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 [...]
“It’s a self-portrait,” said artist Michael Gute, describing "Detroit Figure," one of his paintings featured in the Together We Can Exhibition, whose purpose is to bring awareness to the struggle of addiction and recovery. It's [...]
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 [...]
Called the lame-duck session, it's the period in politics post an election but before newly elected officials can take office, and in the Michigan Legislature it's scheduled to last through Dec. 20. Currently, the Republican [...]
DETROIT — Last week a New York man was found guilty of a 2013 murder and body burning of a gay Detroit man. A jury found the accused, Andrew Czarnecki, guilty of first-degree murder, felony [...]
LANSING — Last month CNN released an investigative report regarding the destruction of rape kits before law enforcement investigations or judicial proceedings had been completed. They reported that 25 police agencies in 14 states, including [...]
DETROIT - This week the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office charged Sterling Heights native Albert Weathers, 46, in connection with death of 36-year-old Kelly Stough of Detroit. According to a Human Rights Campaign report, Stough was [...]
Melinda Phelps did not initially set out to be a certified public accountant. Born and raised in Detroit, and a product of Michigan colleges, Phelps first started out as a stockbroker. But as a proud [...]
BTL Photo: Andrew Cohen “It’s a self-portrait,” said artist Michael Gute, describing "Detroit Figure," one of his paintings featured in the Together We Can Exhibition, whose purpose is to bring awareness to the [...]
A crowd of almost 60 gathered at Affirmations' community chat to discuss the future of the center. BTL Photo: Eve Kucharski Searching for answers and concerned about its future, a crowd of 56 [...]
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 [...]
A number of anti-LGBT petitions are before the U.S. Supreme Court, although legal experts say adjudication of these cases — if justices agree to take them up — may not be as bad as some [...]
President Trump agreed on Friday to an updated trade agreement with Canada and Mexico that includes aspirational language encouraging member states to adopt policies against LGBT discrimination in the workforce — although it has been [...]
“Some people only choose to be equitable because the law of the land will punish them for deviating from that behavior,” said Brumalis. “If trans people lose protections, there will be a surge in assaults, unemployment and homelessness because there won’t be anything to shield and protect us from bigotry.”
After 27 years as a beacon for those in Ann Arbor's and Southeast Michigan's LGBTQ community, Common Language Bookstore will be forced to close its doors one final time at the end of 2018. According to husbands and co-owners Keith Orr and Martin Contreras, this comes after years of market pressures that have made running the store unsustainable.
Equality Michigan has announced that Executive Director Stephanie White will be leaving her position effective Jan. 9, 2019. The organization's boards unanimously decided not to renew her contract. This decision, according to a press release, was made as a result of EQMI's efforts to retool for 2019 and years to come.
LGBT Detroit invites supporters of their services to celebrate the holiday season together with their 16th annual Holiday in December benefit. The benefit, happening on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2:30 p.m. that includes gifts and raffles, will support LGBT programs and services.
Last June, in honor of Wayne State University's 150 years in existence, the Wayne State University Library System's Reuther Library invited its student body and the local community to take part in exploring the school's history and "evolving relationship with LGBTQ students, staff and faculty." Though the actual event happened during a pride month panel already, the event is now up for viewing on YouTube.
Following the death of former President George H.W. Bush at age 94, the nation remembers him for his civil tone in contrast to President Trump and for helping bring the Cold War between the United [...]
A referendum on whether same-sex couples should receive marriage rights in Taiwan failed on Saturday. Voters by a 67-33 percent margin rejected a question on whether same-sex couples should receive marriage rights through Taiwan’s civil [...]
A small crowd of about 20 came out Monday, Nov. 19 to the Wayne State University Student Center Ballroom for what organizers believe was the university’s first official Transgender Day of Remembrance service. The service, [...]
About 20 people came out on Tuesday, Nov. 20, for a Transgender Day of Remembrance service at the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park. The service was designed to be an intimate conversation among trans women and men of color.
It was supposed to be a quick run to pick up a few groceries, but when Jacqueline Street, a trans woman, stopped into the Walmart in Benton Harbor on Nov. 15, she got more than just bread and milk at an unbeatable price. Street said she was discriminated against and repeatedly misgendered while attempting to check out.
PLYMOUTH – In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The Mary Kay Foundation announced in November that it is awarding $3 million in grants to 150 domestic violence shelters across the country. First Step has received a $20,000 unrestricted grant to support local survivors of domestic violence in southeastern Michigan. This year’s grant contribution brings the Foundation’s total investment in its shelter grant program to $50 million.
With court orders in place from four judges barring the U.S. military from enacting President Trump’s transgender ban, the Trump administration is seeking recourse from the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the policy to go [...]
A group of nearly 40 House Republicans are calling on President Trump to drop from the updated U.S. trade proposal with Mexico and Canada a provision encouraging countries to adopt policies barring anti-LGBT discrimination in the workforce, throwing ratification of the deal in question.
