Traverse City music director sues church after being fired over same-sex marriage

Fred Szczepanski is the music director for 34 years at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Traverse City. Bill Thompson and Szczepanski got married in 2020, but they've been together for 32 years. He was just weeks away from his Jan. 1 retirement when his new boss, Father Michael Lingaur, fired him at the end of October, 2024.