KICK Publishing and its descendant, LGBT Detroit, are key examples of Detroit’s strong grassroots organizing history. The AIDS Epidemic made mourners out of us all, but the disease’s impact was most heavily felt in Black gay communities. In the throws of the AIDS crisis, Cornelius Wilson and Howard Whitfield saw the need to create a space for young, Black gay men to meet, grieve, and heal together. One participant in this support group was Curtis Lipscomb, who helped found the newsletter from which KICK was developed. According to Lipscomb, KICK was a natural evolution in space-making. KICK Magazine was a stylized publication curated and distributed by and for the Black gay community, a platform to celebrate the persistence of joy and carry the burden of grief together. Through HIV/AIDS support programs, leadership development initiatives, and civic engagement efforts, LGBT Detroit continues the critical advocacy work KICK began nearly 30 years ago.

What Makes Us: KICK Publishing and LGBT Detroit

This exhibition is a love letter to Queer Audacity, to the tenacity of taking up space unapologetically and often. It seeks to honor the legacies and contributions of our Queer foreparents, those who organized, painted, wrote, engineered, sculpted, sang, loved, advocated, and designed belonging into our Queer Nation. What Makes Us: Art through Activism and the larger Mighty Real/Queer Detroit exhibition is a conversation through time and between generations. It stands as a testament to how far our community has come through sheer force of belief in our own humanity.

What Makes Us: Art Through Activism

Since the mid-2000s, SAGE Metro Detroit has been rising to meet the needs of Detroit’s older Queer community. SAGE is a national organization that champions advocacy and provides inclusive support for older Queer adults. The branch was founded through a partnership developed by Patricia Baldwin from the Hannan Center in Detroit and Affirmations in Ferndale, along with the Gay Elders of Southeastern Michigan. That partnership became an incredible example of the progress that can happen when organizations collaborate to support our community.

What Makes Us: Aging While Queer

A conversation about Detroit's past, present, and future with writer and producer Curtis Chin.

Ep 1. A Chinese Restaurant in a Changing City

An interview with Ann Perault, entrepreneur and long time Detroit organizer, about her involvement with the Detroit Women's Coffeehouse.

Ep 2. Creating Space, Creating Community

In honor of Queer History Month, we’re looking to the future. 

Thanks again to M and Dylan for taking the time, very grateful to be able to ask all my little questions.    

Read more about the work here: https://rat.computer/orfelia 

Check out pictures of A Night At the Orfelia and keep up with the collective’s work on Instagram @theorfelia

Ep. 3 - Our Gooey Queer Futures, Ourselves

Exploring Queer Detroit through oral history, art, and culture.

CHROMATIC ABERRATIONS