Bridgette Redman
Michigan Queer Artists Are Weaponizing Joy Against the Trump Era
Nobody said resistance would be fun — but Michigan's queer artists are making a strong case for it. As federal rollbacks on LGBTQ+ rights, attacks on DEI programs and relentless culture war rhetoric wear on audiences, performing artists across [...]Read more about Michigan Queer Artists Are Weaponizing Joy Against the Trump Era
Avant-Garde and Proud: Ann Arbor Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years of Out Night
Long before queer stories found a home on streaming platforms, the Ann Arbor Film Festival was screening them. Its 64th edition runs March 24-29, and this year brings a landmark: the 25th anniversary of Out Night, the festival's dedicated LGBTQ+ [...]Read more about Avant-Garde and Proud: Ann Arbor Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years of Out Night
Gen Con and Beyond: Queer Gamers and Creators Reshape North America's Largest Gaming Convention
Justin Nauman watched the line snake around Community Row, each person clutching convention badges already adorned with rainbow ribbons. As president of Tabletop Gaymers, he and his co-founders, Zach Lones and Jeff Sorensen has seen this group grow [...]Read more about Gen Con and Beyond: Queer Gamers and Creators Reshape North America's Largest Gaming Convention
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 both struggled for the recognition their work deserved because of their identities.Now the [...]Read more about Queer and Immigrant Artists Reclaimed: U-M Exhibition Spotlights Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith
How One Michigan Ally Mom Turned Post-Election Anger Into a National Project for LGBTQ+ Solidarity
While fear and rage are rarely welcome visitors, they sometimes spark unexpected creativity.The day after the 2024 presidential election, Lora Garcelon found herself frustrated, afraid and overwhelmed. She responded by launching an art project that [...]Read more about How One Michigan Ally Mom Turned Post-Election Anger Into a National Project for LGBTQ+ Solidarity
How One Small Business Is Crafting Change in Rural Michigan
Jenina Halitsky didn't set out to create St. Johns' newest LGBTQ+ safe space when she opened Nina's Notions Paper Crafting. But in a town of 7,500 surrounded by farmland, her craft store has become exactly that — a place where Pride [...]Read more about How One Small Business Is Crafting Change in Rural Michigan
'We See You': Michigan Church Embraces Trans Teen Through Baptism Reaffirmation
When 16-year-old Zach Nawyn-Hellinga stood before the congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Okemos in January, he wasn’t just reaffirming his baptism — he was claiming his name, his identity and his place in the church. The congregation stood [...]Read more about 'We See You': Michigan Church Embraces Trans Teen Through Baptism Reaffirmation
'We're Not Hiding': Small-Town Michigan Salon Takes a Stand for LGBTQ+ Clients
Being inclusive and affirming can come with a price, but Aimee Schimanski is willing to pay that cost. In fact, she's become more determined as her small-town salon has been targeted for choosing love and acceptance.Schimanski owns My [...]Read more about 'We're Not Hiding': Small-Town Michigan Salon Takes a Stand for LGBTQ+ Clients
'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 story deeply rooted in his Detroit upbringing and journey as a gay man who revolutionized [...]Read more about 'Rent,' 'Hamilton' Producer Jeffrey Seller Returns to Detroit with Memoir about Growing up Gay, Transforming Broadway
At the Altar of Equality: Michigan Religious Leaders Vow to Protect Same-Sex Marriage
When Kent and Diego Love-Ramirez exchanged vows at the MSU Alumni Chapel in 2007, their ceremony wasn't legally recognized by the state of Michigan, but it was sanctified by something far more enduring — their faith. Standing before family, [...]Read more about At the Altar of Equality: Michigan Religious Leaders Vow to Protect Same-Sex Marriage
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 (UM), professors José Casas and Jake Hooker are flipping the script. They are asking their [...]Read more about University of Michigan's 'Our Oz' Reimagines a Classic with a Trans Lion and a Queer Cast
Spring Theater in Michigan Celebrates Queer Stories and Bold Premieres
In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, one thing remains in high demand: joy. This spring, Michigan’s theater scene is offering just that — especially for the LGBTQ+ community. With a range of inspiring performances, heartwarming stories and [...]Read more about Spring Theater in Michigan Celebrates Queer Stories and Bold Premieres
