A2: Gay Rights

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Writing on his SPEAK \aut\ blog, Keith Orr – co-owner of the \aut\ BAR and Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor – reports on the Jan. 18 rally in Lansing to protest the recent passage of a ban on domestic partnership benefits for certain public employees, and of “the general atmosphere of intolerance in Lansing.” He argues that to make an impact, more people need to get involved : “I probably personally recognized 75% of the [250-300] people at this rally. I recognized folks from Equality Michigan, Affirmations, Jim Toy Community Center, and the ACLU. I recognized folks from the Prop 2 campaign. And it was warm and fuzzy…like a family reunion. So it felt very real chanting ‘Gay Families Matter’. But we need a bigger ‘family’….It’s up to all of us to figure out if our gatherings will continue to feel like warm and fuzzy family reunions, or the voices of a large community daring to speak truth to power.” [Source]