Presidential Debates Highlight the Need to Celebrate Inclusive Wedding Vendors

By Amy Lynn Smith

DETROIT – You've heard them countless times: The stories of bakers refusing to bake cakes for same-sex couples, photographers canceling a booking when they find out it' for a gay couple; you name it. Opponents of marriage equality often use a "religious liberty" argument to defend their bigoted refusals of service, but the fact is that no religion forbids anyone to bake a cake, make a floral arrangement or provide any other service in the public sphere.
When the topic of "gay cupcake" came up during a Republican Presidential Debate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (who is definitely not a moderate, despite his claims) briefly defended the right of LGBT people to be treated equally by companies that serve the public. However, he went on to urge same-sex couples to just go somewhere else if a vendor refuses to work with them.
Gov. Kasich, like the rest of the Republican field, disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. Along with other marriage equality opponents, they're working hard to put up roadblocks to equal treatment, including advocating legal challenges to permit refusals of service to LGBT people.
That's why a focus of the LGBT equality movement in the near future will be the continued fight to ensure full equality in every aspect of life. With that in mind, it could not be more important to support businesses that vocally support equality for the LGBT community and everyone else.
Those businesses will be front and center at The Ultimate LGBT Wedding & Anniversary Expo on March 20 at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. Couples and families planning a wedding, or any other event, can stop by to get information about inclusive vendors that will be happy to work with them.
Hosted for the sixth year by Between The Lines, The Ultimate LGBT Wedding & Anniversary Expo will feature more than 100 vendors at maximum capacity, special guests and plenty of surprises, all in MotorCity's state-of-the-art ballroom and Sound Board Theater.
The inclusive vendors on site will showcase everything couples need to plan their upcoming celebrations, including weddings, anniversaries, vow renewals, graduations, bar and bat mitzvahs, adoptions, baby showers and more.
"This year, we are able to extend the full range of goods and services we offer to the gay community," said J. Robbin Yelverton, who is the co-owner of Blumz by JR Designs in Detroit and Ferndale, along with life partner Jerome Raska. "We are a full-service wedding shop and I'm even an officiant who has been 'marrying' people for years. It's nice to finally be able to do the same for the gay community."
Of course, same-sex weddings are no different from any other wedding, which means the vendors at the expo will be displaying products and services suitable for any celebration. In other words, the expo is a great way for allies to support the LGBT community, too.
The expo will feature fashion shows and demonstrations throughout the venue, along with live entertainment and an impressive array of prizes for attendees, including a cruise for two donated by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, dinner for four at Iridescence and tickets to see Margaret Cho donated by MotorCity Casino, two tickets to see Adam Lambert at the Fillmore Detroit plus dinner at Angelina Italian Bistro donated by the Fillmore and Angelina's and much, much more.
The Ultimate LGBT Wedding & Anniversary Expo will be held on Sunday, March 20 from noon to 5 p.m. at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. Tickets are just $10 each.

For a full list of vendors and to buy tickets, visit http://www.btlweddingexpo.com, where tickets are also available. For updates, follow http://www.facebook.com/UltimateLGBTExpo on Facebook, @BTLexpo on Twitter and @BTLEXPO on Instagram.