GVSU Milt Ford Legacy Collective: Rainbow Resource Center

08/10/2026

We're a day late, but Guncles are just as great!! 😄

Happy Gay Uncles Day, y'all. We're grateful for you. 💙💚

07/29/2026

Our fourth and final Disability Pride Month spotlight for July is Sami Schalk!

Sami is a professor in the Department of Gender & Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and focuses her work on the intersections of race, disability, and gender. She identifies as a "fat, Black, q***r, disabled femme and pleasure activist." Sami is a published author and artist. Her work includes the book 'Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction (2018)' and 'Black Disability Politics (2022)'. Sami is currently centering her research on "creation, maintenance, and the impact of pleasure spaces for marginalized people."

Thank you, Sami, for who you are and all that you do to support q***r and disabled communities!

07/21/2026

Our third Disability Pride Month spotlight for July is Chella Man!

Chella is an actor, artist, athlete, model and activist who openly shares their experiences as a Deaf, trans, Jewish-Asian person. They started losing their hearing when they were young, and later began using cochlear implants and learning ASL (American Sign Language) to support their hearing and communicate in another way. Growing up, Chella did not see themself represented in media, so they dedicated themself to becoming the representation they needed when they were younger.

Thank you, Chella, for who you are and all that you do to support q***r, trans, and disabled communities.

07/16/2026

In 2009, Adam Stewart founded International Drag Day, describing it as a "day where all around the world on every gay scene we take this opportunity to celebrate and thank the drag artists that add so much to gay life and culture. This is the reason I launched this concept. I saw that there was no such day or event on an international platform in which we celebrated drag artists."

Support your local drag artists, not just today, but anytime you have the resources to do so! 💅🏽

07/15/2026

Our second Disability Pride Month spotlight is Petra Kuppers!

One of Michigan's very own, Petra self-identifies as a "q***r cis disability culture activist and a community performance artist." She is deeply committed to advocacy work for q***r and disabled communities. Originally from Germany, she is now a professor at University of Michigan as a Disability Studies professor and the Artistic Director of The Olimpias, an international disability culture collective. In partnership with her wife, she co-creates Turtle Disco, a somatic writing studio in Ypsilanti, MI, where human complexity, connection, and creativity is celebrated.

Thank you, Petra, for who you are and all that you do for q***r and disabled communities!

07/14/2026

The celebration for the week continues! It's International Non-Binary People's Day!

This recognition day formally began in 2012, and July 14 was selected because it is halfway between International Women's Day and International Men's Day. We are celebrating all our enby folks today!

07/13/2026

Happy Non-binary Awareness Week, y'all! 💛🤍 💜🖤

We are celebrating all our enby friends, family, and folks this week...and beyond. Stop into our Center to grab your non-binary flag pin or join T2, our student group for trans and non-binary students resuming in September!

07/08/2026

Applications are open, and save the date for this awesome event!

🤩 APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN 🤩

Our fourth annual Transfuse Night Market partnering with Transfigure Print Co. is happening September 26th, 5-10PM at Fulton Street Market and we would love to have you! Last year thousands of folks attended (and we’re not even exaggerating)!!!

We’re on the lookout for art vendors, performers, and community organizations. You can find the form below. Applications close at midnight on 8/7.

https://forms.gle/Q2g23CNVQeeX5YEs9

**Artists and performers must be Trans and/or Q***r to apply. We ask that community organizations be Trans- and Q***r-affirming. Priority will be given to Trans, BIPOC, and West Michigan artists/performers, but those outside of West Michigan are also encouraged to apply.**

Stay turned for more announcements!

[Image Description: A dark-colored background. The top subheading in deep teal reads “GR Trans Foundation x Transfigure Print Collective Present” in all caps. Below in a slightly curved line reads “Transfuse Night Market” in bold text and below that “A Trans & Q***r Celebration” in wavy lettering, both cream colored. Below that stacked on top of each other and slightly offset reads “Q***r + Trans Art! Live Performances! Local Food and Drink! Community Resources! in a cream colored all caps font. Below that in gold capital letters reads “Help us raise funds for GRTF while celebrating Trans and Q***r Lives!”. To the right of that text is a gold burst shape with black text inside that reads “Vendor + Performer + Community Org applications in our bio (Apps close by 8/7). To the left and below the burst reads “Applications Live Now” in cream capital letters. Below that text reads “Over $3,000 raised last year for our local trans community”. At the bottom of the graphic, text reads “September 26th 5-10PM Free to Attend, Fulton St. Farmers Market Grand Rapids, Michigan” in cream colored capital letters.]

07/07/2026

Our first Disability Pride Month spotlight is Aariana Rose Philip!

Aariana has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair to navigate life. She is the first Black, trans, and physically disabled model to be signed to a major modeling agency (2018). She has been a pioneer for many firsts for the q***r and disabled communities, including the first model to walk in a runway show using a wheelchair. Her memoir was published in 2016 and is called "This Kid Can Fly: It's About Ability (Not Disability)."

We're grateful for the way Aariana uses her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ and disability rights!

07/06/2026

We are so excited to be tabling at Hudsonville Area Pride for the first time this weekend! Come check out the GVSU booth this Saturday between 12-6pm. We are lucky booth 13! 🌈