Motor City Pride 2019 Family Photo Gallery
Click on the arrows to scroll through the gallery. All photos by Jamie Feldman.
Motor City Pride 2019 Parade Photo Gallery
Click on the arrows to scroll through the gallery. All photos by Andrew Cohen.
Whitmer joins LGBTQ Caucus Call to Expand Elliott-Larsen Protections
LANSING — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with Sen. Jeremy Moss (D–Southfield), and Reps. Jon Hoadley (D–Kalamazoo) and Tim Sneller (D–Burton) — members of the Michigan Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus — renewed the decades-old call to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act by adding [...]
Gov. Whitmer Orders Flags Lowered After Mass Shooting in Virginia Beach
LANSING – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and on all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff until sunset on June 4, 2019, to honor the [...]
Blossoming Artists Gallery Relaunches in Midtown
One of Detroit's most prized neighborhoods has gained a new addition to its gallery district with the relaunch of Blossoming Artists Gallery in Midtown. Located on Third Street and Willis, the space previously featured high-end [...]
U-M Expands Trans Health Coverage after Graduate Union Campaign
After a years-long campaign by the Graduate Employees’ Organization to expand healthcare coverage for transgender members, University of Michigan health plans will expand to cover new procedures to treat gender dysphoria. All U-M health plans [...]
Ozone House is Opening New Front Doors for Youth in Crisis
Ozone House is set to open a new home for youth in crisis in Ypsilanti by the end of 2019. As of April, Ozone House’s "Front Door" fundraising campaign has raised more than $3.8 million [...]
NEXTGen Detroit Celebrates Third Anniversary With ‘Gayla’
Federation’s NEXTGen Detroit Pride celebrated its three-year anniversary in fabulous fashion with its Anniversary Gayla event on May 2, 2019. Hosted by local celebrity drag queen Sabin, the event was held at The Underground @ [...]
Obituary: Chrissy Surewater
July 23, 1953 — May 1, 2019 Chrissy Surewater passed away on May 1, 2019, at the age of 65. The beloved fiance of Michelle Fox- Phillips and dear sister of Lee and Michael. Chrissy [...]
Legislation Introduced to Ban Conversion Therapy in Michigan
Legislation was introduced this week by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) and State Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) to make Michigan the 17th state to ban the use of conversion therapy by health professionals. "Conversion [...]
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 [...]