Dear Jody
Q: I hope you don't think that I'm a bad person but I need help on what to do. My situation is that my sailor boy "Charles" is coming home for Christmas. You would think [...]
Creep of the Week: Georgia Fuller
Pop Quiz: What do you call it when a transgender candidate wins a City Council election in Riverdale, Georgia? Answer: Fraud. At least that is what you call it if you're the losing candidate. Georgia [...]
What is leadership?
by Sean Kosofsky All Politics is Loco In the past year I have done a lot of soul searching in the hopes that I can be a better man, better partner and better advocate. I [...]
How’s it hangin’ DIA?
Parting Glances I received an e-mail invite for a gathering of artists during the 32-hour, free-to-the-public opening of the new, $158 million handsomely renovated Detroit Institute of Arts. 9:30 p.m. Black Friday after Thanksgiving in [...]
She/He Said November 29
Compiled by Howard Israel "It looks like a Washington DC-based blog called BigHeadDC is making claim that there was (or, is) a working relationship between myself and Senator Trent Lott. There are falsely pieced-together quotes [...]
Coming out and the
by Kate Kendell Viewpoint In a recent interview, I was asked when I first "came out." For those of us of a certain age, in my case 47, coming out meant transformation, liberation, and living [...]
Billy Masters
"I'm not gay, but that rumor can't be killed. I'd like to have a girlfriend and a family. But I haven't met the right one yet. Until then, I'm focusing on my job." - Wentworth [...]
Fred Phelps documentary delves into mind of a devil
By Cornelius A. Fortune "Fall from Grace," a documentary by newcomer K. Ryan Jones, is an intriguing examination of bigotry. Focusing on the ministry of Pastor Fred Phelps, the anti-gay preacher whose Web site http://www.godhatesfags.com [...]
‘Tis the season to be Crumpet
If you're allergic to shopping malls, excessive commercialism or even camels, Who Wants Cake? has the perfect solution to restore a smile to your overburdened holidays. "The SantaLand Diaries" and "Season's Greetings" from award-winning humorist [...]
Hellacious ‘Hairspray’ hits DVD
MOVIE With 2007 coming to an end quicker than an Edna Turnblad diet, this highly-caffeinated romp remains the best film of the year so far (see if that changes in our Best-Of Entertainment in our [...]
Folkies offer fresh batches of tunes, while Patti LaBelle adds little life to standards
No one said it'd be easy, but give Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" a quick break. And imagine a country Christmas with folkie Mindy Smith's beautifully lit-up "My Holiday." Or pretend [...]
‘Family’ friend
By Brandon Voss Nearly a dozen years after LeAnn Rimes burst onto the music scene with the mega-hit "Blue" at the age of 13, the all-grown-up "little girl with the big voice" bares her soul [...]
Now Playing
NEW THIS WEEK: August Rush August Rush (Freddie Highmore) is a young boy separated at birth from his parents (Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and living in an Oliver Twist-like situation with other street children. [...]
“Study Urdu, Aries!”
By Jack Fertig Q Scopes Jupiter aligns with Pluto in Sagittarius, making an explosive combination of luck, eroticism, and transformation. Venus in Libra, brings charm, grace, and style into the mix, setting an optimal time [...]
GLAAD to tackle sports
By Dan Woog The OutField The U.S. sports industry is twice as big as the American automobile industry, and 10 times larger than the movie industry. Clearly, size matters. Those figures come from Ted Rybka, [...]
Condom Art Show in Kalamazoo this weekend
by Shaun Hittle Throughout the years, creative people have surely managed to find interesting uses for the sexual protection device commonly known as the condom. But does the condom have a place in our society [...]
World AIDS Day dinner and services
FERNDALE - Ferndale will host a dinner and an ecumenical service being held in two churches that sit next to each other on Woodward Ave. as part of World AIDS Day activities this Saturday. Ferndale [...]
Michigan World AIDS Day Activities
ANN ARBOR: All day Dec. 7: Dine Out Ann Arbor, over 100 restaurants donate to MAPP all day. Contact Craig Covey, Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, (248) 545-1435 DEARBORN: STITCHES Doll Project and the Artistic Stories [...]
Governor prohibits discrimination in state employment on the basis of gender identity and expression
Capitol Correspondent LANSING -- As many Michigan citizens prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm gave transgender employees a holiday gift. She signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination on the basis of [...]
Running Gay: Being an openly gay political candidate
by Shaun Hittle Anonymous flyers warn voters that their city might become another "San Francisco" if they elect an openly gay mayor. Leaflets distributed to church goers implore them not to vote for "sinful, gay [...]
AIDS and the challenge of good news
AIDS has ravaged the gay community for over 26 years, and we have learned a great deal about how to survive this insidious killer. Our AIDS organizations have preached safer sex practices, and our scientists [...]
Art & Around for the period Nov. 29-Dec. 8
HOLIDAY FAIRS/FESTIVALS: Art in the Village A holiday show and sale featuring original fine art by local artists and art demonstrations, plus shopping at the downtown Holiday Open House. Dec. 1-2 in the Old Town [...]
Ho-ho-ho meets ha-ha-ha at the Gem Theatre
Sure enough, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - that wonderful time of year when sugar plum fairies and ghosts of holidays past return to local stages for yet another season of yuletide [...]
