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
January 22, 1935 – September 29, 2015
A pioneer in the Grand Rapids LGBTQ community, Milton Lennox was longtime owner of the Apartment Lounge with his life partner Edward Ladner. Together they provided financial support for the Network, now known as the Grand Rapids Pride Center, and the Red Project. Months before Lennox’s death, he and Ladner celebrated their 50th anniversary as a couple.
January 12, 1951 – August 10, 1995
A descendant of the Kellogg cereal family, John Kellogg in the 1970s migrated from west Michigan to San Francisco where he worked in gay businesses, including the adult film industry. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 44.
August 17, 1923 – June 20, 1988
Lenora “Sally” Connor, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and later worked as a postal worker in Grand Rapids. She was a founding officer in 1977 of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights.
October 1, 1959 – April 14, 2014
Massage therapist, self-taught drummer, and former criminal justice worker Sue Brown in 1996 helped to found the Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus.
Lesbian Connection, July/August 2014
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 