Settlement Reached in Historic Aimee Stephens Case
Aimee Stephens, who died in May at 59 from kidney disease, did not live to see the Supreme Court rule in her favor and decide that she and other LGBTQ people were protected from discrimination [...]
Obituary: William J. Schultz
June 28, 1962 - Nov. 30, 2020 William J. Schultz, philanthropist and personal assistant to the stars, suffered a massive stroke and died a week later. He was 58. Schultz, known to friends as Bill, [...]
Obituary: Pioneering Lesbian Journalist Deb Price Wrote Column on Gay Issues for Mainstream Media
Feb. 27, 1958 – Nov. 20, 2020 Deb Price, who in 1992 began writing a groundbreaking column on gay issues for The Detroit News that would go on to be syndicated nationally, died Nov. 20 [...]
LGBT Detroit Puts Out the Call for Much-Needed Holiday Donations
Despite statewide lockdowns due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the trend of nonprofit organizations closing their doors during this time, the staff at LGBT Detroit has remained busy in 2020. “COVID-19 has changed the [...]
Pantene Launches LGBTQ Ad Campaign in Honor of National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month and Pantene Hair Care Products has dedicated time to honoring that by launching a Family is #BeautifuLGBTQ ad campaign in its honor. In partnership with Family Equality, the campaign, a [...]
Obituary: Jennifer Holiday Chanel
June 9, 1969 – Nov. 15, 2020 She was known as a straight shooter with a heart of gold. Jennifer Holiday Chanel, a former Miss Gigi’s and an employee of the bar for many years, [...]
Corktown Offers Free Webinar to Address Cervical Cancer Health Disparities in LBT Women
The Corktown Health Center is presenting a free webinar to address breast and cervical cancer health disparities in lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. The webinar, which is open to medical professionals, health care providers, LGBTQ [...]
Michigan Supreme Court has Pro-Equality Wins with McCormack, Welch
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack won reelection Tuesday. She had previously said she would not consider it a victory unless Elizabeth Welch was also elected to the court and indeed she was. [...]
Democrat Karen McDonald Elected Oakland County Prosecutor
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Karen McDonald came out on top in the race for Oakland County Prosecutor. McDonald won 57 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Lin Goetz. McDonald beat out incumbent Jessica [...]
Gay Detroiter Jonathan Peregrino to Appear on Food Network’s ‘Holiday Baking Championship’
As a child, Southeast Michigan native Jonathan Peregrino looked out the window a lot wishing he could play with the other children, but his athletically induced asthma kept him home. Still, it was at home [...]
Henry Ford Village Receives SAGECare Platinum Credential
Henry Ford Village, a highly rated senior living community in Dearborn, has earned platinum certification in SAGECare cultural competency. HFV is one of only two senior living communities in Michigan to have earned the SAGECare [...]
Midland Center to Virtually Present Playwright Ricardo Perez Gonzalez in Masters Series
Human rights activist and playwright Ricardo Perez Gonzalez will be featured in a special virtual event Wednesday, Oct. 28, presented by the Midland Center for the Arts. Perez Gonzalez will speak about his activism and work [...]
LGBTQ-Inclusive Adoption Agency to Host Halloween Road Rally Oct. 24
Hands Across The Water is planning its first Halloween Road Rally for Saturday, Oct. 24. The rally, say organizers, will be a family friendly, socially distanced “amazing race” with games along the way. The rally, [...]
Panels from AIDS Memorial Quilt to Be Featured in all 50 States in Virtual Exhibition, Applications Welcome
The National AIDS Memorial is launching a 50-state AIDS Memorial Quilt Virtual Exhibition. The exhibition, timed in conjunction with World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1, will go online Nov. 16. Individuals and organizations are [...]
Motor City Pride Participates in Virtual Pride Stride 5K
Motor City Pride has announced its participation in the first-ever National Pride Stride, a virtual 5K created by LA Pride to help Pride organizations across the country offset this year’s novel coronavirus pandemic-related losses and [...]
Ferndale DDA Hosts Hallowindow Decorating Contest Oct. 19-Nov. 1
Just in time for the spookiest day of the year, the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority has announced a Hallowindow Decorating Contest, a Halloween-themed event that allows visitors to vote on which Ferndale business feature the [...]
