Lansing — Underneath a bright blue sky on the steps of the state Capitol, Wixom residents Kayleigh Sheehan and Brooke Tarrance kissed and exchanged rings during a commitment ceremony Saturday.
The ceremony was part of Michigan Pride, an annual event that celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, people.
"It was a chance to show our love for each other," Sheehan said.
Couples who participated in the ceremony promised to support each other and received a certificate with the names of the reverends who performed the ceremony.
Sheehan and Tarrance, who have been together for a year and a half, wore black tank tops with the words "just married" written on them and said they had planned to make the commitment at Michigan Pride.
"It was the best feeling in the world," Tarrance said. "I'd do it all over again."
The commitment ceremony was one of several events used to raise awareness of the issues LGBT people face, including laws against same-sex marriage and problems same-sex couples face when adopting children.
A parade down Michigan Avenue, a rally at the Capitol, the commitment ceremony and a festival all took place during the event.
People carrying a large rainbow flag and holding signs joined a marching band, different organizations and floats as they made their way down Michigan Avenue.
The parade ended with the rally at the Capitol, where several speakers talked about the importance of people voting to ensure that candidates who are friendly to LGBT people are elected.
"We're all tax-paying citizens, and we deserve better than some of the legislators that have been elected," said Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan's LGBT program. "Let's vote and be heard."
Kaplan and other speakers said the election in November is important in fighting for equality, especially in the areas of same-sex marriage, adoption and second-parent adoption.
The speakers advocated the passage of state House of Representatives Bill 5399, which would allow two people who are not married to both adopt a child. This would make it possible for a same-sex couple to adopt a child, and both would have legal responsibility for him or her.
Penny Gardner, community organizer for the Coalition for Adoption Rights Equality, Inc., or CARE, spoke at the rally and said allowing both partners to adopt a child provides the child with more legal protection because both parents could make medical decisions. She also discussed political issues facing same-sex couples.
"We've been on the defensive to everything they've thrown at us," Gardner said later at the CARE stand at the festival. "This is proactive."
Mary Boudreau, a Lansing resident who has adopted several children with her partner, said people need to vote for candidates who believe that "our families matter."
"Every family that wants to be a family in this state should be able to," Boudreau said. "If (the candidates) truly cared about children, they would ensure all children have a home."
The pride celebration, like most years, was not without protests. People walked around the sidewalks of the Capitol carrying signs that read, "For the wages of sin is death," and other demonstrators holding large signs decrying homosexuality tried to stand in the middle of the rally before being moved to the sidewalk.
Both Kevin Tohor of Flushing and James Tolbert of Lansing held signs proclaiming that homosexuality was a sin and said they were trying to educate people.
"Their sign says it's a rally for civil rights, but it's not civil rights; it's their own personal choice," Tolbert said. "They're rallying for their behavior and press a moral wrong into a civil right."
Carvetta Redmond of Lansing said the event was significant because it raises the community's awareness of the issues facing LGBT citizens.
"It's important for people to acknowledge we're here — and we're not going anywhere," Redmond said.
Rebecca McNulty can be reached at mcnult13@msu.edu.
