University of Michigan
When Allyship Looks Different: 9 People Showing Up for the LGBTQ+ Community
Allyship doesn't always look the way we expect. It's not always the loudest voice in the room, or the most predictable place. Sometimes it's an [...]Read more about When Allyship Looks Different: 9 People Showing Up for the LGBTQ+ Community
LGBTQ+ Senior Housing Takes Center Stage at a Free Summit This Weekend
When University of Michigan researcher Beth Glover Reed led a housing survey for the HOMES Coalition in 2024, the findings were sobering. Ninety percent of [...]Read more about LGBTQ+ Senior Housing Takes Center Stage at a Free Summit This Weekend
LGBTQ+ Seniors in Michigan Navigate a Housing System That Wasn't Built for Them
America's housing crisis lands hardest on the people least equipped to absorb it. For LGBTQ+ seniors, finding affordable, affirming housing carries stakes [...]Read more about LGBTQ+ Seniors in Michigan Navigate a Housing System That Wasn't Built for Them
Gretchen Whitmer Reflects on Her LGBTQ+ Legacy (So Far) and the Gay Daughter Who Shaped It
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer isn't just a regular mom — she's a cool mom. She'll tell you herself. Or rather, her outfit will. She strides into the [...]Read more about Gretchen Whitmer Reflects on Her LGBTQ+ Legacy (So Far) and the Gay Daughter Who Shaped It
Deadnamed and Done With It, This Former Megachurch Pastor Is Focused on Your Power Bill
The Wayne County Clerk made it official May 12: Joanna Whaley is on the August primary ballot, and no amount of legal maneuvering from a fellow Democrat is [...]Read more about Deadnamed and Done With It, This Former Megachurch Pastor Is Focused on Your Power Bill
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Backs Five Michigan Candidates in 2026 Races
With Michigan's Aug. 4 primary drawing closer, five candidates across the state have earned endorsements from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the national [...]Read more about LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Backs Five Michigan Candidates in 2026 Races
Seven Fingers and a Six Pack: Is AI Selling Queer Parties?
Fists clenched, nipples mirrored like identical twins — their bodies are practically carbon copies. You could call them “boyfriend twins” or, if you’re feeling [...]Read more about Seven Fingers and a Six Pack: Is AI Selling Queer Parties?
Take a Hike in Queer Community, Cheer on the Pistons, Celebrate LGBTQ+ Academia
It’s that late-winter moment in Michigan when the sun lingers just long enough to make us believe in hope again. The crocuses are plotting. Your group chat is [...]Read more about Take a Hike in Queer Community, Cheer on the Pistons, Celebrate LGBTQ+ Academia
Michigan's LGBTQ+ Commission Turns Community Stories Into State Policy
The Michigan LGBTQ+ Commission doesn't have its own budget. Its 15 members work without pay. Yet over the past two years, they've helped shape some of [...]Read more about Michigan's LGBTQ+ Commission Turns Community Stories Into State Policy
Lessons From Michigan's LGBTQ+ Trailblazers for a New Year
Over the past year, our “Where Are They Now?” series has reconnected readers with some of Michigan’s most influential LGBTQ+ advocates — people who built the [...]Read more about Lessons From Michigan's LGBTQ+ Trailblazers for a New Year
22 Pride Source Stories from 2025 We Can't Stop Thinking About
From a biochemist-turned-activist organizing rallies in nine state capitals to a rural Upper Peninsula salon owner facing vandalism for welcoming trans youth, [...]Read more about 22 Pride Source Stories from 2025 We Can't Stop Thinking About
2025 Was A Shitshow. Will 2026 Be Better? Probably Not!
Happy New Year. Maybe. We’ll see!Let’s face it: We are not in a good place. And by we, I mean this country. A country that claims it is the best in the world [...]Read more about 2025 Was A Shitshow. Will 2026 Be Better? Probably Not!
