Michigan LGBTQ+ News, Entertainment and Community Coverage
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Michigan LGBTQ+ Fall Arts Guide: Theater, Music and Exhibits
Michigan art organizations are spending the fall inviting audiences to explore identity, community and discovery â whether through a new musical about astronaut [...]Read more about Michigan LGBTQ+ Fall Arts Guide: Theater, Music and Exhibits
Kal Penn Has Never Paid for a Drink at a Lesbian Bar
We know him as Kumar in the âHarold & Kumarâ movies, but Kal Penn has spent the past two decades happily refusing to stay in one lane. He left acting for a [...]Read more about Kal Penn Has Never Paid for a Drink at a Lesbian Bar
Remembering Sharon Hughes, Drag Queen Nickki Stevens' Mom and Gigi's Beloved 'Purple Angel'
Sharon Hughes, the mother of Detroit drag icon Nickki Stevens and a fixture at Gigi's Gay Bar for nearly 30 years, died Saturday, Sept. 19. She was 80.Her [...]Read more about Remembering Sharon Hughes, Drag Queen Nickki Stevens' Mom and Gigi's Beloved 'Purple Angel'
Michigan Porn Star Dom King Talks âCrush House,â Mencrushâs New Gay Reality Show
Ten porn creators walk into a Baja California villa expecting a week of sex, sun and content collaborations. Instead, they find out theyâre on a reality [...]Read more about Michigan Porn Star Dom King Talks âCrush House,â Mencrushâs New Gay Reality Show
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2026 Election
HRC Endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's US Senate Race
The Human Rights Campaign PAC has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, calling the Detroit Democrat a "pro-equality champion" [...]Read more about HRC Endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's US Senate Race
El-Sayed Turns Tables on Watters in Fiery Fox News Clash Over Trans Healthcare
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed used an unlikely question to expose what he called conservative hypocrisy on medical decisions for minors, [...]Read more about El-Sayed Turns Tables on Watters in Fiery Fox News Clash Over Trans Healthcare
Democrats Are Trying to Disqualify Trans Candidates. Here's How.
This article was originally published by Uncloseted Media.Editor's note: Uncloseted Media is one of a growing number of independent, queer-led newsrooms [...]Read more about Democrats Are Trying to Disqualify Trans Candidates. Here's How.
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary as LGBTQ+ Candidates Make Historic Gains
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's closely watched U.S. Senate Democratic primary Tuesday with 49% of the vote, narrowly edging out moderate U.S. Rep. Haley [...]Read more about Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary as LGBTQ+ Candidates Make Historic Gains
Haley Stevens Faces Backlash Over Ad Featuring Anti-LGBTQ+ Pastor
With just one day before Michiganâs Aug. 4 Democratic Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens released a campaign ad featuring Bishop Christopher Martin of [...]Read more about Haley Stevens Faces Backlash Over Ad Featuring Anti-LGBTQ+ Pastor
Why Trans Candidate J. Aaron 'Lola' Bailey Isn't Waiting for 'Someone Else' to Fix Her City
Mount Pleasant gets forgotten about. That's what J. Aaron "Lola" Bailey says when asked about her city, and she's right. A mid-Michigan city [...]Read more about Why Trans Candidate J. Aaron 'Lola' Bailey Isn't Waiting for 'Someone Else' to Fix Her City
Michigan
Pride Source Queer News In Brief: Affirmations Honors Local Leaders, Give Like Dolly Day, Calvin U. Same-Sex Wedding Case Hits the Michigan Supreme Court
Fall is filling up fast across Michigan's LGBTQ+ community. This weekend, Affirmations hands out its annual Aff Five Awards to a lineup of longtime [...]Read more about Pride Source Queer News In Brief: Affirmations Honors Local Leaders, Give Like Dolly Day, Calvin U. Same-Sex Wedding Case Hits the Michigan Supreme Court
A Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Students in Michigan Schools Is Running Out of Money
For 25 years, the Michigan LGBTQ+ Students Project has worked to make schools safer for the state's LGBTQ+ youth, at a moment when many of those students [...]Read more about A Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Students in Michigan Schools Is Running Out of Money
$360,000 and Counting: School Districts Are Spending Big Bucks to Fight Anti-Trans Lawsuits
This story first appeared on Uncloseted Media. Editor's note: As a fellow queer independent outlet, we admire the kind of deep, sustained journalism [...]Read more about $360,000 and Counting: School Districts Are Spending Big Bucks to Fight Anti-Trans Lawsuits
Christian Styles, Metro Detroit Adult Performer, Dies at 29
Christian Styles, a gay adult performer and content creator with Michigan roots, has died at 29. His family confirmed his death in an obituary stating he passed [...]Read more about Christian Styles, Metro Detroit Adult Performer, Dies at 29
Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies Entrapment Standard After Stings Targeted LGBTQ+ Men
The Michigan Supreme Court has issued its opinion in People v. Jade, a ruling that reshapes how courts across the state must evaluate entrapment claims arising [...]Read more about Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies Entrapment Standard After Stings Targeted LGBTQ+ Men
How Detroit's Naked Adventure Club Is Redefining Community, One Clothing-Optional Gathering at a Time
On any given summer weekend in metro Detroit, you might spot a group of friends gathered by the water, laughing, catching up or wading in for a swim. [...]Read more about How Detroit's Naked Adventure Club Is Redefining Community, One Clothing-Optional Gathering at a Time
Entertainment
See Funky Art in Ferndale, Turn a Wine Bar Lesbian, Shop at the TransFuse Night Market
September is doing that Michigan thing where it cannot decide whether you should be wearing shorts, a hoodie or both (let's be real here: you're going [...]Read more about See Funky Art in Ferndale, Turn a Wine Bar Lesbian, Shop at the TransFuse Night Market
Rage with Lambrini Girls, Attend Ruth Ellis Center Gala, Go Up North for Pride, Help Shape the Next Hotter Than July
Get Noisy With Queer Punks, Take Pride Up North, Network Before BreakfastWho said September can't be fun? Well, probably your ninth grade algebra teacher, [...]Read more about Rage with Lambrini Girls, Attend Ruth Ellis Center Gala, Go Up North for Pride, Help Shape the Next Hotter Than July
A Queer Detroit Artist Finds Her Place in Rural Michigan
The first time I set up a table at the local farmers market, people barely made eye contact, let alone opened their wallets. I was a tattooed, masc, blue-haired [...]Read more about A Queer Detroit Artist Finds Her Place in Rural Michigan
Madonna Is a Queer Icon. I Finally Get It.
