Pride Source
@pridesource.com
Publishers of PrideSource.com – your award-winning source for LGBTQ+ news, culture and community stories in Michigan and beyond.
Meet Emily Potter and Amélie Boulanger of Washed Up Coffee, a queer-owned cafe in Detroit earning national attention for its coffee, community and a deliberately anti-cool-kid approach.
Washed Up Coffee Is Making Detroit’s Cafe Scene a Little Less Precious
A piece of plywood balanced on two sawhorses was not Emily Potter and Amélie Boulanger's original vision for Washed Up Coffee. But when plans for
pridesource.com
Over a decade of Pride Source interviews — about her gay relatives, trans employees, drag name and a lesbian-wedding rumor — the country icon Dolly Parton made clear the love went both ways.
‘Why Wouldn't I Stand Up for Everybody?': Remembering Dolly Parton and Her LGBTQ+ Allyship
Here's the thing nobody's obituary is going to lead with, so I will: Dolly Parton picked up the phone for queer press. Not just the glossies with
pridesource.com
Christian Styles, a gay adult performer and content creator with Michigan roots, has died at 29. His family confirmed his death in an obituary stating he passed away Aug. 20.
Christian Styles, Metro Detroit Adult Performer, Dies at 29
Christian Styles, a gay adult performer and content creator with Michigan roots, has died at 29. His family confirmed his death in an obituary stating he
pridesource.com
From nude yoga to coffee meetups, the Naked Adventure Club is creating a welcoming social space for naturists — many of them LGBTQ+ — across southeast Michigan.
How Detroit's Naked Adventure Club Is Redefining Community, One Clothing-Optional Gathering at a Time
On any given summer weekend in metro Detroit, you might spot a group of friends gathered by the water, laughing, catching up or wading in for a swim.
pridesource.com
After a cancer diagnosis forced LGBT Detroit’s longtime leader to step away from Hotter Than July planning, the leaders he mentored carried the festival forward.
A. Nzere Kwabena’s Cancer Diagnosis Revealed LGBT Detroit’s Next Generation of Leaders
LGBT Detroit Executive Director A. Nzere Kwabena has stewarded Hotter Than July’s organizing, programming and coalition building for nearly three decades
pridesource.com
The neighborhood doctor who cared for Michigan's LGBTQ+ community through the AIDS crisis is gradually handing his practice to the resident he once mentored.
Dr. Paul Benson's Legacy Lives On as Be Well Medical Center Changes Hands
When Dr. Paul Benson opened Be Well Medical Center in Berkley on Dec. 1, 1980, modern medical imaging was still in its infancy, and the disease that would
pridesource.com
Chris Sutton’s new film premieres at Hotter Than July, celebrating Club Heaven's legacy and the Black queer joy that danced there.
Heaven Is a Place on Earth: How Chris ‘Inpaq’ Sutton Honors a Lost LGBTQ+ Legacy — And His Mother
When filmmaker Chris “Inpaq” Sutton walked into LGBT Detroit in 2011, he found what many young queer creatives search for — a space that saw him beyond
pridesource.com
How Haley Stevens has outmaneuvered a hostile Congress to deliver for Michigan's LGBTQ+ community.
Senate Candidate Haley Stevens Shows Us Her Receipts
When many of the country's centrist Democrats found reasons to lower their voices on LGBTQ+ rights after the 2024 election, Haley Stevens went in the
pridesource.com
Linda Perry, the hitmaker who hid behind Pink, Christina and Alicia Keys for nearly 30 years, finally has nowhere left to hide.
For 30 Years, Linda Perry Wrote Everyone Else's Truth. Now She's Telling Her Own.
Linda Perry has spent most of her career behind the curtain — and she's built an empire there. She wrote "Beautiful" and handed it to
pridesource.com
The bisexual Royal Oak candidate is running with an almost entirely LGBTQ+ team and won't back down from defending trans rights.
As McMorrow Exits, Amanda Treppa Brings Authentic Queer Energy to State Senate Race
When asked how her identity as a bisexual woman informs her campaign for Michigan’s District 10 state senate seat, Amanda Treppa is unequivocal. "It
pridesource.com
In his new book, biologist and author Joseph Osmundson ponders what we lose — and gain — when the future we planned never arrives.
Joseph Osmundson’s ‘Spawning Season’ Asks: How Do You Grieve What Never Was?
How do you define “child” when you're a queer boy who can't carry one but wants to anyways? Growing up, Joseph Osmundson loved the women in his
pridesource.com
For LGBTQ+ people who've lost family support, a stranger's hug can mean more than expected.
Free Mom Hugs, Free Dad Hugs and the Power of Being Seen
At Pride festivals across Michigan this summer, you'll find many expressions of queer joy: drag performers, food trucks with penis-shaped bagels,
pridesource.com
1776-2026: The Moments That Defined LGBTQ+ Rights in America As our nation recognizes its semiquincentennial, this 2-part series from Uncloseted Media maps pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history, from early indigenous gender expansive communities to modern activists fighting for equity. Links below.
For Detroit candidate Toni Mua, the 2026 race for Michigan's District 9 is personal.
Toni Mua, Trans Candidate for Michigan Legislature, Has Faced Bricks and Ballot Challenges. She's Still Knocking on Doors.
When Toni Mua first ran for Michigan's state legislature in 2022, she put her deadname on the ballot. She didn't make a big deal of it — running as a
pridesource.com
How Michigan’s secretary of state has used her role to advance queer rights — and how she plans to continue the fight.
