Protesters want Eastpointe council to recognize Pride Month

EASTPOINTE — When Sara Waldecker was a freshman at East Detroit High School — now Eastpointe High School — she realized she was bisexual.

“I kept it a secret at the time,” the St. Clair Shores resident said. “I’m terrified someone in that high school or (Eastpointe) Middle School are (currently) going through the same (expletive) I went through.”

Waldecker, 39, was among approximately 80 people carrying rainbow flags and wearing Pride T-shirts who on the evening of June 28 attended a Pride Protest in front of Eastpointe City Hall, located at 23200 Gratiot Ave. Eastpointe resident Timothy Kniaz, there with his husband, Nick Gevedon, organized the event after a resolution to declare June 2023 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the city failed.

“The protest is to show everybody what love is about. This is a great show of solidarity,” Kniaz said. “We need to start making this city more uniform. Let your gay flags fly.”

The Eastpointe Pride Protest was held on the 54-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which began June 28, 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents.

“They fought back for six days,” Kniaz said. “That led to the Queer Liberation Movement and created Pride Month.”

At the May 16 Eastpointe City Council meeting, Council member Cardi DeMonaco Jr. requested to add the resolution as an agenda item for adoption. DeMonaco read the resolution aloud at the meeting, which Council member Harvey Curley supported.

DeMonaco and Curley voted in favor of the resolution while Mayor Pro Tem Rob Baker and Council member Stacy Cobb-Muñiz voted against the measure. Mayor Monique Owens was absent. Because it was a 2-2 vote, the motion failed.

At the protest, DeMonaco read the resolution. The resolution urged residents to recognize the contributions made by LGBTQ+ community members and to appreciate the importance of equality and freedom.

“This is a great turnout. I put the resolution forth because I thought it was a strong statement,” DeMonaco said. “The resolution states we supported the LGBTQ+ community.”

Married couple Kat, 46, and Nicola Strong, 38, of Eastpointe, spoke publicly at the protest. Kat Strong didn’t think the protest would change Cobb-Muñiz’s and Baker’s minds, but she said it might encourage residents to pay closer attention to candidates running for public office.

“I think it will help guide them to vote for the right people,” said Kat Strong, wearing a Pride button that read “Proud Wife.” “This decision is not only discriminatory, but also goes against the values of our community. It sends a message we are not valued or accepted in our community, which can lead to feelings of isolation and discrimination.”

Married couple William and Jessica Smith, of Eastpointe, held onto a pride flag together while at the rally.

“I’m all about inclusion,” William Smith, 60, said.

“My husband happens to be male,” said Jessica Smith, 47, who is pansexual. “We believe human rights are human rights. They should be represented in the city that calls itself a ‘family town.’”

In past years, Baker abstained from voting on holding a Pride Month. At the June 6 City Council meeting, Baker commented on his “no” vote on this year’s resolution.

“I find it interesting that the assumption is that there was either religious beliefs or personal feelings. I can’t speak for anybody else. I myself did not give a religious belief. I did not give a personal bias or opinion about any of it,” Baker said.

“I’ve never taken a stance against anybody. I’ve always stated to treat everybody with love, kindness and respect,” Baker said. “I’ve supported the personal and political endeavors of some members that identify as part of the LGBT community. One thing I never do is ask what your identity is. I never ask what your sexual orientation is. It’s not my business. Those are matters of intimacy between the parties involved.

“There were people that I’ve had conversations with within the LGBTQ community in opposition of the Pride Month resolution. There are some that are in favor of it. Which way do I lean on that? Who do I favor on that one?” Baker said. “People who are in favor of it want you to vote ‘yes’ on it. People who are not in favor of it want you to vote ‘no.’ My thing was to try to not offend anyone, and I abstained but there were members who said they don’t like the abstention and said they would rather have a ‘no’ vote than an abstention.”

Attempts to reach Cobb-Muñiz for comment were unsuccessful.

Because the protest was visible from Gratiot Avenue, many drivers passing by honked their horns at the crowd. A few hostile comments from passersby also were made.

Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education Trustee Mary Hall-Rayford and Eastpointe resident Michael Klinefelt, whose mom is Michigan Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, D-Eastpointe, spoke in support of the LGBTQ+ community during the protest. Hall-Rayford and Klinefelt are running for Eastpointe mayor in the Aug. 8 primary, as are Owens and Cobb-Muñiz. The top two vote-getters will compete for the position of mayor in the Nov. 7 general election.