Jason A. Michael
Jason A. Michael is a senior staff writer for Between The Lines and Pride Source Media Group. He has been writing for BTL since 1999. Jason is also an Essence bestselling author. He may be reached at [email protected].
FBI Leads Active Shooter Training at Affirmations After Its Executive Director Received a Threatening Letter
Affirmations hosted an active shooter training on Monday, Sept. 27. The training, which aimed to teach staff and volunteers at the center how to respond to such an attack, was led by the FBI in response to an incident that happened in [...]
Peaceful Protest and Candlelight Vigil Planned After Man Is Killed Outside of Iconic Detroit LGBTQ+ Bar
Detroit police are reviewing Green Light video footage taken early Wednesday morning outside The Woodward Bar & Grill, where a man was shot and killed around 3 a.m. The victim, Lance Sutherland, was shot by an unidentified assailant who fled the [...]
Watch University of Michigan Marching Band Spell Out Its LGBTQ+ Support
The University of Michigan Marching Band had a gay – LGBTQ+, rather – ol' time at last Saturday's game. During the homecoming halftime show, the band paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the university's Spectrum Center with a show composed of [...]
LGBT Detroit, Eastside Pride Host Discussion on Netflix Trans Documentary 'Disclosure'
Eastside Pride, in association with Detroit's Eastside Community Network (ECN), will be screening clips from the Netflix documentary "Disclosure: Trans Lives on the Screen" at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29 on Facebook Live and Zoom. The event is a [...]
Venue Switch for Two Motorball Weekend Events
High demand for tickets has caused Geared 4 Life, the organizers of Motorball Detroit Weekend 2021, to change venues for two of their events. John Joanette, one of the weekend organizers, tells Pride Source this is "a good problem to [...]
Not Even Intense Rain at a Phoebe Bridgers Detroit Show Could Dampen Queer Spirits
Phoebe Bridgers, the bisexual breakout singer-songwriter whose 2020 album, Punisher, earned her four Grammy nominations, was almost rained out at her Tuesday night show at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater in Detroit. The single show, which had [...]
Gigi's Set to Honor Late Detroit Drag Legend Jennifer Holiday Chanel with Memorial Show
The iconic former Miss Gigi's Jennifer Holiday Chanel passed away last year. But now, in celebration of her glamorous life, Gigi's is planning a memorial show. The beloved performer and Gigi's staff member will be remembered with an all-star show at [...]
Parkland Survivor Comes Out, Publicly Embraces His Queerness
Cameron Kasky, the 20-year-old anti-gun violence activist and survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has come out as queer in an Instagram post. "I don't know exactly that 'type' of queer [...]
Beacon of Light' Carl Bean, LGBTQ+ Icon and Lady Gaga's Muse, Dead at 77
It's not often that a leading religious figure is also a leading LGBTQ+ activist, but Archbishop Carl Bean was both. Founder of the Los Angeles-based Unity Fellowship Church Movement (UFCM) and singer of the 1977 gay anthem "I Was Born [...]
Flint Native Who Found Acceptance in Ann Arbor Just Created a $1 Million 'Coming Out Fund' for U of M Students
Public relations guru and crisis manager Howard Bragman, a Flint native and University of Michigan graduate, has created a $1 million endowment to his alma mater's LGBTQ+ resource center. "I don't care how liberal the school is," Bragman told The [...]
Conservative Midland Just Got a Little Gayer With This Very Gay Rainbow Mural
Conservative Midland just got a little more colorful, thanks to an exciting new mural created by area native Joey Salamon and his friend Cam DeCaussin from Arizona. "We've had nothing but compliments [about the mural]," says Kevin LaDuke, [...]
A Renewed Focus on Diversity Shakes Up the Affirmations Board of Directors
Affirmations LGBTQ community center in Ferndale has recently announced the addition of two new board members. Both new members, Brandon Gleaton and Roxanne Mitchell, are African American. And that was intentional. Affirmations has long struggled [...]