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Celebrating Michigan’s transgender community in a time of angst and uncertainty

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Celebrating Michigan’s transgender community in a time of angst and uncertainty


Stand with Trans, a southeast Michigan organization established to help transgender young people with counseling and support, is to celebrate its 10th anniversary at a gala on May 17 — a milestone its leader, Roz Keith, says is especially important to commemorate, considering the angst and upset members of the transgender community are experiencing as the result of President Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive orders.

Stand with Trans facilitates mental health counseling for transgender young people throughout Michigan, offers virtual and in-person support groups for them and their families, and acts as a national clearinghouse for information on trans issues. Keith, who serves as the group’s executive director, founded Stand with Trans because she and her family were unable to find resources when her son came out as transgender at age 13.

The Free Press interviewed Keith ahead of Stand with Trans’ first-ever gala, scheduled to be held at the Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center in Detroit. The group planned a 5-year celebration but scrapped it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We knew we couldn’t let a decade go by without celebrating in some big way,” Keith said. The event, called Love Transcends: 10 Years of Trans Empowerment, is sold out. For information on the organization: standwithtrans.org.

Keith’s responses have been edited for length and clarity.

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On the significance of Stand with Trans’ gala:

“We couldn’t have known what was going to happen when we started the planning, but especially given what’s going on, there’s so much upset and anxiety that this is just such a great way to celebrate the joy and celebrate trans identities. And also, 10 years is a big deal. There are small nonprofits that don’t make it 10 years and we are specifically focused on this marginalized community and there’s been so much over the years … Just the battles, whether it’s about the bathroom … or using the right pronouns for a child in school, rights, access to gender-affirming care, there are so many potential complications and roadblocks and just a lot of barriers to access for the community. So the fact that Stand with Trans is here 10 years later. We’ve grown. We are providing resources, we are helping thousands and thousands of people. The work is really lifesaving. … People all over the country can contact us and say, ‘I’m looking for a therapist or I need to know how to get my name changed or (ask) what’s going on with passports right now.’ “

On the climate for transgender people:

“It’s really, really scary. We know that executive orders don’t equal the law, but nonetheless, it’s scary and people are worried that their gender-affirming care access is going to be taken away, (that) they’re not going to be able to get their life-saving hormones, that they’re not going to be able to access legal documents that reflect who they are. I mean, could you imagine if you’re asked for your ID and the picture and the name don’t have anything to do with who you are? … I keep saying we’re living in dystopian times. But people are really frightened. … I have to work on keeping morale up among my staff. …Most of the staff are part of the community… They’re struggling just like everybody else.”

On gala sponsorship in the current climate: 

“We are getting a lot of nos from corporate partners and we’re getting smaller contributions from corporate partners, if we’re getting anything. There are still some who are right there with us. But we’re getting a lot of corporate speak about how priorities have shifted. … Sponsorship is definitely off from what I had hoped. … The last event we had was before the election, in October … things were off a bit, but not in the way they are now. … We’re probably about 20% off from what I projected.”

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On inquiries from people looking for help:

“We’re getting more. I think the first couple of weeks after the inauguration our website visits went up by 150%. … People are desperate for information and they’re desperate for help.”

On whether the climate for transgender people will change for the better:

“I have to believe that, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. But I think it’s going to take a lot of loud voices. A lot of the rallies, the work that the ACLU is doing and Lambda Legal and Equality Michigan and all of the Equality federations across the country and really smart Supreme Court justices who, as we know, we have a conservative majority but they also are representing the law and the Constitution and so, if nothing else, we need to hang onto that lifeline, that we do have a constitution in place. So, fingers crossed, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for a few years, but I think we’re going to get out of this.”

Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com



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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing

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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing


One of the best college football coaches of all time, Urban Meyer, lent some sympathy to Sherrone Moore — or at least his family — in the wake of the former Michigan head coach’s shocking firing last week. 

“Last night, I said a prayer for that family,’’ Meyer said on “The Triple Option Podcast,” speaking of Moore’s wife and daughters. 

“I mean, you’ve got three little girls,’’ said Meyer, who won a national title at Ohio State a little over a decade ago. “You’ve got a guy that was on top of the road a week ago.”

Urban Meyer reacted to the fallout of Sherrone Moore’s shock firing from Michigan. Getty Images
The former Michigan football coach was fired for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a. staffer. AP

That changed in stunning fashion, as Moore, a married father of three, went from leading the Wolverines to out of a job, fired in Ann Arbor for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

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The situation only worsened when Moore was later arrested after he allegedly broke into the home of the staff member, and during an argument, grabbed butter knives and threatened to kill himself.

Sherrone Moore was charged on Friday with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors. AP

On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors — stalking and breaking and entering.


Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore


Even Meyer, who created some controversy of his own during a brief, ill-fated tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars — when he was seen on video in 2021 that showed him dancing suggestively with a woman who was not his wife and was later fired before finishing his lone season in Jacksonville — was stunned by Moore’s downfall.

“They’re up 6-0 on the Buckeyes at home,” Meyer said of Michigan’s early lead against rival Ohio State on Nov. 29. “And then, also, you wake up, and they’re in this situation. Rivalries aside, this is all human element. Now, this is something that, from what you read, that’s some serious stuff that went on. And just, all of a sudden, you start seeing the impact. Forget football. Who cares about football?’’

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Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland

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Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland


COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.

Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.

Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.

Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.

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Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.

The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.

Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.

Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.

Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.

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Up next

Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.

Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools


GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.

The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.

The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.

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Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.

The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.

The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.

This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.

The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.

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On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.

The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.

West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.

On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.

Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”

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On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.

“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.

Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.

Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.

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Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.

He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.



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