After a seven-year period leading the nation’s largest LGBT group that culminated in massive gains for LGBT rights supporters on Election Day 2018, Chad Griffin announced Thursday he will step down as president of the Human Rights Campaign.
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 [...]
Two years ago, after the Michigan State Board of Education approved a set of policy recommendations for the support and inclusion of LGBTQ students, the father of a child attending Dexter’s Cornerstone Elementary School scheduled a meeting with principal Craig McCalla. He took issue with the school's bathroom policy: allowing students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
In a Nov. 14 press release, Ferndale’s Affirmations LGBTQ community center announced that it has suspended its nearly year-long search for a replacement executive director and laid off three employees: Development Director Katie Koch, Education and Training Manager Becca Budde and Offices and Facilities Coordinator Ryan Fowler.
This month, Lambda Legal and Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service announced the successful settlement of a 2015 lawsuit filed on behalf of John Dorn against the Michigan Department of Corrections. Lambda Legal is an organization [...]
This month, through a collaboration between the Michigan Employee Resource Group for Equality or MERGE and the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce, LGBTQ organizations across Metro Detroit were given the opportunity to connect one-on-one [...]
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) named Wayne State University the winner of its 2018 Project Degree Completion Award during its annual meeting in New Orleans. The annual Project Degree Completion Award identifies [...]
Amid uncertainty over whether House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will be elected speaker next year despite a Democratic majority in the House, a group of 102 LGBT leaders have come out to “enthusiastically endorse” [...]
After a six-year period leading the nation’s largest LGBT group that culminated in massive gains for LGBT rights supporters on Election Day 2018, Chad Griffin has signaled his intent to step down as president of [...]
In a Nov. 14 press release, Affirmations announced that it has suspended its search for a replacement executive director and laid off three employees: Development Director Katie Koch, Education and Training Manager Becca Budde and [...]
BY KAREN OCAMB It’s official. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, an out centrist bisexual Democrat, has defeated Donald Trump’s choice to replace retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, Republican Rep. Martha McSally. It’s the first Democratic win in [...]
The current makeup of the seven-member court is five Republicans and two Democrats. Two Republicans were up for re-election Tuesday: Kurtis Wilder, who was appointed to the Court in 2017 by Gov. Rick Snyder; and Elizabeth Clement, who was also appointed in 2017 by Snyder. Wilder lost his seat to Democrat Megan Cavanagh. The other Democrat in the running, Samuel Bagenstos, came in third place while candidates from the third parties of Libertarians and Natural law came in fifth and sixth respectively.
The Detroit Bus Company donated busses and organized volunteers to give free rides to the polls last Tuesday to anyone who needed one throughout Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. “Detroit hasn’t had great voter turnout [...]
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Democrat Jocelyn Benson won out against her Republican oponent Mary Treder Lang in her second bid for Secretary of State — running for the first time in 2010 against Ruth Johnson. [...]
Affirmations Interim Executive Director Lilianna Angel Reyes has resigned from the organization, effective Thursday, Nov. 15. She made the announcement via social media Nov. 9.
In a press release posted on their website Nov. 8, the San Francisco Opera announced it was removing University of Michigan professor and countertenor David Daniels from the role of Medoro in Handel’s "Orlando." Initially planning to present the opera next summer, the announcement comes in the wake of a lawsuit filed last month against Daniels in which it is alleged that he sexually assaulted one of his students.
They held out as long as they could. Keith Orr and Martin Contreras, owners of Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor, recently announced that they plan to close their feminist, LGBTQ store at the end of the year. The announcement comes after years of dwindling sales that they attribute at least in part to internet sales and the rise of online giant Amazon.com
A lesbian Republican activist who fought for acceptance of marriage equality within her party will become the new executive director of the National Log Cabin Republicans, the organization announced Tuesday. Jerri Ann Henry, a communications [...]
It’s official. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, an out centrist bisexual Democrat, has defeated Donald Trump’s choice to replace retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, Republican Rep. Martha McSally. It’s the first Democratic win in the red state since 1976. The [...]
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Nov. 9 said the U.S. is “troubled” by the Tanzanian government’s anti-LGBTI crackdown. “The United States government is deeply concerned over escalating attacks and legislative actions by the government [...]
A transgender woman on Saturday declared victory in her race for the Colorado House of Representatives. Media reports indicate Brianna Titone has nearly 400 more votes than her Republican opponent, Vicki Pyne, in the race to represent [...]
LGBT advocacy groups have sharply criticized President Trump over his executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they enter the country illegally from Mexico. National Center for Lesbian Rights Policy [...]
The LGBT caucus in the upcoming Congress will get a sizable boost in the aftermath of victories of gay congressional candidates on Election Day. Three gay and lesbian non-incumbent candidates — Angie Craig in Minnesota, [...]
