The LGBT community in Metro Detroit is centered in

Ferndale, Michigan Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Ferndale borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a ...

, as of 2007. As of 1997, many LGBT people live in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and

Royal Oak The Royal Oak was the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House ...

. ''Model D'' stated in 2007 that there are populations of gays and lesbians in some Detroit neighborhoods such as East English Village, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, and

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of **Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

and that the concentration of

gay bars A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities. Gay bars once ...

in Detroit is "decentralized".

History

Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a Neighborhoods in Detroit, residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, "downtown" tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Michigan high ...

served as the center of the LGBT community. It later shifted to

New Center New Center is a commercial and residential district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile (1.6 km) north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles (5 km) north of Downtown. The area is centered just ...

. Around the 1970s, the gay community in Detroit was centered in Palmer Park. Due to crime occurring around Palmer Park in the 1980s, the LGBT community moved to Ferndale. Wendy Case of ''

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly newspaper located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. The ''Metro Times'' was an official sponsor of the now-defunct De ...

'' said, "Ask three different people what happened to Palmer Park and you'll get three different answers. But all will eventually agree that crime is what dismantled Detroit's opportunity to have a gay renaissance akin to those of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Craig Covey Craig Covey (born 1957) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Ferndale, Michigan from 2008 to 2011. He was the second openly gay mayor elected in the state of Michigan. A Democrat, he resigned the office in 2010 to take a seat on the ...

, who later became a member of the city council and mayor of Ferndale, said that most of the former gay residents of Palmer Park "tended to move up

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...

and they settled in Ferndale,

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

depending on their economic abilities. The middle-class folks came to Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge, as I did." Ferndale received the LGBT community because housing prices were higher in

and typically LGBT communities move into lower priced neighborhoods which are then revitalized. A law against discriminating against homosexuals was enacted by the City of Ferndale. Covey first ran for a city council in the City of Ferndale in 1995. He won a city council seat in Ferndale in 1999 and later became Mayor of Ferndale. In 2003, the Farbman Group, a real estate company renovating loft apartments in Detroit, began advertising to lesbians and gay men in an effort to get them to move into the complexes. By 2022, there were more tensions between the Muslim and

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, ...

voting groups in Dearborn and Hamtramck in regards to LGBTQ materials in schools. This was a political shift, in which Christian groups now courted Muslim groups which they previously opposed, in order to get more voters for politically conservative causes. On June 13, 2023, the Hamtramck City Council introduced a resolution prohibiting the display of flags representing "any religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation group" on city property, which was widely considered a targeted ban on the

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

. Following three hours of public comment, the Council passed the resolution unanimously. Current mayor Amer Ghalib opposed displaying the pride flag, while former Mayor Karen Majewski had supported displaying the LGBT pride flag.

Institutions

LGBT Detroit LGBT Detroit is a Michigan nonprofit organization serving the African American lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) population of Detroit, and nearby communities. LGBT Detroit's mission is "to increase awareness of and supp ...

(formerly KICK) is an organization that serves LGBT African-Americans. The

Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...

had a chapter in Detroit. Affirmations is a community center located in Ferndale. Affirmations is Michigan's largest LGBTQ community center and one of the 10 largest LGBTQ community centers in the country. The organization hosts a 15,000 square foot community space, art gallery, educational programming, health and wellness programming, cafe, youth center, library, and a resource desk. The

Ruth Ellis Center The Ruth Ellis Center (REC) is a social services agency in the Detroit area that serves the needs of Runaway (dependent), runaway, homelessness, homeless and at-risk lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) youth. REC is named ...

is a non-profit organization located in Highland Park that provides short and long-term residential safe space and support services for runaway, homeless, and at-risk lesbian, gay, bi-attractional, transgender, and questioning youth. Many of the local universities, including

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

, and

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, have on-campus LGBT resource centers.

Equality Michigan Equality Michigan is an Americans, American civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization serving Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community. Equality Michigan serves Michigan's LGBT community through victims servi ...

(formerly the Triangle Foundation) is a statewide political advocacy organization located in Detroit working towards the LGBT community's social, cultural, political, and economic wellbeing. SAGE Metro Detroit (formerly the LGBT Older Adult Coalition established in 2010) was established in 2015 "to build awareness and promote change so that LGBT older adults may age with dignity and authenticity". The Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce is located in Detroit and its mission is "to promote and empower our Metropolitan Detroit LGBT, allied business members, non-profit members, corporate partners and their employees through leadership, advocacy and education".

Recreation

Motor City Pride is held annually in Detroit. Ferndale Pride is held in Ferndale. Motor City Pride moved from Royal Oak to Ferndale in 2001, and it was held in Ferndale until 2011, when it moved to Detroit. Ferndale Pride was started that year. The "Hotter Than July!" annual LGBT festival, catering to black LGBT people, is held in Palmer Park in Detroit. In the 1940s, many gay men in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, went to Detroit, as it had several gay bars such as "Gay Paris". Some police officers in Windsor doing police work crossed the border and entered Detroit gay bars. Ruth Ellis, a black lesbian, held house parties at her residence known as "The Spot". It became a socializing place for black lesbians and gay men, allowing them to avoid heterosexism and racism. Ellis, who was featured in the documentary ''Living With Pride'', was the oldest known black woman who identified as a lesbian until October 2001, when she died. She lived in Detroit until her death.

