Michigan 
residents 
can 
now 

receive birth control prescriptions 

directly from local pharmacies, 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 

announced in a statement late last 

month.

According 
to 
Whitmer, 
this 

change is possible because of a new 

policy from the state’s Department 

of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs 

(LARA). Pharmacists are now able 

to prescribe oral contraceptives, 

patches like Xulane and rings such 

as Annovera and NuvaRing if a 

doctor delegates the responsibility 

to the pharmacist. Previously, people 

seeking birth control could obtain 

prescriptions only from licensed 

physicians.In 
a 
press 
release, 

Whitmer said expanded access to 

contraceptives is crucial because 

of the uncertainty of reproductive 

rights in Michigan following the 

Supreme Court’s overturning of 

Roe v. Wade. Abortion remains legal 

in Michigan after a preliminary 

injunction blocked the enforcement 

of the state’s 1931 abortion ban, but 

this injunction has already been 

subject to multiple challenges.

“As 
reproductive 
freedom 
is 

under attack across the nation, we 

are using every tool in our toolbox 

here in Michigan to protect women,” 

Whitmer said. “Access to birth 

control is critical to a woman’s 

ability to plan her family and chart 

her own destiny. We are taking 

action to guarantee that Michigan 

women have the right to easily make 

reproductive health care decisions 

that are best for them.”

LSA senior Buu-Hac Nguyen is 

the co-president of the Lunar Doula 

Support Network, an organization 

that gives support to those in the 

midst of stillbirths, miscarriage and 

abortion in Southeast Michigan. 

The organization aims to spread 

awareness 
about 
sexual 
and 

reproductive equity, focusing on 

marginalized communities. Nguyen 

said while this policy is a slight 

improvement, it cannot resolve the 

impact of the overturning of Roe v. 

Wade alone.

“We think that this ability to 

prescribe hormonal birth control 

is a step forward through 100 steps 

back,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen also said this policy could 

help marginalized communities by 

making birth control more accessible.

“Marginalized communities don’t 

have access to birth control as easily,” 

Nguyen said. “With more access to 

birth control, hopefully it allows them 

to manage their own reproductive 

health and well-being, as easy as 

going to CVS or Walgreens.”

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 

mandates that almost all insurance 

plans 
cover 
preventive 
care, 

including both over-the-counter and 

prescribed forms of birth control. 

Plans sold before the passage of the 

ACA in 2010 and grandfathered into 

the Obamacare marketplace are not 

required to abide by the preventive 

care mandate and may be exempt 

from covering the cost of birth 

control on the basis of religious or 

moral beliefs.

Currently, 21 states (excluding 

Michigan) allow pharmacists to 

prescribe birth control, including 

California, Colorado, South Carolina 

and Idaho. A study of California’s 

policy found patients reported easier 

access to care and reduced costs, 

suggesting the new rule was effective 

in improving patient experiences.

In a statement to The Michigan 

Daily, 
Susan 
Ernst, 
chief 
of 

gynecology at University Health 

Services (UHS) highlighted the 

variety of birth control options 

currently 
available 
to 
students 

through UHS.

“University 
Health 
Service 

remains committed to ensuring 

students can access a range of 

reproductive 
and 
sexual 
health 

services, including common forms 

of contraception,” Ernst said. “Types 

of birth control that UHS clinicians 

can help students access include 

hormonal 
contraceptives 
(pill, 

ring, and patch), injections (Depo-

Provera), 
implants 
(Nexplanon), 

non-hormonal 
diaphragms, 
and 

multiple forms of both hormonal and 

non-hormonal intrauterine devices 

(IUDs).” 

Ernst added that UHS plans 

to continue providing all of these 

services following this policy change 

but will also work to increase 

collaboration with local pharmacies 

to expand birth control access.

“For decades, UHS clinicians have 

worked with students to help them 

choose the birth control option that 

best fits their needs,” Ernst said. 

“UHS intends to explore ways to 

further increase access under the 

new state guidance.”

Glamor. Some women define it as 

classiness and wealth. Other women 

like “legendary” drag queens Maxi 

Chanel, 
Nickki 
Stevens, 
Donna 

Personna and Lady T Tempest feel 

their most glamorous when they 

perform in drag, donning sparkly 

dresses in front of an audience. 

The queens met with University of 

Michigan students from the Penny 

W. Stamps School of Art & Design 

Thursday night at the Michigan 

Theatre to discuss the history of 

drag and their personal experiences 

performing at Detroit’s Gigi’s Cabaret 

and San Francisco’s Aunt Charlie’s, 

which are gay bars well known for 

their role in the drag scene.