Obituary: Phillip Marshall Griffin
June 9, 1948 – Oct. 1, 2020 Phillip Marshall Griffin, known to friends as Phil, was a longtime member of Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit. He was remembered by friends and his husband of 25 [...]
ACLU Partners With 1xRun to Create Pro-Voting Murals
The ACLU has partnered with local artists to create public murals across Michigan to increase voter participation in the upcoming general election on Nov. 3. Eight murals have been commissioned and they will appear in [...]
Michigan Physicians Support Governor’s Response to COVID-19, Urge Legislature to Support her Measures
Following last week’s Michigan Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency powers in response to the novel coronavirus crisis, a group of Michigan physicians spoke to the media via Zoom Wednesday, Sept. [...]
Michigan Secretary of State Announces 16- and 17-Year-Olds Can Be Poll Workers
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and The Michigan Voting Coalition, as part of its 40 Days of Early Voting campaign focused on historically disenfranchised communities, is trying to sign up poll workers for the [...]
Lansing-Area Libraries Offer National Read Woke Program Through Oct. 31
The National Education Association has been presenting Read Across America, which is billed as the nation’s largest celebration of reading, since 1998. It is, according to the Association's website, “a year-round program focused on motivating [...]
MCC-D Ordains 3 Local Pastors
Hattie Alexander-Key, Karen Dillaman and Roland Smith, all longtime deacons at Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit, were ordained as local pastors by MCC-D senior pastor and teacher the Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow. The ordination took [...]
Walk to End Alzheimer’s Slated for this Month and Next, Team Rita Hayyyworth is Ready to Go
More than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s Disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. Further, the Foundation estimates that one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, taking the [...]
Affirmations LGBTQ Center Offers New Support Group for Disabled People
Affirmations is offering a new support group for people with disabilities. Called Disability and Discussion, the group was co-founded by Affirmations volunteer Rachel Zaback. Zaback has been a volunteer with the center since 2018 but [...]
Obituary: Philip Howard Price
Feb. 2, 1948 – Aug. 7, 2020 Phil Price, a longtime member of the Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit, died at home Aug. 7. He was 72. Originally from Urbana, Ohio, Price graduated from Central [...]
MCC-D to Host Webinar on Radical Inclusion
Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit will host a webinar on Saturday, Sept. 19. The topic is Radical Inclusion in the Age of COVID-19 and the guest speaker is the Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, founder and [...]
Affirmations LGBTQ Community Center Elects 3 New Board Members
Affirmations has announced the election of three new members to its board. Jennifer Johnson, Demetrike Wells and Brianna Yuille were voted in to become new members at large by the Affirmations Board of Directors. “I [...]
Affirmations LGBTQ Center Debuts Online Store, Offers Unique Logo-Branded Items
Affirmations LGBTQ community center in Ferndale has opened an online store featuring an assortment of merchandise with its logo and branding. The store is a partnership between the center and ShannonLoren, a Troy-based, LGBTQ-owned marketing [...]
Royal Oak City Commission Makes Conversion Therapy Criminal Misdemeanor
The Royal Oak City Commission voted at its monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 10, to make conversion therapy on minors criminal misdemeanor. This follows its decision in June to pass an ordinance prohibiting the practice in [...]
Corktown Health Center Joins With WellPartner to Expand Prescription Access
LGBTQ-focused health care providers Health Emergency Lifeline Programs and Corktown Health Center announced on Wednesday, Aug. 12, a new relationship with Wellpartner, the 340B program administrator of CVS Health, to expand and improve prescription drug [...]
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Hosts Zoom Town Hall, Urges Community to Flip Ballots Over
A virtual town hall meeting hosted by Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack, who is running for reelection, and Supreme Court candidate Elizabeth Welch, took place Wednesday, Aug. 12 via Zoom. The meeting, [...]
‘Pose’ Star Dominique Jackson to Keynote Virtual EQMI Event Aug. 7
Dominique Jackson, one of the stars of the critically acclaimed FX television series "Pose," will be the keynote speaker for Equality Michigan’s annual Mission Equality event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event, which [...]
Triple Murder Mystery: How the Love Lives of 3 Detroit Men Turned to Tragedy
Their funerals took place on the same day, just a mere three miles down the road from each other. But in life, DeAndree Raeynard Max Watson, 30, and Quentin Demar DeGreaffenried, 27, both of Detroit, [...]