'No Limits': Michigan's Chuckie Benson Charts His Own Path in Historic Theater Tour
When Chuckie Benson returns to Michigan this month, it will be a homecoming where both his hometown and college community can see how he’s grown — both as a serious actor and as a Black, queer artist deep into his professional career.The Acting [...]Read more about 'No Limits': Michigan's Chuckie Benson Charts His Own Path in Historic Theater Tour
How a Queer Collective in Detroit Is Dancing on Henry Ford's Grave
There was a time when Henry Ford weaponized square dancing to fight the growth of jazz music, which he claimed was a Jewish attempt to subvert wholesome American culture.The Detroit Square Dance Society is dispelling the specter of the automaker’s [...]Read more about How a Queer Collective in Detroit Is Dancing on Henry Ford's Grave
50 Years of Fabulous: How the Trocks Redefined Ballet and Continue to Empower the LGBTQ+ Community
For 50 years, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has shown the world that ballet can be gay, comic, fun and world-class all at the same time. The troupe will do so again — twice — when their anniversary tour rolls into the Detroit Opera House on [...]Read more about 50 Years of Fabulous: How the Trocks Redefined Ballet and Continue to Empower the LGBTQ+ Community
Breaking New Ground at Williamston Theatre: Playwright Terry Guest's Journey from 'The Magnolia Ballet' to 'Thirst'
Terry Guest gets compared to other playwrights — especially those who, like him, are Black, queer or Southern. But Guest’s voice is uniquely his own, creating stories that skew conventions and create magical worlds.“People will just say, ‘You’re the [...]Read more about Breaking New Ground at Williamston Theatre: Playwright Terry Guest's Journey from 'The Magnolia Ballet' to 'Thirst'
Go Girl! Saugatuck Celebrates Women’s Weekend at Nation’s Largest Gay Resort
Women hearing the siren call of Lake Michigan may want to mark May 31-June 2 on their calendars. Those are the days that the largest gay resort in the country will host its annual women’s weekend event, a sapphic party called Go Girl! Saugatuck, now [...]Read more about Go Girl! Saugatuck Celebrates Women’s Weekend at Nation’s Largest Gay Resort
Fern Fest Women's Music Festival Is Moving, But Staying True to Its Inclusive Roots
Change is in the air for Michigan’s Fern Fest, a six-day women’s music festival that has experienced rapid growth since its first ever gathering in 2022.Built on the foundation of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (aka Michfest), a 40-year [...]Read more about Fern Fest Women's Music Festival Is Moving, But Staying True to Its Inclusive Roots
The Michigan-Made Film Revealing Hidden Layers of LGBTQ+ Relationships Censored From 'A Streetcar Named Desire'
Classic stories often compel us to tell and retell them from multiple perspectives. Just ask Barbara Neri, who has been discovering new complexities in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” for more than a decade.On Saturday, March 16, [...]Read more about The Michigan-Made Film Revealing Hidden Layers of LGBTQ+ Relationships Censored From 'A Streetcar Named Desire'
When All the Nearby Homeless Shelters Are Faith-Based and Turn Them Away, Where Do Trans Folks Go for Help?
While she has managed to avoid homelessness, its specter has haunted Luna Willow Brown — she has seen many of her friends and peers experience it.
A Play About Jesus — With Jesus Seen Through the Eyes of an LGBTQ+ Activist
The show’s writer, Antonio David Garcia, wrote the play before becoming an atheist.
How This Detroit Native Is Reshaping Broadway With Black, Gay, Fat Representation
While “A Strange Loop” — celebrated as a “Big, Black, Queer-Ass American Broadway Show” — has some similarities to its creator Michael R. Jackson’s life, it’s not an autobiography.The Detroit native has seen his musical win a Pulitzer Prize for [...]Read more about How This Detroit Native Is Reshaping Broadway With Black, Gay, Fat Representation
How the Original 'Fantasticks' Lyricist Crafted an LGBTQ+ Reimagining of the Play for Michigan Audiences
Michael Lluberes was in middle school when he first encountered the 1960s musical “The Fantasticks,” and he immediately thought of Luisa, the young, idealistic girl who falls in love with the boy next door, as a gay boy.“Honestly, from the very [...]Read more about How the Original 'Fantasticks' Lyricist Crafted an LGBTQ+ Reimagining of the Play for Michigan Audiences