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Tri-county gays to discuss LGBT rights
With the issue of gay rights at the top of the national news, three leading Michigan experts and activists on the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders will speak at a U.S. Social Forum [...]
Viewpoint: A taste of democracy
I just spent the busiest two days of my entire life running around Washington, D.C. - going to educational and community events, checking out the Newseum and other places I just had to see and [...]
Focus on DADT
by Bob Roehr Army Lt. Daniel Choi took part in the ceremonies honoring the late Leonard Matlovitch, who in 1975 first put a face to the issues of discrimination for gay people in the military. [...]
‘I’m with you’
By Chuck Colbert and Lisa Keen WASHINGTON, D.C. - The content of President Barack Obama's speech to an audience of LGBT supporters on the eve of the 2009 March on Washington offered nothing new. He [...]
Update: Hate crimes legislation
On Oct. 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill expanding the legal definition of a federal hate crime to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. The bill came as an attachment [...]
Equality. Now.
By Chuck Colbert Washington, D.C. - The day after the President Barack Obama delivered a rousing speech to more 3,000 LGBT supporters at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, pro-gay civil rights activists took to the [...]
‘March or not’ debate tired
There's been a lot of back and forth banter about the National Equality March, both nationally and here in Michigan. Was it necessary? Should we support it? Will it take away funds and volunteers and [...]
Creep of the Week: Protect Marriage Washington
It's October, folks, and you know what's just around the corner? Election Day. And what Election Day would be complete without a gay-related ballot measures? One state keeping the tradition alive is Washington with Referendum [...]
Parting Glances: Riddle me this … A fable
Long, long ago in the Greek city of Thebes, a Sphinx - half woman, half lioness - guarded the city's ancient gate, asking a riddle of travelers seeking refuge from their long journey. "Which creature [...]
S/he said: Jose Antonio Vargas, Rep. Todd Akin, Corey Johnson
compiled by Howard Israel "As I watched the live stream of (President Obama's) speech online, I flipped through the pages 'Why We Can't Wait,' the impassioned, 166-page account of segregated Birmingham written by Martin Luther [...]
To all of you who marched last weekend: Thank you!
by Keith Orr I wish I could have been with you. I marched in 1987, 1993 and 2000. They were all incredible experiences. They left me proud and energized. I know there were many nay-sayers [...]
Dear Jody: A baby changes everything
Q: My partner "Hal" and I adopted a baby five months ago. The baby is 13 months old. Ever since we adopted the baby, Hal doesn't want to do anything that doesn't involve the baby. [...]
Cocktail Chatter: Gay bars vs. great cocktails
By Camper English â¨â¨â¨Though I spend what many would consider an inordinate amount of time in bars, less and less of this time is spent in gay bars. My issue is not with the gays, [...]
‘BODS’ rethinks the figure
"The body is organic, with beautiful shapes and forms - hopefully," quips Ray Fleming, the owner of Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham. What he's referring to is the concept of his studio's upcoming exhibit, "BODS: [...]
Hear Me Out: Mariah Carey vs. Madonna
Mariah Carey, 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel' Mariah Carey's feeling emotions, so on her 12th album - imperfect, and too one-dimensional to be a "memoir" - her life is one big romantic-comedy cliche: Love sucks, [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood: Linney and Condon reunite for ‘C Word’
By Romeo San Vicente Laura Linney. Photo: Matt Nettheim â¨â¨â¨ Linney and Condon reunite for 'C Word'â¨â¨Her bitchy turns in "Mystic River" and "The Nanny Diaries" notwithstanding, Laura Linney usually plays nice, or at [...]
And I’ll remember: New Madonna video collection serves as a self-reflective time warp
Madonna made me want to be a mermaid. I didn't care what Ariel said that same year - when I was just 8 - about flipping your fins, not getting far and yadda-yadda-yadda. I wanted [...]
Welcome to the Jungle
Rita Mae Brown: "Every big mistake I've ever made in my life is because I just didn't trust my animal self.' Situated on a quiet, rural area of central Virginia, on a sprawling 1,000-acre [...]
Make connections, Capricorn!
By Jack Fertig Q Scopes The Sun in Libra draws us toward reconciliation, but on what grounds? First, Sol aspects Eris and Chiron, highlighting our position and the other side's; then, he aspects Uranus and [...]
Coming Out Day
Across 1 Worker on Broadway 5 Mystery writer Claire 10 Colette's coffee 14 NG: Devil-may-care 15 NG: President born in Hawaii 16 Fairy-tale monster 17 Showing a tiny opening 18 Communist party developer 19 "The [...]
