Parents magazine featured fitness trainer Shaun T., his husband Scott Blokker and their one-year-old twins on the cover of its February issue. This is the first time a same-sex couple has been included on the cover since [...]
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 [...]
The Trevor Project welcomed Karen Pence to her new position as art teacher at the Immaculate Christian School by donating 100 copies of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life [...]
From the outside, LGBT Detroit might look like many similar nonprofit organizations, but if one digs a little deeper they'll find that it's been making history both in the city's LGBTQ and African-American communities since [...]
Back in the D For the third time in its 31-year history, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s annual Creating Change Conference will take place in the Motor City. And although its new director, Andy Garcia, [...]
Renowned for its ability to bring LGBTQ activists of all kinds together, the national Creating Change Conference is also known for recognizing those who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to make change in their own way. This year, the conference will be held from Jan. 23 through 27 at the Detroit Marriott in the Renaissance Center and will honor five chosen individuals and one organization for their work and dedication toward the LGBTQ movement. Each of whom will speak about their work as they receive their individual awards.
Every year, the Creating Change LGBTQ conference selects a different city in which to hold its conference. As it moves from city to city, officials select a group of local co-chairs native to the area [...]
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 [...]
Having existed for more than 20 years as a safe space for all members of the LGBTQ community, LGBT Detroit's mission has been to increase awareness about LGBTQ culture through "education, cohesion and advocacy."
By Junior Nsamia Mayema Since Donald Trump became president, I have never seen so much hate being meted out against immigrants, let alone LGBT refugees and asylum seekers like me. I am from the Democratic [...]
With Democrats in control of the New York Senate for the first time in a decade, lawmakers on Tuesday sent to the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo two long-awaited pro-LGBT measures — one banning widely [...]
A Russian social media operation aimed at helping Republican nominee Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election included efforts to polarize voters around LGBT issues and, in some cases, pushed LGBT voters to support Democratic [...]
Newly sworn-in after his victory over Andrew Gillum in the Florida gubernatorial race, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on Wednesday an executive order ensuring non-discrimination in state employment and state contracting — but the directive notably [...]
Transgender advocates cheered Elizabeth Warren for coming out this week in favor of transgender inmates having access to gender reassignment surgery, which could potentially raise it as an issue for 2020 presidential candidates. Warren’s new view [...]
It had only been a few weeks, but Jennifer Johnson's daughter had started to look forward to Fridays; that's when she'd visit Affirmations and take part in the youth programs available there. Fridays were also the day that Johnson had come to trust that she'd have a reliable, safe space in which her openly LGBTQ daughter could be herself.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Monday at Affirmations, Michigan's largest LGBTQ community center, that broke new ground regarding civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community. Directive No. 2019-9 outlined that it would help instill policies to "promote public confidence in the fairness and integrity of state government" by ensuring all Michigan residents receive fair treatment in "employment, state contracting, and when accessing services from state government."
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 [...]
SANTA CLARA, Cuba — The LGBTI+ community remains divided after the National Assembly modified the marriage amendment in the draft of the new constitution. Part of it defends the yes vote and supports the official campaign, while another group says it will vote against the constitution.
LANSING – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has requested a legal opinion from Attorney General Dana Nessel regarding the constitutionality of the recent Enbridge Line 5 pipeline legislation and the new Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority created by outgoing Gov. Rick Snyder.
Racist hate literature was found on cars in Ferndale New Year’s Eve. The fliers, created by a white supremacist group based out of Texas, were met with disdain and disapproval by local community leaders.
DETROIT — Equality Michigan, the only statewide advocacy organization representing Michigan’s LGBTQ community, praised action taken by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Monday, to prohibit discrimination in State employment, public services and state contracting based on a [...]
LANSING – Last week Sen. Jeremy Moss (D–Southfield) was selected to serve as the Assistant Minority Leader for the Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus. “I am honored to work with my Senate colleagues and our governor, alongside [...]
A federal appeals court has sided with President Trump on his attempt to ban transgender people from the military, marking the first court victory for the administration on the anti-trans policy as litigation against it [...]
People from all over the country will visit Detroit Jan. 23-27 for the 2019 Creating Change conference. In an effort to make the conference financially accessible for everyone, the National LGBTQ Task Force is offering [...]
LANSING — Michigan’s improved MI Bridges portal is a self-service website where residents apply for public assistance benefits, manage their cases and explore community resources. Because of its streamlined offerings, it has been named a [...]
Creating Change will be held at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center from Jan. 23 through 27 in 2019. More information its included events, speakers and programs can be found online at creatingchange.org. Creating [...]
On January 19, 2019, thousands of women and their allies will come together in Washington D.C. to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. In a show of solidarity with the [...]
Survivors of sexual assault and their supporters will have an opportunity to express their stories through creative means such as spoken word and storytelling beginning Sunday, Jan. 13. Through an 8-week group called Poetic Justice [...]
