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.
August 2, 1934 – June 26, 2006
A graduate of Michigan State University, Clinton Township resident James Johnstone taught math with the Fraser Schools for 30 years. He served as a union leader with the Michigan Education Association, was long active in Democratic politics, and was an ardent supporter of the ACLU, NOW, and PFLAG.
November 19, 1955 – September 27, 2003
As board chair and educator with Gospel Against AIDS/Global Research, Education, and Training Network, physician Isabello Reyes Jr. pushed for AIDS education, care, and civil rights protections. In addition to his advocacy, Reyes taught at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Detroit.
December 19, 1928 – April 15, 2005
An accounting clerk in local radio before her retirement in 1983, Helen King was active in the Cub Scouts, Little League, Dolphin Swim Team, Alliance of Mental Health, and Salvation Army in Midland. In the late 1980s, King co-founded the local chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
July 15, 1946 – April 21, 2014
Frances Kelleher grew up on Long Island, received her B.A. from the College of New Rochelle, and earned her Ph.D. from New York University. She served as professor of European history at Grand Valley State, where she taught for 25 years.
May 6, 1949 – July 16, 2012
A native of St. Louis, Michael McGuire earned degrees from SUNY-Fredonia and Michigan State University. As professor of music therapy at Eastern Michigan University, McGuire helped push the university to establish a campus LGBT resource center and create the Stonewall Scholarship to provide financial aid to LGBT student leaders.
Between The Lines, July 26, 2012
Michael G. McGuire papers at Eastern Michigan University Archives
August 14, 1922 – June 6, 1993
Finley Hooper grew up in Detroit and was an assistant professor of Greek and Roman history at Michigan State University in the mid-1950s when he was discovered to be homosexual and forced to leave. He subsequently enjoyed a long and esteemed academic career at Wayne State University.
Grosse Pointe News, June 17, 1993
November 2, 1942 – July 17, 2012
Lansing resident Judith Rogers Dill earned her doctorate in German language and literature from the University of Michigan in 1979 and at Lansing Community College and Michigan State University. She later pursued a career in information systems management and belonged to the Arts Chorale of Greater Lansing.
November 24, 1907 – August 12, 1971
James Francis Jones, better known as Prophet Jones, was a nationally renowned religious leader in Detroit famed for his flamboyance and fantastical predictions. In 1956, he was arrested for allegedly making an “indecent proposal” to an undercover vice officer.
The Advocate, September 15-28, 1971
June 8, 1937 – October 19, 1986
Fr. James Markunas was a graduate of Detroit’s Cody High School and Albion College. While serving as associate rector of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, Fr. Markunas was arrested for peaceably demonstrating after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 49.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 