Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh to Strike for LGBT Equality in Ferndale Thursday

If you walk by  Thursday, you might notice a familiar face staring back at you in the window.

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh is slated to make an appearance at the Ferndale community center, to help his show support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. As a striker in Michigan's Hungry4Equality campaign, Pugh will also refrain from eating for 24 hours straight.

“As an openly gay public figure in one of the US’s more conservative cities, I cannot say enough about the importance of being visible and speaking up about LGBT rights,” said Pugh in a pre-released statement. “To move the City of Detroit and the state of Michigan forward, we need to change some of the antiquated laws we have that treat LGBT people as second class citizens.”

As an effort coordinated by the state's LGBT Community Center Network, which includes every LGBT community center in Michigan, Hungry4Equality seeks to target key persons of power responsible for the anti-quality environment that exists statewide. Current members of the campaign's Equality Rights Hall of Shame include Tom McMillin of Rochester Hills; Attorney General, Bill Schutte; David Agema of Grandville; Janice Daniels, Mayor of Troy; the conservative majority of the Michigan Supreme Court; and Gary Glenn, President of the Michigan chapter of the American Family Association.  

"Michigan has embarrassingly become the Mississippi of the north when it comes to LGBT equality," said Dave Garcia, Executive Director of Affirmations. "We can't get married, we can't jointly adopt, we can get fired from our place of work, we are denied public accommodations… the list goes on and on."

Since its start on July 30, the campaign has already gained global attention and support from across the world. Pugh will become Hungry4Equality's 25th striker. Garcia notes that there are more people wanting to come forward and strike then there are days left in the campaign, which continues until the general election on Nov. 6.

"We are trying to educate the community at large about just how backwards Michigan is," Garcia said. "Every time that you have public officials striking with us, it helps us get the word out; we appreciate President Pugh's efforts."

The public can view and chat with Pugh and other strikers 24 hours a day, through live video stream at www.ustream.tv/channel/hungry4equality.

For more information on how to participate in the strike, see the Hungry4Equality website.