There have been a lot of experiences during this program outside of my internship placement that have stood out to me. By far one of the biggest was surrounding LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Pride Month. June is designated as LGBT Pride Month in honor of the Stonewall Riots that occurred in 1969, which many point to as the beginning of the LGBT Rights Movement. This month in particular came with a great deal for members of the LGBT community to celebrate. On June 26th, the Supreme Court officially made same-sex marriage the law of the land. Michigan was one of four states that were represented in the historic Obergefell v. Hodges case. As a result of the ruling, same-sex couples in Michigan and every other state in America could get married. As someone who has lived in Michigan my entire life and who has experienced the homophobic culture that can exist in this state, this meant everything to me.
I have always perceived Detroit as a place where I could not safely be out and queer as a result of a negative experience that I had here a couple of years ago. I was holding hands with my girlfriend of the time as we walked downtown towards the Ren Center when a car pulled up besides us and screamed an inappropriate slang at us and threw their fist in our direction. I have had people in Ann Arbor throw things at me before while holding a girl’s hand in public, so this action alone terrified me. I was afraid they would throw more than derogatory slang at us, and actually hurt me or my girlfriend. Since then, I have been fearful to express my queer identity here. The incident that happened at last year’s Motor City Pride – where a gay man was beaten by a group of men for being gay while bystanders watched – did not help quell my fears any.
This past June was the first time that I was in Detroit for the entirety of the pride month festivities. I attended Motor City Pride, the Pride Parade, and the first ever LGBT Pride Night at Comerica Park. During all of these events, I was amazed at the level of camaraderie within the community. There were so many people at Motor City Pride that the line to get into the festival extended from Hart Plaza all the way to the Cobo Center. Different members of the Detroit and Michigan community marched in the Pride parade, like Paws (the mascot for the Detroit Tigers) and the organization Equality Michigan. Along with this, after the Supreme Court ruling, Detroit celebrated. For example, Avalon had a sign above its menu painted in rainbow asking customers to celebrate marriage equality. They gave away desserts to couples who married on June 26th. All of these experiences have helped to change my perspective of how Detroit perceives the LGBT community. My favorite moment outside of my internship has been recognizing that Detroit is a more gay-friendly place than it was even just last year, and that our country’s perspectives and beliefs on this part of my identity are changing for the better.
Ashley!!
I remember the day the court decision came out and you were ecstatic! I remember the rush of emotions that came over you that day, how your friends, old and new, were sending you messages of support. I remember walking around Motown pride with you and watching the drag show. The parade was a blast, and we had the perfect spot! Although the parade in Chicago was 10000000000 times more hype! I have already learned so much about the LGBTQ community from you, but I know there’s still so much to learn and so much to keep fighting for. I haven’t really thought about this until reading your post, but it’s weird how me and so many others take for granted the ability to walk in public with the ones we love without the fear of rude comments or violence against us. I hope that eventually, you won’t ever have to feel that way again.
One of the strengths of this program is its diversity. Everyone is so different, and I love it! There’s only 3 weeks left, but I hope that I’ll still see you guys around come the end of summer :’)
I enjoyed attending so many of the Pride events with you! The Detroit Parade was a lot smaller than I anticipated and the Chicago one was way bigger than I could have imagined! They both had their fun moments though. Thank you for being so patient with me as I reacted to the SCOTUS decision on June 26th as we traveled to Chicago together.
I am always happy to talk to you more about or answer any questions about the LGBTQ community and movement if you have them!
Thank your for saying that. Honestly, I feel like the harassment I have faced was traumatic enough that I am always hyper-aware of being outwardly queer in public in order to protect myself. I hope that that day will come where I don’t need to be fearful anymore too though.
I am sure that I will see you around next year with your brother living so close to me. 🙂