In 1971, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, established The Spectrum, an LGBT office, the first of its kind in the US. It continues to provide help for gay and trans students for coming out, but also helps educate cis-gendered.
Isabella Aiona Abbot, born June 20, 1919 in Hana, Maui in Hawai'ian Territory, became the first Native Hawai'ian to receive a PhD in science. Growing up, her mother taught her about edible Hawai'ian seaweeds and native plants.
She received her undergraduate degree in Botany at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 1941, a MS in botany from the University of Michigan in 1942, and a PhD in botany from the University of California, Berkeley in 1950, becoming the first native Hawai'ian to receive a Doctor of Philosophy.
She became a leading expert on Pacific marine algae, and in 1972, Stanford University promoted her to full professor of Biology, the first woman and first person of color to hold this position. She authored eight books and more than 150 publications. She is credited with discovering over 200 species, and several are named after her.
DeHart Hubbard, born November 25, 1903, attended University of Michigan, where he was National Collegiate Athletic Association champion three times, for the outdoor long jump (1923 and 1925), and the 100-hard dash (1925). He was the Big Ten Conference champion 7 times.
While he was attending college, he participated in the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and became the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal for any sport: the running long jump.
He founded the Cincinnati Tigers, a professional baseball team, which played in the Negro American League.
He has been inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor and the National Track Hall of Fame.
In what would be a small but milestone victory for the LGBT community, the East Lansing City Council passed the very first anti-discrimination ordinance that included sexual orientation in the U.S. March 7, 1972.
The following month, Ann Arbor one-upped its neighbor by prohibiting discrimination against gays, not only for employment but for housing and public accommodations. It was the first community-wide gay right legislation in the U.S.
In 1971, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor became the first U.S. college to establish an LGBT office on campus.
