Ellen Joan Mettler, a fierce advocate for second-parent adoption rights and mother of two from the Flint area, passed away in her home Feb. 23 after a decade-long battle with cancer. She was 51.
Mettler, a life-long Girl Scout, was born in Flint but grew up in Ann Arbor. She worked as the program director of the Girl Scouts of the USA-Fair Winds Council in Genesee County for over 20 years, stopping just a few years ago. "She always put the girls first," friend Dawn Hibbard told the Flint Journal. "She was absolutely dedicated to the Girl Scout experience and how it helped young women become more independent and self sufficient.
Mettler was also known for her passion for issues surrounding LGBT parenting, and was a parent twice over with her partner of 30 years, Ann Anglim. The couple adopted two daughters, Madeline Joan Sorphea and Adriana Marilyn Sokhoeun, from Cambodia in 2002 and 2003. After their adoption, according to the Flint Journal, she continued to work with the orphanage where her daughters had lived, spending a month there in 2004 and, with Anglim, fostering two other girls and sending packages of supplies to them.
A memorial was held March 7 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint celebrating Mettler's life. Donations in her honor can be made to Camp Kesem Michigan, a camp for children whose parents have or had cancer, or the UU Church of Flint, located at 2474 S. Ballenger Highway in Flint.
Second-parent adoption activist, mother, dies from cancer
Read More
Michigan's Trans Migration Project Is Helping to Protect Trans People Just By Getting Them Somewhere Safe
A faith-based collective of partners across Michigan is shepherding out-of-state trans people to Michigan for the gender-affirming care and affirmation they [...]
Go Girl! Saugatuck Celebrates Women’s Weekend at Nation’s Largest Gay Resort
Women hearing the siren call of Lake Michigan may want to mark May 31-June 2 on their calendars. Those are the days that the largest gay resort in the country [...]
Michigan Democratic Party LGBT and Allies Caucus Holds Spring Meeting
One of the most often derided cliches of political journalism is to say “a lot is at stake in this election” but it is quite literally true this [...]
Why So Many Local Queer Folks Are Flocking to Mishpacha, Temple Beth Emeth’s Thriving LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
Ari Smith was a little worried when her rabbi called to ask her about something he was noticing in her part of the sanctuary during weekly services at Temple [...]
Why a Local Academic Is Fostering Queer Discussion and Community Through an Old-Fashioned Book Club
Queer books on public library shelves have come under fire across the country in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it at the Ypsilanti District Library [...]
Biden-Harris Campaign Launches LGBTQ+ Voter Initiative at Affirmations — How You Can Get Involved in the 2024 Election
The election season is officially heating up in Michigan, with a special focus on queer voters. On April 10, local and statewide community leaders and elected [...]
