by Jessica Carreras
So often in Between The Lines, we honor and showcase people on the frontlines of Michigan's (and the U.S.) battle for LGBT equality. Non-profit employees and volunteers, marchers, activists, PFLAG parents, support group coordinators – people who live each day for their cause, be it bullying laws, transgender rights or HIV funding.
But there's a different kind of activism happening all around us. It's more subtle, but just as affecting, and it manifests itself in ways we can't always see: the opinion of a coworker, a non-discrimination policy, a company or work force made just a little bit more diverse.
All of these things and more happen every time someone is out on the job, whether they're a baker, a lawyer or a sanitation worker. We pay tribute to them for their courage to be openly gay, their audacity to be vocal about what is right, their unique understanding of what "diversity" means, and their drive to take on fields of work that might not always accept them.
In this Pride 2010 issue of Between The Lines, we recognize four out of many, many LGBT individuals who are fighting for their rights, promoting diversity and celebrating being out in unconventional, but meaningful, ways: martial arts Master Jaye Spiro, Friends School of Detroit Director Kevin Howley, Executive Chef Stephanie Penn and Central United Methodist Church Minister of Music Dr. Edward Maki-Schramm.
