Dear Jody
Cheater looks for answers Q: I was drinking one day with my best friend "Nancy." I had several mixed drinks. Nancy was not drunk. So, I don't know how it all happened, but one thing [...]
Imitation of Life: ‘The Faux de Vie’
by Ed Sikov Cocktail Chatter From the mailbag comes this gem-like nugget: "You're a really great writer, Ed. You're also a mess." I say: True on both counts! I don't think I'm bragging when I [...]
Book Marks, Double Life, Homestead, Mystery of the Tempest
by Richard Labonte "Double Life: A Love Story from Broadway to Hollywood," by Alan Shayne and Norman Sunshine. Magnus Books, 448 pages, $24.95 hardcover. When they met, Alan Shayne, recently divorced and trying hard to [...]
Graffiti Fix
Gorgeous, talented and British - of course Jamie Scott has a gay following. The 27-year-old dreamboat fronts U.K. group Graffiti6, a folktronica hybrid rooted in Motown and trippy art-pop that dropped their full-length debut, "Colours," [...]
Q Scopes: Brush up on skills, Sagittarius!
Mars is turning retrograde and will backtrack through Virgo until April 13. In this period, recent pet peeves, critical arguments, bitchy outbursts and intestinal inflammations will come back to haunt you. Keep an eye on [...]
Who’s That Girl Crush?
Across 1 Inedible Apple 5 Thailand neighbor 9 He gives gifts in stocking 14 "Safe!" or "Out!" 15 Heterogeneous mixture 16 George, who was Mary Ann 17 "The African Queen" author 18 Middle of Caesar's [...]
Tipping Point lists lots of reasons to laugh
By Bridgette M. Redman Looking a gift horse in the mouth can have dangerous consequences. In "The Love List," Bill gets himself the perfect girlfriend - until he starts trying to tweak perfection. Then things [...]
Brave choice, engaging debut by Threefold
Imagine waking up one morning in a room you don't recognize and finding a hand on your breast that belongs to a similarly middle-aged stranger sleeping next to you. And worse, you have no idea [...]
Stagecrafters gambles with serious, moving musical
By Bridgette M. Redman ROYAL OAK - There are some shows that community theaters aren't eager to take risks on in hard economic times. Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "Kiss of the [...]
Troy mayor inflames another gay controversy
Troy residents Jeff Williams and Kristen Douglas protesting Mayor Daniels on Dec. 5. BTL photo: Andrew Potter TROY - Mayor of Troy Janice Daniels is under scrutiny once more for making more anti-gay statements. [...]
King of nonprofit turn-around takes on Patterson for Oakland County seat
By Crystal Proxmire ROYAL OAK - Between The Lines readers will recognize Kevin Howley as the energetic whiz Interim Executive Director of Affirmations, Ruth Ellis Center and Friends Schools of Detroit when those organizations needed [...]
Lesbian couple files legal challenge of state adoption law
Hazel Park - Committed parents April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, of Oakland County, filed a federal lawsuit Jan. 23 to overturn the state's practice of preventing unmarried couples from jointly adopting children. The women are [...]
College gets $23 million for social justice
KALAMAZOO - Kalamazoo College has received a $23 million grant to endow the work of its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The grant, made by the Arcus Foundation, will support a broad array of [...]
ACLU: Michigan domestic partners can’t wait
Mary Anne Meyers ACLU LGBT Project Attorney Jay Kaplan addressing the press Jan. 4. BTL photo: Andrew Potter Michigan News Connection DETROIT - When Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed the ban on public employee [...]
Holland is Ready recognized
HOLLAND - Holland is Ready, the group that sought to have an inclusive civil rights ordinance passed last year, was the recipient of the City of Holland Social Justice Award presented at the Jan. 15 [...]
GOP candidates head to Florida, none support equal rights
By Lisa Keen Three different contests, three different winners, and none of the remaining four major candidates for the Republican presidential nomination has a record of supporting equal rights for gays. But the candidate who [...]
Supreme Court backs discriminatory employment practices
By Lisa Keen The battle lines between the constitutional right to free exercise of religion and laws prohibiting discrimination are seeing some action at the U.S. Supreme Court these days. A decision this month by [...]
Patrick Wooden
Creep of the Week Holy shit. And I mean that literally. Because Patrick Wooden is both a pastor and a man whose imagination is wildly scatological, at least when it comes to the gays. Wooden [...]
Readers respond: Another gay teen, Phillip of Tennessee, commits suicide over anti-gay bullying.
Heard on Facebook Not another; It's so heartbreaking! What is wrong with people? -Linda Parr Bless his heart. It's so sad that Phillip felt that suicide was his only option. -Cyndy McNew Kids in the [...]
My rainbow visitor
Parting Glances I've lost three friends in three months. LaMarr Fields, Rev. Mark Bidwell, my Cass Tech High School classmate Gordon Barnard. Each lives inwardly as long as I will live; and at 75 that [...]
LGBT youth and Mayors for Freedom
Compiled by Howard Israel S/he Said "On behalf of advocates for LGBT youth everywhere, let me be the first to say 'thank you.' Simply by giving your son your love and support, you have already [...]
On the Road Again
By Roland Leggit Viewpoint I can hardly believe that it's already 2012. It seems that just the other day I was standing on the stage at Motor City Pride on a beautiful afternoon in June. [...]
INTERVIEW: Madonna Talks ‘Tired, Old’ Reinvention Label, Being Judged
With all of Madonna's metamorphoses throughout her balls-out career, slipping in and out of cultural zeitgeists (and accents), the queen chameleon is still the master of reinvention. Just don't tell her that. "Please don't throw [...]