It was not by the power vested in him by any earthly government that Rev. Mark Bidwell married five same-sex couples at Hart Plaza earlier today during the Motor City Pride weekend. Rather he referred to a higher authority. "I believe in the eyes of God, it is a wedding," the pastor from Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit said in an interview after the ceremony. The preacher also challenged homophobes to explain how "they pick and choose which Scriptures to go by. They don't want to deal with the Scriptures about shellfish or punishing a misbehaving child."
The ceremony included Biblical readings and communion with wafers and non-alcoholic juice. After communion, the couples exchanged tokens of their love, with at least one couple opting for the traditional rings. Officially, the ceremony was called a commitment ceremony, and Rev. Bidwell acknowledges that neither the City of Detroit nor the State of Michigan recognizes the unions. (Voters in Michigan enshrined marriage inequality into the state's Constitution a few years ago.)
The newlywed couples were too overwhelmed by emotion after the ceremony to be interviewed. However, those who witnessed the event spoke about how they were moved by it. "I liked it, it was very touching," said Melissa Karlak from Plymouth. Karlak came to the ceremony carrying a banner that read "It aint [sic] a diamond thats [sic] my best friend." Her best friend is in fact Marlon Leone, who lives in Detroit. Bradley Negro from Novi tagged along with them, carrying rainbow-colored flags.
Motor City Pride was organized by Equality Michigan. This is the 40th year of pride celebrations in Michigan but the first time it was held at Hart Plaza in order to accommodate a bigger attendance, according to a press release from Equality Michigan.
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