Jeremy Merithew's life took a turn for the worse when what was intended to be a casual hookup earned him a brush with discrimination and substantial jail time. That's because He was HIV-positive and his hookup, Dwayne Cook claimed Merithew failed to disclose his status before the two engaged in oral and anal sex. That’s a four-year felony in Michigan and has been since 1989.
Equality Michigan promotes anti-violence and advocacy for the LGBTQ community and it's continuing its fight for pro-LGBTQ policies and politicians at its next “Lobby Day” on Tuesday, May 15. That day the public will have an opportunity to sit down and talk with elected officials about today’s most pressing issues.
Benton Harbor, Michigan – On Tuesday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m., Jay Kaplan of the ACLU of Michigan, in partnership with the OutCenter, will hold a free community forum at Benton Harbor's Phoenix Coffeeshop.
LANSING, Mich. — On April 19, State Rep. Jon Hoadley and State Sen. Margaret O'Brien were announced as Care Champion awardees by Caring Across Generations, a national care giving advocacy campaign.
LANSING, Mich. – As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month outreach efforts, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is urging Michigan citizens to learn about the state’s Safe Delivery Law, and how they can help keep babies safe by promoting awareness of the statute.
Affirmations' Annual Spring Bash themed "Celebrate Community" was "truly amazing" this year said Lilianna Reyes, the community center's interim executive director. With over 400 people in attendance, the April 14 event, emceed by Fox 2 [...]
Ever since high school, he's been involved in volunteerism or some form of activism. Beyond that, he's made the professional jump from the automotive to the aerospace industry and back again. It's very clear: Mike [...]
DETROIT — A treacherous ice storm and a 9 a.m. Sunday morning start time did not deter over 150 people from attending the LGTQ&A Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party meeting April 15 at Cobo [...]
Dr. Tomothy J. Dyer was deeply rooted in the Ypsilanti and Eastern Michigan University communities. He died Thursday, April 12, at 80. He was born December 29, 1937, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the son of John [...]
After working in the newspaper and magazine industry for nearly her entire career, Gia Cilento knew that one day, she'd start a publishing house. The thought stayed with her as her work took her across [...]
BTL EDITORIAL The campaign of Democratic Attorney General candidate Patrick Miles used Republican research to attack his Democratic opponent Dana Nessel. That’s a fact and we have the evidence to back it up. It's also [...]
DJ Melvin Hill to be honored For their spring fundraiser April 21, LGBT Detroit will pay homage to the Famous Door, a nightclub popular with the African-American LGBT community in the '70s, '80s and '90s. [...]
The popular hookup and dating app Grindr is under fire for sharing users' disclosed HIV status and most recent testing data combined with identifiable information about users with two third party vendors. The company says [...]
It’s been a month since the landmark ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals was decided. The 6th Circuit, which covers Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, ruled that Aimee Stephens was inappropriately fired from [...]
Jars of tongue depressors, rubber gloves and a paper-lined examination table; these are the hallmarks of a medical office, and this scenario evokes a variety of emotions. For some, it's a place visited infrequently and [...]
Menjos Entertainment Complex General Manager Tim McKee has reason to be proud of himself. The first in a three-part series of panel discussions, this one on the history in gay bars in Detroit, drew a [...]
In light of the Larry Nassar trial at Michigan State University, and recent movements like #MeToo and It's On Us, sexual misconduct is currently being discussed on national platforms. In an effort to bring more [...]
WASHINGTON - Last March, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) released the 11th edition of its annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which scores healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and [...]
Creating Change Invites Volunteers to Host its 2019 Detroit Conference After 30 national events have been held across the U.S., the LGBTQ conference Creating Change is seeking a dynamic crew of volunteers to help put [...]
Federal statistics report a 14.8 percent decline in HIV cases between 2008 and 2015, but 25- to 34-year-olds saw a nearly 45 percent increase in new cases New data released by the CDC last month [...]
She’s not a new face to the LGBTQ community locally or nationally, and certainly not to Affirmations where she has been working as the Program Services Director and as a volunteer. However, Lilianna Reyes is a new face in her current position as interim executive director at Affirmations.
Over a simple meal of habichuelas and rice, the Lansing area Latino community came together over the Easter weekend to celebrate the life and legacy of Caesar E. Chavez. About 200 people attended the dinner to honor the civil rights legend as well as celebrate the renaming of Grand River Avenue in the Old Town neighborhood of Lansing after the icon. Old Town is also home to Lansing’s two LGBTQ bars.
Ann Arbor, Mich: On Friday, April 13th, 2018, Hands Across The Water, a licensed child welfare agency will be hosting an open house event at their Ann Arbor office, celebrating their achievements in serving LGBTQ families and earning the All Children, All Families Leadership Status from the Human Rights Campaign for the seventh year in a row.
DETROIT —The Heidelberg Project and four Detroit public schools are piloting a first-of-its-kind program that will use art to empower and inspire students to be change agents in their community. The Heidelberg Arts Leadership Academy (HALA) serves Detroit students in grades 4-12 to explore art as a tool for social change, self-expression and community healing.
Same-sex sexual assault can happen on a date, between friends, partners or strangers. Survivors take on the shame, guilt and internal conflict trying to understand why someone could have used these tactics of power to control their bodies.
