All Politics is Loco: Pope BeneDictator
By Sean Kosofsky I have had it. As someone who was raised Roman Catholic and benefited from Catholic school education, I am finally at the point where I am ready to tell my Catholic friends [...]
Parting Glances: Get thee to a seminary
Fans of Sr. Serena Scatterpin, Renegade Sisters of Mary, will be intrigued to know that the popular iconessa -- who calls herself a "metrosexual for Heaven's sake" -- says the inspiration source for her high-fashion [...]
The army’s recruitment problem – and solution
By Rebecca Sawyer Uncle Sam's military is more than a little short staffed these days. The United States Army was projected to fall short of its annual recruiting goal by 7,000 enlistees this year - [...]
OutFest artists left out
Dear BTL, I read the article about OutFest in last week's BTL and was appalled. The person who wrote the article listed who was playing at the main stage in Farmer's Market (most of those [...]
Book Marks
By Richard Labonte Clearcut By Nina Shengold. Anchor Books, 342 pages, $13 paper Boys love girl, girl loves boys, and boy loves boy in this memorable debut novel, a sexually steamy and emotionally engaging menage [...]
Art & Around for the period Oct. 6-15
Architecture/Gardens/Tours: The Bird Walk Search for and observe the more than 170 species of birds that can be found on the grounds of Ford House. Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores. Daily through [...]
Concert Connections
This Week: The Laura Cortese Band Thurs. 10/6/05 The Ark, Ann Arbor Aqualung and Tracy Bonham Fri. 10/7/05 Calvin College, Grand Rapids Foo Fighters and Weezer Fri. 10/7/05 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit New Pornographers & [...]
Curtain Calls
Review: 'Our Town' Enjoy a slice of Americana at UDM "Why are (or aren't) you reviewing shows staged by the area's educational theaters," is a question that many - if not most - of the [...]
Curtain Calls XTRA
Preview: Matrix Theatre's 15th Anniversary Season Theater pioneers prove there's no business like show business in Detroit If, as the saying goes, there's nothing that succeeds like success, then Shaun and Wesley Nethercott must be [...]
Ask The Debt Free Diva
By Dee Dee Sung Starting on your own Q: I have been dissatisfied with my work for some time and am thinking about making some changes and going into business for myself. I'm a woman [...]
Now Playing
Just Out Flightplan Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) boards a plane in Berlin with her young daughter and, midway through the flight, discovers the child has vanished. When Kyle tries to find her, she's informed that [...]
Meet Bella the BTL pet of the week
Bella is an adorable 10-month-old black and white terrier mix. She is a very friendly dog who loves everyone she meets. Bella is compatible with children over the age of five. She should meet any [...]
Theater Events for the period Oct. 6-15
Professional Theater/Opera: Altar Boyz A holy-inspiring musical comedy about five small-town boys trying to save the world one screaming fan at a time. City Theatre, Detroit. Tue.-Sun. through Dec. 18. $22.50-$45. 313-872-1000. www.nederlanderdetroit.com. Broadway Bound [...]
Spend a madcap summer on ‘Côte d’Azur’
If hearing someone describe a film as "madcap" and "very French" makes you clutch your Adam Sandler DVD collection tight to your chest, you may want to vacation somewhere other than "Côte d'Azur" (also known [...]
News anchor by day, stage actor by night: Fox 2’s Charles Pugh adds ‘thespian’ to his already busy schedule
DETROIT - While some people starve for their art, Charles Pugh is losing sleep over his. That's the because the Fox2 News morning anchor and FM98 WJLB talk show host has taken on yet another [...]
EMU’s OutWeek Event Calendar
Sunday, Oct. 9: 7 p.m. - The Kinsey Sicks. Pease Auditorium. Tickets $12, $5 for EMU students. Monday, Oct. 10: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Rainbow Ribbon Drive. McKenny Union, LGBTRC. 12-1:30 - p.m. [...]
Kinsey Sicks kicks off OutWeek at EMU
Who or what is the Kinsey Sicks? Don't fault yourself for asking the question - even after looking at the photo accompanying this story - for truly their act is a hard one to explain. [...]
Quirky home decor rules at the Penniman Gallery
By Sharon Gittleman PLYMOUTH - Step into Scott Smith's store and you'll find yourself staring above your head. You'll see glittering Venetian chandeliers, brightly-colored mobiles and sparkling crystals. "In the center of the shop I [...]
Take a peek at Royal Oak’s hottest new real estate
ROYAL OAK - Ever wonder what it's like inside those new condos and lofts being built in Downtown Royal Oak? Then mark Oct. 22 on your calendar. For the first time, all are welcome to [...]
Creep of the Week: Senator Alan Cropsey
Senator Alan Cropsey As the rock band Judas Priest is "Hell Bent for Leather," so is Michigan Senator Alan Cropsey (R-Dewitt) hell bent for homos. He just can't stop thinking about them, specifically about how [...]
SHe Said Oct. 13, 2005
"There's so much shame attached to all forms of sexuality in America, let alone homosexuality. You have to say, 'It's great being gay. I'm great. The person I am is good enough and absolutely as [...]
