In Photos: Hotter Than July 2022
Detroiters celebrated Hotter Than July — the world’s longest and continuously operated Black LGBT+ Pride — July 16 at Sound Board at Motor City Casino and Hotel in Detroit. The concert, HTJ's first, was [...]
Detroiters celebrated Hotter Than July — the world’s longest and continuously operated Black LGBT+ Pride — July 16 at Sound Board at Motor City Casino and Hotel in Detroit. The concert, HTJ's first, was [...]
In Partnership With Jennifer Barrett, Comerica Bank LGBT Business Resource Group Chair No matter how much you earn, financial literacy is an essential life skill. Financial issues impact all people, and members of the LGBTQ+ [...]
What’s in a name? Well, if you’re trans, and you’ve lived your life feeling trapped in the wrong body, referred to by incorrect pronouns and called something that does not align with your gender identity [...]
This summer marks a milestone anniversary, yet most people don’t realize there’s an anniversary to mark. A half century ago, Michiganders who united in a bond of sexuality and gender that diverged from the so-called [...]
Color and joy were on full display at Motor City Pride 2022 as an estimated 40,000 Pridegoers filled downtown Detroit streets and Hart Plaza to celebrate Michigan's largest Pride parade and festival. Photos by Jason [...]
Have you considered public transit as your ride to Pride this year? Public transit not only offers safety and fun for you and your queer crew, it can also save you money on high-as-ever gas [...]
Dave Wait has always been an activist at heart. In eighth grade, Wait organized a sit-in at school when the cafeteria refused to serve chocolate milk. The group of disgruntled students got hauled down to [...]
This summer in Michigan, Prides of all kinds are springing up across the state. From Madison Heights to New Buffalo, Pride Source checked in with the organizers of some of the new (or nearly new) [...]
We saw her only briefly on Season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but Orion Story, who will headline Kalamazoo Pride on Saturday, June 4, made quite an impression. Self-described as “what would happen if you [...]
Back in June where it belongs, this year’s Ferndale Pride, set for June 4, is sure to be a fun and fantastic opportunity to come out loud and proud. With a wide range of entertainment options, [...]
If you tell Deana Spencer that something she believes in is not possible or unattainable, she will power through, make it happen and disprove you. That’s advice she received once related to her role with [...]
Ferndale has been known as one of Michigan’s biggest queer hubs for decades. With many of the hallmarks that distinguish a Greenwich Village, a Castro, an Andersonville — traits like a walkable downtown, a diverse [...]
With so many acts to choose from all weekend across four entertainment stages, there’s something for everyone at Motor City Pride, from June 11-12. Add these seven not-to-be-missed performances to your short list. Jody Watley [...]
A Tunde Olaniran performance is everything all at once: Afro-centric rhythms, interpretive movement, gorgeous costumes, pumping bass, with soulful, vulnerable lyrics belted from somewhere deep inside. Then there’s that contagious energy, the kind that wills [...]
Gay men get down in a variety of ways, so if you’re not a top, bottom or vers, then maybe you’re a “side.” The term was coined right here in Michigan, by Royal Oak psychotherapist [...]
The 2022 summer music scene will seem practically normal this year after a long, lonely, pandemic-induced drought. You’ll find plenty of opportunities to enjoy some live tunes close to home this year, but why not [...]
Dancing on our own. Listening to "Chromatica" on repeat. Watching "Drag Race." Who doesn't love those gay days? But riding on all the biggest roller coasters under a flurry of colored light with all queers [...]
Small acts of resistance and community building are what have made LGBTQ+ history, and while that history may not be as well documented as we would like, you can still get out your map and [...]
For Marissa Klee-Peregon, 27, Nimblewill Cooperative in Kalamazoo is a space where she can practice interdependence, instead of independence. A cooperative home, or “co-op,” which centers the experiences of queer and trans people, Nimblewill, Klee-Peregon [...]
You’ve heard of a bed-and-breakfast. But have you ever heard of a bud-and-breakfast? Copper House is, holistically speaking, an oasis in the middle of northwest Detroit for the conscious cannabis consumer. And if you need [...]
There’s no beating around the bush with competitive race car driver Dustin Sprouse: He’s out, he’s proud, and he’s an unrepentant Trump supporter. Before you crumple up this page or close the browser window — [...]
For queer audiences, the rich symbology of cars and road films — along with their enduring outsider associations — has made them tantalizing objects to re-interpret through a queer lens. Evoking ideas of mobility, rebellion [...]
There’s just something about a road trip. You might be venturing out in the same car you use for your daily commute and boring errands, but on a road trip, your whip transforms into a [...]
Chaya Milchtein, aka Mechanic Shop Femme, is just as comfortable talking about lubricating cars as she is talking about lubricating sex toys. The automotive educator, journalist and empowerment speaker uses her platform to teach folks [...]
