Died October 7, 1969
Sara “Jo” Estrada, a 42-year-old barmaid at the Twilight Zone in Detroit, was murdered during a robbery of the West Side gay bar in October 1969.
Tag: bars
Robert Brunner
July 14, 1955 – June 11, 1999
For more than 25 years, Robert Brunner performed female impersonation in Detroit under the name Melba Moore, winning the Miss Gay Continental U.S.A. title for 1981-82 and honored for Lifetime Achievement by the Performers Awards of Detroit in 1999.
Donna Chartier
August 17, 1937 – September 2, 2014
From 1974 to 1979, Donna Chartier, her then partner Diane Bono, and their friend June Reynolds operated the Casbah, the first lesbian-owned lesbian bar in Metro Detroit.
Bobby Calvert
November 28, 1942 – February 15, 1986
A onetime store manager for Kmart, Bobby Calvert and his life partner Dan Campbell operated both Todd’s Sway Lounge and the Akron Health Club on Detroit’s East Side. Calvert also testified before city council in favor of including sexual orientation in the 1979 Omnibus Human Rights Ordinance. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 43.
Cynthia Dawkins
June 13, 1952 – April 6, 1986
Born and raised in Detroit, Sindy Dawkins enjoyed writing, skiing, and shooting pool. She served on the board for the Performers Awards of Detroit and held the title of Ms. Gigi’s 1980-81.
Enola Gaye Porter
May 13, 1955 – October 10, 2004
Known for her love of dance music, Enola Gaye Porter directed the Midwestern Dance Association Record Pool, which provided music for Detroit-area deejays.
Bramwell Franklin
August 12, 1930 – May 17, 1995
Bramwell Franklin, better known to audiences as “Chi-Chi,” performed comedic routines at the Ten Eleven and other bars throughout Detroit from the late 1940s to the late 1970s.
Anthony Garneau
June 13, 1938 – February 24, 1991
Former grocer Anthony Garneau acquired Gigi’s on Detroit’s west side in 1973 and transformed it into one of the city’s most enduring LGBTQ nightspots.
Michael Crawford
October 9, 1942 – May 12, 1988
Ernest Michael Crawford worked as a bartender at the Woodward Lounge in Detroit before becoming longtime co-owner in 1974 of Menjo’s. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 45.
Betty Leonard
March 23, 1924 – August 19, 2014
Betty Leonard worked as manager of the State Bar in Flint from the late 1950s to the early 1980s.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 