Letter To The Editor
I was a bit shocked (but not surprised) that Between The Lines chose to ignore the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in favor of the usual run-of-the-mill "why can't we get married" story ("Knot Waiting," BTL June 25). How can we ever expect young gay people to truly appreciate how far we've come if we ignore a golden opportunity to teach them about our history?
If I was the editor of BTL, I would've run "40 Years Since Stonewall" on the front page, and told the story of what happened that week in New York, and how it changed the face of gay liberation. I would've also published a timeline showing our movements achievements and setbacks from 1969 thru 2009. The neglect of this topic is shameful, especially since the subject is key to where we are today – and very entertaining to boot!
In 1989, I attended the Pride festivities in Dearborn's University Of Michigan campus (way before today's current Ferndale fest) and a speaker there told the story of Stonewall on its 20th anniversary. His story warmed my heart and spirit as much as watching "Milk" in the theatre last year. And this particular Pride festival did indeed make me proud. I thank that speaker who was there in Dearborn that day in 1989 for enlightening me about a subject I was totally clueless about. And I hope that youngsters in our LGBT community have the opportunity to discover the wonder of that event for themselves at this 40th anniversary.
{ITAL John Krzyston
Detroit, Mich.}
I'm sorry, but I don't see this as a gay or straight issue ("Lansing Police arrest two, seek a third in sex sting operation," BTL June 4). As far as I am concerned, this is a decency issue that affects everyone who lives in the Lansing area. Many of us in neighborhood groups have long talked about the problems at Fenner and Mount Hope Cemetary. Park buildings are being urinated and defecated on, and both Fenner and MH Cemetary have become places of prostitution. Imho, people who chose to expose themselves in public are breaking the law and should pay for it. I don't care if they are gay, straight, male, female, purple or plaid. In our current Michigan economy, I have a funny feeling area hotels have plenty of rooms available. Getting a room, so to speak, is good for avoiding arrest and it will help the economy.
{ITAL S. Keyes
Lansing, Mich.}
I am writing with respect to Rudy Serras article ("Keep crying, Corvino – Michigan remains far behind," BTL June 25). Since Michigan was not included in the Lawrence v. Texas litigation, the sodomy and gross indecency statutes are still on the books and are being enforced. Innocent lives are being ruined every day. Why has the community not been demanding that our state legislature repeal these mean spirited sodomy and gross indecency statutes? This should have been the number-one priority of our community after the U.S. Supreme Court decriminalized these activities in 2003. Reading Rudy Serras article about how these laws are enforced in Michigan makes my blood boil.
{ITAL M. Lee
Detroit, Michigan}