AIDS Walk Michigan: Funds down, spirits up
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman DETROIT - Despite beautiful weather and an increase of one thousand walkers over 2004, AIDS Walk Michigan has raised about 14.5 percent less than the event collected last year, according to [...]
Emotions Anonymous to meet at Affirmations
FERNDALE Ð Emotions Anonymous is forming a new chapter that will meet at Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Meetings will begin at 7:30 p.m. Emotions Anonymous offers a twelve-step [...]
Ann Arbor LGBTs join with Habitat for Humanity
ANN ARBOR - A diverse group of people from the Washtenaw County LGBT and allied community is organizing with a goal of building a Habitat for Humanity house in the county in the spring of [...]
Statewide GSA to kick off Oct. 15
FERNDALE - In an effort coordinated by Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, students from around the metro Detroit area and the state will gather together to create a Regional Gay Straight Alliance at a [...]
TransGender Michigan expands Executive Board
LANSING - TransGender Michigan has announced the appointment of Raynard 'Toney' Campbell and Sabrina J. Arbour to the organization's Executive Board. Campbell, nineteen, is from Detroit, and is in his second year with AmeriCorps through [...]
TransGender Michigan seeking donors for scholarship fund
LANSING - TransGender Michigan is in the process of creating a scholarship fund for college and university students in Michigan who are actively working to counter transgender oppression. TransGender Michigan's T.J. Jourian Scholarship is named [...]
PFLAG volunteer Barbara Lee Christiansen passes
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman HUNTINGTON WOODS - PFLAG volunteer Barbara Lee Christiansen passed away on Monday, Sept. 19 in her Huntington Woods home. According to her obituary in the Sept. 21 Daily Tribune, Christiansen "enriched [...]
Cox, Cropsey take action against pro-DP benefits ruling
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman LANSING - The anti-gay industry has responded as expected to Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk's Sept. 27 ruling protecting domestic partner benefits for the partners and families of state [...]
Flint Councilman caught on tape using anti-gay slur
By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman FLINT - Flint City Council President Johnnie Coleman forgot to look for cameras on Sept. 21 when he made remarks that have outraged members of the LGBT community. According to Triangle [...]
Local groups observe National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Oct. 15
Compiled by Dawn Wolfe Gutterman According to http://www.nlaad.org, the Web site for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, "in 2001, over 150,000 Latino AIDS cases have been reported and Latinos comprise 14 percent of the population [...]
Mahaffey to retire from Detroit City Council
DETROIT - City Council President Maryann Mahaffey, who has served the citizens of Detroit for 31 years, announced last week that she plans to retire at the end of the year. The announcement put an [...]
Bush nominates Harriet Miers to Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen WASHINGTON - There was plenty of cause for gays to experience whiplash as the U.S. Supreme Court opened its 2005-06 session this week. First was the sight of the court's most liberal [...]
Come OUT, come OUT, wherever you are
Compiled by Dawn Wolfe Gutterman Have you always wanted to come out, but didn't want to take that step alone? Never fear - on Tuesday, Oct. 11, LGBTs will be coming out all over on [...]
What the Roberts confirmation means for gays
By Lisa Keen WASHINGTON - The confirmation last Thursday of federal judge John Roberts Jr. to become the next Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court said some things about the status of gay civil [...]
National News Briefs
Compiled by Dawn Wolfe Gutterman Marriage Schwarzenegger vetoes equal marriage bill, signs other pro-gay bills SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed through Sept. 28 on his promise to veto a bill to legalize equal marriage [...]
Anti-gay group publicly blasts Stabenow for Roberts vote
WASHINGTON - The anti-gay group Focus on the Family took out ads in fourteen papers across Michigan on Oct. 2, including the Detroit News and Free Press, criticizing Michigan's U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow for her [...]
Come out talking
National Coming Out Day is Tuesday, Oct. 11. How will you spend it? Are you out and proud in your life? Or is your sexual-orientation on a need-to-know basis if others know it at all? [...]
A home away from home
BELLAIRE - David Schulz and Jim Walker love their home, and they want to share it with everyone - inside and out. This couple, who gave up their corporate jobs to follow their dream of [...]
Home is where you hang your heart
Home. The word means different things to different people. Everyone has a home, whether you own your own house, rent an apartment, sleep in your parents' basement or live in a van down by the [...]
The ‘dish detectives’ track down hard-to-find china
Is the set of dishes you inherited from your Grandmother missing a gravy boat? Or perhaps a plate from your wedding china was broken last Thanksgiving. Maybe you lost an entire place setting during your [...]
Color your home with the feeling of fall
As the air becomes crisp and we spend more time indoors, it's time to make your home look as warm and inviting as possible. The hottest new home decorating trends are reflecting the colorful changing [...]
From gloom to glow: seven secrets to shopping for lighting
The secret is out -- lighting is the single most important element in decorating, dramatically improving the look and feel of any room. But with so many options out there, finding that right light may [...]