Dear Jody: Speak up!
Q: I have this friend, "Jon," whom I am very close to and have been since I was 7 years old. The problem with Jon is that he doesn't seem to be able to stand [...]
Cocktail Chatter: The ‘I Don’t Care What Anyone Says’ Classic Martini
By Ed Sikov "It's early Alzheimer's," I whined. I'd left the duck breasts I'd planned to grill at home. I'd have to rush to the grocery and buy some more. And they'd have no time [...]
Bookmarks: Between Boyfriends, The Midnight Hunt
By Richard Labonte "Between Boyfriends," by Michael Salvatore. Kensington Books, 328 pages, $15 paper. Tart tongues, caustic commentary, the objectification of less-than-perfect bodies, an overbearing mother, an absent - well, dead - father, angst about [...]
Serving Up More ‘Sex’
By John Polly "This movie is just crazy mayhem!" Kim Cattrall isn't mincing words. The always-outspoken actress, known to millions around the planet as glam and lusty Samantha Jones of "Sex and the City," has [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood
By Romeo San Vicente 'Breaking Dawn' finds a director Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls") is now the chosen one to shepherd "Twilight" teens Edward and Bella and Jacob as they enter their final on-screen [...]
Relax, Virgo!
By Jack Fertig Q Scopes The Sun's entering Gemini, Venus Cancer, and both are aspecting Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune! Seek ways to build communities and networks to survive the major political storms. Tribalist defenses [...]
Social Nyet-working
Across 1 Dick Button's field 8 Virginia Woolf novel 15 A soft drink may have one 16 More like Albert in "The Birdcage" 17 What drawers do 18 Lost one's cool 19 Rd. for a [...]
Sealing change in America’s households
Most men, I suspect, are deeply curious about why their wives, girlfriends, mothers and female coworkers are attracted to Tupperware - and in particular, the Tupperware party. "It's just plastic kitchen stuff," I've heard more [...]
Souls so ‘Lonesome’ they could die (or kill)
By D. A. Blackburn Playwright Martin McDonagh's vision of Western Ireland is bleak. It's also jarringly funny -- in an exceptionally dark sense of the word -- and though his writings about the region and [...]
‘Southern Comforts’ smooth as peach bourbon
By D. A. Blackburn A funny feeling descended on me Saturday night, after taking in the opening performance of Tipping Point Theatre's "Southern Comforts." The production I'd witnessed was nearly flawless, but somehow, I couldn't [...]
Death by suppository at The Ringwald
As a particularly funny moment unfolded during the opening Saturday night performance of "Die! Mommie! Die!" at The Ringwald Theatre, one particular thought occurred to me: How could ANYONE on stage with Joe Bailey keep [...]
Austria to issue gay stamp
by Rex Wockner International News Briefs Austrian Post will issue a gay stamp June 25 in conjunction with Vienna's 15th Rainbow Parade. "To our knowledge this is the first time in the world that a [...]
Belarus bans gay pride, police beat defiant marchers
by Rex Wockner International News Briefs City authorities in Minsk, Belarus, banned the May 15 gay pride parade and when a group of 40 people marched anyway, police attacked "like a group of wild dogs" [...]
Canada defunds Toronto gay pride
by Rex Wockner International News Briefs T oronto's gay pride festival got $400,000 in funding from the federal government last year but gets nothing this year. Industry Minister Tony Clement told local media the government [...]
Pope criticizes gay marriage in Portugal
by Rex Wockner International News Briefs Pope Benedict XVI denounced gay marriage May 13 in Portugal, which soon will become the 10th nation where same-sex couples can marry. Speaking in Fatima, the pontiff said protecting [...]
Saskatchewan mulls letting marriage celebrants reject gays
by Rex Wockner International News Briefs Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal heard submissions May 13 and 14 on government initiatives that would permit marriage commissioners to refuse to marry same-sex couples. The Canadian province's justice ministry [...]
Same-sex marriage comes to Portugal
By Barry Hatton LISBON, Portugal - Portugal's conservative president announced May 17 that he is ratifying a law allowing gay marriage in the predominantly Catholic country. The head of state's decision to permit the enactment [...]
