Opinions on Motor City Pride’s move to Detroit
Who has to ask for your permission? How arrogant of you! There is no confusion. Pride is coming to Detroit proper! That's a good thing! They can plan Pride wherever they want. Pride in Ferndale [...]
President and First Lady lead anti-bullying conference
By BTL staff WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama called for a united effort to address bullying at the March 10 White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. Approximately 150 students, [...]
Hate crime victim makes YouTube video
By Tara Cavanaugh "Hi, my name is Justin Alesna, I'm 23 years old and a resident of Detroit, Michigan. On the evening of March 7, 2011, I was attacked in a convenience store of a [...]
Agape Spirit Ministries hosts series on faith in black LGBTQ communities
DETROIT- Agape Spirit Ministries launches a series of discussions called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Exploring the impact of silence on the African American LGBTQ community" on March 16. "It is time for black people in [...]
Attorney General supports outsed EMU student
By Tara Cavanaugh Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a March 11 statement that he supports the rights of an Eastern Michigan University graduate counseling student, Julea Ward, who was dismissed after she refused [...]
Cocktail Chatter: The La-Z-Boy
by Ed Sikov Here's some advice: You need a restaurant manager as a close friend. Why? Because when you go to his restaurant, he'll tell the chef to send out all sorts of delightful little [...]
Dear Jody: Looking for the right woman
Q: I am a 52-year-old woman who wants to know how to get into a long-term relationship with another woman. I was married for 16 years when my husband died. I have known since I [...]
Out Night: ‘Astonishing’
By Hannah Schwab Ann Arbor is putting the finishing touches on its upcoming annual film festival, which runs March 22-27. In its 49th year, the Ann Arbor Film Festival will present 188 films, videos and [...]
Dance: Not just for gay men
By Andrea Poteet cut/ Eisenhower Dance Ensemble company manager Kristi Faulkner has worked with the company since 2009 and says, "There are people of all kinds in the dance field." INFO BOX 'Motown in Motion' [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood
By Romeo San Vicente Don Johnson lives in 'Mann's World' It's hard out here for an aging, heterosexual male hairdresser. So goes the log line for a new NBC pilot called "A. Mann's World." The [...]
Q Scopes: Think ahead, Gemini!
By Jack Fertig A Mercury-Saturn opposition normally sharpens minds as well as tongues, but with Neptune in hard aspect to both planets, misguided bitchiness and ill-considered control games are a lot more likely. Examine your [...]
DVD Lowdown: ‘Burlesque’ and ‘Love & Other Drugs’
'Burlesque': Turn back time. Please. Christina Aguilera is a gay icon. Cher is a gayer icon. Without knowing anything else about "Burlesque" (and really, what else is there to know?), the beyond-campy bore would've been [...]
Hear Me Out: R.E.M. and Avril Lavigne
R.E.M., 'Collapse Into Now' R.E.M.'s first album since 2008's "Accelerate," a return to form for the misstepping rock icons, is as obvious as lead singer Michael Stipe's coming out - and that's fine. After adventurous [...]
Star-cross’d Garden Dwarfs
Across 1 Went down (on) 5 Sleek swimmer 10 Elizabeth of "Transamerica" 14 Burning software 15 Safari head 16 River of Ulrichs' country 17 Movie about garden dwarfs 20 Contemporary of Bela 21 Kind of [...]
The OutField: Puck buddies
By Dan Woog One day a couple of months ago, Craig Brownstein was enjoying a Washington Capitals game. He turned to his partner, Doug Johnson, and said, "You're my puck buddy." The two hockey fanatics [...]
‘Sister’ rises to the occasion yet again!
Nonie Breen is delightful in "Sister's Easter Catechism: Will My Bunny Go To Heaven?" at Detroit's Gem Theatre. Photo: The Gem Theatre In hockey, three goals scored by an individual player during the course [...]
‘The Piano Lesson’ – heirloom or opportunity?
By John Quinn Lisa Lauren Smith and Brian Marable in "The Piano Lesson" at Performance Network Theatre. Photo: Jude Walton A powerful voice in the American theater was silenced too soon when August Wilson, [...]
1, 2, 3…what are we (still) fighting for?
By Martin F. Kohn Dave Davies and Matt Lockwood in Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company's "Last of the Boys." Photo: Charles Nowak It's only a passing reference, but the Civil War gets a mention in [...]
Haunting musical opens new series at The Encore
There's one indisputable fact when it comes to Edgar Allan Poe: The 19th century American author was a literary genius whose works are still popular more than 170 years after his death. Ironically, however, it's [...]
Decker and ensemble shine at Stormfield Theatre
Yes, the rumors of her retirement were greatly exaggerated! Lansing legend Carmen Decker has returned to the stage in Stormfield Theatre's "Kimberly Akimbo," and it's a perfect showcase for the award-winning actress's formidable skills. But [...]
LGBTs find affordable, supportive counseling at Affirmations
Oakland University master's student Sean O'Tuathal has been working to help people through problems with anxiety, stress, gender identity issues and substance abuse while gaining the credit hours needed to earn her degree, thanks to [...]
Tobacco dependency web training available for health professionals
Affirmations has collaborated to premiere a web-based seminar, created as part of the "Treating Tobacco Dependency in Michigan" project. The objective of the seminar is to train healthcare professionals on helping their lesbian, gay, bisexual, [...]
Volunteers needed for LGBT cigarette smoking survey
If you are LGBT and smoke cigarettes, you can participate in a national and anonymous survey study on reasons for adult LGBT tobacco use. The purpose of the study is to better understand ways of [...]
