The Odd Couple
by John Corvino Glenn Stanton is a friend of mine. He's also badly wrong about same-sex marriage, and I tell him so - frequently, publicly and sharply. Glenn works at Focus on the Family, a [...]
Creep of the Week: Chuck Colson
George W. Bush handed out Presidential Citizen Medals on Dec. 10, laying one on none other than Chuck Colson. "For more than three decades, Chuck Colson has dedicated his life to sharing the message of [...]
Snapping turtles, anyone?
Parting Glances A federally funded study by People & Friends of Cats and Dog (P-FCD) says that "persons of rainbow personality make the best dog owners, but have little influence on cats - although this [...]
Collapses, Bailouts & Layoffs: More at risk than just finances
We don't need economist to tell us that the country has landed in a recession that began in December 2007. In Michigan we've known it all along. To paraphrase Malcom X, we didn't land in [...]
Michigan Theater to show ‘Milk’ during benefit Dec. 18
ANN ARBOR - A coalition of Ann Arbor organizations have banded together to present a special sneak preview benefit screening of "Milk," the new Harvey Milk biopic at the Michigan Theater on Dec. 18. The [...]
Book Marks
by Richard Labonte "The Sweet In-Between," by Sheri Reynolds. Shaye Areheart/Random House, 208 pages, $23 hardcover. Life is physically turbulent and emotionally troubled for Kendra Lugo. Her father is in prison, her mother is dead, [...]
‘Middle’ Man
by Ginger Harris Lauded as the first openly gay comedian to headline a major comedy tour in the U.S., funnyman Jason Stuart is on his way up. As an actor, he's best known for his [...]
‘Mamma Mia!’ force-feeds fun
Thank goodness for Meryl Streep. Pierce Brosnan, not so much. Dude might've killed with his James Bond beater-upper image, but when it comes to holding a note - or, heck, sounding better than a dying [...]
Local theater extends run of ‘The Dinner Party’
Tipping Point Theatre, metro Detroit's newest professional theatre company, is extending the run of its current production, Neil Simon's comedy "The Dinner Party." Originally scheduled to run through Dec. 28, three performances have been added [...]
Now Playing
NEW THIS WEEK The Day the Earth Stood Still In this reworking of the classic 1950s sci-fi film, an alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) comes to Earth to warn of impending disaster. But this time [...]
Get creative, Leo!
By Jack Fertig Q Scopes We're all in for a light boost of good luck as the Sun in Sagittarius aspects that sign's ruler, Jupiter. With Jupiter now in Capricorn, any good fortune takes foresight [...]
CHAG serves up Christmas spirit to clients
By Jessica Carreras The Community Health Awareness Group held their annual Client Christmas Celebration on Thursday, Dec. 11 to mark the holiday season for all their clients, which includes people with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and [...]
DADT challenge passes legal hurdle
by Bob Roehr A federal appeals court has declined to hear an en banc review of a lower court ruling challenging the antigay military policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The Bush administration may [...]
Tired governor welcomes belated bridge loans for Big Three
LANSING - A visibly tired Gov. Jennifer Granholm welcomed the Bush administration's announcement that it would steer funds originally intended for the Wall Street bailout to the auto industry. But warned that quick action is [...]
HARC fundraiser hits new high despite tough economic times
ANN ARBOR - Last weekend, in spite of tough economic times, over 150 people in the region donated some very special wines to HARC's annual fundraiser helping the organization raise over $21,000. "Fundraising events like [...]
Karibu House welcomes home Kwanzaa
DETROIT - Celebration and excitement permeated the annual Pre-Kwanzaa Brunch celebration on Dec. 13, starting with a heartfelt cheer for the "Year of Obama" and continuing with joyous congratulations to new racially-diverse leaders at The [...]
Michigan Equality ED departs; big changes on the way
by Jessica Carreras Big changes are underway at Michigan Equality that could result in surprising announcements in 2009. Following in the footsteps of the Ruth Ellis Center and the Triangle Foundation, another local LGBT leader [...]
SAGE Announces $1.5 million in new funding
BTL staff NEW YORK, NY - On Thursday, SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders) announced significant new support from the Atlantic Philanthropies and The Calamus Foundation. Both grants represent multi-year [...]
