Dear BTL, So many of us in the religious community watched the 2004 election with a sense of moral dread - for the first time the good people of the State of Michigan were being [...]

Dear readers, We would like to thank the many people who wrote, called and emailed their thanks for the BTL 2004 Voters' Guide. Our staff worked hard to get the guide completed in October, and [...]

Unlike both Vice Presidential candidates in their 2004 debate, we here at BTL know that HIV/AIDS is spreading among African-American women at an alarming rate. And worldwide, AIDS hits women hardest in the world's poorest [...]

Second annual Wassailfest at Historic Players Playhouse DETROIT - What happens when you mix a circa 1910 men's club with Renaissance-period entertainers with over three decades experience inside an historic Mediterranean Renaissance style castle to [...]

This week: The Kills & Blanche Fri. 11/26/04 9 p.m. Magic Stick, Detroit These Arms Are Snakes Sat. 11/27/04 Magic Stick, Detroit Badly Drawn Boy Sat. 11/27/04 8 p.m. St. Andrew's Hall, Detroit Sista Otis [...]

Review: 'She Loves Me' A sweet smell of success permeates Performance Network's holiday musical Look out tap-dancing Santas, sugar plum fairies and ghosts of Christmases past: There's a NEW holiday treat in town - and [...]

By John Quinn Review: 'Mother Courage and Her Children' There's no business like war business Bertolt Brecht, good communist that he was, wanted to overthrow the conventional theater and use it as a tool of [...]

By John Quinn Review: 'Cycling Past The Matterhorn' Mountains out of molehills: 'Matterhorn' tackles family ties Director David Regal sure has a way with the ladies. After directing last season's graceful "Talking With É" at [...]

By Jody Valley Looking for camp stories Q: I am 51 years old. I can't tell you how happy I am for having the courage to come out. I know this sounds like a real [...]

By Dee Dee Sung Open a checking or savings account by Dec. 15 and receive a copy of Dee Dee Sung's book "The Debt Free Diva...From Self Worth to Net Worth" as a gift from [...]

By Romeo San Vicente Fierstein on the roof Married, with children? Harvey Fierstein? It could happen if the Tony Award-winning "Hairspray" star steps into the role of Tevye in the Broadway revival of "Fiddler on [...]

Photos by: Justin Gargis

Thursday Pronto hosts "Will & Grace" with $3 pints. Friction with Tom Newman at The Works. Martini Night at the Male Box. Rumors Nightclub hosts College night with DJ Gemini in Grand Rapids. Latino night [...]

Just Out After the Sunset Max (Pierce Brosnan) and Lola (Salma Hayek) are master thieves who like to steal expensive diamonds. After their final big heist, during which they are nearly captured by FBI guy [...]

Sometime in the late-60s when I lived in an off-campus apartment with Larry, my then lifetime partner (eight years was enough for two lifetimes) we got acquainted with a college prof named Ferd. Ferd had [...]

The Royal Treatment Across 1 Cole Porter's "Ridin' ___"5 "Mamma Mia!" band9 "The Merry Widow" composer14 Warhol pal ___ Sedgwick15 Shakespeare's "anon" updated16 Merchant's movie partner17 James of 3-Down18 Like a tight opening19 The Divine [...]

By Jack Fertig Pursue depth, Pisces! Sun in sexy Scorpio is in a long, sensuous, sultry semi-sextile to Venus in Sagittarius, leading us to explore new depths of eros and philosophy. Both aspect Uranus this [...]

"Does America hate the gays? David Sedaris is a national phenomenon. That ol' carpet muncher Ellen DeGeneres has a hit TV talk show. A pole-smoker writes the most widely syndicated sex advice column in the [...]

Professional Theater: A Christmas Carol This Scrooge tale comes to life courtesy of Barry Williams, Jackee Harry and Jeff Conaway. Presented at The Whiting, Flint, Nov. 28 only. Tickets: $29.50 - $35.50. 810-237-7333. www.thewhiting.com. A [...]

By Gwendolyn Ann Smith It was ten years ago this month that I began the public part of my gender transition in earnest, when I started living and working as the woman I am today. [...]

Photo captions: DEARBORN - Howard Dean, former Vermont Governor and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, called for action, involvement and a rededication to traditional Democratic ideals of fairness, justice and equality at the American [...]

The 2004 World AIDS Day theme is "Women and Girls, HIV and AIDS... Have you Heard Me Today?" The theme highlights the plight of females around the world. According to the UNAIDS site, sponsored by [...]

By Tim Miller David Gere's extraordinary new book "How To Make Dances in an Epidemic: Tracking Choreography in the Age of AIDS" (published this month by University of Wisconsin Press) is a huge contribution toward [...]

