Ellen Shanna Knoppow
Connor Berdy: Macomb County's First Openly Gay Candidate Hits the Ground Running
Obama's Influence It's not every 17-year-old who gets to attend a dinner party at the White House with his mom. That was the fortune of Connor Berdy, currently a candidate for Warren City Council, after President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012. [...]
ConVocation Conference Raffle to Benefit Affirmations LGBTQ Community Center
LGBTQ and Pagan ConVocation, an annual event that brings together people from a wide variety of mystical paths and faiths for knowledge sharing, networking and having fun, will take place this year from Feb. 21 to 24 at the DoubleTree Hilton in [...]
Polestar: Michigan's Newest LGBTQ Community Center Opens Its Doors
A Bold Move When John Young came out in his late 50s, he never imagined that just four years later he would have been instrumental in launching Traverse City's first LGBTQ community center. "I really came out. I did not hold back. And, frankly, I [...]
Mark LaChey Elected First Vice Chair of Michigan Democratic Party, Roland Leggett Chair of LGBT & Allies Caucus
One day after the state emerged from a record-breaking cold snap, nearly 3,000 Democratic Michiganders gathered for the Michigan Democratic Party Spring Convention at Cobo Center in Detroit. There, credentialed delegates were tasked with electing [...]
Creating Change Returns to Detroit
Back in the D For the third time in its 31-year history, the National LGBTQ Task Force's annual Creating Change Conference will take place in the Motor City. And although its new director, Andy Garcia, doesn't hail from Michigan, it's still [...]
Together We Can
BTL Photo: Andrew Cohen "It's a self-portrait," said artist Michael Gute, describing "Detroit Figure," one of his paintings featured in the Together We Can Exhibition, whose purpose is to bring awareness to the struggle of addiction and recovery. [...]
All Means All
All in a Day's Work Two years ago, after the Michigan State Board of Education approved a set of policy recommendations for the support and inclusion of LGBTQ students, the father of a child attending Dexter's Cornerstone Elementary School scheduled [...]
Affirmations Interim Executive Director Resigns, Joins Ruth Ellis Center
Affirmations Interim Executive Director Lilianna Angel Reyes has resigned from the organization, effective Thursday, Nov. 15. She made the announcement via social media Nov. 9. Reyes will be joining the Ruth Ellis Center later this month as the new [...]
Megan Cavanagh for Mich. Supreme Court
Also, see our interview with other Michigan Supreme Court candidate Sam Bagenstos. Michigan Supreme Court candidate Megan Kathleen Cavanagh didn't plan on a law career when she was a high school student in East Lansing. With a dad like Michael [...]
UP Rainbow Pride Celebrates 5 Years
In 2013, a small group of dedicated Michiganders gathered at a restaurant in the Upper Peninsula with a singular vision: The UP's first Pride festival. Today, U.P. Rainbow Pride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and they're going strong, with [...]
Ron Owens: Right-Hand Man and Rising Star
Political Beginnings At 22 years old, Ron Owens is a force to be reckoned with. Last September, the openly gay, politically active, then-student decided to take time off from his senior year at Michigan State University's James Madison College [...]
Dean Nasreddine: On a Voting Mission
Dean Nasreddine is on a mission. The 24-year-old queer activist and NextGen Michigan field organizer is determined to ensure that every young adult in Michigan is registered to vote. And he's planned a social gathering to give everyone that [...]