Dating Diet: Till the World Ends
By Anthony Paull I don't get it. Allen Ginsberg writes poems about assholes and is declared one of America's most influential poets, and when I do the same thing, I get kicked out of newspapers. [...]
Dear Jody: Family matters
Q: My partner, "Nina," and I had a difficult Memorial Day weekend. It wasn't just hard for us; it affected our daughter as well. Nina and I have been living together for nine months. My [...]
Fun with Fred
By Vince Farin For just over 34 years, the B-52s have been crashing parties with their infectious brand of dance music. Their most recent studio release, "Funplex," hit stores in 2008. We caught up with [...]
Madonna: Uncensored and unreal
By Andrea Poteet "There's nobody like Madonna," Melissa Totten says. "I may be able to capture a moment, but no one can touch her." Totten does not look like Madonna. She used to, she says, [...]
Mister ‘Manners’
For years, Steven Petrow's been answering your questions about gay and lesbian life - everything from social-media etiquette to surviving the holidays. Now, he's answering ours. The nationally syndicated writer, known for his "Queeries" column [...]
Deep Inside Hollywood
By Romeo San Vicente 'Carrie' ruins prom for everybody. Again. "Once Is Not Enough" is more than just the name of a best-selling Jacqueline Susann novel, it's how Hollywood does business all the time, cranking [...]
Q Scopes: Relax, Taurus!
By Jack Fertig Mars in Taurus aspecting Eris in Aries cranks up competitive urges. Be open and flexible. Goals may need adjusting as conditions change. ARIES (March 20 - April 19): You could make a [...]
Hear Me Out: Lady Gaga’s gay gospel, ‘Born This Way’
Lady Gaga, 'Born This Way' The third album from pop's poker-faced ingenue isn't quite album-of-the-decade deserving, as the star herself claimed it would be, but dear Gaga, it's gotta be the gayest. Gaga's message of [...]
Remembering Arthur Laurents
Across 1 Two foursomes, to Lorca 5 Exclusion of gays from the military, and more 9 Denmark coastal feature 14 One may be proper 15 Morales in movies 16 "Milk," when it plays in Mexico? [...]
The OutField: Brian Burke and the Bowdoin ‘bubble’
By Dan Woog Bowdoin College is a warm, welcoming place. Nestled in a small Maine town, it's the kind of place where Ben Chadwick could be out - and enjoy full, even joyful, acceptance from [...]
Augusta Barn celebrates 65 years of hits
By Bridgette M. Redman Katrina Chizek and Apprentice Company in the number "All that Jazz" from "Chicago." Photo: Barn Theatre The Augusta Barn Theatre celebrated its 65-year history and the re-opening after a dark [...]
Clean, simple, powerful: ‘Pony’ at the Rep
By John Quinn "Looking for the Pony" closes the 53rd season of the Detroit Repertory Theatre. Photo: Bruce Millan Have you heard the one about the kid faced with a room full of manure [...]
‘Endangered’ issues a timely warning
By John Quinn Kristen Wagner and Josh Campos in "Endangered." Photo: Gerrick Reidenbach In preparing the nominations for the Wilde Awards I was struck by the number of "dark comedies" presented this season. One [...]
Strong leads help ‘Blood Brothers’ sing
By Judith Cookis Rubens When a show enjoys an extraordinary run, it's tempting to examine just why it holds up over time. The melodramatic 1983 British musical "Blood Brothers," for example, is London's longest running [...]
Gutsy choice serves as opening of Epicenter Theatre Group
A week ago I had never heard of the Epicenter Theatre Group. Yet there I was last night at the opening performance of its first-ever production. Although new additions to Metro Detroit's ever-exploding professional theater [...]
Anti-homophobia events in 17 Turkish cities
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS Turkey's 6th International Meeting Against Homophobia expanded to 19 university campuses in 17 cities this year. Between March 14 and May 22, events took place in Mersin, Adana, Trabzon, Samsun, [...]
Cameroon man jailed under gay-sex ban
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS A man in Cameroon, Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, has been sent to prison for three years for violation of the nation's ban on gay sex, Amnesty International reported June 3. Mbede [...]
Maltese transwoman loses marriage battle
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS A Maltese transwoman's battle to get married suffered another setback in late May after the nation's attorney general won an appeal of a ruling that had been in Joanne Cassar's [...]
Officials denounce ban, crackdown on Moscow Pride
by Rex Wockner INTERNATIONAL NEWS European and U.S. officials have denounced the Moscow government for banning gay pride for the sixth year in a row and violently arresting people who defied the ban. France's Foreign [...]
Motor City Pride draws more than 44,000
By Tara Cavanaugh DETROIT - With its move from a suburb to a city, more days and a bigger space, everyone wondered: Would Motor City Pride be a success? You bet. "People were showing up [...]
Marches speak volumes at Ferndale Pride
Zack Marsack walked all the way from Affirmations to City Hall in shiny black high-heeled boots at Ferndale Pride last weekend. "It killed my feet. But it was worth it," the 14-year-old Ferndale resident said. [...]
Becoming visible
By Tara Cavanaugh Back in the early 1990s, when R. Cole Bouck was working in the Michigan Department of Corrections, he found himself suddenly forced out of the closet. For a couple of months, it [...]