It’s easy to assume COVID has wrecked your honeymoon plans. With new strains popping up every other week (it seems) and mask mandates coming, going and coming again, the traditional honeymoon to some place exotic [...]
Finding the right officiant for your wedding, one who understands and respects your beliefs and traditions can be difficult — even more so for queer couples. Whether it’s a religious leader, a family member or [...]
When my (then) 12-year-old son told me he was gay, I was shocked by my reaction. As someone who has always claimed to be a staunch ally to countless LGBTQ+ friends and a fierce, lifelong [...]
Human actors are great and all, but as any animal lover will attest, a well-placed puppy or a noble equine can elevate a good show to must-see status. If you watch reruns of old “Frasier” [...]
For 30-year-old Jarell Wilson from Detroit, COVID-19 isolation only intensified their struggles with depression. Self-isolation and working from home would’ve been worse, too, if it weren’t for their two pets, a cat and a dog. [...]
Peter Staley’s “Never Silent” isn’t the only outstanding memoir or biography by those who endured the worst years of the AIDS crisis (Sarah Schulman’s mammoth 736-page “Let The Record Show,” also released this year, is [...]
A key member of AIDS activist group ACT UP and a named plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit against Gilead and other pharma companies for illegally extending the patent of PrEP and HIV medication tenofovir, Peter [...]
Corporations pulled out all the stops during this year’s Pride Month, elevating and profiting from the rainbow mafia through witty slogans, gleeful commercials and social media campaigns. They outdid themselves, from Lil Nas X’s UGG [...]
Let’s face it, two things are true: most of us don’t need more stuff, and it’s fun to give and receive presents. So shop smart and support local artists, small businesses, LGBTQ+ non-profits and LGBTQ-supportive [...]
You might be surprised to learn that the LGBTQ+ community is advancing the auto industry — yep, queers are engineering, too. And in addition to owning Backstreet at Large Multiplex, the LGBTQ+ bar in Detroit, [...]
"It all started with a Beetle." This could be the beginning of a story about someone who went on to become a "car nut" engineer or somebody who went on to become an entomologist. In [...]
For L.A.-based queer photographer Sorrell Scrutton, their dog Frankie really is their best friend. When COVID struck, Frankie helped them counter the isolation. Given their bond, Scrutton decided to reach out to other queer friends [...]
Finding LGBTQ+ books used to be a challenge. You couldn’t just Google “lesbian romance novels” or “books with trans characters.” But now, luckily, that’s no longer the case. Especially with Pride season in full swing. [...]
Editor's Note: This list will be updated as more dates are finalized. Last updated June 15, 2021. Looking for 2022's guide? Right here. By now it's understood that COVID-19 has thrown off long-term planning and [...]
As travel rebounds and some international borders open to US residents — especially, or exclusively, if you’re fully vaccinated — you’ll need to pack more than a suitcase to ensure safe trips during the pandemic’s [...]
Raccoons get called many things: nuisance animals, bandits, trash pandas. But one raccoon in University Heights, Ohio made it clear that what they want to be called is “Fabulous.” But without a way to communicate [...]
A 35-year-old working in film production, Geoff Moore had a pretty good sex life with his boyfriend. In fact, you could call it vigorous. Sometimes even exhausting. So when they both noticed fleshy bumps around [...]
It’s the newest show on the HGTV network and it’s filmed right here in Detroit. “Bargain Block” stars personal and professional partners Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, transplants from Colorado, and follows the couple as [...]
After living in Atlanta for 30 years, Calvin Thompson decided to make a change at age 55. He took a new job in New Orleans and began settling into his new routine. “I had moved [...]
Motor City Pride has announced it has for the moment decided to postpone its June Pride festival until September. The new dates for Motor City Pride will be Sept. 18 and 19 in Hart Plaza [...]
Home is where the heart is, but sadly too many people are heartless when it comes to those who are homeless. Especially when those people are trans women of color. Ten years ago when Kayla [...]
[Editor’s note: Some of the subjects interviewed for this story preferred to use only their first names to maintain anonymity.] While living in pre-pandemic New York City in early 2020, Brandon didn’t even think twice [...]
A couple of blocks east from Manhattan’s Empire State Building in the neighborhood known as Murray Hill, 25-year-old Taiwan-born photographer Hsiang-Hsi Lu fires off a Grindr message. “He’s Taiwanese!” Lu remarks with a tinge of [...]
As the weather gets warmer and summer months draw nearer, it won't be long before road trip season is in full swing. And since it will coincide with all U.S. adults becoming eligible for COVID-19 [...]
There's no doubt that keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is a must, and science points to being quarantined at home as the safest way of doing so. However, now that Michiganders have been living [...]
When Garnet Lewis and her business partners decided to name their gourmet food shop in Douglas Isabel’s Market & Eatery, they had a clear choice in mind. Their namesake was an area school teacher and [...]