BY AJ TRAGER
LANSING – Despite a morning of rain, thousands of Michigan residents came out to Adado Riverfront Park with rainbow umbrellas and long socks to celebrate the largest Pride festival in the state post marriage equality, Michigan Pride 2015, and to call for amending the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the state's civil rights act.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum was grand marshall of the pride parade which began by Adado Park, flowed through downtown and finished at the state Capitol. Marching in the parade were known LGBT organizations such as the Greater Lansing Umbrella, Westside Lansing Neighborhood, Michigan's International Gay Rodeo Network, Michigan Open and Affirming Coalition of United Church of Christ Churches, PFLAG Lansing, LAAN and Spiral. Affirming and committed allies Yoga State, Stacy's Lawn Show, Puff-n-Stuff, Capitol Area District Libraries, Peace Corps and a few others added their faces to the parade.
The rally was led by Hank Morgan, co-chair of Michigan Pride, and included statements from Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, 35th District House Rep. Jeremy Moss, Transgender Advocacy Coordinator for the ACLU of Michigan Amy Hunter and former Coalition Manager of Freedom to Marry and Michigan Pride board member Gina Calcagno.
"We've been working on this for years. We did not think that we would get marriage equality and the freedom to marry so quickly. And it's amazing," Calcagno said. "I would be remiss if I didn't say that we still have so far to go. When we talk about the LGBT community we cannot, we cannot leave anyone out. There is no one in our community, and no one in our family, who will be left behind in this movement."
Calcagno asked for the audience to call and speak with their state House and Senate legislator to discuss amending ELCRA. Marriage equality was just one stepping stone down the path towards full LGBT inclusion. Current policies on state law books make it legal for a same-sex couple to get married on Saturday but fired from their jobs on Monday. Amending ELCRA by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the large list of protected classes would make Michigan a more inclusive and welcoming place.
"In addition to not moving forward with an inclusive anti-discrimination law, we've seen a lot of shameful legislation introduced right here in our state capital," Moss said. "So called religious freedom legislation was introduced to allow sincerely held religious beliefs to be used as a shield to deny goods and services to the LGBT community. That hasn't become law yet. But the governor did sign into law a law allowing state adoption agencies to deny homes to children in need of loving families just because the adopting parents were gay or transgender."
According to Moss, 2015 is not the year that the LGBT fight for equality ended. Instead, it is "the year that our fight began anew. Because now, at long last, the U.S. Constitution is on our side," Moss said, requesting that audience members visit http://miequalitynow.com and sign their name to a petition calling for state lawmakers to take immediate action on HB 4548 and demand that the ELCRA be amended.
"Getting out of bed in the morning should be the beginning of a revolutionary act," Hunter said. "It should not be an act of faith. It should not take an act of absolute courage to get out of bed and face the world as your authentic self. It should not take an act of courage to get an ID that matches your authentic self. It should not take an act of courage to apply for a job. It should not take an act of courage to come out at work and to transition to your authentic self."
Just last month three trans women fell victim to acts of violence, two of them losing their lives. In 2015 so far, 19 trans and gender nonconforming members of the national LGBT community have been found murdered for being who they are. The nation may have marriage equality, but "trans women are dying in our streets," Calcagno said.
"Today should be the beginning of a rising tide of all of our voices. The voices of the trans community, gender queer community and most importantly the voices of those that report to be our ally. Those people that have always mouthed the 'T' and the 'Q' at the end of LGBTQ equality," Hunter said.
Cathy Zahon and her daughter, Elizabeth Zahon, came all the way to Lansing from Farmington Hills to celebrate their first Pride festival. Elizabeth, 15, has been getting more and more involved in LGBT politics after coming out as bisexual to a welcoming family.
"Seeing the (state) Capitol, seeing the speeches, seeing the support and the number of families that are here is really great!" Elizabeth said.
Cathy was worried about her daughter's safety at Pride but was pleasantly surprised to see that the atmosphere of the Pride festivals she remembers hearing about in the 80s and 90s hadn't carried through to 2015.
"I was excited to bring her, and I'm glad that she is getting involved in political stuff because I think we all need to pay attention to our lives and who we elect, and if our representatives are really representing what we want them to represent. It's really easy to not pay attention, but it is important," Cathy said.
"It is an awesome day to come out and show our true colors as people that have been sheltered, frowned upon, beat up on — it's our day to be free," said Alana Thurman, 19, from Lansing.
Thurman came out to Pride with five of her good friends: Nick Britt, Greg Beeman, Emily Bendall, Rodney Ritchie and Jordan Mayir. Beeman works as a youth pastor at his church and wanted to show his support of his gay brothers and sisters. He would like to see more congregations come out in support of LGBT people of faith and all LGBT identities.
Melinda Sue and her partner, Crystal, are engaged to be married July 15, 2016 after falling in love almost instantly. Sue remembers meeting Crystal and being floored by how well they meshed; together they were at Pride to share in the entertainment, food and the many vendors that came out to support the LGBT community.
"I'm here for the entertainment, food and it feels right. Everybody should feel that everywhere they go, you know, that it's OK," Sue said. "This (her relationship) feels normal and feels all right. Just let everybody else out there know that it's OK to feel the same, not just here but everywhere!"
The 26th Annual Michigan Pride Celebration kick off began Aug. 28 with a white party featuring a performance by country/pop star Steve Grand. Michigan Pride had roughly 90 vendors.
