Gay World Leaders
Across 1 Early AIDS play 5 Weathercock 9 Fairy tale start 13 Wise guy 14 Debussy contemporary Satie 15 Vague sense 16 His brother laid him in his grave 17 Garb for Troy Perry 18 [...]
BTL Hosts National LGBT Publishers
DETROIT – Publishers of the 12 largest LGBT newspapers in America met in Detroit on April 10 and 11 for the annual meeting of the National LGBTQ Media Association. Jan Stevenson and Susan Horowitz, co-publishers [...]
Oakland County is Welcoming County, Joins Welcoming Michigan initiative
Oakland County Commissioner William Miller (D-Farmington) is proposing a resolution to designate Oakland County as a Welcoming County and that it join the Welcoming Michigan initiative. The resolution asserts that a community and its leadership [...]
NFL Star Wade Davis and Allan Gilmour to Headline Ford GLOBE 25th Anniversary Dinner
DEARBORN – Twenty-five years ago a group of dedicated LGBTQ employees of the Ford Motor Company came together to form Ford GLOBE, the automaker’s LGBTQ employee resource group, to unite and network LGBTQ employees, to [...]
LGBTQ-Affirming Clergy Across the State Show Support for Community in Joint Statement
Clergy across Michigan released a joint statement this week in honor of Holy Week, seeking unity and support for protective policies for all — including LGBTQ people: As Christian faith leaders across denominations, we are [...]
Faith-Based Adoption Agency Sues State Over Adoption Case Settlement
A recent Michigan settlement that bans state contracts with foster and adoption agencies that refuse to work with LGBTQ couples has sparked backlash. On Monday, April 15, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed a [...]
Rep. Jon Hoadley Nominated for Legislator of the Year Award
Progress Michigan has named six finalists for its 2018 Legislator of the Year award. Rep. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo) is one of those finalists. Hoadley reacted on Twitter. https://twitter.com/jonhoadley/status/1113499789004505089 The award goes to an elected [...]
US Designates Grindr a National Security Risk
BY JAMES WELLEMEYER, Washington Blade The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has designated Grindr a national security risk, according to an exclusive report from Reuters published on March 27. Reuters could not obtain CFIUS’s [...]
DNC Announces CEO Of 2020 Democratic National Convention
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez announced the appointment of Joe Solmonese to be Chief Executive Officer of the 2020 Democratic National Convention Committee. Solmonese just recently served as the Transition [...]
Fair Michigan Justice Project to Partner with Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office
Fair Michigan has announced the expansion of the Fair Michigan Justice Project into Ingham County in a partnership with the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. FMJP is a program designed to assist Michigan law enforcement officers [...]
State Settles Same-Sex Adoption Case
LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced a settlement with the plaintiffs in Dumont et al. v Gordon et al. (Case No. 2:17-cv-13080), a case centering on some state-contracted foster care and adoption agencies’ [...]
Michigan Department of Civil Rights Announces 2 Grand Rapids Hearings in Response to Discrimination Allegations
GRAND RAPIDS – The Michigan Department of Civil Rights has scheduled two fact-finding hearings in Grand Rapids on March 28 in response to allegations of discriminatory conduct against people of color. The hearings will be [...]
Former Executive Director Returns to Affirmations
Antonio David Garcia, known as Dave by most, is back at the head of Affirmations in Ferndale, returning to the role of executive director on April 29 after a break of five years. Garcia, a [...]
Area Man Sentenced to 18-20 Years in Prison for 2013 Murder of Gay Detroit Man
On Wednesday, March 6, Hammer Alkotait was handed a sentence of 18 to 20 years in prison after a plea agreement convicting him of the second-degree murder of Gabino Rodriguez. The Detroit man, who was [...]
LGBTQ Adults in Southeast Michigan Invited to Participate in Health Survey
Corktown Health Center and its community partners invite southeast Michigan residents who identify as part of the LGBTQ community to participate in a new online survey. The purpose of the survey, known as the Corktown [...]
