Todd Heywood
Two Gay Men Vie for Same Seat on Ingham County Commission
LANSING — Two openly gay men are vying to replace Democrat Rebecca Bahar-Cook on the Ingham County Commission. Democrats Ryan Sebolt, 33, and Wyatt Ludman, 21, will face off on the Aug. 2 Democratic primary. The winner of that primary is expected [...]
Yoga Studio Serves as LGBTQ Safe Space in Lansing
Tucked in the shadow of Lansing's coal fired power plant, and across the street from that plant's replacement natural gas electricity generation station, is a small yoga studio. Its owner is Belinda Thurston, a former journalist and bisexual. She's [...]
HIV Bias, Discrimination Alleged in Cass County
Corey Rangel speaks with a reporter as his supporters protest the discrimination. Photo: Brad Gorman. Police in Dowagiac, Michigan say they were just investigating a "possible crime," but advocates call it a "witch hunt" and a "fishing expedition." [...]
Secretary of State Office Agrees to Assist Trans Residents with Gender Marker Changes
In a reversal of previous policy by the Republican secretary of state, some transgender and gender non-conforming Michiganders could soon see their state issued driver's licenses and identifications reflect their gender identity. On March 17, [...]
Protecting Adoptable Pets in Michigan
In April of 2012, a Michigan State University medical student accepted a plea deal for killing at least 12 Italian greyhound puppies. The puppies, contemporary reports said, were ordered from out of state puppy mills and Andrew Thompson, then 25, [...]
Study: 'Rare' Infection During PrEP
Out of the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in Boston last week came news of a 43-year-old gay man who seroconverted despite being compliant with the drug taken for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. But scientists [...]
Primary Vote Predictions
Polling for the March 8 Presidential primaries in Michigan are putting former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on top of the Democratic race and millionaire reality television star Donald J. Trump on top of the GOP race. "I think we could [...]
Trump Tangles With White Supremacy Support
Donald Trump has been dogged for failing to immediately reject support from the KKK. In an interview with ABC's Jake Tapper Sunday, Trump was asked about David Duke, the former leader of the KKK, and his endorsement. He was also asked about the [...]
Retired Judge David Gernant Has Eyes on 80th District Seat
As former State Rep. Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell, was facing expulsion from the state House, retired Oregon Judge David Gernant decided it was time to throw his hat in the ring. He'd grown up in southwest Michigan and had returned after retiring from [...]
New Report Shines Light on LGBT People in US Criminal Justice System
Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails LGBT People Published Feb. 23 A new report from the independent Movement Advancement Project in Washington DC is shining a light on the plight of LGBT people caught up in the nation's criminal [...]
Fair Michigan Had $1 Million on Hand
The now suspended campaign to amend the Michigan constitution to provide civil rights protections for women and the LGBT community had just over $1 million in cash on hand earlier this month when it filed its campaign finance reports. The report [...]
Mysterious Rashes Plague Flint Water Consumers
Shortly after the city of Flint shifted its water source from Detroit-provided water to water drawn from the notoriously polluted Flint River, clients at Wellness Services, Inc. in Flint began to complain. The water smelled. It was rusty, often [...]