Why have a same-sex wedding expo?
By BTL Staff ic Updated March 28, 2012 BTL is sponsoring a same-sex wedding expo at the Livonia Marriot on Sunday, April 29, 2012 from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. It should be a blast: [...]
Dear Jody: A smoky situation
Q: My partner "Ellie" and I have two kids - three months and 3-years-old. We are trying to raise our children the best we know how, which I assume most parents do. We feed them [...]
Cocktail Chatter: To Everything There Is a Cocktail
By Ed Sikov Since we closed the beach house in late October, 310,692 Americans died of heart disease or coronaries. 9,992 people got murdered. 17,962 people killed themselves - 9,679 used guns, 4,272 chose hanging [...]
Just Jessie
"Who You Are" is the title of Jessie J's debut album, but it's also what everyone's been wondering about the English artist herself. Outside of the short black bob and that ear-wormy, gender-bending single "Do [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood
By Romeo San Vicente Whose presence will be felt in 'The Muppets'? There's been so much rumor and speculation about what stars will pop up in "The Muppets" - the upcoming reboot of the film [...]
Q Scopes: Be careful, Cancer!
By Jack Fertig Mars, Jupiter and Eris are all lining up together in Aries. This is a very rare triple conjunction that increases impulsiveness, aggression and competitiveness. Fights and wars are very likely to break [...]
DVD Lowdown: ‘Rabbit Hole,’ ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Phillip Morris’
'Rabbit Hole': Death drama done right For his third film, John Cameron Mitchell pulls back from the flamboyancy and sexiness marking his directing repertoire, which includes "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Shortbus," for this [...]
Hear Me Out: k.d. lang sings it loud – and lovely.
k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang, 'Sing it Loud' On "Sing it Loud," k.d. lang's first album in 20 years with a core band, she does just that - blasting through the big-sounding shell [...]
For Lanford Wilson: Stolen Letter
Across 1 "Beat it!" 5 Some of Mary's lambs 9 Perkins' "Psycho" role 14 Full house, e.g. 15 Org. that has never been to Uranus 16 Place for champagne 17 Ceramic likeness of Dave Pallone? [...]
The OutField: Ty Nolan’s gay sports content
By Dan Woog Wrestling was big in Oklahoma, where Ty Nolan went to high school. His brother and sister were involved in rodeo - another big sport. Yet Nolan chose his own path. He became [...]
Plaids politely seduce Encore’s audience
By Bridgette M. Redman There are many reasons that "Forever Plaid" is a perennial crowd pleaser, and the cast and crew at Encore Musical Theater are quick to capitalize on all of them in their [...]
‘Salvage’ fun to look at; needs more substance
By Jenn McKee Local playwright Joe Zettelmaier obviously has a soft spot for pop culture nerds, as evidenced once again by his newest play, "Salvage," now having its world premiere at Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre. [...]
Meadow Brook’s ‘Shout!’ out to the ’60s
By John Quinn Forgive me if I've gotten a little Anglophobic lately. The only "Royal Wedding" that interests me featured Jane Powell and Fred Astaire. But since the Meadow Brook Theatre's latest offering, "Shout! The [...]
Marriage Expo: Giveaways Galore!
Just by showing up to the Expo you will be automatically entered to one on e of these amazing prizes. (Do not need to be present to win.) Grand Prize Weekend Getaway at Motor City [...]
Queeries: Special Wedding Edition
By Steven Petrow Can we charge our friends to come to our shower? Q: My girlfriend and I are planning what we jokingly call a "lesbian couples shower." Right now, we're up to about 40 [...]
Proud on the page
By Tara Cavanaugh "Donovan's Big Day" looks like any other children's book, with bright splashy colors and big, coated pages. And there's nothing particularly unusual about the journey that Donovan takes as he prepares to [...]
Make your ceremony unique – for cheap
All couples want their wedding day to be special. Whether it's a formal affair or beachside barbeque, brides and grooms across America aim to make the celebration of their love a day everyone will remember. [...]
Same-Sex Wedding Expo claims right for marriage rites
It's not legal to get married in Michigan, but that won't stop us. BTL is producing a same-sex wedding expo on Sunday, and we are inviting everyone to come join in the fun and show [...]
Marrige Expo: Sweet Lorraine’s – The Menu
Hors D'ouvres: Coconut Shrimp Singapore "Sesame" Chicken Crab Wontons Prosciutto & Asparagus Cheese Skewers Panko coated Fried Brie with wild berry coulis Peach Tree Salad on the Rocks with sweet poppyseed dressing Golden Mushrooms paired [...]
The Big Gay Day
By Andrea Poteet When Jason Rice and Stephen Fleck look back on their wedding, they have few regrets. "We wish we'd worn more fitted tuxedos," Fleck says, laughing. "That's the only thing when we look [...]
Marriage Expo Exhibitors
Bakeries Elite Sweets 33471 W 8 Mile Rd Livonia, MI 48152 248-476-3600 elitesweets@att.net http://www.getelitesweets.com The Pastry Palace 28525 Beck Road #117 Wixom, MI 48393 248-380-2810 http://www.thepastrypalace.com Cupcake Station Four locations in Birmingham, Plymouth, Ann Arbor [...]
Colombian court gives gay couples more rights
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Colombia's Constitutional Court on April 13 extended property inheritance rights to unmarried and same-sex couples by revising Civil Code articles that limited such rights to married couples. The court said [...]