Media

The newspaper '' Between The Lines'' and the website ''

PrideSource ''Between the Lines'' is an LGBT newspaper in the Michigan area. It is headquartered in Livonia, Metro Detroit.About Us
." ''P ...

'', published by Pride Source Media Group, LLC (PSMG), are headquartered in

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

. The company opened in 1995. A collective named the Gay Liberator had formed itself from the Gay Community Center and the Detroit GLF; this collective published the ''Gay Liberator''. An LGBT

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

, Reel Pride Michigan, ran from 2002 through 2008 in Royal Oak.

Hotter Than July ''Hotter than July'' is the nineteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on September 29, 1980, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Wonder primarily recorded the album in Los Angeles, Cali ...

has hosted a film festival since 2008 as part of their annual festivities. The film festival continued through at least 2016. In 2017, a film festival for

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

filmmakers, Trans Stellar Film Festival, was founded.

Education

In 2022, political controversies regarding LGBTQ materials in

Dearborn Public Schools The Dearborn City School District is a school district that includes the entire city of Dearborn, Michigan and a small portion of Dearborn Heights, both in Greater Detroit. Dearborn Public Schools is the third largest school district in Michiga ...

led to protests that advocated for removing certain books and counter-protests that advocated against districts removing such books. The district chose to discontinue holding seven titles. Much of the impetus for removing LGBTQ books was driven by conservative Muslim advocates, who were backed by conservative Christian advocates.

Notable residents

Notable LGBT people who have resided in the Metro Detroit area include: *

Eve Beglarian Eve Beglarian (born Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S., July 22, 1958) is a contemporary American composer, performer and audio producer of Armenian descent. Her music is often characterized as postminimalist.Woodard, Josef"A Bird’s Eye, a Wonderer’s E ...

(composer,

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

) *

Simone Bell Simone Bell is a community organizer and former politician from Atlanta, Georgia. A Democrat, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in December 2009 from the state's 58th district in DeKalb and Fulton counties, and served unt ...

(community organizer,

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 ...

) *

David Burtka David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and chef. Early life David Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of Deborah A. Zajas (died 2008) and Daniel Burtka. He is of Polish descent. He grew up in Canton, Michigan, ...

(actor and chef, Dearborn) * Mary Elizabeth Clark (activist,

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

) *

Lynn Conway Lynn Ann Conway (January 2, 1938 – June 9, 2024) was an American computer scientist, electrical engineer, and transgender activist. In the 1960s, while working at IBM, Conway invented generalized dynamic instruction handling, a key advance ...

(scientist,

) * David Coulter (politician, Ferndale) *

(politician, Ferndale) *

Jerry DeGrieck Gerald (Jerry) C. DeGrieck is a public health manager and policy advisor in Seattle, Washington. He and Nancy Wechsler served together on the Ann Arbor City Council, 1972–1974, while they were graduate students at the University of Michigan. ...

(politician,

) *

Alex Dimitrov Alex Dimitrov (born November 30, 1984) is an American poet living in New York City. Early life In 2009 he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. Career Dimitrov is the recipient of the Stanley Kunitz Prize from the ''American Poetry Review'' a ...

(poet,

) *

Christopher Dyer Christopher Charles Dyer (born 1944) is a Leverhulme Emeritus Professor of Regional and Local History and a former director of the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester, England. He was appointed Commander of the Order ...

(politician,

) *

Ruth Ellis Ruth Ellis (; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a Welsh-born nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely. In her teens, ...

(activist,

) * Feloni (rapper,

) *

LZ Granderson Elzie Lee "LZ" Granderson (born March 11, 1972) is an American journalist and former actor, currently writing for the ''Los Angeles Times'' as a sports and culture columnist. He was a senior writer and columnist for ''ESPN The Magazine'', a co-ho ...

(journalist,

) *

Aaron Hamburger Aaron Hamburger (born 1973) is an American writer best known for his short story collection ''The View from Stalin's Head'' (2004) and novels ''Faith for Beginners'' (2005) and ''Nirvana Is Here'' (2019). Born in Detroit, Michigan, Hamburger wen ...

(writer,

) *

Quentin Harris Quentin Harris (born 8 September 1970 in Detroit, Michigan) is a New York City-based house music producer, remixer and DJ. He is active in the gay, underground, and pop-dance music scenes.

(music producer, remixer and DJ,

) *

Angel Haze Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson (born July 10, 1991), known professionally as ROES (formerly known as Angel Haze), is an American rapper and singer. In 2012, Wilson released the mixtape '' Reservation'' and later signed a record deal with Universal Rep ...

(rapper,

) *

Mary Kay Henry Mary Kay Henry (born 1958) is an American labor union activist who was International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) from May 8, 2010McDonnell, P. "SEIU Picks First Female President", ''Los Angeles Times''. May 9, 20 ...

