As the world continues to learn more about coronavirus and its spread, it's vital to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. However, it's also important to make sure that the information being distributed is from credible sources. To that end, Between The Lines has compiled, [...]
Mississippi Judge Overturns Same-Sex Marriage Ban
BY AP JACKSON - A federal judge has overturned Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage, but is putting his order on hold for two weeks so the state can appeal. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued [...]
Amber’s Journey
LANSING - Amber is looking forward to the new year, but she is also fearful of what 2015 will bring her. She plans to transition to living her life as she was meant -- as [...]
Jeffrey Tambor Talks ‘Light, Love & Warmth’ Of 2014’s Watershed Show ‘Transparent’
When a show makes its mark on society, it's more than just TV - it's history. In 2014, we met Maura, the protagonist of the brazen, boundary-breaking "Transparent," a dramedy centered on a 70-something male-to-female's [...]
Mr. LA Leather 2014 To Promote PrEP In Michigan
Photo by Eric Schwabel. Mr. LA Leather 2014, Eric Paul Leue, is swinging through Michigan to discuss pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV intervention. He will participate in panel discussions in Grand Rapids on [...]
An Apple for Adam & Steve
Across 1 Use your lips unfaithfully 5 Endora portrayer 10 Biters of Marc Antony's girlfriend 14 "I" of Socrates 15 Belief summary 16 One way to cook fruit 17 Crude dude 18 Bitch and moan [...]
Una bella notte at MOT
By Amy J. Parrent Inna Los stars in Michigan Opera Theatre's "Madame Butterfly." Photo: John Grigaitis In the Michigan Opera Theatre program handed out at "Madame Butterfly," there is an interview with 93-year-old John [...]
It All Starts With This Hat
By Martin F. Kohn Danielle Nader and Adam Joseph Lopez in "The Motherfucker With the Hat." Photo: 4TheatrSake There's an old folk song that begins, "The other night when I got home as drunk [...]
Comedy Explores The Broad Meaning Of Feminism
By John Quinn Tricia Turek as Gwen, Emily Rogers as Catherine, and Kelly Rose Voigt as Avery in Matrix Theatre Company's "Rapture, Blister, Burn" by Gina Gionfriddo. Photo: Megan Buckley-Ball Matrix Theatre has invested [...]
The Real & Imagined Worlds Of Neil Simon
By Amy J. Parrent Jake's daughter Molly at 21 (played by Egla Kishta), Jake (Bob Hotchkiss) and Jake's daughter Molly at 12 (Charlotte Weisserman). Photo: Melissa Tremblay My late aunt Joyce, who'd raised four [...]
A Chekhov In The Win Column For The Ringwald
By John Quinn Con (Jonathan Davidson) makes an offering to Nina (Katie Terpstra) in Aaron Posner's Stupid Fucking Bird at Ferndale's Ringwald Theatre. Photo: Brandy Joe Plambeck. "Stupid Fucking Bird" is a play by [...]
Better Dry Plains Than Die Plain
By Carolyn Hayes Harmer James R. Kuhl & Dani Cochrane in "The Rainmaker." Photo: N. Richard Nash Once upon a time, on an arid stretch of the American West, there was a girl who wasn't [...]
Traveling Exhibit Shares Transgender Stories
A museum-quality traveling exhibit on transgender experiences dubbed "Pioneering Voices: Portraits of Transgender People" has found a temporary home at Congregational Church of Birmingham this month. Through first-person accounts, interviews and positive images, the stories [...]
The Ultimate Guide To Gay Gift Giving
What do you get a gay who has everything? Take your pick from these ideas, perfect for LGBT foodies, techies, explorers and more. Zooop Adult Onesies Lazy winter weekends are meant for lounging around the [...]
Screen Queen: The Gift Guide
FOR THE NOSTALGIA Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Complete Series For queers of every kind, Pee-wee's Playhouse was a place to hang without feeling weird about being weird. Subverting heteronormativity with its groundbreaking portrayal of a wildly [...]
Schuette Wants State’s 300 Same-Sex Marriages Voided
BY AJ TRAGER The ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit in April, Caspar v Snyder. The eight couples named as plaintiffs in the case appear above. Recently re-elected Attorney General BIll Schuette wants these marriages [...]
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Expansion Precarious
LANSING -- The lame-duck machinations to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) continue with two clear sides firming up in the fight. One group, led by Democrats and state and national LGBT equality organizations, [...]
Renowned Gay Writers To Visit Ann Arbor
By Keith Orr Author Felice Picano In 1980 and 1981, seven gay writers met in New York. They were as much a support group as a writing "school." They were attempting to write serious [...]
New MI Group Aims To Pass Fully Inclusive Civil Rights Amendment
BY BTL STAFF MICHIGAN - A broad, bipartisan coalition of organizations, businesses, lawmakers, grassroots activists, members of the LGBT community and concerned residents from across the state have joined together to launch a new statewide [...]
Facebook Community Reacts To 6th Circuit Ruling
BY BTL STAFF The 6th Circuit ruling on Nov. 6 left Michigan LGBT and allied residents in a state of shock. With emotions ranging from despair to rage, same-sex marriage proponents took to BTL's Facebook [...]
Pay It Forward This Holiday Season
BY AJ TRAGER MICHIGAN - Though the holiday season is usually associated with hot chocolate, Santa and other festivities, many families in metro Detroit are unable to celebrate because of overwhelming medical bills, damages from [...]
Creep of the Week: Jase Bolger
In Michigan, where I live, it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay. Or for being lesbian, bisexual or transgender, for that matter. For years, LGBT people and allies have been trying to [...]
Parting Glances Fundies! Go Fly Ben’s Kite!
If one person single-handedly pushed this country into a War of Independence from England, it is patriot and pamphleteer Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809). His book "Common Sense" is a clarion call to open rebellion. [...]
Ask Lambda Legal: Veteran’s Marriage Benefits
By Susan Sommer Dear Ask Lambda Legal: I'm a married U.S. Army veteran and living in Arkansas. We're wondering about spousal benefits for same-sex partners. I thought my partner wasn't eligible but have heard that [...]
BTL EDITORIAL: Bolger And Murray On The Wrong Side Of History
Out-going Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) and openly gay President of AT&T Michigan Jim Murray have been pushing for an exclusionary amendment to Michigan's civil rights law -- the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. [...]
All Or Nothing When It Comes To Civil Rights
BY JAY KAPLAN Last week, a Republican-sponsored bill was introduced that would amend our state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against some members of the LGBT community. The proposed bill covers sexual orientation [...]
An Open Letter to Married People Who Oppose Marriage Equality
BY JENNIFER MIRACLE-BEST To Those Who Have Concerned Themselves with Other People's Right to Marry: I'm a fairly reasonable person. In fact, I would imagine that most of the people who are close to me [...]
Post-Election Post Mortem
By Mark LaChey As many of you know, I am the chair of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (LGBT&A) Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, having been elected in February 2013. As formulated [...]
Marriott Earns Perfect Ranking On Corporate Equality Index
By BTL Staff BETHESDA, Md. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Marriott International, Inc. was recently named among America's top corporations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, by earning a perfect 100% score on the Human [...]
Honoring The Death Of Trans Sisters And Brothers
BY AJ TRAGER NATIONAL - On Nov. 28, 1998, transgender woman of color Rita Hester was murdered in Allston, Massachusetts. Sixteen years later the LGBT community continues to internationally honor Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) [...]
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