Fijian LGBTI student group attains university affiliation
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS An LGBTI student group in Suva, Fiji, has attained official affiliation with the University of the South Pacific's Students' Association at the Laucala Campus. The Drodrolagi Movement conducted "a strong [...]
Activists urge Hungarian president to veto new constitution
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Hungary's Parliament approved a new constitution April 18 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and omits sexual orientation from an anti-discrimination provision's list of protected traits. [...]
Indian Supreme Court defers gay-sex case
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS India's Supreme Court was scheduled April 19 to begin hearing multiple appeals of the Delhi High Court ruling that struck down the nation's ban on gay sex in July 2009, [...]
Montenegro government supports pride parade
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Montenegro's government is supporting the nation's first gay pride parade, scheduled for May 31. Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said in a meeting with activists that the march has "full [...]
Hundreds of law students protest graduation speaker
By Tara Cavanaugh ANN ARBOR- Students at the University of Michigan's Law School are protesting the selection of their commencement speaker, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, because of his opposition to gay rights. The law school [...]
Advocates challenge state officials on second parent adoption
Mere weeks after the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex adoption, the battle over two-parent adoptions is heating up in Michigan as advocates for youth in the foster care system say that thousands [...]
Ruth Ellis goal: $100,000
DETROIT- The Ruth Ellis Center, a non-profit dedicated to LGBT homeless, runaway and at-risk youth, is currently fundraising with a goal of $100,000 before the end of September. Every $2 raised by the center will [...]
Jewish Gay Network kicks off Twice Blessed
By Anne Adelson In our current social and political climate, the needs of diverse families in Michigan are evolving faster than our supporting institutions. The Jewish Gay Network of Michigan is offering a four-part series [...]
Spirituality summit May 7
DETROIT- KICK, the agency for LGBT African Americans, is holding a spirituality summit on Sunday, May 7. Registration is from 9-10 a.m and a continental breakfast will be served. Lunch is provided and the entrance [...]
Financial workshop focuses on LGBT families
FERNDALE- Comerica Bank and its LGBT Alliance Group is sponsoring an "Estate and Financial Workshop for the LGBT Community" at Affirmations on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature discussions on estate [...]
Understand gender variance in children
TROY- Congregation Shir Tikvah is hosting an educational event titled "Gender variance and Expression in Children - Understanding Through Education" at 7 p.m. on May 3. Kim Pearson, executive director and co-founder of TransYouth Family [...]
Symposium addresses bullying May 15
FARMINGTON HILLS- The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus will host its 7th Annual International Symposium on Sunday, May 15 from 1 to 6 p.m. The Center is located at 28123 Orchard Lake Road. Co-sponsored [...]
Defense of Marriage Act archaic law
By Eric Rader Earlier this year, President Obama announced that his administration would no longer defend the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" in federal court. This discriminatory law prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex [...]
Hawaii protects transgenders
By Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS A bill banning employment discrimination based on gender identity cleared Hawaii's Legislature April 19. Transgender people already were protected in the areas of housing and public accommodations. Gov. Neil Abercrombie [...]
Ariz. governor signs anti-gay-adoption bill
By Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill April 18 that requires public and private adoption agencies to give primary consideration to placement with a married man and woman unless other [...]
LGBTs stage Day of Silence ‘flash mob’ in St. Petersburg
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Around 50 people from the Russian LGBT group Coming Out took part in a public Day of Silence action April 16 in St. Petersburg. Organizers said they were protesting "against [...]
Groups lobby Obama to attend UN AIDS meeting
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Fifty global health, human rights and religious organizations have called on President Barack Obama to attend a United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June in New York City. At [...]
Media seek intervention in Prop 8 case
By Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS The media are seeking intervention in the Proposition 8 case to urge the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to release the 13 days of video from the U.S. District [...]
Obama seems to say work on gay marriage is not finished
By Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Speaking at a Democratic National Committee event April 20 in San Francisco, President Barack Obama seemed to say that his administration's work on gay marriage is not finished. The president [...]
AIDS prevention pill study halted; no benefit seen
By Marilynn Marchione Researchers are stopping a study that tests a daily pill to prevent infection with the AIDS virus in thousands of African women because partial results show no signs that the drug is [...]
Lowe’s to add ‘Gender identity or expression to discrimination policies
By BTL Staff Lowe's Companies, Inc., a national home improvement retailer, plans to add the terms "gender identity or expression" to its Equal Employment Opportunity policy due in large part to pressure from the Equity [...]
U-M law students, we salute you
Our hats are off to the class of students at the University of Michigan's Law School for making it clear that gay rights are mainstream civil rights, no different than anyone else's. When it was [...]
Teonna Monae Brown
Creep of the Week There are plenty of reasons why Chrissy Lee Polis, a 22-year-old transgender woman should have thought twice about going to McDonald's on April 18. Pick just about any item off the [...]
Poll: A senator who’s speaking at the U-M law school graduation ceremony opposes gay rights, and some students don’t want him to be allowed to speak. What should U-M do?
Heard on Facebook Allow the speaker. We all have the right to free speech. 7 votes Take back his invitation. Gay rights are civil rights. 23 votes Rather than get him gone, I would rather [...]
Peel me a sour grape, Camilla!
Parting Glances I'm a patient person (having waited the requisite number of years to be thought of as well tempered - i.e., over the hill) but as my royal wedding invitation never arrived, I'll be [...]