Attend Rooted in Music, See Pokémon Drag, Support a Teenage Drag Queen, Get Demi Lovato Tickets
If your calendar for early April is giving mysterious blank-page energy, here’s your chance to scribble something joyful into it. Yes, friend, we know your calendar is digital. Scribbling is a metaphor. But still. The queerfolk of Southeast Michigan (and beyond!) have spent their energy, time and cash to produce this week’s offerings, which includes low-pressure creativity, high-chaos trivia and some very heartfelt drag. All they need to make it perfect is you!
1. Find Your Voice Without Apologizing at Rooted in Music
If you’ve ever thought, “I long to make art, but my musical talents peaked playing ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ on a recorder in my fourth-grade talent show," this is your room. Rooted in Music is a drop-in workshop where the goal is not to impress anyone (including yourself) but to explore. Bring an instrument, a notebook or just your deeply relatable confusion about how songs happen. Whether you’re a secret poet, a shower singer or a yet-to-be-discovered prodigy on the Sousaphone, you’ll find a welcoming, affirming space to try things out and maybe even surprise yourself.
April 7, 5:30 p.m., Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center (290 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale). bit.ly/rootedinmusic.
2. See Pokémon Drag in Ferndale
Finally, a trivia night that answers the question: What if Pikachu also served looks? Gather your most competitive Pokéfriends (or your one friend who knows everything and will carry your team emotionally and academically) and head to B. Nektar for a night of trivia, cider, food and a full-on Pokémon drag show courtesy of Ariana Love. Yes, that means wigs, references and at least one person celebrating that transition to Jigglypuff with their very soul. Whether you’re here to win or just yell “Bulbasaur!” with joy and confidence, it’s all in support of Ferndale Pride.
April 17, 8–10 p.m., B. Nektar Meadery – Taproom & Headquarters (1511 Jarvis St., Ferndale). bit.ly/pokemonwithdrag.
3. Cheer On a Rising Drag Star at Mary Magdalene Towers' Happy Hour
There's something deeply powerful about watching someone step into themselves in real time, and also possibly trip a little while doing it. "Aspiring teenage drag queen" Mary Magdalene Towers is making her proper debut at North Star April 16, bringing heart, humor and diva energy to the stage.
As she told Pride Source, “I want my show to be a sign that everyone is welcome and wanted, because that's how drag makes me feel. Drag is for everyone, especially those who are too nervous to express who they really are. My show will include dancing, chatting, 'Drag Race' trivia and a lot of prayer that I don't fall on my face during my first real performance. Show up to support your local drag scene and promote a little girl's dreams of being a princess!”
Unless it involves a trip to the emergency room, do you really have a more important activity on Thursday night?
April 16, 5:30–6:30 p.m., North Star Lounge (301 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor). bit.ly/Mmagdalene.
4. Belt Your Feelings with Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato, set to perform at Little Caesars Arena on April 29, has built a career on turning big problems into bigger feelings into even bigger anthems, and there is nothing queerer than that! The nonbinary, label-busting openly queer singer told Pride Source in 2017 in response to widespread speculation about her sexuality: “I love who I love.” Nine years later, Lovato is still charting her own path and delighting queer audiences around the world.
April 29, 8 p.m., Little Caesars Arena (2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit). bit.ly/demilavatodetroit.
5. Teach a Straight Person a Queer Secret
Whatever they've made us out to be this election cycle, trans folks especially, we know we're more solution than problem. So in the spirit of spring renewal, take stock of everything — knowledge, skills, maybe even a fanny pack — that your fabulously queer life has given you. Polyamory, pronouns and packing. Hanky codes, harm reduction and HRT. Flannel, flyers and free clinics. You get the idea.
Pick one thing and offer it to a straight person who seems at least mildly curious and isn't currently being mean to you. Keep it specific, keep it human, and if you can make it a little funny, even better — that way they won't feel so silly when they mess it up. This isn't a lecture. It's a gift.
Ongoing, wherever straight people can be found. Free. Emotional labor budget varies.
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