Cigarette companies target LGBTs
By Lucy Hough The presence of LGBT themes in cigarette ads surprised a crowd of people at a workshop during the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference at the University of Michigan last [...]
LGBT Health Week says ‘Come out for health!’
By Tara Cavanaugh LGBT Health Week, put on by the National Coaltion for LGBT Health, shines a spotlight on the troubling health issues that the community faces across the nation. This year, the awareness week [...]
Lesbian, gay parents likely to be anxious, depressed
By Dana Rudolph Same-sex couples with adopted children living in states with anti-gay adoption laws and attitudes had more mental health issues in their first year of parenthood than couples with adopted children living in [...]
How to come out to your doctor
By Lucy Hough Coming out to one's doctor can be a daunting task for any LGBT person. But, as stressed by Michigan State University medical students Suzanne Borkowski and Emily Antoon, who presented during last [...]
Road-tripping across Spain
By Andrew Collins As a road-tripping destination for LGBT travelers, there may not be a better place to go in Europe than Spain. It's relatively economical and easy to drive through this increasingly progressive country, [...]
British gay magazine launches Thai edition
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS The well-known British gay magazine Attitude launched a Thai-language edition in Thailand on March 9. According to local correspondent Douglas Sanders, it was full of fancy ads, including from Jean [...]
Euro Court rules against Russia in HIV case
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS The European Court of Human Rights ruled March 10 that Russia violated the European Convention on Human Rights when it denied a residence permit to a man from Uzbekistan because [...]
Euro Parliament blasts Iran on gays
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS The European Parliament on March 10 adopted a resolution urging Iran to "stop discriminating against people on the basis of their sexual orientation" and denouncing "the inhumane and medieval practice [...]
Euro Parliament warns Turkey, Montenegro on gay equality
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Adopting resolutions on Turkey's and Montenegro's progress toward joining the European Union, the European Parliament on March 9 told both nations they will have to do better on LGBT equality [...]
Italian PM: Gay unions will be kept at lower level
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Feb. 26, "As long as we are in power, traditional marriage and gay unions will never be on the same level." The national LGBT [...]
Lithuanian MPs want to ban gender-reassignment surgery
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Conservative members of Lithuania's Parliament have proposed banning gender-reassignment surgery via the Civil Code. They said the move would protect the nation "from any preconditions which create grounds for the [...]
Sexual-orientation statement to be delivered at UN
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS A joint statement recognizing human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity will be delivered at the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 21. The deadline for [...]
When you’re ‘strange’
By Tara Cavanaugh Sara Spurgeon loves using the word queer. In fact, she thinks she's always been a queer girl. "As a pre-teen, I dreamed that the princes in my fairy tales were butch girls," [...]
Senate overturns domestic partner benefits for state employees
By Tara Cavanaugh The Michigan Senate voted along party lines to overturn the decision to offer domestic partner benefits to state employees on March 10. The entire state legislature must vote to overturn the Michigan [...]
Adodi Detroit Hosts Retreat for SGL Men of African Descent
On March 26, the men of Adodi Detroit will host a one-day retreat for same-gender-loving men of African descent in the Metro Detroit area. The theme of the retreat is "The Fierce Embrace: Exploring the [...]
Affirmations continues search for executive director
FERNDALE - Affirmations Community Center is still searching for an executive director. Last month, the search committee hosted a first round of potential candidates for the job onsite at Affirmations, but the board has decided [...]
Michigan AIDS Coaltion hosts auction
FERNDALE- The Michigan AIDS Coalition is hosting a silent auction at Via Nove on Saturday, March 26 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight. Via Nove is located at 344 W. Nine Mile. The money raised will [...]
We must support public employees
By Eric Rader Public employees are under attack in Michigan and around the nation. Several new Republican governors argue that in order to balance their budgets, state employees, teachers, firefighters and police officers must make [...]
California Legislature may demand military stop fining gays
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS California state Sen. Christine Kehoe introduced a resolution sponsored by Equality California on March 9 calling on President Barack Obama, Congress and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stop fining LGB [...]
DC sees doubling in marriage-license applications
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Marriage-license applications in Washington, D.C., jumped from 3,100 in 12 months to 6,600 in 12 months in the year since same-sex marriage was legalized. Though the district does not keep [...]
No same-sex marriage this year for Maryland
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Maryland was widely expected to become the next U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage but the plan crashed and burned March 11. The bill to legalize gay marriage had passed [...]
NY governor to push for same-sex marriage this year
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS The new national group Equality Matters met with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 10 and reported that he's eager to legalize same-sex marriage this year. "While our specific [...]
San Diego mayoral race has 3 gay/lesbian candidates
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS The June 2012 election for mayor of San Diego, America's eighth-largest city, could have three openly gay/lesbian candidates. Republican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Republican City Councilman Carl DeMaio already [...]
Texas school to let gay students meet
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS The board of trustees of Flour Bluff Independent School District in Corpus Christi, Tex., granted permission March 8 for students to form a campus gay-straight alliance after the American Civil [...]
We need to speak up for bullied teachers, too.
There's been a lot of attention given to bullying lately, especially the bullying of LGBT students. That, of course, is fantastic news. Right now, groups across the country are figuring out ways to address bullying [...]
Peter Sprigg
Creep of the Week We've all heard the argument that letting gays and lesbians marry will "hurt" heterosexual marriages. Or our country. Or children. Actual support for these claims is less readily available. Often those [...]
Is the word “queer” a label you embrace, or a reminder of hate? Is it becoming more popular?
Heard on Facebook I hate that word. Queer is something that doesn't fit in or isn't quite normal. I'm gay and I do fit in and I'm quite normal. So no matter if you are [...]