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Olé Canada! and Sandra Day O’Connor leaving a chasm in the middle
Spain surprised the world by legalizing equal marriage rights last week. Bravo Spain! This predominantly Catholic country has enthusiastically taken the lead among western nations on issues of human rights. That same week, the Canadian [...]
O’Connor leaves a chasm in the middle
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement last week from the U.S. Supreme Court, leaving the court polarized and without its moderate swing voter. In her 24-year tenure she played a pivotal role, often casting [...]
The gay moralist: Glass closets
By John Corvino Luther Vandross was the avatar of romance. Other people's. The famed R&B singer, who died last week at 54, zealously declined to discuss his personal life, telling reporters that it was "none [...]
Parting Glances: Calling Car 609!
Back in the days when closets were leased for a lifetime, it was SOP to go by a nickname. Some SOPs I recall are Little Bobby, Little Pat, Estralita, Marshmallow, T.D. (Tall Dick), Savoy, B.J. [...]
On the closing of A Woman’s Prerogative
By Amy Blake Closing A Woman's Prerogative Bookstore was a multi-layered and tough decision. Now that the deed is done, I can breathe a little easier and take a moment between packing boxes to say, [...]
Mighty Wrong: Biography fails to capture the full fabulousness that was Sylvester
"At first, I thought maybe I was the wrong person for the job of writing this book," writes Joshua Gamson in the acknowledgments section of "The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70s in [...]
Art & Around
Concert of Colors returns for lucky 13th festival DETROIT Ð The 13th annual Concert of ColorsÑthe free, three-day diversity festival sponsored every year by ACCESS and New DetroitÑreturns to Detroit July 15-17. ACCESS and New [...]
Concert Connections
This Week: Robert Plant Thurs. 7/7/05 Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills Creedence Clearwater Revisited Thurs. 7/7 & Fri. 7/8/05 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston Femi Kuti Fri. 7/8/05 8 p.m. Power Center, Ann Arbor [...]
Curtain Calls
Review: 'And The Winner Is' On a wing and a prayer, Purple Rose closes winning year If the bedtime prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep,' has fallen off your radar screen, you might [...]
Theater Events for the period July 7 – 16
Professional Theater: And The Winner Is An Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor wakes up in a strange bar where time has no meaning and where nothing is as it seems. Purple Rose Theatre Company, Chelsea. Wed.-Sun. Through [...]
Smooth sailing with Aquafest GLBT Group Cruises
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman HOUSTON - Need to get away for awhile? Aquafest GLBT Group Cruises may be the way to go. According to a company press release, "Aquafest has accommodated more than 2000 passengers [...]
Spicy fun is on the menu at Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café
BY SHARON GITTLEMAN DETROIT - Looking for great barbecue, but don't feel like firing up the grill? You don't have to spend your summer afternoons steaming under a sizzling sun just a degree or two [...]
David LaChapelle turns his lens on Krumping in new documentary
Gay photographer David LaChapelle takes a look at the evolution of Krumping in his documentary "Rize," which is in theatres now. "Rize" reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that's exploding on the streets of South Central, [...]
Love lift us up where we belong: Extra weight keeps ‘Heights’ grounded
A lot can change in a day. You could get fired, you could find out your husband is having an affair, you could run into an old flame, or you could find out your boyfriend [...]
Angel-faced duo demonized by religious right
They've got the holy homophobes running scared. Contemporary Christian singing duo and life partners Jason and deMarco have been making headlines lately, both in the gay press and the religious press. In the first, these [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood
By Romeo San Vicente Usher says 'Yeah!' to musicals The Wolf(e) is at Usher Raymond's door, and he's opening right up. After years of mostly minor-league roles in teen movies like "She's All That" and [...]
Now Playing
Just Out Bewitched Hollywood has-been Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) hopes to rescue his career by starring as the guy who marries a witch in a retooled "Bewitched" sitcom. When he spots Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman) [...]