I have a confession to make. Up until recently, I didn't really understand why everyone loved Madonna so much. I didn't think the Michigan native was [...]Read more about Madonna Is a Queer Icon. I Finally Get It.
Remembering Dolly Parton and Her LGBTQ+ Allyship: âWhy Wouldn't I Stand Up for Everybody?'
Here's the thing nobody's obituary is going to lead with, so I will: Dolly Parton picked up the phone for queer press. Not just the glossies with the [...]Read more about Remembering Dolly Parton and Her LGBTQ+ Allyship: âWhy Wouldn't I Stand Up for Everybody?'
Detroit Artist Bakpak Durden Paints the Beauty of Becoming
When most people first encounter Detroit artist Bakpak Durden, they're looking up at a photorealistic mural more than four stories tall. Towering above the [...]Read more about Detroit Artist Bakpak Durden Paints the Beauty of Becoming
Opinions
Doing It For the Clicks: Boebertjuice Boebertjuice Boebertjuice
It's been a long time since I thought about Lauren Boebert. I think the last time she was on my radar was when she was giving Beetlejuice handies to some [...]Read more about Doing It For the Clicks: Boebertjuice Boebertjuice Boebertjuice
Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur Shows She's Just As Anti-Trans As Her Opponent
Stop telling trans people they have to vote for anti-trans Democrats. Stop telling them they'll be responsible for the fall of democracy unless they [...]Read more about Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur Shows She's Just As Anti-Trans As Her Opponent
A Trans Woman Invented the Tech Behind Your Smartphone in 1965. (And Then IBM Fired Her, Obviously.)
Pride season may be behind us, but the transphobia and legal attacks to which it was a defiant answer haven't gone anywhere. The parades end, the flags [...]Read more about A Trans Woman Invented the Tech Behind Your Smartphone in 1965. (And Then IBM Fired Her, Obviously.)
Democrats Wonât Win by Giving in to Transphobia
I was at a concert recently and a person next to me was wearing a cross-body bag that read, âSpeak Up for Your LGBTQ+ Friends.â This person appeared to be your [...]Read more about Democrats Wonât Win by Giving in to Transphobia
Trump Is Targeting the Smithsonian. My LGBTQ+ History Is Inside It.
Thereâs been something troubling me for the last couple of years about what the Trump administration has been doing. It affects me personally, but Iâve mostly [...]Read more about Trump Is Targeting the Smithsonian. My LGBTQ+ History Is Inside It.
Rethinking Masculinity: What Queer and Trans People Taught Me About Being a Man
I was the youngest âgirlâ â meaning assigned girl â in a large Midwestern farm family in the 1970s. We didn't talk much about gender, but masculinity [...]Read more about Rethinking Masculinity: What Queer and Trans People Taught Me About Being a Man
Trans Topics
Michigan Celebrates First Transgender and Nonbinary Pride Month
Michigan's LGBTQ+ community is celebrating its first Transgender and Nonbinary Pride and History Month this August, an initiative born from one [...]Read more about Michigan Celebrates First Transgender and Nonbinary Pride Month
Education Department Opens Parental Rights Case Against Ann Arbor Schools Over Transgender Policy
The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it is taking action against Ann Arbor Public Schools for what it believes to be likely violations of [...]Read more about Education Department Opens Parental Rights Case Against Ann Arbor Schools Over Transgender Policy
Transgender Rights Are Not a Purity Test for Democrats
I have always voted for Democrats. This means that for much of my voting life, Iâve been voting for people who did not support my right to marry or adopt a [...]Read more about Transgender Rights Are Not a Purity Test for Democrats
Toni Mua, Trans Candidate for Michigan Legislature, Has Faced Bricks and Ballot Challenges. She's Still Knocking on Doors.
When Toni Mua first ran for Michigan's state legislature in 2022, she put her deadname on the ballot. She didn't make a big deal of it â running as a [...]Read more about Toni Mua, Trans Candidate for Michigan Legislature, Has Faced Bricks and Ballot Challenges. She's Still Knocking on Doors.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Transgender Athlete Bans in Idaho, West Virginia
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday kept in place state laws banning transgender athletes from participating on womenâs and girlsâ sports teams.The decision stems [...]Read more about U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Transgender Athlete Bans in Idaho, West Virginia
Navigation by North Star: A Reflection on 18 Months of Transitioning
I sometimes sleep so deeply that it takes some seconds after waking to remember who I am and what's happening in my life. Recently, during one such [...]Read more about Navigation by North Star: A Reflection on 18 Months of Transitioning