Michigan Employers Join Coalition to Push for Equality Act
The Human Rights Campaign announced on Friday, March 8, that an unprecedented 161 leading businesses have joined HRC's Business Coalition for the Equality Act. Of them, five are from Michigan: Ally Financial and General Motors [...]
United Methodist Church Votes Against Same-Sex Marriage, LGBTQ Clergy
The debate over LGBTQ issues may finally split the United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Following a special session of the church's General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri over the weekend, delegates voted down [...]
Report: Michigan Had 31 Hate Groups in 2018
There were 31 hate and extremist organizations operating in Michigan in 2018, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization located in Alabama. The SPLC released a 73-page [...]
Gov. Whitmer to Use State of the State Speech to Address LGBTQ Rights
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been a proven advocate for the LGBTQ community. She will use her inaugural State of the State speech tonight to urge lawmakers to support her in tackling a list of long-standing [...]
LGBTQ Military Organizations Applaud Lawmakers
Several members of Congress invited actively-serving and veteran transgender service members as their honored guests to President Trump's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Feb. 5. For many of the legislators, the Supreme Court’s [...]
Police Search for Suspect Who Shot Houston Trans Woman
Houston, TX police are searching for a suspect after a black, trans woman was shot five times on Thursday, Jan. 24 in the parking lot of a Chevron station shortly after 11 a.m. by a [...]
Clerk: Williamston Campaign Crosses State Law
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in City Pulse. A board member at Williamston Community Schools could face fines from the Michigan Bureau of Elections after she was anonymously exposed for a string of alleged [...]
Detroit Man Sentenced to 18-45 Years for Armed Robbery of Trans Woman
A trans woman in Detroit got justice with help from the Fair Michigan Justice Project. Special Prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz prosecuted and secured a conviction against Antoine Simmons in the Wayne County Circuit Court. Judge [...]
Rashida Tlaib Addresses Creating Change Conference
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib addressed the National LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change conference on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Tlaib kicked off her remarks by stating, "Welcome to the most beautiful, blackest [...]
MCRC Will Consider Asking AG’s Opinion on LGBTQ Protections
Update: The Michigan Civil Rights Commission meeting for Monday, Jan. 28 at the Macomb Community College has been postponed due to the location being closed on account of expected inclement weather. The meeting has been rescheduled [...]
Religious Liberty Attorney May Challenge Whitmer’s LGBTQ Directive
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's new executive directive barring LGBTQ discrimination may be challenged by the head of the State Bar's Religious Liberty section, according to the Michigan Advance. The publication obtained an email from Tracy Lee, a [...]
Alcona County Board of Commissioners Opposes Governor Whitmer’s Order to Protect LGBTQ Community
The Alcona County Board of Commissioners is asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to rescind her recent executive directive signed on Monday, Jan. 7 to strengthen protections for the LGBTQ community. According to The Alpena News, the board unanimously [...]
File Discrimination Complaints with the MDCR During Federal Shutdown
As the federal government shutdown moves into its third week, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights is reminding members of the community that they don’t have to wait to file a complaint about discrimination. Michiganders [...]
2018 Michigan Midterm LGBTQ Analysis: Executive Officers, State House, State Senate
The ballots are counted and the final votes will soon be certified. The outcomes up and down the state ballot will have an impact on LGBTQ Michiganders and allies in the coming two years and [...]
LGBTQ Candidates Make History in Michigan
A record number of openly LGBTQ candidates won races in Michigan Nov. 6. Leading that list is Dana Nessel who won a tight race for attorney general. That historic win makes her the first openly LGBTQ [...]
3 of 4 Williamston School Board Members Overcome Recalls
WILLIAMSTON — Voters in this small bedroom community about 15 miles east of downtown Lansing threw out one school board member, but retained three others who were involved in casting controversial votes to protect transgender [...]
Translatin@ Coalition Provides Most Exciting Moment of World Series Championship Game
By Troy Masters, Washington Blade Wait. That headline. Make that the absolute most exciting moment of the entire World Series. Some might say they risked their lives for visibility while others would say they were [...]