Jocelyn Benson’s Plan to Protect LGBTQ+ Rights in the Race for Michigan Governor
With the August primary weeks away, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is deep in the race for governor — and she's making the case that
pridesource.com
U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow (@mallorymcmorrow.bsky.social) built a national profile defending LGBTQ+ kids — and she's not done yet.
Mallory McMorrow on Allyship, Her Viral Pro-LGBTQ+ Statehouse Speech and Running for U.S. Senate
For LGBTQ+ community members in Michigan and beyond, assaults from the anti-queer federal government have felt unrelenting — and show no sign of
pridesource.com
Hey, buckaroos! Have you reserved a copy of "Bury Your Gays" for Ann Arbor District Library's (aadl.org) Big Gay Read? Events for the annual community event featuring the enigmatic Chuck Tingle (chucktingle.bsky.social) include a cryptid craft workshop, horror movie trivia & more. Details at link!
Chuck Tingle's 'Bury Your Gays' Gets the Big Gay Read Treatment For 2026
The Ann Arbor District Library's sixth annual Big Gay Read is diving into "Bury Your Gays," a darkly funny horror novel by masked author Chuck Tingle that
pridesource.com
How the Hairapist Project in Northern Michigan is helping people in recovery reconnect with who they are.
A Haircut Can Change Everything for People in Recovery
Mirrors are confrontational. In early recovery, they can feel almost hostile. You catch your reflection when you’re not expecting it, in a bathroom
pridesource.com
In "Blue Film," Irish actor Kieron Moore delivers a raw, complicated performance as a gay cam performer — and has a lot to say about how he earned it.
Sundance Rejected It. Audiences Didn't. Kieron Moore on Why ‘Blue Film’ Is Finding Its Own Way.
For queer audiences who know what it means to feel unseen, Irish actor Kieron Moore’s performance in “Blue Film” offers a rare kind of
pridesource.com
Landmark ordinance expands non-discrimination protections to diverse family structures.
Who Counts as Family? Hazel Park Expands Protections to All Relationship Structures
On June 9, Hazel Park became the first Michigan city to pass a non-discrimination ordinance explicitly protecting people in non-monogamous and diverse
pridesource.com
Small acts, shared snacks and practical magic for showing up when it matters most.
At Pride and Beyond, 73 Ways to Hold the Line for Each Other
We are living in a time when “holding the line” can sound very big and dramatic. To even consider taking action, it seems you'll need a
pridesource.com
Pride Source sat down with the ever delightful Chuck Tingle (@chucktingle.bsky.social) ahead of his Ann Arbor Library appearance last weekend. We're still beaming! Get out there and prove some love this week, friends.
Bestselling Author and Delightful Weirdo Chuck Tingle on Proving Love in a Difficult Era
Pride Source spoke with Tingle ahead of his June 6 appearance at Ann Arbor Library.Chuck Tingle has "love is real" scrawled across the top of his
pridesource.com
So much is happening in Southeast Michigan beyond the Pride fest circuit!
Detroit's Pride Season Goes Beyond the Festival
Looking to step outside the festival circuit this Pride season? Metro Detroit's LGBTQ+ choral community is offering two milestone anniversary concerts that
pridesource.com
Michigan's LGBTQ+ community has real power to shape the state's future this November.
This Year, Everything Is on the Ballot
Pride Month is here. Along with celebrating our authentic selves, I think of June as a time to celebrate how far we have come — and how far we still
pridesource.com
Tiny Jag does not seem particularly interested in becoming easier to package, which makes the rapper a perfect fit for Pride.
Tiny Jag Left Spotify and Found Her People. Now She's Ready for a Pride Party.
Tiny Jag does not seem particularly interested in becoming easier to package, which makes the rapper a perfect fit for Pride. For fans looking for queer
pridesource.com
The Detroit musician opens for Jai Rodriguez at Motor City Pride after a recovery that took her off her feet for months.
Baddie Brooks Is Back — and Ready for Her Biggest Stage Yet
Baddie Brooks has had a lot of firsts. The first Black trans woman from Detroit to serve as Grand Marshal at the NYC Pride March in 2024. One of the first
pridesource.com
Stories on a police sting operation, a wrongful termination lawsuit and Michigan's LGBTQ+ community earned recognition at this year's @spj-posts.bsky.social awards banquet.
Pride Source Wins Five SPJ Detroit Awards for LGBTQ+ Community Coverage
Pride Source staff members brought home five Detroit Society of Professional Journalists awards for their 2025 coverage at an awards ceremony on May 20, at
pridesource.com
On any given week, Chris Azzopardi might be on the phone with Cher in the morning and, by afternoon, editing a story about a queer teen in rural Michigan who started a Pride event in a town that had never seen one.
Chris Azzopardi Has Spent 20 Years Asking the Right Questions — For Our Readers, For All of Us
On any given week, Chris Azzopardi might be on the phone with Cher in the morning and, by afternoon, editing a story about a queer teen in rural Michigan
pridesource.com
From emotional crowd moments to family reconciliation, Detroit performer Alise King reflects on what Pride has taught her about connection.
Alise King on Performing Pride and Finding Her Voice as a Queer Black Woman
Before the first note lands, Alise King is already doing something arguably even harder than singing — she’s reading the room. A Detroit
pridesource.com
After district censored song honoring Marsha P. Johnson, Kirk Bangstad opened his doors — and the internet followed.
Wisconsin Brewery Steps Up After School Board Bans Trans-Inclusive Song
When the Watertown, Wisconsin school board voted 7-1 on May 12 to pull an instrumental piece honoring transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson from a high
pridesource.com