Rest in peace, dear sister.
by Lynh Bui - Dec. 15, 2009 03:19 PM
The Arizona Republic
The Scottsdale Human Relations commissioner who began the job as Ken Culver and reappointed later as Michele de LaFreniere died recently.
Although de LaFreniere is most known for her activism in the transgender community, those who remembered her said she advocated equality for all groups.
While serving on the Human Relations Commission, de LaFreniere was part of an effort that pushed the Scottsdale City Council to extend equal-employment protection to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
However, she might be most remembered for her role in igniting a national media storm a few years ago in Scottsdale, where she and other transgender patrons were banned from a popular downtown nightclub.
de LaFreniere died in late October after battling cancer. Services for her have not been scheduled, but are expected to take place sometime after Christmas.
Don Logan was Scottsdale's director of diversity and dialogue at the time de LaFreniere served on the Human Relations Commission. Logan said she was committed to diversity for everyone.
"It was the transgender community issue that got her the most attention, but she was an active supporter in everything the commission did," said Logan, who is now the diversity administrator in Glendale. "She was very involved in events promoting unity in the community like Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations and Martin Luther King, Jr. events."....
Rest in peace, dear sister.
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