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African Americans
When Prophet Jones was arrested on a morals charge by an undercover Detroit policeman in 1956, scandal magazines like Confidential and Whisper…
African Americans
Arriving in Detroit in 1938, Reverend James F. Jones quickly gained a cult following that bestowed him with a fleet of cars, a mansion, and a $13,000…
Organizations
Ann Arbor native W. Dorr Legg helped found the homophile organization ONE and its magazine in the early 1950s. Legg remained leader of the Los…
Bars and Nightclubs
Ralph O'Reilly and Ralph Stallings met at a cocktail party in 1949. After living in Detroit for ten years, the couple moved to a farmhouse in…
Bars and Nightclubs
At the time of this photo, the State Bar was still considered mixed, serving both straight and gay patrons. Wait staff seated customers they perceived…
Bars and Nightclubs
At the time of this photo, the State Bar was still considered mixed, serving both straight and gay patrons. Wait staff seated customers they perceived…
Bars and Nightclubs
Betty Underwood met Melva Earhart on a visit to Flint in 1957, and they soon began dating. After their romance faded, the two remained close, with…
Colleges and Universities
Two female students caused a scandal at the University of Michigan in 1953 with their defiant expressions of same-sex desire and were forced to leave…
Bars and Nightclubs
Lesbian Melva Earhart purchased the State Bar in Flint in 1950 and it soon became a safe hang-out for a homosexual clientele. Its original location on…
Activism
In 1958, Wayne State graduate students Lawson and Brewer, along with their friend Jai Moore, established a Detroit chapter of the Mattachine Society,…