October 31, 1979 – July 27, 2011
Saginaw resident Maria Danielle Bickel was employed by Nexteel automotive and belonged to St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth. She was survived by her partner Jillian Peterson.
Tag: 2011 deaths
Louise Griffin
July 29, 1937 – September 21, 2011
Miami native Frimmitte “Louise” Griffin attended the University of Michigan in the 1950s and went on to become a pioneering female voice on Black radio in South Florida. She later served with a medical unit in the Women’s Army Corps during the Vietnam War. Griffin and her life partner Maryanne Powers met in 1963.
Lesbian Connection, January/February 2012
Kyle Holton
October 1, 1987 – January 23, 2011
Born in Southfield, Kyle Bolton began writing plays in grade school. The Beverly Hills resident earned his B.F.A. from Wayne State University and with two college friends formed the art4artillery Theater Company in 2009 to stage socially engaging and LGBT-themed works. He lost his life in an automobile accident at age 23.
Gordon Barnard
February 27, 1936 – November 26, 2011
Gordon Barnard moved to Detroit when he was five and came out into Detroit’s gay world while in high school at Cass Tech. A graphic artist, Barnard worked as a graphic designer for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company for 35 years. His partner of 22 years, William Ownby, preceded him in death in 1994.
Vicki Marlane
September 5, 1934 – July 3, 2011
Minnesota native Vicki Marlane was among a troupe of female impersonators who performed at the Diplomat Lounge in Detroit in the early 1960s. Born Donald Sterger, Marlane underwent gender affirmation surgery in San Francisco, where she continued to perform into her 70s. She was subject of the 2009 documentary Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight. She died from AIDS-related complications at age 76.
Bay Area Reporter, July 14, 2011
Vicki Marlane photographs and artifacts at the GLBT Historical Society
Karen Hartwig
March 4, 1963 – March 18, 2011
Lansing resident Karen “Twig” Hartwig graduated from East Lansing High School, attended Lansing Community College, and earned a B.A. from Michigan State University. Employed by Sparrow Hospital and later Sam’s Club, she served on the boards of Suits in the City and Michigan Pride.
Lansing State Journal, March 22, 2011
City Pulse, March 30-April 5, 2011
Lesbian Connection, July/August 2011
Shelley Hilliard
Died October 23, 2011
Michelle Hilliard, a 19-year-old trans sex worker who enjoyed photography and music, was slain in Detroit in the early morning hours of October 23, 2011.
Between The Lines, November 17, 2011
Between The Lines, December 8, 2011
Trailer for Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice, Mapping a Detroit Story
Paula Ettelbrick
October 2, 1955 – October 7, 2011
Legal director for the Lambda Legal Defense from 1988 to 1993 and longtime activist, Paula Ettelbrick earned her law degree from Wayne State University and served as an officer for the Michigan Organization for Human Rights in the mid-1980s.
New York Times, October 8, 2011
Gay People’s Chronicle, October 21, 2011
Paula L. Ettelbrick papers in the Human Sexuality Collection
Joyce Kershner
May 22, 1941 – February 24, 2011
Joyce Kershner was a board member of the Performers Awards of Detroit, manager of the Palmwood, resident of the Palmer Park apartment district, and longtime staff poet for Metra magazine.
Darren McCarroll
May 20, 1963 – November 27, 2011
A champion of social justice, Rev. Darren McCarroll served as pastor of Full Truth Unity Fellowship Church in Detroit from 1996 to 1999.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 