Media 2001

LANSING - The Capitol lawn and Riverfront Park were packed as 12,000 marchers and revelers took in the march, rally and festival at this year's Michigan Pride in Lansing. The event represented communities from across the state including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Downriver Detroit, Detroit, Ann Arbor, the Tri-Cities, Midland, Ypsilanti, Battle Creek, Flint, Lansing, Holland, Muskegon, the Upper Peninsula, Traverse City and Port Huron among others.

The day-long celebration, which was officially declared by resolution of the County of Ingham Board of Commissioners to be LGBT Pride Day, began at 8 a.m. with a moving memorial service and reading of the names of those lost to AIDS. Several participants were moved to tears as, for some, the names of loved ones and friends were called aloud and remembered.

At one p.m. the march stepped off from Riverfront Park and traveled seven blocks to the Capitol. With more than 40 groups represented, many with floats, the march was a record breaker.

"It was one of the best parades I've ever seen," said one bystander, "everyone was so happy, even the police were getting into it. It took a good long time to get around here, and the costumes were pretty good."

One marcher, who said this was her "twenty, oh heck, maybe even my twenty-second march" for rights and pride was proud of Michigan and everyone who came out to support the rally. "The streets were filled with people just even watching. Some of us old girls couldn't walk the whole thing, you know, so we sat down here and watched the kids go by. They're lucky, you know. I couldn't do this, not even in The Big Apple in my day."

This year's march and rally marked a venue change for the organizers of Michigan Pride. In past years vendors and organizations set up booths on the sidewalk promenade between downtown buildings. This year, marchers took a short walk back to Riverfront Park and wandered through the booths set up on the lawn in front of the stage and beside the river.

"I'm having a great time," said James Leslie of Windsor. "I come to Lansing when I can because Toronto is too big. I like it here. We're hanging out by the river and then hitting the stage whenever."

Another change instituted by the all-volunteer Michigan Pride group was a conscious decision to have homegrown speakers at the steps talking about local issues that are key to Michigan's lgbt community and the celebration of it. This year's speakers included Craig Covey, Ferndale city councilman and director of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, David Garcia, a local youth activist, and Beth Bashert of Michigan Equality.

Both the organizers and speakers recognized the actual and symbolic importance of gathering at the steps.

"I am more excited about pride this year because of what is going on across the state. Getting our community together to celebrate takes on a more important meaning when we are engaged in these battles," said Covey.

"We have become a target for the right wing this past year," said Michigan Pride Co-Chair Dawn Broderick. "If we don't stand up in mass, as a group, and make our numbers visible these ballot measures and assaults on our rights will continue."

Once the rally at the steps commenced, some happy couples readied themselves to take vows, but the Capitol Committee pulled the plug on the power just moments into the commitment ceremony at 3 p.m. even though Michigan Pride had a permit for the Capitol steps from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers say this is not the first time this has happened.

"We have a bill from them saying that we paid until 4 p.m., we're going to send that in for adjustment," said Broderick. "We're just going to be as diplomatic as possible because we have to be here year after year," she added.

Soon after, the Capitol crowd rejoined the revelers at the booths, stage and beer tent. Entertainers such as the Detroit Together Men's Chorus and the Gemstones took the stage. A schedule change saw Tamara Bedricky take the stage next with an acoustic set. The upbeat music of Half Looking came on next, and headliner Melissa Ferrick followed soon after, playing to a standing-room-only crowd.

Mimi Gonzalez, a native Michigander and comedian hosted the Lansing event from the steps to the stage. Gonzalez has worked prides from San Francisco to the March on Washington, but this one was special for her.

"This was a very personal pride for me. To be standing on the Capitol steps telling jokes and welcoming members of the queer family from around my home state, for me that was movement," said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was especially proud of the turnout, "I hoped it would be this big but I didn't realize it would actually be this big," explained Gonzalez. "I am really proud and impressed by my home state."

Gonzalez's jokes and antics kept the crowd more than entertained as she rallied the leather community to help fill donation buckets and as she auctioned her boxers for $200. She was originally dressed to represent dyke cowgirls everywhere - boots, black jeans and cowboy hat - but as the bids for her boxers grew higher, her clothing to skin ratio got smaller. An earlier auction saw a Sunday brunch with headliner Melissa Ferrick sell for $500.

Ferrick, too, was pleased with the event and said that in all the pride events that she has done, she had never been treated better and paid more fairly. She also praised sound man Glen Preston for his work on the sound stage and vowed that she'd be happy to return.

The other big act of the day was Deborah Cooper of C+C Music Factory. She took the stage well after seven p.m., and unlike any other Lansing Pride event, the stage was taken down after dark.