The OutField: Out and under the radar
By Dan Woog Brian Sims â¨â¨â¨In 2000, a Bloomsburg University football teammate asked Brian Sims a question he'd half-expected for years: "Are you gay?"â¨Yes, the 6-foot, 260-pound defensive tackle replied.â¨The result was ... nothing.â¨Well, [...]
A dreamy season opener at the Blackbird
There are a number of impressive elements to the Blackbird Theatre's season-opening production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - but none more so than this: Director Barton Bund tells the Bard's popular, but complicated masterpiece [...]
Life, love and relationships at warp speed
By D. A. Blackburn It may seem hard to believe, but the Williamston Theatre opened its fourth season last Friday night. The years have flown by, but it's not just the march of time that's [...]
MBT takes a fresh look at a Halloween classic
By D. A. Blackburn It's getting to be that spooky time of year again, when candy, costumes and jack-o-lanterns start turning up around every corner. If you're like me, and you're looking to get into [...]
A ‘happy day’ at Matrix – but is it really?
One of the few downsides of being a theater critic over a long period of time is that we often review the same play multiple times - albeit in different venues and with other faces [...]
Thursday changes at Go Comedy!
Over the past several months, Thursday nights at Go Comedy! Improv Theater have morphed into a night of original comedies. It's a great proving ground for creative talent to explore their abilities and to fine-tune [...]
BTL readers respond
We asked and you answered. See what Facebook fans of Between The Lines had to say about whether or not the LGBT community should support local automakers. "The only answer I can give you now, [...]
A perfect 100
The Richmond, Va.-based company CarMax received a 100-percent rating on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index in both the 2009 and 2010 reports. RICHMOND, Va. - CarMax, Inc., the nation's largest retailer of used cars, [...]
Detroit group celebrates caffeinated car-lovers
by BTL staff Love cars? Drink coffee? There's a group for that. CandCDetroit.com is the latest social media site on the Internet gathering car owners and enthusiasts in the metro Detroit area. Members and enthusiasts [...]
GM PLUS wins ‘Outie’
by BTL staff Adam Bernard, chair of GM PLUS, with Tina Seitz, GM PLUS board member, holding their Outie award for the 2009 Out & Equal Employee Resource Group of the Year. ORLANDO, Fla. [...]
Saying goodbye
by GayWheels.com General Motors' Chief Gay Officer Travis Parman (pictured here with a beloved Camero) recently left the company after 11 years of service. Photo courtesy of GayWheels.com. Travis Parman spent 11 years with [...]
Viewpoint: Eulogizing the CGO
by Brett Berk - Vanity Fair Tear the lapel of your best pink blazer and say Kaddish, bitches. Travis Parman - General Motors' East Coast Publicity Director and self-anointed CGO (Chief Gay Officer) - has [...]
Photos imitate painting – and vice versa
Gustave Le Gray's photo of ships at anchor off the coast taken in the 1850s influenced how painters like Edouard Manet painted similar scenes. The exciting new photographic technology stimulated a new era in fine [...]
Affirmations meets HOPE Fund challenge
Three weeks before the Oct. 31 deadline, Affirmations has met a $25,000 challenge from the HOPE Fund. A $1,000 gift early in the month brought their total to $25,853, along with 149 new donors to [...]
Between Ourselves
by Jessica Carreras Brooke Murphy Brooke Murphy is the creator of west Michigan-based LGBT organization Speak Equal. The 27-year-old Grand Rapids activist hopes to bring more gay-focused political and social programming to her area. [...]
The LGBT Connect Project continues at Kick
Kick's studio is now up and online. Kick, the non-profit group for Detroit's LGBT community, has announced the addition of free wireless Internet now available at their Detroit offices. The connection is free for anyone [...]
Michiganders march in D.C.
Some Michiganders made signs before the Oct. 11 march and rally at an event hosted by Straight Women in Support of Homos. BTL photos by Crystal Proxmire WASHINGTON, D.C. - At least a couple [...]
A decade of doing
Laura Hughes, the new executive director of the Ruth Ellis Center, attended Detroits AIDS Walk Michigan on Oct. 11. BTL photo by Jason A. Michael It's an exciting month for the Ruth Ellis Center. [...]
Come together
by Jessica Carreras This weekend, the LGBT and allied community will come together in faith. Since 2004, the Faith Action Network has presented the Together in Faith Collaborative - a weekend retreat meant to spur [...]