LGBT Detroit is a
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
serving the
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
lesbian
A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
,
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
,
bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
and
transgender
A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth.
The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
(
LGBTQ
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
) population of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, and nearby communities.
LGBT Detroit's mission is "to increase awareness of and support to Detroit's dynamic LGBT community through education and advocacy with integrity and pride." Their aim is to implement LGBT affirming programs, services, projects and special events; and to partner with other
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
organizations and allies with similar beliefs.
The organization is a member of
CenterLink
CenterLink is an American LGBT organization which was founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong, sustainable, LGBTQ community centers.
CenterLink produces an annual Leadership Summit for executive direct ...
,
Midtown Detroit, Inc., the
National Black Justice Coalition
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is an American civil rights organization serving primarily Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people. Since 2003, NBJC has collaborated with national civil rights groups and LGBT org ...
, Center for Black Equality, and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.
History
LGBT Detroit began as Kick Publishing Company (a for-profit business) in 1994
by Curtis Lipscomb.
The publication was created to inform the LGBT community of issues relative to LGBT African Americans. Kick Publishing Company was the third black LGBT media company created in America. The publication and various other publications were distributed to national gay and straight retailers. The publishers of magazine soon got involved in sponsoring many LGBT events, and ultimately in 1996 members of the staff of ''KICK! Magazine'' created and formed the non-profit Detroit Black Gay Pride, Inc., the organizers of
Hotter Than July!,
which is Detroit's black LGBT weekend pride celebration.
The organization was founded as a nonprofit organization, known as KICK – The Agency for LGBT African Americans, in 2003 with the help of Detroit LGBT residents. The organization moved into an office in
Midtown Detroit
Midtown Detroit is a List of neighborhoods in Detroit, commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of M-1 (Michigan highway), Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center, Detroit, New Cent ...
in 2007.
In 2011, The Center in Detroit opened to provide the LGBT and allied community a safe meeting space in Detroit.
The organization began discussing its name and brand in June 2013, and in May 2015 changed its name from KICK to LGBT Detroit.
See also
*
List of LGBT community centers in the United States
LGBTQ community centers are safe meeting places for all people. Prior to the gay liberation movement, there were no LGBTQ community centers in the United States. They became popular in the 1980s following activism to combat HIV/AIDS in the LGBT ...
*
LGBT culture in Metro Detroit
The LGBT community in Metro Detroit is centered in Ferndale, Michigan, as of 2007. As of 1997, many LGBT people live in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak, Michigan, Royal Oak. ''Model D'' stated in 2007 that there a ...
*
History of the African Americans in Metro Detroit
References
External links
*
LGBT Detroit on GuideStar
{{LGBT in Michigan
1994 establishments in Michigan
African-American history in Detroit
African-American LGBTQ organizations
LGBTQ culture in Detroit
LGBTQ community centers in the United States
LGBTQ in Michigan
LGBTQ political advocacy groups in Michigan
Organizations based in Detroit
Organizations established in 1994
Social justice organizations