By Jeff Berry "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." --Maya Angelou I remember as a [...]

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith The 7th of November was the 40th anniversary of Harvey Milk's historic victory in San Francisco, becoming the first out, gay elected official in the United States. It felt as if [...]

BY GWENDOLYN ANN SMITH The 20th of November is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year will be the 18th observance. It was my work with the Remembering Our Dead project that helped create the [...]

BY RENEE MCCOY When the movie "The Color Purple" came out in 1985, I had a disturbing conversation with my mother. She had neither read Alice Walker's book nor known about Stephen Spielberg's ability to [...]

BY ERIC RADER As we near the end of 2017, our sights turn to 2018 and the many challenges and opportunities that await in the new year. Few of us will be sad to see [...]

BY ANGIE PERONE Local media recently reported that nearly a quarter of Michigan's nursing homes have been cited for serious health and safety violations. This coverage garnered attention from Congresswoman Debbie Dingell who expressed outrage [...]

BY DANA RUDOLPH Halloween is almost here, which for many of us means trips to the store to purchase overpriced costumes or hours spent sewing and hot-glueing homemade versions, both for our kids and for [...]

By Glenn Magpantay Congressional lawmaking is often likened to making sausage - stuffing casing with a mix of the real thing and mystery meat. Horse-trading and unrelated riders onerous to those who would support a [...]

BY GWENDOLYN ANN SMITH Prior to the 2016 Election, I recall writing about how the election of a President is not simply the election of one person, but a whole administration -- and how the [...]

BY SHARRON FINCHER The more I become involved in the community the more I notice something is missing. Not totally missing, but the representation of MoC lesbians is lacking. Masculine of Center (MoC) is a [...]

BY TIM RETZLOFF I knew criminal court cases could be a gold mine for researching LGBTQ history. I did not know such records were so vulnerable. As I recounted in an earlier blog post, my [...]

BY ERIC RADER Elections have consequences. If the last eight months have not proven this adage to be true, nothing ever could. The United States is witnessing an incompetent and ultra-conservative administration, led by a [...]

BY JAY KAPLAN The Trump Administration's Justice Department, headed by Jeff Sessions keeps batting a thousand when it comes to LGBT rights. After rescinding federal guidelines protecting transgender students from discrimination regarding bathroom use at [...]

BY BRIAN STONE One of the greatest hallmarks of the Democratic Party is our embrace of diversity. As the Democratic field of candidates widen for Michigan Attorney General, it's important that we ensure Democratic leaders [...]

BY JAY KAPLAN On Monday morning, Aug. 28, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in the federal district court of Maryland challenging the constitutionality of the Trump Administration's transgender service member ban. The 39-page lawsuit states [...]

BY DANA RUDOLPH As a child, there were two things I thought were unfathomable and absolutely morally wrong: nuclear war and Nazis. To see both in the news again as real threats to our country [...]

By Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. Laurel Sprague, PhD, is the executive director of GNP+ (The Global Network of People Living with HIV). The Amsterdam-based organization works to improve the quality of life for all people [...]

BY LA Jamison LGBT issues have always been a part of political battles in some form. However, conversion therapy (and "pray the gay away" type therapies called "ex-gay" ministry) really hasn't been in the news [...]

BY GWENDOLYN ANN SMITH No matter how I put this, it feels like an understatement: we are living in increasingly frightening and dangerous times. This is especially true for those of us who are transgender. [...]

BY DANA RUDOLPH As an LGBTQ parent, I sometimes feel like I've had to make things up as I go along. But "Pride and Joy: A Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Parents," gives [...]

BY GWENDOLYN ANN SMITH Since prior to the last election, many have warned of the precarious position transgender law was on the federal level. While great strides were made during the Obama years on behalf [...]

BY CURTIS LIPSCOMB It is that time again, and after months of strategic planning and securing partnerships, Detroit comes alive. The summer heat, the creative energy, and the festivities are highlighted accomplishments and challenges of [...]