Dance Company Performs Piece on Struggle, Addiction at Detroit Opera House
DETROIT, Mich. –— Michigan Opera Theatre, in partnership with the University Musical Society, will open its 2018-19 dance series with the Detroit Opera House debut of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Oct. 27. The multidisciplinary company [...]
Empowered, Awakened and Free: Event for Survivors of Sexual Violence, Assault
Current political events have triggered a national outcry from people of all races, genders and age groups who have been victims of sexual assault. Their stories have filled social media, the press and television. Many [...]
Michigan Faith Leaders Launch New Initiative for LGBTQ Equality
Faith Leaders will Mobilize Michigan Religious Community Ahead of Election Day […]
Willyce Kim Wrote Her Own Story
BY JASON VILLEMEZ, LGBTQ HISTORY PROJECT Willyce Kim is the first Asian-American lesbian writer to be published in the U.S. She spent her childhood years in Hawaii and California and graduated from San Francisco College [...]
Mattachine Society Members Were Early Crusaders for Queer Rights
BY JOHN MCDONALD, LGBTQ HISTORY PROJECT Lost in the celebrations of this year’s Pride was the death of a historical crusader for LGBTQ rights. The passing of Dick Leitsch was a reminder of the role [...]
Youth Input Needed to Help Examine Discrimination in K-12 Schools
Are you a high school student or recent graduate who is interested in sharing your personal experiences related to discrimination in Michigan schools? The Michigan Civil Rights Commission wants to hear from you. MCRC will [...]
Queering Racial Justice Heads to Detroit
Hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force, the annual Creating Change Conference has been visiting cities across the U.S. for over 30 years now. It's an event with a focus on leadership and skills-building for [...]
Big Wins, Some Losses for LGBTQ Community in 2018 Michigan Primary
Last Tuesday's election brought some great wins for the LGBTQ community, most notably for State Rep. (D) Jeremy Moss who won with over 50 percent of the popular vote (25,712 votes) according to Ballotpedia. "It’s [...]
Transgender Pride in the Park in Ferndale on Aug. 11
As the summer rolls to a close, so does pride season, but not before Transgender Michigan hosts its annual, Transgender Pride in the Park. On Saturday, Aug. 11 at Ferndale's Donald Red Geary Park from [...]
State Investigates Town Clerk’s Denial of Marriage License
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An investigation will be conducted into a small-town clerk's denial of a marriage license for a same-sex couple, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The Democrat has directed the state Human [...]
Ann Arbor Pride 2018 Photo Gallery
Ann Arbor Pride (formerly OUTFest), an annual pride celebration hosted by Jim Toy Community Center, returned to Ann Arbor's Kerrytown District Aug. 3-5 with an array of activities for the LGBTQ and allied communities of [...]
Indiana school must allow transgender to use male bathroom
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered an Indiana school district to allow a transgender student to use male bathrooms. Judge William Lawrence signed an injunction Friday, just days before classes resume in [...]
Gay teen kicked out of home will pay $0 to attend Georgetown
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — After raising nearly $130,000 to cover tuition, the gay Florida valedictorian who says his parents kicked him out will pay nothing to go to college this fall. News outlets report Georgetown [...]
ICYMI: Hotter Than July Photo Gallery
In case you missed it, or want to experience it again, here are some photos from Hotter Than July on Saturday, July 28 in Palmer Park. BTL Photos: Jem Zero […]
Human Rights Campaign Endorses Gretchen Driskell for U.S. House
DETROIT — On Friday, July 27, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced its endorsement of Gretchen Driskell for U.S. House in Michigan’s 7th [...]
Michigan Civil Rights Commission Ignores AG Schuette’s Opinion
The Agency Will Continue Taking LGBTQ Discrimination Complaints […]
Ruth Ellis Center to Award Margaret Cho at Annual VOICES Gala
Inaugural Youth Impact Awards to be presented to Jack Antonoff, Billy Porter, Zeke Thomas […]