Oakland County saw its first ever openly gay circuit court judge join the bench this week at the swearing-in ceremony of Jake Cunningham last month.

Hanging at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Emanuel Leutze's 12-by-21-foot "Washington Crossing the Delaware" is a proud, imposing painting, framed in a brilliant gold. Famous for not only its size but its portrayal of [...]

Last Sunday marked the end of The National LGBTQ Task Force's 2019 Creating Change Conference — an annual event attended by thousands, put on to demonstrates advancements in the LGBTQ movement and to facilitate discussions and awareness of marginalized communities.

Dedicating one's time and energy to being an activist, particularly to a cause like LGBTQ civil rights, is never something undertaken lightly. Perhaps even rarer is a person who is willing to dedicate their life to such a cause. In the case of wives and Between The Lines Co-Publishers Jan Stevenson and Susan Horowitz, their decades-long commitment to enhancing the lives of the LGBTQ community in Michigan and beyond via their work in publishing and through the National LGBTQ Task Force has not been lost on their peers. Recognized last week at the Taskforce-sponsored 2019 Creating Change Conference, the couple received the Susan J. Hyde Award dedicated to their longevity in the movement.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib addressed the National LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change conference on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tlaib kicked off her remarks by stating, "Welcome to the most beautiful, blackest city in the country, the city of Detroit.

Last June, Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies appointed local activist Julia Josling to the volunteer position of LGBTQ liaison to the mayor’s office. Now, after seven months on the job, Josling chatted with BTL to reflect on her new position and her plans for the future.

He had, friends say, warm eyes and a nice smile and always a kind word for everyone. Community activist Nathan D. Strickland Jr., widely recognized as an up and coming leader in the LGBTQ community, succumbed to his lengthy battle with cancer Jan. 24. He passed just two weeks before what would have been his 28th birthday.

A federal district court judge has granted more time to reach a settlement in a case challenging state taxpayer funding for faith-based foster care and adoption agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's new executive directive barring LGBTQ discrimination may be challenged by the head of the State Bar's Religious Liberty section, according to the Michigan Advance. The publication obtained an email from Tracy Lee, a [...]

For Ruth Ellis Center Development Associate Dwayne Cole Jr., it was just a normal day at work when two supervisors asked to speak with him one-on-one. “They asked me these questions about volunteer work that [...]

Andy Garcia, the director of Creating Change, said he wants members of the community to leave the National LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change conference "feeling like they understand what makes Detroit special." And part of what makes Detroit special is the ecosystem of organizations, some of which are listed below, that work and support the LGBTQ community in the Motor City.

As the National LGBTQ Task Force's annual Creating Change conference moves into Detroit this week, more than 3,500 participants will have the opportunity to explore the Motor City.

There were two obvious takeaways from last week’s installment of Affirmations’ ongoing monthly community chats. First, Affirmations Board President Mike Flores, who conducted the chat, wants the community to know that the center is continuing [...]

The debate over Drag Queen Story Time at the Huntington Woods Library continues to rage on as both a demonstration and a counter-demonstration have been planned for this Saturday’s session. The response was immediate when [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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."

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."

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 [...]

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 [...]