Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.


BATTLE CREEK, MI — A decade may seem like a long time, but it’s not for members of the LGBTQ community in Battle Creek and throughout the United States who are concerned that a 10-year-old law will be overturned putting same-sex marriage in jeopardy.

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution guarantees all couples, including same-sex couples, the freedom to marry. Their ruling came about after hearing a case in which Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges and others, sued for recognition of their same-sex marriages, which were legal in the states where they were married but illegal in other states.

In recent months an increasing number of conservative legislators have been speaking out against the 2015 ruling, which is stoking fear within the LGBTQ community, says Cayley Winters-Norrie, Public Relations Manager for Battle Creek Pride’s Board of Directors.

“The fear is that because Obergefell is still so new and fresh, people are afraid it will get overturned because we have so many right-wing justices on the Supreme Court,” she says. “As a board, we want to help people mitigate and navigate those fears.”

As a way to do this, Battle Creek Pride will host a workshop titled “Making Your Wishes Known” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 at its Resource Center at 104 Calhoun Street.

The workshop is open to anyone and free to attend, although there is a suggested donation of $20 per person. The focus will be on key areas including healthcare, financial and pre-planning funeral services, and civil rights.

Speakers include Hilary Kerr, an Advanced Care Planning Specialist with Bronson Healthcare Group and an instructor at Western Michigan University; Denny Seivert, Family Services Director and Licensed Pre-Planning Advisor with Richard A. Henry Funeral Home and Cremation Services; and Sanho Steele-Louchart, an attorney for the National Federation for the Blind who specializes in civil rights, with a particular interest in disabilities and LGBTQ + issues and education.

“I have been hearing from people that are scared,” he says. “Some of it is because so many things are happening at once. It’s like drinking out of a fire hose. They’re wondering what’s going to happen next and what they’ll do. I want to prepare people for these possible outcomes while keeping them present, focused, and together in community. There are so many moles to whack in this horrible game we’re playing.”

Sanho Steele-Louchart, an Attorney for the National Federation for the Blind who specializes in civil rights, with a particular interest in disabilities and LGBTQ + issues and education.Steele-Louchart, who is the keynote speaker for the workshop, will be talking with attendees about wills and trusts, how to protect one’s assets and be shielded from probate, and how to include a chosen family in those documents. He also will discuss the federal and statewide Civil Rights landscape as they apply to people with disabilities.

In 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit deviated from historical precedent and, for the first time, determined that despite the exclusionary language in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the law covers gender dysphoria as a disability.

“I’ll be talking about how we can be using some of these protections most people might not realize they’re eligible to invoke in order to keep safe,” he says.

Before his work with the National Federation for the Blind, Stelle-Louchart practiced law in another state. He now lives in Battle Creek and works remotely in his current job. The invitation to speak at “Making Your Wishes Known” is a first for him.

“I practice disability rights full-time now and gender dysphoria is a disability under ADA,” he says.
 
Chipping away at laws already on the books

Winters-Norrie says the political climate right now is “really ambiguous and scary and divisive given the current administration and government officials at the federal level.”

But, it’s also state lawmakers including State Rep. Josh Schriver, a Republican who represents Michigan’s 66th District. On February 25 he unveiled an anti-gay marriage resolution, arguing that restrictions on gay marriage are important to “preserve and grow our human race.”

Cayley Winters-Norrie, Public Relations Manager for Battle Creek Pride’s Board of DirectorsWinters-Norrie says there are concerns that gay marriage rights could go the way of Roe v Wade which was overturned in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We want to help folks, in case the gay marriage law is overturned so that their spouse or partner is able to make end-of-life decisions and still get spousal benefits,” she says.

Information is power, Steele-Louchart says

“Often violations of civil rights law are policy which is not the law and when people know what their rights are, they know how to enforce those rights to the best of their ability.”

It’s a two-prong approach, he says.

“The first is to know everything you can know about the issues that are important to you and your family and look for ways to get involved with your community.”
The second is to remain hopeful.

“I don’t want people to assume that because things are bleak and difficult, there isn’t reason for hope. It’s easy to feel hopeless, but it’s not true. We must continue to fight the good fight and community is where that happens. I want people to know that they have a community that supports them.”