Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/tag/lgbtq/)
East Lansing was covered in a smoky haze during the last week of June due to wildfires raging through Canada, and the poor air quality forced organizers to reschedule the East Lansing PRIDE event from June 30 to July 22.
Brad Johnson couldn’t wait to celebrate Pride month this year. Johnson, the Community Outreach Manager at the Hub East Lansing, along with the whole company is leading an initiative for Pride. “I’ve only been with this company for a year and my old company never really did anything for Pride so being able to do something for this company is really exciting for me,” said Johnson.
The Hub East Lansing is located on Grand River in East Lansing, next to Michigan State University’s campus. The building is decorated with Pride flags by the rooftop pool. However, the flags are just one part of the Hub’s celebration.
“We are having Pride events; we gave out mini flags and temporary tattoos and we are hopefully getting a bakery to make rainbow donuts or cookies for our residents,” said Johnson.
July is the Official Month of Pride in Battle Creek
BATTLE CREEK—It’s official: July is Pride month in the city of Battle Creek. On July 6 the Battle Creek City Commissioners met for their monthly meeting where the commissioners, including Mayor Mark Behnke, gathered to discuss some of the city’s plans moving forward. Most notable for some residents was the proclamation of the city’s July Pride month. Co-Executive Director Kathy Szenda Wilson began the meeting’s LGBTQ+ discussion by recognizing the history of Pride Month in June, and what it stands for. Szenda expressed a proclamation of July being the city of Battle Creek’s official Pride Month. This comes after the city’s long history of having no official proclamation for a set aside and reserved month for Pride.
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By CAITLIN TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING — Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said he has felt compelled to include sexual orientation and gender identification in Michigan’s hate crime law since 2015, when eight gay men, including a friend of his, were targeted in Lansing. “Two thugs found out eight different men were gay by going onto computer dating sites,” Jones said. “They beat these men bloody, tied and chained them up and robbed them. When they were captured, they made a confession to the police department that they hated gays and hope they die.”
A year later, Sen. Steven Bieda, D-Warren, introduced an amendment to Michigan’s hate crime law — cosponsored by Jones — to include additional penalties for crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation and gender identification. It never got a hearing.
By JASON KRAFT
Capital News Service
LANSING – A state lawmaker wants transgendered students in Michigan to be required to use school bathrooms or locker rooms of the gender they were assigned at birth. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, announced that he will introduce the bill in response to guidelines recently released for schools by the Michigan Department of Education. The guidelines are optional and say students should be allowed to use the restroom that matches their current gender identity. “All-gender or single- user restrooms (staff bathroom or nurse’s office) should be made available to students who request them, but not presented as the only option. Any student who has a need or desire for increased privacy, regardless of underlying reasons, has the right to access a single-user restroom,” reads the document.