(activist, Wayne County) * James Leo Herlihy (writer and actor,

) * Holly Hughes (performance artist,

) *

Tom Hulce Thomas Edward Hulce (; born December 6, 1953) is an American actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Academy Award-winning film '' Amadeus'' (1984), as well as the roles of Larry "Pinto" Kr ...

(actor and producer,

) *

Chris Kolb Chris Kolb (born 1958) is a politician from Ann Arbor, Michigan and a former member of the Michigan State House of Representatives. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Kolb represented the Michigan's 53rd House of Representatives distri ...

(politician,

) * Kathy Kozachenko (politician,

) *

Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes (born April 10, 1968) is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with ...

(author and performer,

) * W. Dorr Legg (activist,

) *

Anita Lo Anita Lo (born 1965) is an American chef and restaurateur. In 2001, she was named by ''Food & Wine'' magazine one of ten "Best New Chefs in America".Annisa RestaurantAnnisa Restaurant Biography Retrieved October 7, 2010. Biography Early life Anit ...

(chef and restaurateur,

) *

Heather MacAllister Heather W. MacAllister (born Texas, United States) is a writer of over 40 romance novels since 1990, principally as Heather MacAllister. She has also signed her novels as Heather Allison. Her award-winning romance novels have been translated i ...

(activist,

and Dearborn) * Deirdre N. McCloskey (professor,

) *

Peter McWilliams Peter Alexander McWilliams (August 5, 1949 – June 14, 2000) was an American self-help author and advocate for the legalization of marijuana.Rosenzweig, David (June 17, 2000"Peter McWilliams; Backed Medical Use of Marijuana"''Los Angeles Times ...

(author,

) *

Taylor Mead Taylor Mead (December 31, 1924 – May 8, 2013) was an American writer, actor and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films filmed at Warhol's Factory, including ''Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of'' (1963) and '' T ...

(writer and actor,

Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe is a group of five adjacent suburbs in the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area on the shore of Lake St. Clair. From southwest to northeast, they are: *Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, Grosse Pointe Park *Grosse Pointe, Michiga ...

) *

Holly Miranda Holly Miranda (born 21 September 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Besides being trained in piano, Holly is a self-taught guitar and trumpet player. In 2001, she recorded ''High Above The City'', a 20-track solo album available ...

(singer-songwriter,

) *

Jeffrey Montgomery Jeffrey Montgomery (May 9, 1953 – July 18, 2016) was an American LGBTQ activist and public relations executive. In 1984, his partner, Michael, was shot to death outside a Detroit gay bar, prompting Montgomery to engage in LGBT advocacy. H ...

(activist,

) *

Hank Plante Henry A. "Hank" Plante is an American television reporter and newspaper columnist. Winner of the George Foster Peabody Award and multiple Emmys, he covered California for three decades for TV stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He now wri ...

(journalist,

) *

Gayle Rubin Gayle S. Rubin (born January 1, 1949) is an American cultural anthropologist, theorist and activist, best known for her pioneering work in feminist theory and queer studies. Her essay "The Traffic in Women" (1975) had a lasting influence in seco ...

(cultural anthropologist,

) *

Sara Ryan Sara Ryan (born November 13, 1971) is an American writer and librarian living in Portland, Oregon. Biography Ryan was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they graduated from Pioneer High School in 1989. Their first novel, ''Empress of the Wo ...

(writer,

) *

George Solomos George Paul Solomos (September 16, 1925 – November 8, 2010), also known as Themistocles Hoetis from 1948 to 1958, was an American publisher, poet, filmmaker and novelist. Family background G. P. Solomos was born in Detroit, Michigan, Unit ...

(filmmaker and writer,

) *

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...

(actress, comedian, writer, and producer,

) *

Jim Toy James Willis Toy (April 29, 1930 – January 1, 2022) was a long-time American activist and a pioneer for LGBT rights in Michigan. Toy earned his B.A. at Denison University in 1951. He graduated with a master's degree in Clinical Social Work ...

(activist,

) * Michele Van Gorp (basketball player,

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

) *

Trent Vanegas Trent Vanegas (born 12 July 1974) is an Americans, American blogger (person), blogger from Michigan who is best known for his celebrity gossip blog, ''Pink is the New Blog'' (PITNB for short), which he launched in 2004. Early life and education Va ...

(writer,

) * Nancy Wechsler (politician,

) *

Robert W. Wilson Robert Woodrow Wilson (born January 10, 1936) is an American astronomer who, along with Arno Allan Penzias, discovered cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) in 1964. The pair won the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for its discovery. While d ...

(hedge fund manager, philanthropist and art collector,

) *

Aileen Wuornos Aileen Carol Wuornos (; born Pittman; February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an American serial killer. Between 1989 and 1990, while engaging in street prostitution along highways in Florida, Wuornos shot dead and robbed seven of her male c ...

(serial killer, Rochester)

References

External links

Southeast Michigan
- Equality Michigan - Listing of LGBT organizations in southeast Michigan
KICK: The Center in Detroit for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered African Americans
{{LGBT Americans by location Demographics of Metro Detroit LGBTQ African-American culture Culture of Detroit

History

Institutions

Recreation

Media

Education

Notable residents

See also

References

External links