Pragmatic Joy: Four Ways You Can Help Michigan's LGBTQ+ Community Thrive Despite Political Headwinds

Plus, lessons inspired by our elders on turning anxiety into action

Published: March 11, 2025 | Last Updated: March 13, 2025

I could go on at length (just ask my loved ones) about the palpable disappointment I’ve been feeling lately as “centrist Democrats” (we used to call them Reagan Republicans) fail to actually stand for anything and, frequently, align with the most anti-LGBTQ+ president of our lifetimes. Plenty of columnists and well-informed political analysts have done that job for me, so I won’t. Suffice to say, I strongly feel we need more Jeremy Moss energy in D.C. More Jasmine Crockett, less middle of the road.

I could also spend some time lamenting about how frustrating it is as a journalist to have calls and requests for comment on issues of the utmost importance to thousands of Michigan LGBTQ+ community members go unanswered.

I could write about missed opportunities to bring more transparency to our community when leading candidates opted not to fill out our candidate survey last fall and who refused to grant us interviews or write op-eds — candidates who never reached out from their campaigns in an effort to reach LGBTQ+ voters at an extremely vulnerable moment in time via the state’s largest, longest-running LGBTQ+ publication.

I could ponder when it was that elected officials stopped performing what I consider a basic duty — offering continued reassurance to at-risk constituents when they are being targeted by people we should all be rallying against as a society. Think literal Nazis. And homophobes, transphobes and racists. It’s shocking that it is apparently considered an act of political bravery to stand up and say it’s not OK for hundreds of fully grown men to shout anti-LGBTQ+ epitaphs at a teenager at a protest in Dearborn, for example — an act of bravery we didn’t see, by the way.

It shouldn’t be politically dangerous to say the word “transgender” in a national speech at a time when anti-trans legislation and executive orders are key drivers of the current, increasingly cruel presidential agenda. When Republicans are still taking a victory lap and explicitly pointing to trans issues as winning them the election, it’s not the time for Democrats, too, to turn away from the community like anything “trans” is a hot potato issue not worth the political risk. Civil rights are on the line, and we shouldn’t have to beg elected officials to defend basic, human rights that shouldn’t be up for debate in any court in this country.

Trust me when I say all of the above keeps me up at night.

I grieve for what we’ve lost — the abrupt pulling of the rug out from under what had been an ever-expanding LGBTQ+ umbrella — and I worry about what we’ve gained: a widening gap between identities within our own community. Much of what we must focus on as an LGBTQ+ publication these days involves a clear and growing rift about what the LGBTQ+ community should be most focused on — or is it the LGB community? Sadly, it’s exactly where they want us to focus.

The ongoing conversation is ugly, though from an editorial perspective, it hasn’t been a difficult choice. We’re not leaving the trans community behind, and our coverage will always reflect a broad, diverse coalition of LGBTQ+ folks. In the day to day, our staff is leaning on one another to process our individual responses to the onslaught of bad news and then, we’re forging ahead. Happily, it’s exactly what they don’t want us to do.

OK yeah, things are not great… so what am I supposed to do?

I’m so glad you asked, because it turns out, we’re not helpless. I am regularly in contact with LGBTQ+ pioneers who have, somehow, seen even worse days, including people who survived the living hell of an AIDS crisis that devastated the gay and trans communities.

These remarkable individuals managed to secure rights we take for granted today during extremely turbulent, anti-LGBTQ+ eras. I am driven every day by their examples, and often ask these LGBTQ+ elders how they did it. “How could you deal with what was happening all around you — as your loved ones literally died while the government refused to even say the word ‘AIDS’ — while also learning how to become an advocate and leader?”

Often, the answer is one I’ve come to expect: “Someone had to, and no one except us was going to do it for us.” For us; by us. Elected officials are only willing (and to be fair, only able) to help our community to a point. We can put gas in their tanks, but the LGBTQ+ community should be running the GPS when it comes to coalescing around a message focused on what we need them to do for us.