ANN ARBOR - The personal became political at a gathering of over 150 LGBT residents and supporters who came to a hastily called meeting Nov. 19 to plan their response to the passage of Proposal [...]

Collective bargaining agreements are under attack in Michigan thanks to the passage of the anti-gay Proposal 2, the so-called "marriage amendment." Although proponents of the amendment claimed they did not want to ban domestic partner [...]

FERNDALE - Leslie Ann Thompson, executive director of Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers. Thompson [...]

FERNDALE - Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit in Ferndale will hold its annual Goods and Services Auction and dinner Nov. 27. Proceeds go to the MCCD Benevolence Fund to help individuals with rent, utilities and [...]

The Detroit Billiards League is holding its 2nd Annual World AIDS Day Invitational Tournament at Ann Arbor's /aut/ Bar on Dec. 21 beginning with a sign-in at 7 p.m. Semi-final qualifying play will take place [...]

By BTL Staff With Tegan and Sara you can never really be sure what is going to come out of their mouths. Their first word as babies was a four letter one according to family [...]

Nelson served as PFLAG president for two years and was responsible for the largest ever Michigan Circle Conference in 2000. She is survived by her husband, Tom, also an activist for PFLAG. Cards can be [...]

DETROIT - Higher Ground, a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS, is once again sponsoring a Blankets for AIDS Drive, a community drive to purchase new blankets for people living with HIV/AIDS. This year's [...]

The Faith Action Network will hold a training Dec. 11 in Ann Arbor for those interested in taking back the faith perspective on LGBT issues from the religious right. The training will cover skills in [...]

Book Discussion The Jewish Gay Network is hosting a discussion of Rabbi Steven Greenberg's book, "Wrestling with God and Men," Sunday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. The discussion will be moderated by Rabbi Aaron Bergman [...]

ANN ARBOR - Scholarships are available for students at the University of Michigan who have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT organizing. The Detroit Eagle Gay Community Scholarship and Jim Toy Scholarships scholarships are intended for [...]

By Sharon Gittleman If you're dreaming of an old-fashioned celebration next month, commemorating the season in time-honored style you might want to visit Isle of Avalon Books and Goods in Royal Oak. Isle of Avalon [...]

ROYAL OAK - Landmark's Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak now has a weekly showing for parents, grandparents and other caregivers with babies called "Rattle & Reel," a specially designed day at the movies for [...]

Triangle Foundation Development Director Kevin McAlpine, Ruth Ellis Center Executive Director Grace McClelland, and Affirmations Program Director Michael Larson at the Michigan Reception, sponsored by Triangle, at Creating Change Conference in St. Louis. 2,500 LGBT [...]

It's been almost 20 years since "The Golden Girls" debuted on NBC's Saturday night lineup. The series, which chronicled the escapades of four feisty senior citizens who shared a house, was a ratings grabber for [...]

Social conservatives across the nation have their panties in a bunch over "Kinsey," the new biopic of the legendary sex-researcher starring Liam Neeson. We've come a long way since 1948, when Alfred Kinsey published the [...]

Dear BTL, Many of us are discouraged at eleven states passing gay marriage bans. Numerous articles talk about how gay activists are doing some soul searching. The ACLU, Lambda, and HRC have stated that they're [...]

Dear BTL, The votes cast by many voters in Ohio and other states are not being counted, according to thousands of complaints about obstructed votes, legitimate voters who were disqualified, malfunctioning computer voting machines, and [...]

By Dawn Wolfe DETROIT - On Nov. 21, about 75 people gathered to protest the Archdiocese of Detroit's financial support of Proposal 2, the so-called "marriage amendment" which has banned equal marriage rights, civil unions [...]

METRO DETROIT - A group of individuals previously involved in the planning of the annual People Who Care About People With AIDS service have charged that the organizers of this year's service have not been [...]

DETROIT - Joseph Thompson doesn't like to drive anywhere near Rouge Park, and who can blame him? Three years ago, Thompson drove through it on his way to a wedding and made the mistake of [...]

FARMINGTON - For the first time in Michigan, the state government has agreed to extend domestic partner benefits to its union employees. But Michigan's new anti-marriage amendment banning recognition of same-sex relationships could negatively impact [...]

By Dawn Wolfe FERNDALE - On Nov. 17, about a hundred people gathered at the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit to observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Outside, the front yard of the church was [...]

By Jeff Epperly In the Nov. 21 San Francisco Chronicle, Susan P. Kennedy, former Cabinet secretary for Gov. Gray Davis and former executive director of the California Democratic Party, argues that it is politically immature [...]