reason is to rid themselves perpetuating a harmful stigma about people of Dave Agema, a venomous committee living with HIV. member whose hate speech and fear tactics have become an embarrassment to not only Learn More Online: their party, but to everyone in Michigan,” said Dievendorf. >> www.equalitymi.org Agema, who hails from Grandville, is 4 BTL | Dec. 12, 2013 www.PrideSource.com When Violence Happens, Call Equality Michigan Support Services, Tracking Work To Help Victims BY CRYSTAL A. PROXMIRE it would not qualify for the enhanced sentencing under hate crime laws,” said Siferd. When violence happens to LGBT people, Equality Michigan is there to help. Their reporting Hotline - 866- 962-1147 ext. 107 - is a place where victims can get REPORTING CRIMES Tracking What You Don’t resources and support, and To report a crime or discrimination against LGBT where their individuals call 866-962-1147 ext. 107 Talk About: Intimate voice can be >> www.equalitymi.org heard by being Partner Violence In The part of the data collected by the agency. Reporting Crucial LGBT Community Violence and But regardless of the type of crime or incident, reporting victimization is crucial. BY CRYSTAL A. PROXMIRE come in “In terms of reporting, I cannot stress enough how many forms important it is. Data collection is not a sexy topic, but n 18 year-old high school senior is facing trial in including the importance of it cannot be understated. At the micro Bloomfield, CT for stabbing his partner to death after hate crimes, level, it helps us to identify trends in the types of crime and Awhat appears to be a history of manipulation and violence discrimination, discrimination our communities face in Michigan. That, against him by the 27 year-old. Local news reports said the older pick-up in turn, allows us to direct our resources appropriately man had been engaged in a sexual relationship with the teen for crimes, and identify gaps in systems. At the macro level, it two years, and that when the teen tried to end it, he harassed him harassment, provides important information on what is happening to and outed him on Facebook. intimate our communities. That information is often then used by On Dec. 6 the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs partner policy makers and legislators to implement inclusive legal (NCAVP) issued a press release about the intimate partner violence violence and protections for LGBT and HIV-affected communities.