Detroits Orchestra Hall
Who did Jeffrey Montgomery work for from 1976 to 1989?
Jeffrey Montgomery Jeffrey Montgomery ( May 9 , 1953 – July 18 , 2016 ) was an American LGBT activist and public relations executive . In 1984 , his partner , Michael , was shot to death outside a Detroit gay bar , prompting Montgomery to engage in LGBT advocacy . He started work on LGBT anti-violence issues upon learning that the police were not spending many resources on solving the murder , just another gay killing . In 1991 Montgomery became the founding executive director of the Triangle Foundation , and served until September 2007 . Initially engaging in victim advocacy around LGBT violence , and to improve handling of LGBT related cases , the foundations work expanded to LGBT civil rights and advocacy , with projects for anti-violence , media activism , and legislative education on LGBT civil rights . He became nationally known for his work and served at numerous organizations . Personal life . Montgomery was born in Detroit , Michigan on May 9 , 1953 . He grew up in nearby Grosse Pointe and graduated in 1971 from Grosse Pointe South High School , where he had served as student body president . His father , John Montgomery , worked for Chrysler as a public relations executive . His older brother , James Montgomery , is an American blues musician , best known as the lead singer , blues harp player , frontman , and bandleader of The James Montgomery Blues Band ( a.k.a . The James Montgomery Band ) . His other brother , John Montgomery , also worked in the music industry before becoming an entrepreneur in the Metro Detroit area . He graduated from Michigan State University in 1976 with a bachelors degree in social science . In 1975 , while attending Michigan State , he worked as the student house manager and head usher of the Universitys auditorium . He moved to Detroit after graduating and remained a resident of Detroit for the remainder of his life . In 1984 , his partner , Michael , was shot to death outside a Detroit gay bar , prompting Montgomery to engage in LGBT advocacy . Montgomery died from a heart attack at the age of 63 on July 18 , 2016 at Harper University Hospital in Detroit . Friends reported that his health had been declining in the preceding years . Professional life . Montgomery worked for approximately thirteen years , until January 1989 , on the restoration of Detroits Orchestra Hall . He worked as public relations director of Americas Thanksgiving Parade . He was serving in this role in 1989 when the parade moved back to the Gnome block and in 1990 , when for the first time a balloon escaped from the parade . Triangle Foundation . In 1991 , he joined Henry D . Messer and John Monahan in founding the Triangle Foundation ( now Equality Michigan ) . He worked as the organizations president , interim executive director , and eventually executive director until September 2007 . The organization was initially founded to engage in victim advocacy around LGBT violence , and work with police and prosecutors to improve the handling of LGBT related cases . The organization soon expanded to include work on discrimination cases , and then political advocacy following the closure of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights . By 2003 , the organization had grown to five paid staff and hundreds of volunteers , and had helped about 5,000 victims of LGBT-related discrimination , harassment , or violence . He made the formal announcement of his departure as executive director at the organizations 2007 annual dinner on September 29 , 2007 . Political activism . Following the murder of his partner , Michael , in 1984 , Montgomery began to engage in LGBT advocacy . He was motivated to work on LGBT anti-violence issues after learning from a Wayne County prosecutor a day after Michaels funeral that the Detroit Police Department was not spending many resources on solving the murder , calling it just another gay killing . , Michaels murder remains unsolved . Montgomery was widely quoted in media outlets on LGBT issues and high-profile LGBT-related crimes , such as the murder of Scott Amedure in 1995 , and murder of Matthew Shepard . National LGBT organizations paid for Montgomery to attend the trials of Shepards killers . In 2001 , Montgomery was a featured participant in an A&E Network documentary about the Matthew Shepard case . Montgomery was the co-chair of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs ( NCAVP ) , for which he was also a national spokesperson . He was also a member of the Steering Committee of the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes , the Bias Crime Response Task Force of the Michigan Commission on Civil Rights , and a board member of the ACLU of Michigan . He was one of the founding board members of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation ( also known as the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance ) in 2003 , and remained active with the organization until his death . He was also an inaugural member of the WikiQueer Global Advisory Board and served as Strategic Counsel to the wikis parent organization , The Aequalitas Project . Montgomery was among a group of LGBT activists , representing NCAVP , invited to Washington , D.C . for meetings beginning in 1997 with senior policy officials at the White House . In 2000 , he delivered the inaugural Matthew Shepard Memorial Lecture at Brown University . That address , America...You Kill Me , was dedicated to Matthew Shepard . In 2002 , Montgomery was invited , with other LGBT leaders from across the country , to meet with and inform United States Senators about the issues and challenges facing the LGBT community . In 2004 , he helped organize opposition to Michigans same-sex marriage constitutional amendment , passed later that year . In the years prior to his death , he was working on a feature-length documentary showcasing his work in Detroits LGBT community . The film , America You Kill Me , was scheduled to be released in 2016 . Honors . The Detroit City Council honored Montgomery with the Spirit of Detroit award three times . The Michigan Legislature twice commended Montgomery with special tributes . In 1997 , he received a Golden Apple Award from the Roeper School . In August 1999 , Montgomery was named one of the Best and Brightest national LGBT activists by The Advocate magazine . Montgomery was named , along with twelve others , a Michiganian of the Year for 2002 by the Detroit News , stating He turned personal tragedy into a fight for gay equality . In May 2003 , Michigan Governor Jennifer M . Granholm honored his work with a special tribute , calling him a hero and living legend . The governor also noted that he was among the most visible and accomplished advocates for safety and equality of gay , lesbian , bisexual and transgender people in Michigan history . He received the Liberty Bell Award from the State Bar of Michigan at their annual meeting in September 2006 . Montgomery accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pride Banquet and Awards Ceremony in Warren , Michigan on June 25 , 2010 . In September 2012 , the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance honored Montgomery with its Vicki Sexual Freedom Award . In June 2019 , Montgomery was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers , trailblazers , and heroes” inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument ( SNM ) in New York City’s Stonewall Inn . The SNM is the first U.S . national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history , and the walls unveiling was timed to take place during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots . External links . - Trailer for documentary about Montgomery , America You Kill Me