Is It Ever Too Late? Geriatric Gender Transitioning and the Race Against Time
I know. The thought of getting old makes you uncomfortable. If you're young, you try not to think of it at all. Consequently, gender transitioning late in [...]Read more about Is It Ever Too Late? Geriatric Gender Transitioning and the Race Against Time
Oklahoma University Offers Exciting New Degree in Anti-Transgender Ideology
A long, long time ago, in a distant era, I used to teach writing at the University of Michigan. I was a lecturer, which is much different than a professor. I [...]Read more about Oklahoma University Offers Exciting New Degree in Anti-Transgender Ideology
Why This Detroit Therapist Is Reclaiming 'Slut' in New Book on Sexual Shame
For five years, Natasha Wilson thought about fonts. About the perfect "s" for "slut." About how a single letter could carry the weight of [...]Read more about Why This Detroit Therapist Is Reclaiming 'Slut' in New Book on Sexual Shame
Navigating Trauma Caused by Healthcare — and Why LGBTQ+ Folks Are Impacted More Often
I was a nurse with more than 20 years of clinical experience when I developed a raging infection after a knee replacement. Let's just say the words [...]Read more about Navigating Trauma Caused by Healthcare — and Why LGBTQ+ Folks Are Impacted More Often
Lansing City Council Unanimously Declares City an LGBTQ+ Welcoming Community
Amid growing public concerns about LGBTQ+ safety, Lansing will become an LGBTQ+ Welcoming City after a unanimous vote by city council members at their Oct. 13 [...]Read more about Lansing City Council Unanimously Declares City an LGBTQ+ Welcoming Community
Michigan's LGBTQ+ Pioneers Take Center Stage In PBS Detroit Special — Watch the Video Here!
LGBTQ+ History Month has been observed each October since 1994, when Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson proposed the idea. Wilson chose October [...]Read more about Michigan's LGBTQ+ Pioneers Take Center Stage In PBS Detroit Special — Watch the Video Here!
Fear and Defiance as Michigan Health Systems End Gender-Affirming Care
At the intersection of Fuller Road and Medical Center Drive outside the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, a wave of chants criticizing the health [...]Read more about Fear and Defiance as Michigan Health Systems End Gender-Affirming Care
Corewell Health Ends Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth in Michigan (Again)
Corewell Health has announced it will no longer provide gender-affirming hormonal therapies and puberty blockers to minors, making it the second major Michigan [...]Read more about Corewell Health Ends Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth in Michigan (Again)
Fall Into Washtenaw County’s Best Seasonal Experiences
After an eventful summer season, fall is a perfect time to slow down and reclaim your peace of mind. Soak up the sensation of crisp autumn air, admire the [...]Read more about Fall Into Washtenaw County’s Best Seasonal Experiences
Catching Up with Kathy Kozachenko, the Ann Arbor Trailblazer Who Became America's First Openly Lesbian Elected Official
Ann Arbor made history in 1974 when Kathy Kozachenko became the first openly lesbian candidate elected to any city council in the United States. Now living in [...]Read more about Catching Up with Kathy Kozachenko, the Ann Arbor Trailblazer Who Became America's First Openly Lesbian Elected Official
The Latest School Shooter May Have Been Transgender — and We Will Get the Blame
Unhinged. Gun nut. Transgender. There was yet another horrific school shooting today, and all of these descriptors have applied to the presumed shooter. Which [...]Read more about The Latest School Shooter May Have Been Transgender — and We Will Get the Blame
Nessel Blasts UM Medicine Decision as 'Shameful and Potentially Illegal'
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has sharply criticized the University of Michigan health system for suspending gender-affirming care for transgender [...]Read more about Nessel Blasts UM Medicine Decision as 'Shameful and Potentially Illegal'