West Michigan Pride to hold potluck
As they're gearing up for Pride season, West Michigan Pride will be holding a Pride Picnic Potluck Luau from 12-4 p.m. on May 29. Held at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, the event will allow [...]
Undocumented youth protest could result in gay Iranian’s deportation
TUSCON, Ariz. - A group of three undocumented youth and one permanent citizen were arrested May 17 at the offices of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for protesting Arizona's immigration law - including one student from [...]
Equality Michigan steps out
by Jessica Carreras Though the players are the same, it seems to be a whole new game for Equality Michigan. Yes, that's right - the name of the organization created by the merger of the [...]
Anti-bullying legislation passes through state House
On Thursday, May 13, the Michigan House of Representatives passed the non-enumerated version of "Matt's Safe School Law," and the bill now awaits a vote in the state Senate. House Bill 4580, which passed 76-29, [...]
Trans empowerment day holds seminars, spreads awareness
Each year, the number of resources for transgender people grows. One reason for that is because of events like Transgender Detroit's annual Transgender Day of Empowerment, which is held at Affirmations. This year's event on [...]
Team takes ‘Step’ toward AIDS awareness
by Jessica Carreras When it comes to raising money or awareness around HIV/AIDS causes, sometimes it takes a little help to make the first step. The AmeriCorps National AIDS Fund Team Detroit is looking to [...]
Between Ourselves: Julia LeBrell
by Jessica Carreras Julia LeBrell of Dearborn is an activist with lots of energy. The 23-year-old substitute teacher is the legal chair and volunteer coordinator for the Southeast Michigan Dyke March, but also finds time [...]
No-kill rescue requests home in Ferndale
by Lucy Hough Angie Potter has always helped hurt animals. At age 14, she did odd jobs to buy a tent so that she could have a place out of her house to help the [...]
Update: ‘Laramie Project’ anti-gay heckler identified as Michigan Assistant Attorney General
by Jessica Carreras The anti-gay heckler present at the May 8 "Laramie Project" rally to counteract Westboro Baptist Church has been identified as Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell. Shirvell was seen at the rally [...]
Ex-gay ministry axed from Dept. of Corrections programming
The controversial ex-gay ministry Corduroy Stone of Lansing will no longer be recognized by the Michigan Department of Corrections or allowed to operate within the Michigan prison system.. John Cordell, spokesman for MDOC, released the [...]
Genesee PFLAG plans June mixer
Want to meet other gay people and assist an organization that helps the gay, lesbian, and transgender community? Then write 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. June 19 on your calendar. That's when the Genesee County [...]
Should we ask if Supreme Court nominee is gay?
By Martha Irvine She plays softball. Huge hint, right? She's 50, single and has a short haircut. Yup, definitely a lesbian. Or is she? And if so (though that appears to be a big "if"), [...]
More than a name
On May 13, the merged Triangle Foundation/Michigan Equality announced its new agency name - Equality Michigan - in a videoconference. Over 50 people signed on to hear the announcement, but let's be honest: It's not [...]
Creep of the Week: Tim Pawlenty
If there's one thing gays and lesbians love it's a good "political game," especially if that game involves a partner dying. Or so Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty apparently thinks. He vetoed a bill that would [...]
Parting Glances: My world in RealD 3D
The origin of movies in 3-D goes back to the 19th century stereopticon viewer which held two images mounted on a handheld device allowing each eye to view its own separate picture. The two images [...]
S/he said: Larry Kramer, Jallen Rix, Karen Tumulty
compiled by Howard Israel "I extend an open invitation to Mr. Setoodeh to come to the writers room of our show, and perhaps pay a set visit. Hopefully then he can see how we take [...]
The Gay Moralist: Rekers’ Rentboy
by John Corvino So, we have a new line to add to the file labeled "Seriously?!?" - alongside Rev. Ted Haggard's "I bought the meth but didn't use it," ex-gay leader John Paulk's "I had [...]
Viewpoint: Protecting, encouraging gay youth
by Phil Volk On May 8 at the University of Michigan's North Campus, LGBT people had a counter-protest to Rev. Fred Phelps' anti-gay protest against "The Laramie Project." Many of our LGBT leadership questioned why [...]