The Penny Stamps Distinguished 

Speaker Series and the Institute 

for 
the 
Humanities 
presented 

Legendary 
Drag 
Queens: 
Gigi’s 

Meets Aunt Charlie’s: A Tale of Drag 

Scenes & Queens. The program 

was open to the general public and 

brought together the four drag 

queens to tell stories of performing 

in both bars and around the country. 

The queens hailed from both cities 

and discussed the history of their 

legacies and drag’s importance to 

themselves. 

Ben Johnson, arts and culture 

manager for the city of Beverly 

Hills, California, helped organize 

the event. Johnson also previously 

served as the Director of Education 

and Audience Development at the 

University Musical Society. The 

event was originally planned to 

take place in January 2022 but was 

postponed to September due to rising 

levels of COVID-19 in the Ann Arbor 

community. 

An organist welcomed attendees 

into the venue before Chrisstina 

Hamilton, director of the Penny 

Stamps Speaker Series and Roman 

Witt 
Visiting 
Artist 
Programs, 

opened the event.

“We are thrilled to finally have 

this program in the house, postponed 

from last January due to Omicron, 

originally inspired by the Institute 

for the Humanities exhibition of 

James Hosking’s project, Beautiful 

by Night,” Hamilton said.

After 
Hamilton’s 
opening 

remarks, Johnson introduced the 

queens to the crowd, saying it is 

important to recognize their work as 

activists for transgender rights and 

to celebrate their world-renowned 

drag talent, which in itself is a form 

of activism to the queens.

“We’re all here to recognize and 

celebrate four living legends within 

the performing arts field,” Johnson 

said. “They’re community activists 

and entertainers. But tonight we 

celebrate 
these 
living 
legends. 

Each one represents a lifetime of 

performance, awards and history.”

Johnson dedicated the event to 

Jim Toy, a queer activist who was 

part of the Ann Arbor Gay Liberation 

Front and was widely believed to be 

the first openly gay man in the state 

of Michigan. Toy, who passed away 

in January, was the founder of what 

would become the Spectrum Center 

at the University, a space specifically 

for the LGBTQ+ community on 

campus.

“I’m sure (Toy) would be here 

tonight and he would be thrilled to 

know that this was happening but 

his spirit is with us tonight,” Johnson 

said.

Johnson then spoke about Gigi’s 

Cabaret, the longest running and 

most awarded female impersonation 

venue 
in 
Michigan, 
and 
Aunt 

Charlie’s, the last remaining queer 

and trans-centered cultural space in 

San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

“As 
someone 
who 
studies 

Performing Arts for a living (…) 

it’s always struck me as a unique 

aesthetic that was the DNA of what it 

meant to be a performer in the city of 

Detroit,” Johnson said. “In Detroit, 

in my mind, it was different. It was 

more performative, as if the artists 

are literally performing for their 

lives, but also adding juicy doses of 

talent, punk, edge, humor and joy.”

The four queens then walked out 

in glamorous and sparkling apparel 

onto the stage, immediately jumping 

into a performance of Jimmy Barnes 

and Tina Turner’s song “The Best” 

under a gleaming disco ball. 

After the performance, Maxi 

Chanel, 
Nickki 
Stevens, 
Donna 

Personna and Lady T Tempest sat 

down for a discussion moderated 

by Johnson, who asked about the 

queens’ personal lives and how 

they see themselves as a part of the 

history of drag. Lady T Tempest 

spoke to being part of the LGBTQIA+ 

community in addition to also doing 

drag.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, October 5, 2022

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Legendary drag queens take on Michigan 
Theater in Stamps Speakers Series

CAMPUS LIFE

New LARA policy allows pharmacists to prescribe 
birth control, expanding access

TESS CROWLEY/Daily

Nuns react to former President Donald Trump’s comment about the importance of religious liberty at his Save America rally Saturday evening at the Macomb County Community 
College Sports & Expo Center in Warren, Michigan..

GOVERNMENT

Event explores the history of drag, personal experiences performing

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says contraceptive availability is a priority

Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series and the Institute for the Humanities present 
“Legendary Drag Queens: Gigi’s Meets Aunt Charlie’s: A Tale of Drag Scenes & Queens” 
Thursday evening at the Michigan Theater.

JOSÉ BRENES/Daily

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

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