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.
October 14, 1943 – March 27, 1992
James Dressel flew combat missions for the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War before being elected from Holland to the Michigan Legislature, a seat he lost due to sponsoring a bill to include sexual orientation under the state’s civil rights protections. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 48.
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.
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.
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.
May 22, 1941 – February 24, 2011
Joyce Kershner was a board member of the Performers Awards of Detroit, manager of the Palmwood, resident of the Palmer Park apartment district, and longtime staff poet for Metra magazine.
March 21, 1947 – July 5, 1995
Billie Edwards served as co-pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church in Detroit in the mid-1980s before becoming co-director of the Lesbian-Gay Male Program Office at the University of Michigan in 1987, a position she held until 1993.
Billie Louise Edwards papers at the Bentley Historical Library
November 12, 1962 – May 5, 1990
Professional horse trainer Anne Cheff was a familiar face at such Detroit area bars as Gigi’s, the Cruise Club, and the Railroad Crossing.
October 1, 1965 – January 24, 2001
Garland Gillard II operated PC Doctor, a computer repair business, and served as minister of music for Full Truth Unity Fellowship Church in Detroit. He died from AIDS-related complications at age 35.
July 9, 1933 – April 13, 2009
A purchasing agent for Saginaw Community Hospital and a Navy veteran, Andrew Platko was onetime owner of the Heidelberg Inn, for many years one of the few gays bars in the Tri Cities.
Saginaw News, April 14, 2009
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 