SOGI #1 – Sean Kosofsky Comes Home to Talk about Bullying (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 4, 2016) Troy, MI – An Oakland University graduate and longtime advocate for LGBT equality, Sean Kosofsky, returned to Michigan to be the keynote speaker for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues in Education Conference on Jan. 29. The…
Affirmations, State’s Largest LGBT Center, Ends Helpline Program (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 10, 2015) Ferndale, MI – Where can LGBT people, and those seeking information about LGBT issues, turn when they need someone to talk to about the unique problems faced by being in the queer community? For the last 27 years, that answer has…
Nessel Talks to Students about Supreme Court Win, Next Fight (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 16, 2015) When the case of DeBoer v. Snyder made it to the Supreme Court and found success among other cases securing the right of same-sex couples to marry, it happened because of many people coming together to argue, fund,…
The quickly growing Queer for Books Book Club has announced their book picks for July and August. On Saturday, July 23, the group will be discussing Band Fags! By Frank Anthony Polito, a book following Jack, a boy discovering the complicated nature of sexuality, through 1980s Hazel Park, Mich., as he grows up amidst Atari, Dallas and life in the school band…
…There are couples who have open adoptions where the birth mother is involved in the child’s life. There are those whose children come from overseas, and those from closer to home. There are families with same-sex parents, families with single parents and parents-to-be who are in various stages in the adoption process…
“Every team takes on a collaborative personality,” Ryan said. “This team of all the teams I remember has required the least training and direction. They banded together from the beginning and I admire their long term vision.”
…Incidents like this are easily avoidable if bicyclists follow the traffic laws, and if drivers learn to keep their eyes open for pedestrians and bicyclists…
On June 27, 2011, Affirmations announced the selection of its next Executive Director, Antonio David Garcia. Garcia, who currently serves as the Executive Director at the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center, will take over for Interim CEO Kevin Howley and starts his position August 15th.
The Second Annual SE Michigan Dyke March took place on June 4, 2011. 500 marchers chanted for equality as they moved through Downtown Ferndale and ended at Geary Park for an afternoon of music and memories.
The Motor City Bears are also a happy social circle, with frequent get togethers and even camping trips across the state. Their motto is “fun, fur and friends,” and some of their activities include movie nights, bowling, dinner parties, canoeing, Tiger baseball games, going to the zoo…(read more)
A passionate group of volunteers quickly got together to create events that celebrate Ferndale’s diversity on Pride Weekend, while not conflicting with the larger Detroit event.
Off the bat there were over 20 volunteers, led by…
The Summit was put on by a coalition of groups and individuals, including: ACLU of Michigan, Adult Well Being Services, Affirmations, Citizens for Better Care, Equality Michigan, Jewish Gay Network, the Jim Toy Community Center, and S.P.I.C.E. Information collected at the summit will be used to guide the coalition in working to solve the problems faced by the aging LGBT population.
The Ferndale Pride 2011 Planning Committee is in full swing as over 20 volunteers gathered last week to flesh out details of the three day celebration. From June 3-5 Ferndale will be host to many LGBT community events designed to complement the Motor City Pride Celebration taking place in Hart Plaza. Shuttles will run between the two events.
The transgender community came out in force on Saturday for the third annual Transgender Empowerment Day, held at Affirmations and organized by Transgender Detroit and Transgender Michigan. Various inclusive groups set up informational tables and presentations were done by the Department of Justice, a panel of transgender allies, and a transgender town hall meeting.
“It’s amazing,” said Gary Roberts, one of the founding members of Affirmations Board back in 1989. “Back then there were people who were afraid to sign the articles of incorporation because it was a public document. Look at how far we’ve come,” he said as he looked around at the sea of people openly celebrating their lives. He recalled how the organization moved around from small places and people’s houses, before moving to the old office in Ferndale, just a block away from their current 16,000 square foot community center where they serve more than 30,000 individuals each year.
…“This is one of our essential services,” said Affirmations Interim Executive Director Kevin Howley. “We are working on grant writing right now to keep this program funded because it serves the community in so many ways. Knowing that 43 more counselors are out there with a better understanding of LGBT client needs makes it a worthwhile way to not only help people here who need it, but the community as a whole. It’s great to think of LGBT acceptance spreading this way.”…
Ferndale’s Plans for Pride (Craig Covey, 3/14/2011) When community members learned of the impending move of the annual Gay Pride Festival by Motor City Pride this year to Detroit’s Hart Plaza from downtown Ferndale, there was an immediate and overwhelming desire by many to create events for Ferndale so that GLBT residents, allies, businesses, friends…
Do you and your band want to be a part of Pride? The event is being held in Hart Plaza in Detroit this year, and the Motor City Pride organizers are eager to bring together entertainers from throughout the region to make this the biggest Pride ever.
The Ringwald is managed by a board of five, that ultimately hopes the theatre can become a nonprofit organization. “We’ve got two Joes, two Jamies, and a Melissa,” Plambeck said. Jamie Richards, Jamie Warrow, and Melissa Beckwith take turns acting and directing the various shows…
Within a week of the announcement that Motor City Pride is moving from Downtown Ferndale to Hart Plaza in Detroit, Ferndalians are engaging in constructive dialogue about the move. Some hope for alternative events in Ferndale, some are calling for a boycott of the event, while others speak of ways to share the Pride throughout the area. Event organizers and City Leaders have come forward with their explanations of the change as they take in the reactions of those who are affected in the community.