Preservation Detroit's 50th Anniversary Lecture Series

Join local historian and tour guide Michael Boettcher for "Get Your Detroit Queer History Straight," a lecture exploring Detroit's rich and largely untold LGBTQ history. From the groundbreaking Club Frontenac, which opened in 1936 as the city's first gay bar, to the vibrant Palmer Park "gayborhood" of the 1960s, Boettcher traces the evolution of Detroit's queer community through decades of triumph and adversity. The lecture examines how Detroit once boasted dozens of gay bars and a thriving LGBTQ district. As Detroit's queer spaces have dwindled from dozens to just eight today, Boettcher's presentation not only celebrates the city's pioneering LGBTQ heritage but also connects this history to contemporary efforts to revitalize Detroit's queer community.