University Of Michigan Health Pauses Gender-Affirming Care As Advocates Mobilize Support Networks
The University of Michigan Health system announced it will pause gender-affirming hormone therapies and puberty blockers for patients under 19 following a [...]Read more about University Of Michigan Health Pauses Gender-Affirming Care As Advocates Mobilize Support Networks
Queer and Immigrant Artists Reclaimed: U-M Exhibition Spotlights Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith
Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith had a lot in common. They were neighbors. They were artists. They were pioneers in the geometric abstraction movement.And [...]Read more about Queer and Immigrant Artists Reclaimed: U-M Exhibition Spotlights Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith
How Three Decades of Hotter Than July Built Detroit's Black LGBTQ+ Legacy
This summer, Hotter Than July: Detroit's Black LGBTQ+ Pride celebrates its 30th anniversary as the world's longest-running, uninterrupted Black LGBTQ+ [...]Read more about How Three Decades of Hotter Than July Built Detroit's Black LGBTQ+ Legacy
Ann Arbor Gets a Queer Mural with Bears, Twinks and Apple Blossoms
The vibrant mural covering one wall at Uplift, an LGBTQ+ bar in Ann Arbor, pulses with the unmistakable energy of Keith Haring's iconic style. A closer [...]Read more about Ann Arbor Gets a Queer Mural with Bears, Twinks and Apple Blossoms
Saddle Up For Anti-Fascist Librarians In Ann Arbor District Library's 2025 Big Gay Read
The Ann Arbor District Library's fifth annual Big Gay Read brings together readers across Southeast Michigan for a month of community engagement around [...]Read more about Saddle Up For Anti-Fascist Librarians In Ann Arbor District Library's 2025 Big Gay Read
Your Story, Your Health: Local Study Aims to Improve LGBTQ+ Care
With anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policy rollbacks on the rise, it's easy to feel powerless. But a study from the University of Michigan offers a tangible way [...]Read more about Your Story, Your Health: Local Study Aims to Improve LGBTQ+ Care
America's Prettiest Girl: The Remarkable Story of Gender-Bending Trailblazer Lionel 'Iron Mike' Ames
In an era decades before "RuPaul's Drag Race" or political battles over drag performers, a University of Michigan student named Lionel "Iron [...]Read more about America's Prettiest Girl: The Remarkable Story of Gender-Bending Trailblazer Lionel 'Iron Mike' Ames
Michigan Universities Split on Trump DEI Order as LGBTQ+ Students Face Pressures
While Michigan State joins a Big Ten resistance coalition defending diversity programs, the University of Michigan's president, Santa Ono, is heading for [...]Read more about Michigan Universities Split on Trump DEI Order as LGBTQ+ Students Face Pressures
'Rent,' 'Hamilton' Producer Jeffrey Seller Returns to Detroit with Memoir about Growing up Gay, Transforming Broadway
Jeffrey Seller, one of America's most successful Broadway producers, returns home May 6 to launch his memoir "Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir," a [...]Read more about 'Rent,' 'Hamilton' Producer Jeffrey Seller Returns to Detroit with Memoir about Growing up Gay, Transforming Broadway
As Universities Cancel Lavender Graduations, Reflecting on Michigan Pioneer Ronni Sanlo's Founding of Beloved Tradition
In recent weeks, several universities across the United States have abruptly canceled their Lavender Graduation ceremonies, leaving LGBTQ+ students without [...]Read more about As Universities Cancel Lavender Graduations, Reflecting on Michigan Pioneer Ronni Sanlo's Founding of Beloved Tradition
No Room for Creeps: Stand for Trans Dignity on Transgender Day of Visibility and Every Day
I’m writing this column on International Transgender Day of Visibility. Michigan’s own transgender activist Rachel Crandall Crocker founded TDoV in 2010. She [...]Read more about No Room for Creeps: Stand for Trans Dignity on Transgender Day of Visibility and Every Day
How Tech Can Empower Trans Communities: This Michigan Author Explores the Possibilities