Community Leaders, Friends Remember Slain Detroit City Council Aid
By all accounts, DeAndree Watson had a bright future ahead of him. The 30-year old legislative aid to the Detroit City Council even dreamed of being elected president one day. But those aspirations came to [...]
Nurse Asineth Little Talks Work During COVID-19, Care for LGBTQ Community
It’s not easy to be a certified nurse assistant in the midst of a pandemic. But four months into the novel coronavirus crisis, and Asineth Little is continuing to get by. “When it first started [...]
Michigan ‘Hamilton’ Star Sydney James Harcourt Talks Broadway and Loving his Home State
Sydney James Harcourt is a Detroit success story. Many young actors from Michigan move to New York City hoping to make it in theater, with Broadway, of course, being the ultimate goal. But unlike Harcourt, [...]
Obituary: Mark J. Rabchun
June 8, 1955 – June 23, 2020 Mark J. Rabchun, a beloved member of and dedicated volunteer at Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit, died June 23 of cancer. He was 65. Rabchun was born and [...]
Obituary: Joy E. Geng
July 27, 1944 - June 21, 2020 Joy Geng, one of the first out employees at Ford and a longtime supporter and board member of Equality Michigan — and its predecessor the Triangle Foundation — [...]
Obituary: Kenneth Jacob
Sept. 12, 1952 – June 14, 2020 Kenneth Jacob, known simply to friends as Kenny, died Sunday, June 14, after suffering a fatal stroke. Jacob was well-known and much beloved in Metro Detroit’s LGBTQ community [...]
Mighty Real/Queer Detroit, Motor City Pride Partner on Virtual Art Exhibits
Mighty Real/Queer Detroit was designed to gather together, for the first time, a grand-scale representation of the range and depth of Detroit LGBTQ art. But plans for the month-long, multi-venue exhibit had to be scrapped [...]
Ann Arbor’s Aut Bar Announces Closure
The Aut Bar in Ann Arbor has become the latest victim of the novel coronavirus. In a statement, the BarStar Group, which purchased the restaurant and bar just over a year ago, announced the iconic [...]
2 Detroit Activists Seek Help Handing out Care Packages to Fight COVID-19
For Ka’Juan Hill, doing HIV/AIDS advocacy and outreach is not just a job. It’s a calling. By day, he’s a community outreach specialist for Unified HIV Health and Beyond, and, whenever free time allows, he [...]
Detroit Gallery Hosts Virtual Exhibit to Benefit Ruth Ellis Center
In a blend of the virtual and tangible, the Detroit-based gallery Library Street Collective has created a new digital exhibition platform called SITE: Art and Architecture in the Digital Space. Set in Detroit’s historic State [...]
Obituary: Aimee Stephens
Aimee Stephens did not start out wanting to be a warrior for transgender rights. She simply wanted to be Aimee Stephens. When she announced she was transgender and would be presenting as her true, female [...]
Kalamazoo Pride 2020 Canceled
The organizers of Kalamazoo Pride, OutFront Kalamazoo, recently announced that the annual summer event would be canceled this year. While it was initially expected that the June celebration would be merely postponed till April, OutFront [...]
Nina West Hosts COVID-19-Inspired Broadway Week on ‘DragCast’
"RuPaul’s Drag Race" alum and all-around humanitarian Nina West is hosting a series of online interviews with famous Broadway stars this week via "DragCast with Nina West." Available from dragcast.net or Spotify, this podcast will [...]
Jadein Black and Boylesque Drag Present Virtual Drag Shows Weekly and Give Back to the Community
With bars and clubs across the state — and most of the nation — closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, the LGBTQ community’s beloved drag performers and nightclub entertainers are, like so many, out of [...]
Ann Arbor Jewelry Shop Offers Weekly Giveaway to Essential Employees
Abracadabra Jewelry and Gem Gallery in downtown Ann Arbor is hosting a weekly giveaway as a way of showing gratitude to health care workers, first responders, grocers, postal staff, delivery folks and everyone risking their [...]
CenterLink Calls on Congress to Take Note of LGBTQ Centers
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers is asking Congress to take note of the work LGBTQ community centers do across the country and to remember them for funding in future stimulus packages. CenterLink represents more [...]
Obituary: Brent Dorian Carpenter
April 19, 1964 – March 23, 2020 Author Brent Dorian Carpenter, a former reporter and columnist for Between The Lines, died March 23 from complications from heart surgery. He was 55. A native Detroiter, Carpenter [...]