Offered as a way to introduce peace and healing to LGBTQ people in the Lansing area, the Salus center offers Queer and Trans Yoga every Thursday, with their next scheduled class on Jan. 10 from [...]
One of the founding board members of Out On The Lakeshore LGBTQ community center has resigned to spend more time with family and friends. Karen Prins, who was one of the initial board members for [...]
No. 10: Kim Davis-backed Romania marriage referendum fails A referendum on whether to define marriage as between a man and a woman in the Romanian constitution’s definition of family failed in October because of insufficient voter turnout. [...]
No. 10: Ric Grenell confirmed as ambassador U.S. Ambassador to Germandy Richard Grenell (Photo public domain) After months of Democratic opposition, the U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Grenell this year as U.S. ambassador [...]
As 2018 comes to an end, Michigan’s LGBTQ community can look back on a year filled with both hard hits to our rights along with major political wins toward greater equality. On a national scale, [...]
Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender contestant to compete in Miss Universe during the 2019 competition. Ponce, 27, represented Spain in the Miss Universe competition, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand and aired [...]
The government of Bermuda has asked a British territories appellate court to overturn a ruling against a law that rescinded marriage rights for same-sex couples. The appeal was filed in the Privy Council in London [...]
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told LGBT activists and others who joined her on a visit Friday to a Christmas tree outside Floriana Restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle that’s dedicated to her that she will give top priority to passing an LGBT rights bill in 2019.
A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals gave no clear signal during oral arguments Monday on whether they’d keep in place one of four injunctions against President Trump’s transgender military ban, raising [...]
Starting in January 2005, a group of Metro Detroit women, ranging from mothers to students to careerists, craved an escape from their day-to-day lives and sought to discover their competitive and edgier sides. It was among the city’s roller derby rinks that they were able to familiarize each other with those aspects of themselves. Soon after joining together, they founded the Detroit Derby Girls league and held their first event in February 2006. In November of that year, the league announced it had officially changed its name to Detroit Roller Derby. Eventually, it became a group that stands out as a premier team.
Openly gay State Rep. Jeremy Moss was sworn in Sunday to his new role as state senator. An enthusiastic crowd of more than 100 came out to the Plumbers Local 98 headquarters in Madison Heights to hear speaker after speaker laud the young leader with praise before the oath of office was administered by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget Mary McCormack.
A package of bills is moving through the Michigan Senate that could change the way Michigan health officials monitor and address the HIV epidemic. Introduced last May in the Michigan House of Representatives, the eight-bill package contains HIV-specific bills that are aimed at updating Michigan's existing laws that contain outdated language regarding issues like the spread of HIV, the role of local health departments in the virus' treatment and criminal punishment for those who do not inform their sexual partner of their HIV-positive status.
For the Huntington Wood Library’s Drag Queen Story Time, a glittering drag queen comes to the library to read to young children once a month. The program, said to be the third of its kind [...]
Kelly Stough, known to some as Keanna Mattel, was laid to rest in fine style Saturday with a funeral at the James H. Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit with a memorial service later in the evening at the Affirmations LGBTQ community center in Ferndale. Stough was murdered Dec. 7 in the Palmer Park neighborhood and was remembered fondly by friends and family. That, her mother said, is the way it should be.
DETROIT — "A Christmas Story, The Musical" has announced a local partnership with the Michigan Humane Society during their Fox Theatre engagement running Dec. 20 through 22.
Hosted by by Chela Yoga from Waterford, all Affirmations-supporting community members are encouraged to come by on Monday, Dec. 24 from 9 to 10 a.m. to participate in a holiday-inspired yoga session.
his holiday season, hundreds of families in Detroit will not have clean water running through their homes, due to impending Detroit Water and Sewage Department shut-offs. Hydrate Detroit, a local 501(c)(3) water rights organization, would like to “Give the Gift of Water Restoration” to ensure that families and seniors who cannot afford to pay their water bills are able to enjoy a fully hydrated home throughout the holiday season. It is encouraging anyone who can to give to the organization via an online fundraiser to pay water bills.
HUNTINGTON WOODS — Over 150 residents and supporters packed the gymnasium of the Gillham Recreation Center for Tuesday night’s Huntington Woods City Commission meeting after news broke over a California-based organization’s intent to protest the [...]
A longtime gay friend of William Barr, President Trump’s pick as the next U.S. attorney general, has come to the defense of the nominee amid concerns from LGBT groups he’d continue the anti-LGBT legal positions [...]
Creating Change will be held at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center from Jan. 23 through 27 in 2019. More information its included events, speakers and programs can be found online at creatingchange.org. Creating [...]
As stressful as coming out to one's family can be, it's an important step in the lives of all LGBTQ people who want to live open lives. In ideal circumstances, the change in the family [...]