Here are four things you can do right away to tune out the noise and focus in on actions that will help our community no matter who is in the White House:

1. Find the helpers — and listen to them.

Unlike our LGBTQ+ elders, we don’t have to birth the entire LGBTQ+ advocacy movement. A robust, engaged community of advocates thrives in Michigan, and it exists especially for moments like this. These organizations lead the way on prioritizing the needs of the community with wisdom, knowledge and the strength of networks they’ve built for decades. This action item is a gimme: If you don’t know where to start, start here.

Here are a few of the leading orgs, but there are many others, especially at the local level, throughout the state.

Equality Michigan — LGBTQ+ education, victim services and outreach. Sign up for the org’s newsletter at equalitymi.org/#SignUp.
ACLU of Michigan LGBT Project — legal help and advocacy. Sign up for news, become a member or get help at aclumich.org/en/lgbt-project.
Transgender Michigan — Michigan’s longest-running trans advocacy and outreach group. Sign up for a monthly newsletter at transgendermichigan.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe.
Stand with Trans — Youth and young adult focused trans advocacy, outreach, education and support. Visit standwithtrans.org and follow the org on TikTok at tiktok.com/@standwithtrans.
MiGen — Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Elders Network. Sign up for a weekly newsletter at migenconnect.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/e-news-sign-up.
Affirmations — LGBTQ+ community center in Ferndale. Volunteer and find services at goaffirmations.org.
PFLAG Detroit — support, education and advocacy. Visit pflagdetroit.org and attend monthly meetings in Troy.

2. Focus your political energy.

Beyond writing and calling your representatives (the 5Calls.org approach is worthwhile), there are many direct ways to get involved in the messy, but critical business of shaping the LGBTQ+ political agenda in Michigan and bringing that message to elected officials.

These organizations and coalitions make it a point to eliminate barriers of entry — they want people just like you to join the fight in real and tangible ways:

Unity Fund — highlights and assists the candidacies of Michigan LGBTQ+ candidates for legislative, executive and judicial offices. Get involved at unityfundmi.org.
LGBT and Allies Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party — works to impact legislative issues. Follow the caucus at facebook.com/TheLGBTACaucusoftheMDP for action opportunities.
Equality Michigan Action Network — non-partisan political advocacy (formerly the Triangle Foundation). Follow news updates at equalitymiaction.org/news-events.
Transgender Unity Coaltion — community advocacy. Join TUC at a rally or protest — find information at transunitycoalition.org.
Send us a letter to the editor while you’re at it. We want to hear from you! Write to [email protected].

3. Stay informed — but don’t get distracted.

These days, when I consume news, I keep an overarching question in mind: Is this news focused purely on speculation or is it factually informative? I can create my own doom spiral, thank you very much. When I’m looking for news, I want to know what actually happened, what has actually been proposed or what is actually about to happen next. With a modern media tone that increasingly obscures the line between opinion and news, it can be tricky.

Look for these red flags that what you’re about to read borders more on “what if” than “what.”

Leading questions in headlines. For example, “Will this latest Trump tweet spell doom for you?” Or, “If marriage equality falls, what will it mean for Michigan?” These are fine, important topics, but if you’re shopping solely for information, this isn’t it. Often, these stories are fear-based clickbait more than they are informative.
Reaction stories and videos. Again, this approach to newstelling has its place, and it’s important to understand how society is reacting to key topics, but these stories are often the origin of the outrage porn currently clogging up your social media feed. When I’m trying to find a list of details about a new law that has passed, I might easily get derailed reading about what JD Vance thinks about it before I realize the article is never going to get to those details.
Bad faith stories from biased outlets. Be aware of where a story is coming from, every time. You can bet money that a story on Breitbart called “Democrats are worried about this pro-transgender bill” is going to lead you astray if you’re expecting to learn about the party’s true stance. Most likely, it’s an article packed with cherrypicked details and focused on a quote or two taken out of context, and when you click on it, you’ll find yourself awash in MAGA propaganda. We don’t have time for that.

