Todd Heywood
Community members express concerns about Grand Rapids HIV prevention programming
GRAND RAPIDS – Rick Otterbien, the legislative director for the Michigan Positive Action Coalition, has sent out a notice for a meeting with people interested in HIV/AIDS prevention services in the city. The meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. June [...]
Lesbian couples claim they are being treated unfairly
Two lesbian couples, one in Lansing and the other in Grand Rapids, are claiming two major social institutions have discriminated against them. Sarah Himes and her partner Cate tried to sign up for a family membership rate at the Lansing area YMCAs. [...]
Michigan Pride co-chair looks back on finding her pride
{LANSING -} For 37-year-old Candice Reisner of Jackson, coming out was a stuggle that ultimately cemented her pride in herself and the LBGT community. She marks her coming out by the day Ellen Degeneres came out. "Jackson county is – wow, it is a [...]
Gay rights advocate' in west Michigan high school beaten, police say
Police in Wayland, Mich., are investigating an attack by two 14-year-old girls on a third girl in Wayland Union High School. The victim was identified as a supporter of gay rights. The June 10 attack was purposely recorded on a cell phone video by [...]
Fireworks over plan for gay pride event resolved
LANSING – Michigan Pride sighed with relief Monday night after the Lansing City Council approved a fireworks display permit, despite objections from the heads of the parks department, fire department and police department. The fireworks display [...]
Freshman girls beat on 'gay rights advocate' in west Michigan high school, police say
WAYLAND – Police in Wayland are investigating an attack by two 14-year-old girls on a third girl in Wayland Union High School. The victim was identified as a supporter of gay rights. The June 10 attack was purposely recorded on a cell phone video [...]
Familiar face in LBGT politics to bid the state good-bye
In April of 1997, Sean Kosofsky was then a recent graduate of Oakland University with a degree in political science. On the twenty-third day of that month, something happened which charted his course for the next eleven and half years — he stood [...]
Feisty Obama comes out swinging in Troy appearance
BTL Capitol Reporter TROY – With over 1,000 enthusiastic and energetic fans in attendance Monday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) laid out the problems in America he wants to fix and drew a sharp contrast with the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. [...]
Edwards endorses Obama, Pride PAC follows suit
GRAND RAPIDS — With over 15,000 screaming supporters of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination looking on, Obama delivered some political theatre of his own here on Wednesday. He brought former opponent and [...]
Lansing community groups rally to clean up anti-gay graffiti
LANSING- An upsetting display of homophobia turned into a community clean up on April 26 in Lansing's Old Town. Residents and business owners responded to a series of anti-gay tags spray-painted on buildings in the city's trendy Old Town district [...]
ansing neighborhood marred with anti-gay graffiti
Capital Correspondent LANSING- Residents and business owners are responding to a series of anti-gay tags spray painted on buildings in the city's historic Old Town late Tuesday night, or early Wednesday morning. The area is known for its artist [...]
HRC leader stands by non-inclusive ENDA decision
Capitol Correspondent ANN ARBOR – Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign in Washington D.C., told BTL last week that he and his organization stood by their decision to support a non-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act bill [...]