NOT AGAIN

Michigan LGBT Rights Leader Nikki Joly Burned Down His Own Home: Cops

The fire, which was initially investigated as a hate crime against the outspoken community leader, killed five pets.

The home of prominent Michigan LGBT advocate Nikki Joly was burned down in a fire in 2017, causing the FBI to investigate the incident as a hate crime. But authorities now believe Joly set his own home ablaze, according to a Monday report from The Detroit News. Joly, a transgender man, was well known in Jackson for opening the city’s first gay community center and backing an anti-discrimination ordinance. Authorities don’t yet know why Joly may have committed the crime, although a police report claims he could have been frustrated by the lack of attention paid to LGBT causes after the ordinance passed. Nevertheless, the allegation and subsequent arrest has left the community shaken. “It’s embarrassing,” one resident told The Detroit News. “How do you do it to the community you have put so much effort into helping?” “All that good work is tainted,” said another. “We know one bad mark outshines a hundred good ones. I’m infuriated someone could tear down the community that way.”

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