April 7, 1921 – June 15, 2014
As a fighter pilot in World War II, Pontiac native and Rochester Hills resident Robert Harper survived weeks in the jungles of the Philippines after his plane was shot down. With degrees from Albion and Michigan State University, he taught in the Waterford Schools for twenty-five years. Harper was of a generation that never told their parents they were gay.
July 19, 1920 – October 27, 2002
Max LePard grew up in Owosso and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He owned a beauty salon in Birmingham in the 1960s and later operated his own graphic art business in Royal Oak, where he lived for more than forty years with his life partner Usein Alieff.
Daily Tribune, October 29, 2002
November 3, 1924 – November 26, 2000
Born in Detroit, Leonard Lippert was raised in Essex, Ontario and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Following a long career with Manufacturer’s Bank, Lippert and his life partner operated the Hayloft on Greenfield in Detroit from 1981 to 1997.
September 17, 1932 – June 23, 2010
A native of Ypsilanti, Donald Hazlett served in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1950s. Hazlett later operated Don’s Beef N Ale in Detroit and with Paul Espenscheid co-owned Menjo’s during the 1990s. He and Espenscheid shared the Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the 1994 Detroit area Pride Banquet.
January 18, 1923 – August 18, 2008
Reba Bodary served as a tech corporal with the Women’s Army Corps during World War II and later worked at Flint’s AC Spark Plug Division. A lifetime member of the NRA, in the late 1970s Bodary was co-owner of a short lived gay bar called the Lemon Tree.
Flint Journal, August 21, 2008
July 2, 1934 – April 28, 1991
North Carolina native and Army veteran Bobby Duggins joined the mass migration of southerners who moved north in the 1950s to work in the auto industry. Employed for 30 years with General Motors, Duggins was a longtime patron of Flint’s State Bar.
Winston-Salem Journal, April 29, 1991
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.
November 26, 1924 – October 4, 1996
Born in Traverse City, Alma Routsong served in the WAVES during World War II and graduated from Michigan State University. After moving to New York City, she authored the pioneering novel Patience and Sarah under the pen name Isabel Miller.
Gay Community News, Winter 1996
January 10, 1931 – May 4, 2016
Outspoken Detroit attorney George Maurer served active duty in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1955 and another 27 years in the Army Reserves. A co-founder of Wellness House, he earned his B.A. and J.D. from Wayne State University and was also a longtime co-owner of Gigi’s nightclub.
September 16, 1942 – June 18, 1993
Raised in Tacoma, Washington, Barry Joseph “Biejay” Brewitt served in the Army Medical Corps, attended the University of Detroit and Wayne State University, and worked for Westin Hotels. He was a founder and longtime officer in the early Detroit leather group Tribe. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 50.
Tacoma News Tribune, July 1, 1993
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 