In a holiday pickle at Planet Ant Theatre
A priest, a dog trainer and a magician stroll into Bronner's Christmas Wonderland to buy some ornaments. No, that's not the opening line of a cheesy joke. Rather, it's the basic premise of an original [...]
‘The Lion Sings Tonight’ to benefit APM
AIDS Partnership Michigan, a leading multi-service HIV/AIDS organization serving southeast Michigan, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the nation's leading industry-based, AIDS fundraising and grant making organization, will be recipients of the fundraising benefit "The Lion [...]
Theater Events for the period Nov. 29-Dec. 8
PROFESSIONAL THEATER/OPERA: Back of the Throat A chilling tale that explores the tools our government uses to interrogate suspects. UDM Theatre Company at Marygrove College Theatre, Detroit. Fri.-Sun., through Dec. 2. $15. 313-993-3270. http://theatre.udmercy.edu/ The [...]
World AIDS Day: Wine and Dine to battle illness in Michigan
Capitol Correspondent World AIDS Day, an event that started at a meeting of world health ministers in 1988, will be marked with a series of events in Michigan this Friday and Saturday. This year's world-wide [...]
Global AIDS estimates revised downward
by Bob Roehr Estimates of the number of people living with HIV throughout the world have been lowered from roughly 40 million to 33 million, according to figures released by UNAIDS in their annual report [...]
Michigan World AIDS Day Activities
ANN ARBOR: All day Dec. 7: Dine Out Ann Arbor, over 100 restaurants donate to MAPP all day. Contact Craig Covey, Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, (248) 545-1435 DEARBORN: STITCHES Doll Project and the Artistic Stories [...]
Condom Art Show in Kalamazoo this weekend
by Shaun Hittle Throughout the years, creative people have surely managed to find interesting uses for the sexual protection device commonly known as the condom. But does the condom have a place in our society [...]
A jewel of a contribution
by Jessica Carerras This Saturday, Dec. 1, Tapper's Diamonds & Fine Jewelry will celebrate both their 30th anniversary, and the world-wide fight against AIDS. Coinciding with World AIDS Day, Tapper's will present their Precious Lives, [...]
World AIDS Day dinner and services
FERNDALE - Ferndale will host a dinner and an ecumenical service being held in two churches that sit next to each other on Woodward Ave. as part of World AIDS Day activities this Saturday. Ferndale [...]
HIV Testing Sites in Michigan for World AIDS Day
All tests are free. At locations doing rapid tests, results will be available in 20 minutes: Calhoun County Public Health Department 190 E. Michigan Avenue, Suite A 100 Battle Creek, Michigan 49014 Nov. 30, 8 [...]
How’s your LGBTPCIQ?
By Lisa Keen How's your LGBT political consumer IQ? Take a look at these competitors and pick which of each pair is the more LGBT friendly: Lipton Tea or Celestial Seasonings? Barnes & Noble or [...]
Homophobia: The cost to gay men’s health
by Bob Roehr Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researcher Richard J. Wolitski, speaking before a packed session on LGBT health at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), in Washington, [...]
Lott to leave Senate
by Bob Roehr Senator Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) shocked Capitol Hill with an announcement on November 26 that he will step down by the end of the session. The minority whip, and former majority leader, is [...]
International News
by Rex Wockner Nicaraguan sodomy ban disappears Nicaragua's sodomy ban is history. A rewrite of the nation's Penal Code, which takes effect in March, simply left the ban out. "We are not wanting to moralize," [...]
Letter: Thanks for the tribute to Louise Hodgson
My sincere thanks for the poignant story written by Charles Alexander about our dear friend, Louise Hodgson (BTL, Nov. 22, 2007, "Goodbye Sweet Diva: Remembering Louise Hodgson"). Like a gymnast nailing a perfect ten, so [...]
Letter: Education needed on identity issues
In your letter from Jane Clare Pawling entitled "Burden of 'Homocentrism', published in BTL, Nov. 22, she states,"It should be sufficient to prohibit job-discrimination on the basis of simply being "gay" -- that one word, [...]
Transgender veteran can sue Library of Congress
by Bob Roehr WASHINGTON, D.C. - A federal judge has rejected arguments to throw out an employment lawsuit brought by a decorated transgender veteran against the Library of Congress. The Nov. 28 ruling means that [...]
‘Dine Out Ann Arbor’ unites area restaurants
ANN ARBOR - Whatâs on your plate this Friday, Dec. 7? âDINE OUT ANN ARBORâ will give area residents the opportunity to fight AIDS by doing something they frequently do:Â Eat Out! Nearly 50 restaurants [...]
Dine Out Ann Arbor unites area restaurants
ANN ARBOR - Whatâs on your plate this Friday, Dec. 7? âDINE OUT ANN ARBORâ will give area residents the opportunity to fight AIDS by doing something they frequently do:Â Eat Out! Nearly 50 restaurants [...]
‘Dine Out Ann Arbor’ unites area restaurants
ANN ARBOR - What's on your plate Friday, Dec. 7? "DINE OUT ANN ARBOR" will give area residents the opportunity to fight AIDS by doing something they frequently do - eat Out! Nearly 50 restaurants [...]