By Kyle Almond In 2001 the Netherlands was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage. Reporter Rex Wockner covered the event live for the regional LGBT media. (CNN) - It's not just the [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On April 8 the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new LGBT Global Development Partnership, a public-private partnership between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Astraea Lesbian Foundation [...]
By Michael Pearson (CNN) -- The National Hockey League and a sports-oriented anti-homophobia advocacy group announced Thursday they are joining forces to provide players with tolerance training and other programs. The league said the agreement [...]
By Laura Smith-Spark Extending the rights to marry and adopt to same-sex couples in France was one of President Francois Hollande's electoral pledges in campaigning last year. He is seen above during his installation ceremony [...]
(Editor's note: Funeral services for Johnson will take place Monday, April 15th, at 3 p.m. at the James H. Cole Home for Funerals, located at 16100 Schaefer Hwy. in Detroit.) DETROIT - Community activist, dancer [...]
Ten thousand pounds of scrap metal, 20 teams, two weeks and one intense competition. That defines the Old Town Lansing Scrapfest. Artists interested in participating in the fifth annual Old Town Scrapfest, a competition in [...]
By Romeo San Vicente Ari Graynor. Photo: Focus Features Sara Gilbert moonlights with 'Bad Teacher' Success breeds success. As a child star on "Roseanne," Sara Gilbert won over the coveted sullen teen demographic with [...]
Jessie Ware, 'Devotion' If you've heard British breakthrough singer Jessie Ware's "Wildest Moments" (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?), you know she has one helluva voice. She could belt and whip that [...]
Across 1 Disneyland feature 5 R. Nureyev's land, once 9 Bug spray victim 13 Bucatinsky's "All ___ the Guy" 14 Icy coating 15 Buffalo's lake 16 Silents vamp Theda 17 Boy Scout ties 19 Start [...]
Liz Jaffee (Shelby) realizes she cannot conceal her physical condition when Brenda Lane (Truvy) gives her a manicure and Margaret Gilkes (Ouiser), Emily Caffery (Annelle), and Diane Hill (Clairee) catch a glimpse of her arms. [...]
By Dana Casadei Sequels tend to fall in one of two categories: failures (pick any one of the "Bring it On" or "American Pie" films) or huge successes ("Harry Potter," "Star Wars," or "Toy Story"). [...]
By John Quinn Thanks to the miracle that is the Internet, I'm listening to Ludwig van Beethoven's "33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli," Op. 120, while I write about Moises Kaufman's "33 Variations." [...]
By Martin F. Kohn "Sons of the Prophet" continues at The Ringwald Theatre through April 29. Photo: The Ringwald Joseph Douaihy is a long-distance runner who never got very far. A regional champion in [...]
By Carolyn Hayes In terms of what it's about, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's "Mrs. Mannerly" is an autobiographical retelling of the writer's childhood etiquette class and its wonderfully exacting, eccentric and enigmatic teacher. But such a [...]
{ITAL This article was originally published in April, 2013 Rayya Ellias will be appearing at Barnes & Noble in Royal Oak on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. for her book, Harley Loco's release.} Author Rayya [...]
As a kid growing up in the seventies, I never felt the safety of a community, in fact quite the opposite. Coming from an Arabic background, I knew I would be shunned if I were [...]
ROYAL OAK - Michigan State Rep.Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) has voiced opposition to Royal Oak's recently passed human rights ordinance, citing his fear that trans people will use bathrooms and make other people uncomfortable. "Why [...]
By Crystal Proxmire Between Ourselves The Director of Security for Ferndale Pride is a 30-year-old former farm boy who came to "Faggoty Ferndale" at 18 so he could freely be himself. Now, a dozen years [...]
By Dawn Wolfe [...]
By Dawn Wolfe '... there is a real pulse of community here.' - Eric Swanson, co-founder of the professional music ensemble Motif. BTL Photo: Andrew Potter As a journalist for BTL and, back in [...]
Last November BTL reported on a website tracking derogatory terms called http://www.nohomophobes.com. Here Tweets with the words "so gay," "faggot," "dyke," and "nohomo" are aggregated into a feed and tallied. While the innovative website continues [...]
BINGHAM FARMS - According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men in the U.S. have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime. April is Sexual Assault [...]
By Dawn Wolfe Surprising results suggest the phrase isn't about homophobia ANN ARBOR - Following up on his 2012 research into the harmful effects on LGBT college students of hearing the phrase "That's so gay!" [...]
By Dawn Wolfe ANN ARBOR - If Jesus could have two daddies, why can't other children? That's the question being asked and answered in the new book, Jesus Has Two Daddies, by Michigander Tom McMillen-Oakley. [...]
Each year, from the first signs of spring to early fall, the Michigan Humane Society (MHS) Wildlife Department, located at the MHS Rochester Hills Center for Animal Care, cares for hundreds of baby animals that [...]
Inclusive Justice Michigan, a state-wide, faith-based coalition that advocates for equitable rights for all LGBTQ individuals, will host "A One Stop Pop Up Shop for Justice" conference April 13 at Eastern Michigan University. The event [...]
By Lisa Keen Now that legal activists and experts have had a chance to go back over the U.S. Supreme Court arguments in last week's two big marriage equality cases, most are predicting victories but [...]
Creep Of The Week There are few topics that raise the collective temperatures of Americans on all sides as much as gun control and gay marriage. At first blush, it seems like the two debates [...]
All the recent hope n' hoopla about gay marriage pretty quickly dissolves when one hears that "progressive, hip" Royal Oak can't keep even the most basic of anti-discrimination ordinances in effect for more than a [...]
Parting Glances The following items - for reasons happily positive, homophobic negative - recently made their uncharted way to my educational, ecumenical, and sometimes egregious email address. I feel it my journalistic duty as a [...]
By Abby Dees Thinking Out Loud Last night my partner and I watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the sweet, slightly retro coming-of-age film featuring Emma Watson in her big post-Potter debut. The plot [...]
With all the due praise for Jessie Ware's honeyed debut, "Devotion," including a Mercury Prize nomination, no one's complaining that the Londoner dropped journalism for music. Least of all Ware herself. As she heads stateside, [...]
BTL Staff East Lansing - Ronald Moore, former Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Kimberly-Clark Company and Human Resources Manager at Hewlett-Packard, will be visiting MSU's campus during the university's 2013 Pride Week celebration. [...]
