Happy (Queer) Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of this we’re spotlighting queer women in Michigan who are our teammates and partners on the frontlines of movement building. All of the advocates featured are proudly committed to advancing intersectional feminism and collective liberation in their personal and professional lives. We have the great honor of working with them, and now you can hear from them:
Nicole Denson (she/they) is the development director at Michigan Voices, a Black, queer woman and a mother working to make the world — and her community — better for the next generation. When asked about what keeps her going in this work, she said:
“What keeps me going is both deeply personal and generational. I carry my lived experiences, my ancestry, and the realities of what our communities continue to face with me every day. This moment is a reckoning with injustices we have been naming, resisting, and organizing against long before the world chose to pay attention. My work is rooted in building something that outlives me. Not just for the next election cycle, but for multi-year organizing, for protection, for legacy. I want to be a reflection of hope. Not a perfect story, but a real one: one that holds both trauma and triumph. I want people to see someone like me and know that despite the barriers, despite the intersections we carry, it is still possible to walk in your purpose, to build, to lead, and to transform your life and your community.”
Kaitlyn Bamm is an intern for Equality Michigan’s Rural Pride Collective Coalition, member of the queer community, and fierce advocate for intersectional feminism. When asked about what keeps her motivated to do this work and what it means to her, she said:
“Advancing queer liberation and intersectional feminism requires acknowledging that all oppression is interconnected. What keeps me committed to this work is the belief that all beings deserve to be liberated and free from oppression. Grassroots work can often feel slow, but change starts in communities through conversations, mutual support, and acts of resistance and care. I am inspired by the women who came before me and knowing that I can continue to fight for a future where all people can live openly, safely, and with dignity!”
Lilianna Reyes is a trans Latina woman who has made a career working towards reducing social and health disparities of marginalized populations while advocating for anti-racism and trauma-informed principles. When asked about her experience, she said:
“As a trans woman of color living in Detroit, it’s so important that I remember all the people who made it possible for me to stand tall and be authentically myself. All the folks that came before me that may have felt invisible legally–and practically–they still held a space for me. I will continue to create spaces of liberation for other trans people, especially trans women of color.”
Erin Knott is the executive director of Equality Michigan and a queer woman dedicated to grassroots organizing and LGBTQ+ advocacy in the state. When asked about her experience as a leader, Erin said:
“Being a leader in queer advocacy as a woman means turning lived experience into collective progress. It’s about using whatever platform or power you must to make space—especially for those whose voices are often pushed to the margins within our own communities, like trans women, women of color, and young people just beginning to find themselves. Leadership in this space isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room; it’s about listening, building community, and refusing to let equality be treated as optional. For me, it means honoring the women who fought before us while making sure the path forward is wider, safer, and more inclusive for everyone who comes next.”
From the suffragist struggle for voting rights, to the Stonewall uprising for LGBTQ+ resistance, to the Combahee River Collective for reproductive justice, queer women have led the charge for change. The same applies to the present day work of our allies across the state of Michigan.
You can join Equality Michigan at the fourth annual Statewide LGBTQ+ Capitol Day on Wednesday, March 13 to advocate for the issues that matter most to the queer community: from health care access, to safety and equality for all. Sign up today!
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