Todd Heywood
MDOC allows officer to wear uniform in Grand Rapids gay pride
The Michigan Department of Corrections reversed its earlier decision and allowed Officer James Sims to wear his uniform while attending the gay pride events on Saturday, June 18 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Sims was denied permission to wear his uniform [...]
VIDEO: June 11 Michigan Pride parade
Best view of Lansing and Police Fire departments occurs around the 4:00 mark. [...]
Ogemaw bullying case settlement disclosed
Anti-bullying activists say the details of a federal settlement in a bullying case at Ogemaw High School renews the urgency for the state to pass comprehensive legislation addressing bullying. The agreement, reached in January, was released to the [...]
Snyder calls for anti-bullying legislation in education address
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder urged the state legislature on April 27 to pass anti-bullying legislation, but his office declined to disclose which pieces of legislation currently pending before the legislature he supported. "We must ensure that [...]
Advocates challenge state officials on second parent adoption
Mere weeks after the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex adoption, the battle over two-parent adoptions is heating up in Michigan as advocates for youth in the foster care system say that thousands of children are being denied [...]
Ingham County has highest HIV rate outside of Detroit
For the second year in a row, Ingham county has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the state outside Detroit and Wayne county. The 2010 statistical analysis released by the Michigan Department of Community Health shows Ingham has a prevalence rate [...]
GOP lawmaker proposes elimination of HIV prevention funding to pay for airports
LANSING- A proposed piece of legislation introduced by Grandville Republican Dave Agema is raising alarms in the public health community. Agema has proposed eliminating the Michigan Health Fund Initiative, which is a special Michigan Department of [...]
2010 Highlights and lowlights
While lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people saw gains at the federal level in 2010, Michigan saw the ugly side of anti-gay animus with straight pride celebrations in local schools, a rash of national and local teen suicides and the death of [...]
Transgender man marries, has marriage revoked in the same day
Jordan Swan, who is a female-to-male transgender man, said he went to the Oakland County Clerk last week to marry his fiancee. The two paid for their marriage license, swore their oaths and signed on the dotted line. Then they were off to the chapel [...]
Highlights and lowlights of 2010
While lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people saw gains at the federal level in 2010, Michigan saw the ugly side of anti-gay animus with straight pride celebrations in local schools, a rash of national and local teen suicides and the death of [...]
Lansing should make sure new police chief is LGBT friendly
The City of Lansing is looking for a new chief of police. Former Chief Mark Alley left the post in February to join Emergent BioSolutions. Alley, who lead the department for a decade, leaves a powerful legacy of cooperation, outreach and community [...]
Michigan GOP landslide could doom equality legislation
LANSING – With both chambers of the state legislature and all the top offices in state government about to be filled with a Republican majority, leaders of the state's major LGBT organizations said that pro-equality legislation is likely dead in [...]