What should you read? Well, you’ve heard it time and again, but it’s important to mix it up. Get news from varied, reliable sources. We all have our personal feelings about which outlets are really effing it up right now and which ones are still reliable, but I will say that the AP News wire and Reuters, both of which provide content to outlets around the world, are still considered by most to offer fact-based, non-partisan news. Often-overlooked PBS News and The Guardian are highly reputable, as well. Michigan Advance is a non-profit, award-winning news outlet that should be on your radar for state news.

Don’t forget to track down primary sources. For example, go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court website to read decisions and to find Michigan legislation (proposed and passed), visit legislature.mi.gov/Bills.

4. Focus on ‘pragmatic joy.’

I’m declaring 2025 my “pragmatic joy” era, a sentiment I feel encapsulates the Midwestern spirit of advocacy. Here in Michigan and throughout the Midwest, there has always been a “work hard/play” hard ethos, and I think that spirit serves us well in this moment. If your grandma was (or is) like mine, when she experienced grief, loss or fear, she passed out hugs as needed and then, she got shit done anyway. Along the way, she planted a garden with 10-foot-tall sunflowers that smiled at the sun and taught her granddaughter how to make a pie crust. Just mine? I’m sure you have a version of ancestors who shared that same blend of love and practicality in your lineage. Let’s channel that energy.

Here are a few examples of what pragmatic joy looks like for me:

Supporting local LGBTQ+ community members directly while doing something you love. Thinking of joining a yoga class? Consider an LGBTQ-owned studio. Need a shopping fix? Countless LGBTQ+ creators and shop owners would love to serve you. Check out the local queer-focused theater scene or sign up for an art class led by a local queer artist.
Supporting independent journalism. Yep, a shameless plug here, but if you value independent voices in media and enjoy reading about LGBTQ+ joy and resilience, remember that it takes money to keep the lights on. Just this week, print newspapers across the country were hit with the reality that because most newsprint is produced in Canada, it suddenly got a whole lot more expensive to print their publications thanks to Trump’s tariffs — including this one.

Indie publications like ours rely on advertising dollars that are harder to come by in this time of economic uncertainty and LGBTQ+ targeting. So, please subscribe to Between The Lines at pridesource.com/subscribe and financially support other independent outlets if you’re able. The impact of these direct contributions is difficult to overstate.
Volunteer with a Pride fest. Queer Christmas (or June, as some people call it) is right around the corner. Pride organizers are already deeply engrossed in getting their festivals off the ground, and while it might seem fun, it’s also a lot of hard work. Pride festivals need volunteers to coordinate, corral and clean and to champion the events that offer our community a respite from Real World 2025. Get a few friends together and have fun doing hard, important work in a joyful space.
Just get out of the house. One of the easiest, but most impactful ways to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community is to simply exist in public exactly as who you are. Go enjoy the things you enjoy (to the extent that is comfortable for you, of course). Feeling nervous? There’s safety in numbers. Consider an organized event with a local LGBTQ+ social group — you can find LGBTQ+ sports leagues, outdoor clubs, gaming groups and more throughout Michigan. Our biweekly “Queer Things to Do” list is an ideal starting point.

Can you think of ways to enjoy some pragmatic joy? Email me at [email protected]! We’re all in this together, and I welcome your thoughts.

Gavin Newsom Throws Trans People to the Wolves in the Name of Political Ambition

On the way home from the gym this evening, my 15-year-old son asked me what I thought about transgender women participating in certain sports. He gave an [...]

By D'Anne Witkowski
Uniting with Trans People: Why Solidarity Is Essential for the Whole LGBTQ+ Community

When straight people see the acronym LGBTQ+, they tend to think of the varied people falling under its broad umbrella as a monolith — a cohesive group of [...]

By Jay Kaplan
Iowa Republicans Tell Transgender People in the State to Disappear or GTFO

“Today, I signed into law a bill that safeguards the rights of women and girls,” Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) said in a video posted to X.Sounds good [...]

By D'Anne Witkowski