November 29, 1951 – January 2, 2006
Northville resident Jan Pierce was born in Dearborn and served 25 years with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, retiring as a detective sergeant. She and her partner Marcia Patrick were strong supporters of the Triangle Foundation and attended golf outings sponsored by Affirmations. They lost their lives in a New Year’s Eve automobile accident.
September 22, 1927 – February 18, 2014
From 1976 to 2014, Dearborn Heights neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Messer was a tireless advocate for gay rights in Michigan, active in the Association of Suburban People and the Michigan Organization for Human Rights. In 1991, Messer played an instrumental role in establishing the Triangle Foundation, which later became Equality Michigan.
April 24, 1946 – April 8, 2007
Farmington Hills resident, CPA, and the mother of a gay son, Janis Warren was a devoted ally to Metro Detroit’s LGBTQ community. Among the causes that she supported were the Triangle Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition.
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
February 25, 1968 – February 13, 2007
Heather MacAllister was a staffer for the Triangle Foundation in the 1990s. She later moved to San Francisco where she founded Big Burlesque, the original Fat Bottom Revue. Suffering from ovarian cancer, she died by assisted suicide at age 38.
Bay Area Reporter, February 22, 2007
Between The Lines, February 22, 2007
Lesbian Connection, May/June 2007
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 