Please, Stop The Sky From Falling
by Wayne Besen Anything but straight This holiday season, when you throw a direct mail appeal from a gay organization in the trash, you might just be trashing that group's future. The sky really is [...]
Already feeling the impact
by Jessica Carreras Outside the office of Leslie Thompson, CEO of Affirmations LGBT community center in Ferndale, a poster on the wall marks the income from donations, fundraisers and other sources. The outlook for this [...]
Healing Detroit: Moving from pain, reaching for power
Despite predictions of inclement weather and the stress of holiday shopping, 46 members of Detroit's black LGBT community, representing approximately 18 organizations, made the commitment to attend the second "Healing Detroit" summit on Dec. 6. [...]
African GLBTs demand HIV response
by Rex Wockner A group of GLBT people from 25 African countries has demanded an urgent response to the HIV pandemic affecting their communities. The call came at a "pre-conference" held in Dakar, Senegal, Dec. [...]
Boy George could face jail for ‘imprisoning’ escort
by Rex Wockner Singer Boy George may land in jail after being convicted Dec. 5 of falsely imprisoning male escort Audun Carlsen in London. Last April, George handcuffed Carlsen to a hook on the wall [...]
Britain to count gay population
by Rex Wockner Britain's Office for National Statistics is going to count the gay population. Starting in January, a sexual-orientation question will be included in several of the office's routine surveys, leading to an eventual [...]
Luzhkov to keep banning gay pride
by Rex Wockner Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov plans to keep banning gay pride celebrations, as he's done for the past three years. His latest reason: Being proud of being gay can lead to increased HIV [...]
UN General Assembly to hear pro-gay presentation
by Rex Wockner A historic statement was expected to be read into the record before the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 18, condemning anti-gay discrimination and urging repeal of laws that ban gay sex. [...]
News of Obama appointments excites LGBT constituents
By Lisa Keen The big news in the presidential transition this week for the LGBT community was not the appointment of primary favorite Hillary Clinton to Secretary of State, nor that of long-time ally Bill [...]
Triangle alumnus Varnum named director of National Youth Advocacy Coalition
The National Youth Advocacy Coalition elevated Gregory Varnum to executive director, the agency's board of directors announced last week. Varnum had served as acting executive director since April. "Greg has overseen an intense transition period [...]
Donate now to preserve LGBT organizations in the future
Have you ever called the Affirmations hotline on a particularly tough night? Gotten tested for HIV for free? Attended an LGBT workshop or seminar or lecture? Marched for equality? Reported a hate crime? Been a [...]
‘No Exit’: Torment in a Second Empire chair
By D. A. Blackburn There's something decidedly terrifying about Jean-Paul Sartre's vision of Hell, and it's not fire, brimstone or molten lava. As guests of the Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company's inaugural production, "No Exit," will [...]
Holiday dreams come true at Planet Ant
I'm a sucker for a laugh-filled, non-traditional holiday comedy, and that's exactly what director Pete Jacokes and his merry band of elfin writers/improvisers deliver late nights this month in "O'Holy S#!t: A Christmas Tale" at [...]
The flood was least of Noah’s problems
By D. A. Blackburn Noah, it seemed, was doomed from the start. Not only had God charged him with building an ark, but his family was falling apart. And these were just the problems written [...]
A wickedly delightful night of theater
Something sinister is afoot in the Land of Oz - but not at the Detroit Opera House, where those lucky enough to secure a ticket to "Wicked" are treated to a thoroughly bewitching night at [...]
Obama pick of anti-gay minister angers gay community
By Lisa Keen President-elect Barack Obama set off a controversy this week, by inviting anti-gay evangelical Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration ceremony. It was a hurt compounded by the realization that [...]
Anti-Bullying bills killed by Michigan Senate
LANSING, MI - Negotiations spanning two years and involving parents, educators, law enforcement officials and many others came to a halt late Thursday when state Sen. Alan Cropsey (R-Dewitt) said he would not allow anti-bullying [...]
Comprehensive online college scholarship database unveiled
New resource aims to support students facing financial hurdles WASHINGTON. D.C. - This week he Human Rights Campaign Foundation released a compreh ensive database of more than 160 scholarships available to LGBT and allied students. [...]