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.
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.
August 25, 1948 – January 19, 1993
A graduate of Farmington High School, Alan Redner was deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, received a Bronze Star for his service, and rose to the rank of captain with the Michigan National Guard. Employed with Estate Motors in Birmingham and later with BMW, Redner was also active with the Association of Suburban People. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 44.
October 12, 1950 – January 7, 2017
Business owner Arlene Kish attended Shafer High School in Southgate and studied marketing and advertising at Ferris State University. A devoted transgender community organizer and activist, Kish served on the board of Affirmations. As a conservative political independent, she often took flack for supporting Republican causes.
October 5, 1980 – December 13, 2014
Activist Robert Clark was past president of the Black Pride Society, which produces Detroit’s annual Hotter Than July celebration. He served on the Michigan HRC Steering Committee and was active in the Peninsula Group.
May 9, 1953 – July 18, 2016
Jeffrey Montgomery graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School and earned his B.A. from Michigan State University. Montgomery was active in the effort to restore Orchestra Hall in Detroit in the 1980s before helping to found in 1991 the Triangle Foundation. As Triangle’s executive director, he battled hate crimes and championed sexual freedom and LGBTQ rights.
Detroit Free Press, July 19, 2016
January 11, 1951 – November 7, 2016
Twin Oak resident Amy Oak taught special education and led teacher training workshops throughout Michigan. An avid gardener, cook, community activist, and drummer, she performed with her wife Barbara Pitcher in the musical ensemble Framing Rhythm.
April 20, 1976 – April 8, 2013
Detroit native Edward Johnson studied dance at Oakland University, Marygrove College, and Wayne State University. His LGBTQ activism included work with the Horizons Project and Men of Color. Johnson also won a number of Detroit area female impersonation titles performing as Tokyo Reign.
July 10, 1956 – August 2, 1996
Raised in foster homes, Thesoloniki Richard “T.J.” Anthony entered politics as a campaign aide to U.S. Senator Donald Riegle. He was a 26-year-old divorced father of two when hired in early 1983 as executive director of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights, a position he held for just one year. After moving to San Francisco, he worked as an aide for two city supervisors.
August 22, 1945 – November 17, 1993
Wyandotte resident Gay Whiteside formed a chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis in Detroit in 1971. She was also active with the Gay Radio Collective, was a longtime member of the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit, and volunteered on the Affirmations telephone hotline.
Detroit Free Press, November 19, 1993
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 