Transgender Day of Visibility is a complex topic for Oliver Haimson. On one hand, he says he loves finding and leaning on community, especially through [...]Read more about How Tech Can Empower Trans Communities: This Michigan Author Explores the Possibilities
'Our Community Is Resilient’: Facing Some Challenges, Michigan Leans into Grassroots Support for Pride 2025
As Pride season approaches across Michigan, organizers are demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of mounting challenges. From funding concerns to [...]Read more about 'Our Community Is Resilient’: Facing Some Challenges, Michigan Leans into Grassroots Support for Pride 2025
Catching Up with Influential Early Michigan Trans Advocate André Wilson
André Wilson helped make the University of Michigan one of the first institutions in America to cover gender-affirming care (GAC) in 2005 as lead negotiator for [...]Read more about Catching Up with Influential Early Michigan Trans Advocate André Wilson
University of Michigan's 'Our Oz' Reimagines a Classic with a Trans Lion and a Queer Cast
Actors are often asked to leave behind their own identities and lose themselves in a character of someone else’s creation.But at the University of Michigan [...]Read more about University of Michigan's 'Our Oz' Reimagines a Classic with a Trans Lion and a Queer Cast
When Pleasure Becomes a Protest: The Fight Over Who Gets to Enjoy Sex
"It is precisely at times such as these, when we live with the possibility of unthinkable destruction, that people are likely to become dangerously crazy [...]Read more about When Pleasure Becomes a Protest: The Fight Over Who Gets to Enjoy Sex
From Netflix to Ann Arbor: ‘Nate’ Brings Gender-Bending Comedy to UMS
Natalie Palamides considers herself a “clowner” — a type of comedian whose sets rely on audience interaction and engagement, the use of props and a certain [...]Read more about From Netflix to Ann Arbor: ‘Nate’ Brings Gender-Bending Comedy to UMS
Finding Joy in the Fight: Jay Kaplan's Decades of LGBTQ+ Advocacy in Michigan
In the darkest days of Michigan's LGBTQ+ history, when marriage equality seemed impossible and discrimination protections were a distant dream, Jay Kaplan [...]Read more about Finding Joy in the Fight: Jay Kaplan's Decades of LGBTQ+ Advocacy in Michigan
Rebirth in Action: How Renowned Opera Futurist Yuval Sharon Is Transforming the Art Form for Detroit Audiences
If, as Detroit Opera artistic director Yuval Sharon writes, “rebirth is opera’s true power,” then he embodies that potential, continually reshaping the art form [...]Read more about Rebirth in Action: How Renowned Opera Futurist Yuval Sharon Is Transforming the Art Form for Detroit Audiences
For ‘Lara Croft Is My Family’ Comic Artist Carta Monir, Her Life Is Her Art
Anni Arbour is an award-winning, bestselling author and journalist. Based in Ann Arbor, Anni attended both Eastern Michigan University and the University of [...]Read more about For ‘Lara Croft Is My Family’ Comic Artist Carta Monir, Her Life Is Her Art
Where Are They Now? Catching Up with Ronni Sanlo, LGBTQ+ Education Trailblazer and Storyteller
Our "Where Are They Now?" series will get you up-to-date on the lives of LGBTQ+ community advocates who have contributed to Michigan with years of [...]Read more about Where Are They Now? Catching Up with Ronni Sanlo, LGBTQ+ Education Trailblazer and Storyteller
Go to the Roller Derby, Get Tickets for Dave Koz, Relax at an LGBTQ-Friendly Game Night
As LGBTQ+ Americans process the election outcome, many of us feel a mix of frustration, resilience and renewed determination. In a political climate that [...]Read more about Go to the Roller Derby, Get Tickets for Dave Koz, Relax at an LGBTQ-Friendly Game Night
Don't Overlook Progressive Judge Candidates Like Kerene Moore on Your 2024 Election Ballot: These Key Figures Are Critical for LGBTQ+ Rights
Ahead of the 2024 general election, Pride Source asked community leaders to weigh in on the important issues facing the Michigan LGBTQ+ community. Keith Orr, [...]Read more about Don't Overlook Progressive Judge Candidates Like Kerene Moore on Your 2024 Election Ballot: These Key Figures Are Critical for LGBTQ+ Rights
