Todd Heywood
Analysis: Is A Ballot Battle On LGBT Equality Coming In 2016?
State Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, is the new chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party. He is addressing a gathering of LGBT and allies in Flint Sunday, emphazing the commitment the state Democratic Party has to helping amend [...]
Infidelity, Snyder FRC And White Supremacy
Political Hors D'oeuvres {Gamrat And Course Rumors} The rumors about Reps. Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser have been flying fast and furious around the Capitol City. Rumor has it the two tea party darlings and traditional family values Republicans [...]
Michigan Politicians Quick To Respond To Supreme Court Marriage Ruling
LANSING – Within hours of the release of a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriages across the country, Michigan politicians on both sides of the issue were commenting on it. "Same-sex marriage has been a divisive issue in [...]
Ingham Celebrates Marriage Equality
By the time Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum closed down her offices Friday, June 26, she had issued 26 marriage licenses and performed 16 ceremonies herself. She was definitely the first in Michigan to perform a same-sex marriage after the Supreme [...]
Pushback: GOP Dominated Legislature, Marriage Equality And Mini-RFRAs
LANSING — As the nation awaits a decision by the United States Supreme Court as to to whether or not same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are buckling down for a battle over how expansive [...]
Michigan Couples, Clerks Anticipate Hurdles To Same-Sex Marriage
The ring Patch Harrison, 27, bought Jessi Fox, 23, to firm up their engagement. ADRIAN, MICHIGAN — Patch Harrison and Jessi Fox are in love. If, sometime this month, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that marriage rights should be extended to same-sex [...]
Snyder Signs RFRA-Style Adoption Bills
Editor's Note: The anti-adoption bills were not the only regressive legislation signed and introduced. The Republican majority government was busy at work on a number of issues you can read here LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder has signed controversial [...]
New Poll Finds Most Michiganders Support LGBT Equality Issues
A new poll by Glengariff group and released by WDIV in Detroit has found that the majority of Michigan citizens support legalizing marriage equality, recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states and amending the state's civil rights law. [...]
Did Snyder Trade Signature On Anti-Gay Adoption Bills For Deal On Road Funding?
LANSING – A source with a large national LGBT organization, speaking to Between The Lines on background, says Gov. Rick Snyder traded his signature on anti-gay adoptions bills – dubbed RFRA-style bills by the ACLU and other opponents – in order to [...]
Snyder Signs Adoption Discrimination Bills
LANSING — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a controversial three bill legislative package which would allow faith-based adoption and foster agencies paid public dollars to refuse service to adoptive or foster parents based on the agencies' [...]
Ingham County Clerk Seeking Couples Wanting To Be Married After Supreme Court Decision
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, one of four county clerks to marry same-sex couples last year, is "cautiously optimistic" the Supreme Court will issue a ruling in favor of marriage equality this month. To prepare, she is asking same-sex couples who [...]
Michigan Senate Sends Discriminatory Adoption Bills To Governor
LANSING — Voting along party lines, the Michigan Senate approved a three bill package this afternoon to allow adoption agencies in the state to refuse to adopt or place foster children in homes which do not align with the agency's religious [...]