Q Puzzle Clues
July 7, 2005 Flamers Across 1 Top drawers? 5 Seat at the Stonewall Inn 10 Head-turner 14 Features of Disney's Dumbo 15 "Daisy Miller" author James 16 "Leave ___ Beaver" 17 "Coming Out Under Fire" [...]
Community Connections
Get connected! Non-profit organizations are encouraged to send listings of ongoing events to Community Connections via email at [email protected], fax at 248-615-7018 or postal mail: 20793 Farmington Rd., Ste. 25, Farmington, MI 48336. FORTY WORD [...]
In A Family Way: Saving kids from homophobia
By Ari Lev I find that every time I answer a research questionnaire on gay parenting I am asked how I deal with the homophobia my kids face. There is a not-so-subtle assumption that my [...]
Meet Darla the BTL pet of the week
Darla is a beautiful seven-year-old German Shepherd mix. She is looking for a new home because her previous guardian did not have time for her. Darla is sweet and social. She needs a family that [...]
Creep of the Week: Senator Mike Goschka
Senator Mike Goschka, Michigan State Senate The support of fairness and equality raises the hackles of the right wing. Whether it be Ford, Disney, and Kraft, or, now, the AFL-CIO, the right wing wants to [...]
Former BTL writer seeks personal histories for project
By Dawn Wolfe-Gutterman ANN ARBOR - Tim Retzloff, a writer in the early days of BTL, needs the LGBT community's help with a new project chronicling its history. Retzloff, who is also the curator of [...]
Filling a need: Local dentist creates foundation to provide dentistry to South Africa’s poor
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman Dr. Joel Egnater is a full-time dentist, a full-time student, and the founder of a new organization that will provide dental care to poor and HIV-infected people in South Africa. Egnater's [...]
Federal anti-Proposal 2 suit dropped – for now
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman BANGOR, Mich. - A federal suit seeking to strike down Michigan's anti-family Proposal 2 has been suspended in favor of the state court case filed in March by the American Civil [...]
Putting the ‘B’ in LGBT
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman ANN ARBOR - Bisexual author and activist Robyn Ochs spoke at the Ann Arbor Library in a program co-sponsored by UofM's office of LGBT Affairs on March 24, 2005. Ochs, a [...]
20th annual Pride Banquet honors community’s best
WARREN - The 20th annual Pride Banquet drew almost 500 people to the Ukranian Cultural Center to celebrate LGBT pride and honor some of the LGBT community's best and brightest. The banquet, the longest running [...]
National News Briefs
Compiled by Dawn Wolfe Gutterman Politics Bush nominates gay man to Cabinet post WASHINGTON - On June 24, the New York Daily News reported that George W. Bush has nominated a gay man, Israel Hernandez, [...]
International News
By Rex Wockner Pride marchers stabbed in Jerusalem An ultra-Orthodox man stabbed three marchers during Jerusalem's fourth gay-pride parade June 30, the Jerusalem Post reported. The attack occurred at Ben Yehuda and Hahistradrut streets. A [...]
Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement mourned by gays
By Lisa Keen WASHINGTON - If you had told gay protesters 19 years ago that they would be mourning the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 2005, they probably would have scoffed heartily at [...]
Spain and Canada say yes to marriage equality
by Rex Wockner Now there are four. Spain and Canada last week joined the Netherlands and Belgium in extending full marriage rights to same-sex couples. Following rowdy debate, Canada's House of Commons voted 158 to [...]
Spain, Canada legalize marriage
By Lisa Keen June's association with weddings and gay pride got a major boost as the Spanish Congress of Deputies and the Canadian House of Commons both approved legalization of marriages for same-sex couples in [...]
UCC supports marriage equality: First mainstream church to support marriage
ATLANTA - The United Church of Christ became the first mainline Christian denomination to support marriage for same-sex couples officially when its general synod passed a resolution July 4 affirming "equal marriage rights for couples [...]