March 26, 1956 – June 11, 2013
Sally Jo Lovegrove of Flint graduated from Kearsley High School in 1974. She enjoyed camping and Tigers baseball. She was survived by her life partner Janette Reif.
Author: michiganlgbtqremember
Floyd Bull
July 19, 1891 – November 15, 1972
Floyd Bull worked as a machinist at Hastings Manufacturing Company until retiring in 1956 and lived his entire life in Hastings. He was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and the Barry County Historical Society. In the mid-1960s he was in contact with the homophile group ONE in Detroit.
Hastings Banner, November 22, 1972
Anne Marie Birch
September 12, 1950 – May 24, 2016
A native of Detroit, Anne Birch graduated from East Catholic High School in 1968 and remained a resident of the city until the early 1980s. After moving to Florida, she had a 30-year career with the Water and Wastewater Engineering Division of Broward County.
Robert Hatcher
May 12, 1984 – June 27, 2006
Known for his “fallout” dance move, Robert “Reebe” Hatcher became involved in the Ruth Ellis Center for homeless LGBT youth in Highland Park in his late teens. He died of complications from a heart condition at age 22.
Heather Moana
February 14, 1973 – June 3, 2015
Self-described tech nerd, scuba diver, traveler, musician, artist, photographer, cook, and gardener, Heather Moana spent her early years in Frankenmuth before moving to Battle Creek, where she graduated from Lakeview High School in 1991. Following high school, she worked for the Battle Creek Enquirer and, in 2005, relocated to California.
Henry Messer
September 22, 1927 – February 18, 2014
From 1976 to 2014, Dearborn Heights neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Messer was a tireless advocate for gay rights in Michigan, active in the Association of Suburban People and the Michigan Organization for Human Rights. In 1991, Messer played an instrumental role in establishing the Triangle Foundation, which later became Equality Michigan.
Dorothy Hoogterp
October 21, 1916 – July 3, 2007
Born in Tawas City, Dorothy Hoogterp grew up in Grand Rapids, earned her nursing degree from St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing. She was a poet, feminist, an early supporter of Lesbian Connection and the Lansing Lesbian Center, and was considered the matriarch of the Grand Rapids lesbian community.
Lesbian Connection, September/October 2007
Bradley Grant
June 4, 1963 – July 19, 1993
Bradley Grant was a longtime member of the Detroit chapter of Black and White Men Together. He served on the board of the Michigan Organization or Human Rights and was active with the Detroit Area Gay/Lesbian Council. He also performed as a female impersonator under the name Peaches la Fleur. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 30.
Terry Kuseske
August 18, 1949 – September 2, 2010
A retired social studies teacher with the Dowagiac Union School District, Terry Kuseske became one of the state’s leading LGBTQ rights advocates of the new millennium. He served on the board of the newly rechristened Equality Michigan, led a successful ballot initiative to secure a gay-rights ordinance in Kalamazoo, and won a seat as an openly gay candidate to the Kalamazoo City Commission.
Kelly Miller
June 18, 1962 – July 12, 2012
A native of Flint, Kelly Miller moved to Kalamazoo in 1998 and worked with State Farm Insurance. As a tireless “PFLAG mom,” she volunteered for various local LGBT causes, including the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center, the annual Pride celebration, and an anti-bullying campaign through her job.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 