Thousands of conservative, Christian mothers of LGBTQ children meet up every day in the virtual world within secret support groups. Together, they help one another grapple with faith, answer questions, and learn how to best support their children.
As of a March 28 Affirmations board of directors meeting, it was confirmed that Executive Director Susan Erspamer resigned from her position without notice. Her official statement of resignation was read publicly at the meeting [...]
Students, politicians, and second-hand victims of gun violence voiced their support for comprehensive gun legislation at the Detroit March For Our Lives on Sunday.
Artist Presents an American Landscape The American flag is a clear symbol of patriotism and is recognizable the world over. Its distinct red, white and blue color scheme, and its well-defined stars and stripes delineate [...]
Long before there was an Affirmations, they were the community centers of the LGBTQ world. You didn’t just go to the gay bar to dance and drink, you went to socialize and to seek solace and support. The gay community revolved around the bars which, for many, was the only place they could let their hair down and be free; their true authentic selves.
In an effort to explore another side of the fashion industry, Central Michigan University is offering a new course for the current term. Its name is Queer Fashion and it was conceptualized by fashion designer and CMU Associate Professor Michael Mamp.
When a child is born and assigned a gender at birth, the status quo is that they'll stick to the well-defined lines of gender: girls will play with dolls, boys will play with trucks. However, there are many children who won't adhere to these rules, because they don't feel comfortable with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Thinking of opera, one might imagine a knight in shining armor, a damsel in distress or Brunnhilde — a woman with a viking helmet and blonde braids belting out some massive vocal power. And, in many ways, opera is still representative of those traditional characters, but it's also an ever-changing medium that is growing with the times.
For more than 30 years, the National LGBTQ Task Force has been ensuring that members of the LGBTQ community have a place to familiarize themselves with pertinent issues, politics, organizations and leadership with the Creating Change conference.
He’s an outsider with no formal elective office experience, but Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is the upstart candidate in the Democratic primary for governor. He is rattling the traditionalism of the party and its selection process, [...]
On Saturday, March 24th, the March for our Lives will converge upon Washington, D.C. A student-led movement to end gun violence in our country, the march is an outgrowth of the activism of students from [...]
The year was 1991, and long-term plans were being set in motion. The Michigan Organization of Human Rights (MOHR) had created the MOHR Foundation as a separate legal entity to fight discrimination against the LGBTQ [...]
1.) Divine Peace MCC 1400 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Township dpmcc.net/248-332-1186 Palm Sunday 9:30 a.m. Good Friday 7 p.m. Easter Sunday Breakfast 9 to 10:15 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship — Joint with Bethel UCC 10:30 [...]
Campus LGBT Resource Centers to Host Events for Students […]
Although The International Transgender Day of Visibility had small beginnings when it was started by Michigan activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker, in its almost 10-year life it has become a worldwide phenomenon. Now, Crandall-Crocker is “A statewide [...]
Royal Oak psychotherapist Joe Kort has teamed up with the Modern Sex Therapy Institutes to begin offering an LGBT-affirmative therapy certification program. Designed for those in the mental health and medical fields, the 50-hour online [...]
National Agency Connects Incarcerated LGBT People with Allies on the Outside Its mission is noble. Black and Pink bills itself as an “open family of LGBT prisoners and ‘free world’ allies who support each other.” [...]
It was early last month when more than 300 people came out to protest a workshop for girls at Metro Church in Riverview. Many said that the church-offered service was merely conversion therapy in disguise. One of the speakers that night was 17-year-old Seth Tooley of Brownstown.
Picture this scenario: you're 18, you've been watching porn for a while and you don't know if your varied preferences are crossing the line. Now this: it's year 10 of a fairly sexless marriage, and you're seeking a third to spice things up. Lastly: you're a woman in her 60s who's ready to make the plunge into lesbian relationships, but you don't know where to turn. For each of these scenarios and more, Dan Savage has an answer.
Ashley Howe and her fiance Justine Simpson have been to several bridal shows, but none quite like the Ultimate LGBT Wedding and Anniversary Expo held on Sunday, March 11, in MotorCity Casino's state of the art ballroom in Detroit.
Washington is now in the final stages of becoming the 10th state to outlaw gay conversion therapy on minors. The Washington state Legislature voted 33-16 in favor of Bill 5722, which would ban licensed therapists from performing conversion therapy on patients under 18. Regulating such practices will, according to the bill, “protect the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including LGBT youth."
For the third time in less than a year, a federal appeals court has ruled that an LGBT person can seek protection from job discrimination under Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The second annual Queer Prom in Traverse City, a high schooler-exclusive dance that celebrates LGBTQ youth and their allies, is expected to draw in more than 200 attendees from communities near and far. John Young, the vice-chairperson at Polestar LGBTQ+ Community Center in Traverse City, was the driving force behind the first Queer Prom in 2017. He anticipates this year’s dance to see double or even triple the number of attendees compared to last year’s — a rare figure for queer proms at large.
Activist, journalist and feminist Gloria Steinem has been actively campaigning for women's rights since the 1960s. Not only has she imprinted her legacy when she helped found longstanding publications like Ms. and New York Magazines, she has aided in the formation of the National Women's Political Caucus, produced films on such topics as child abuse and the death penalty and is the author of many lauded books and articles.
Raymond Edward Shepherd, a longtime member of Metropolitan Community Church – Detroit and an active member of Affirmations, died Feb. 27th. He was 69.
