Crystal A. Proxmire
Setting the stage for love
Planning a wedding can be a lot of fun, especially if you're in show business. Joe Bailey and Joe Plambeck, owners of the Ringwald in Ferndale, held what they called their "big gay wedding" on Sept. 4, 2010. About a hundred people came to the [...]
Transgenders now have job protection thanks to EEOC Opinion
WASHINGTON D.C. – A ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission means that transgender people who are discriminated against now may have recourse under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination [...]
Transgender children share coming out stories
FERNDALE – The little girl in the audience had a hard time sitting still. She lay across her grandmother's lap and kicked her little purple-tight-covered legs in the air, amused by the way her lavender tutu skirt crunched as she moved. In front of [...]
State's Republican attack of democratic process staple of 'The Rachel Maddow Show'
The push is on to convince journalist Rachel Maddow to come to Michigan Pride, which takes place in Lansing on June 16. Organizers have started a Facebook Page called Rachel Maddow – Please come speak at Michigan Pride 2012, which has over 300 [...]
De-escalate then defend: Lessons from Mejishi Martial Arts
FERNDALE – Sensei Jaye Spiro is a tiny-framed lesbian with a voice like a cannon and a kick that could kill. But when it comes to self-defense there's a lot that can be done to be safe before resorting to counter violence. Spiro, co-owner of [...]
Planned Parenthood opens to warm welcome and protests
FERNDALE – On the day Planned Parenthood opened, they were braced for the worst. Sometimes their clinics face protestors or even bombs as they go about their work giving women access to healthcare and contraception. On April 3 the clinic held a [...]
Community dog hikes offer reason to connect
Get Out And Live may be barking up the right tree with their monthly dog hikes for LGBT people and their pooches. This year they've partnered with professional dog trainer Jen Guthrie from Pro K-9 to offer the group walks, which take place at [...]
Wedding Expo sure to delight
LIVONIA – Imagine walking into a grand ballroom full of gay people, in both senses of the word. As you enter you are greeted by a well-dressed guide, looking snazzy in a wedding-ready tuxedo and wearing a most friendly smile. Perhaps he tells [...]
Transgender Empowerment Task Force reports back one year later
FERNDALE – While the broader society still stumbles in grasping what it means to be transgender, and the lesbians, gays, and bisexuals who make up the LG and B wonder if the T really has a place in the gay community, the Transgender community [...]
Rainbow flag leads Chrysler employee down path of empowerment
Sometimes a rainbow sticker can make all the difference in the world. For Bernadette Bennett, a staff advisor working for Chrysler, it gave her the opportunity to ask questions of a fellow employee and opened up the path to her coming out on the [...]
Voters left out in county politics
Oakland County residents are losing representation as a coordinated Republican effort to gain control of the redistricting process has succeeded. The Commission will be cut from 25 commissioners to 21, and control over drawing the districts has [...]
The rebirth of Broderick Tower
For over 30 years, Broderick Tower, at 10 Witherell in Detroit, stood empty and deteriorating. The 34-story skyscraper, built in 1928 as Eaton Tower, was once full of tiny offices and scores of small business including its own radio [...]