Tri-county gays to discuss LGBT rights

With the issue of gay rights at the top of the national news, three leading Michigan experts and activists on the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders will speak at a U.S. Social Forum Potluck and Fundraiser this Friday, Oct. 16.
The discussion, artists' performances, and a potluck will run from 6-8 p.m. at the Affirmations LGBT Community Center, located at 290 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale.
The featured speakers will include Laura Hughes, executive director of the Ruth Ellis Center; Jay Kaplan, ACLU of Michigan, LGBT rights attorney; and Walter Washington, head of Community Health Outreach Workers. They will address issues raised at the large National Equality March in Washington, D.C. last weekend.
Friday's timely event will also feature performances by popular local musicians Blair, Audra Kubat and others.
The Detroit Local Organizing Committee of the U.S. Social Forum is sponsoring this event. The Social Forum is a grass roots gathering of organizations and individuals involved in making social change.
In June of 2010, the USSF will hold its second national gathering in Detroit.
The aim is to bring together activists from across the U.S. to raise awareness of social justice issues, learn from diverse experiences and discuss strategies to create social change and solutions to the problems facing southeast Michigan and the nation.
For more information about the event, contact Reg McGhee at 313-980-5877, or [email protected]. For information about the U.S. Social Forum, visit ussf2010.org.