West Michigan Pride ‘a day of celebration’
By Jeremy Martin From the Medical Mile to Art Prize, Grand Rapids certainly has a lot to be proud of. But on Saturday, June 18, it will be West Michigan's LGBT community who will take [...]
Michigan Democrats celebrate Pride month
LANSING- Michigan Democrats embrace the month of June as a celebration of LGBT Pride Month, which recognizes the efforts of all Americans to fight for equal rights and acceptance for the LGBT community. "Michigan Democrats [...]
Jewish Gay Network series continues
The Jewish Gay Network of Michigan is offering a series for older LGBT adults, Twice Blessed: Modern Family - You and Your Loved Ones, that addresses the unique issues facing LGBT families as they age. [...]
Pride 2011: Looking forward, looking back
By Eric Rader In this month of LGBT Pride, we have much to celebrate, yet still face many challenges. Since the Stonewall uprising in June 1969, our community has made great strides toward overcoming a [...]
Affirmations announces 2011 Pride Awards
FERNDALE- The Annual Pride Banquet and Awards Ceremony is proud to announce the winners to be honored at the Ukrainian Cultural Center on June 23. This event is co-sponsored this year by Affirmations, Al GAMEA, [...]
OutCenter charity event June 17
Benton Harbor- The OutCenter of Benton Harbor will host a golf and dinner event at Harbor Shores on June 17. Proceeds from the event will support the OutCenter in its vision of creating a welcoming [...]
Older adult summit June 12
FERNDALE- Affirmations Community Center will host another Older Adult Summit on June 12. The event is the second part of a series designed to bring together older LGBT adults to discuss ways that the community [...]
Prom on the beach
It was a beach blastin' good time for the more than 75 teenagers who attended the Youth Prom at Affirmations on May 29. Dancing with friends in their flip flops and swimwear, the youngsters were [...]
Saginaw Pride Banquet to honor local activists
SAGINAW - The third annual Saginaw Valley LGBT & Allies Pride Awards Banquet is on June 28 at Saginaw's Andersen Enrichment Center, 120 Ezra Rust Dr. across from Ojibway Island. BTL co-publisher Jan Stevenson will [...]
APM’s Solstice to raise funds for AIDS
TROY - Summer Solstice III, hosted by Baker, is AIDS Partnership Michigan's major fundraiser on June 11 at the Michigan Design Center in Troy. The soiree includes a strolling dinner and wine provided by some [...]
UCC churces welcoming partner at Michigan Pride June 11
LANSING - Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ of Lansing is partnering with First Congregational UCC of Grand Ledge and Edgewood United Church of East Lansing to host a group of booths at the 2011 [...]
AARP launches website for older LGBTs
Ther American Association of Retired Persons launched a webpage on June 6 to serve older LGBT Americans. The site features articles on news, personal finance, relationships, travel and other topics of concern to older gay [...]
Federal study: LGB youth more at risk
By Dana Rudolph Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to be at increased risk for unhealthy behaviors, according to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control [...]
President Obama voices support for June’s Pride month
The story of America's LGBT community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. [...]
Connecticut protects trans people
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Connecticut has become the 15th state (along with D.C.) to explicitly ban discrimination based on gender identity or expression. The measure passed the House 77-62 in May, passed the Senate [...]
Illinois civil-union law takes effect
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS Illinois' civil-union law came into force June 1. Couples lined up early in the morning at the county clerk's office in Chicago to pick up paperwork. Then, by law, they [...]
In New York, 58 percent of voters favor same-sex marriage
by Rex Wockner U.S. NEWS A Quinnipiac University poll released June 2 found that 58 percent of New York state voters support letting same-sex couples marry and 36 percent oppose it. Support stands at 72 [...]
Without a doubt, Motor City Pride 2011 was a wonderful success
Those who planned, organized and ultimately pulled off Motor City Pride's debut in Hart Plaza this past weekend deserve our heartfelt thanks and praise. We must congratulate Equality Michigan, the Motor City Pride Planning Committee, [...]
American Family Association
Creep of the Week Well, it's June, which means it's officially Gay Pride Month. And I do mean official. President Obama declared it himself, which I think is a pretty important endorsement. Not only is [...]
What did you think of Motor City Pride at Hart Plaza this year?
A million times better than Pride last year. Not jammed in the streets like cattle. A big, beautiful fountain to cool off in (and watch the eye candy cool off in). I visited some of [...]
The Great Bumpkin Recounts!
Parting Glances You're not going to believe this, but - no pun intended - do bare with me. Truth is stranger than biblical fiction. Right on the dot, May 21, at 6 p.m., I had [...]
30th anniversary of HIV/AIDS
compiled by Howard Israel S/he said "We are showing the world that the people of Illinois believe in equality for all. We look forward to individuals and businesses from across the country choosing to move [...]
Small towns, deep closets
By Jim Larkin "Straight married man looking for discreet male relationship." "73-year-old married man who isn't getting what he needs at home looking for man for discreet relationship." I kid you not. The above two [...]
When gender matters
By John Corvino The Gay Moralist Many years ago I was invited to present a paper at a philosophy conference. As usual, a respondent was assigned: a Professor Robin Somebody (I don't recall the last [...]