March 1, 1990 – Body found July 14, 2015
Detroiter Ashton O’Hara, also known as Jessica Storm, identified as trans and genderfluid, loved to dance, and enjoyed styling hair. The 25-year-old’s death in July 2015 marked the 14th murder of a transgender person in the U.S. that year.
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.
October 3, 1928 – December 22, 2011
Born in Allegan, Henry Lewis Van Dyke Jr. served in the U.S. Army and earned a B.A. and M.A. at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he developed lifelong gay friendships. He later authored several novels and taught as a writer-in-residence at Kent State.
January 13, 1949 – November 24, 2015
A graduate of Oakland University, Rev. Rod Reinhart left teaching to attend divinity school and became one of the nation’s first openly gay priests ordained in the Episcopal Church. He helped found the annual ecumenical worship service People Who Care About People with AIDS.
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.
November 25, 1909 – December 12, 1973
A native of Springfield, Illinois, Cicilene “Babe” Franklin worked as a cook and co-operated Ellis and Franklin Printing with her longtime partner Ruth Ellis, with whom she also co-hosted house parties that added vitality to Detroit’s black LGBTQ life in the 1940s and ‘50s.
No known obituary.
October 2, 1991 – October 5, 2015
An aspiring model who hoped to someday become a dentist, Detroiter Mylen Jenkins was murdered in a carjacking three days after turning 24.
May 11, 1955 – September 14, 2016
Larry Zimmerman worked as a real estate agent and was a founding member in 1980 of the Motor City Business Forum. He later served as dean at Macomb Community College. Zimmerman was survived by his partner of 37 years, husband Stuart Itzkowitz.
November 16, 1921 – August 10, 2015
C. Bruce Lee served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, after which he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and later held a high-level position with the federal government. He appeared in the documentary film Coming Out Under Fire.
May 6, 1941 – August 6, 2015
Born in Detroit of Mohawk heritage, Beth Brant was a poet, essayist, and author whose writings bridged multiple identities. Her publications include Mohawk Trail and Testimony from the Faithful.
What Remains: Remembering Michelle Cliff, Beth Brant, and Stephania Byrd
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 