Jason A. Michael
Jason A. Michael is a senior staff writer for Between The Lines and Pride Source Media Group. He has been writing for BTL since 1999. Jason is also an Essence bestselling author. He may be reached at [email protected].
Sr. Jeannine Gramick talks about making hard moral choices
DETROIT – By now most of gay Metro Detroit is familiar with Jeannine Gramick. A soft spoken nun with steely reserve, the January showing of the documentary that chronicles her struggle to find justice for gays in the Catholic church, "In Good [...]
Parents of murdered Army private speak out
DETROIT – Pat and Wally Kutteles are not on a mission to canonize their late son. "He had his moments like any kid," said Pat, who with her husband spoke to Between The Lines before speaking at a dinner sponsored by That All May Freely Serve at the [...]
Mahaffey to retire from Detroit City Council
DETROIT – City Council President Maryann Mahaffey, who has served the citizens of Detroit for 31 years, announced last week that she plans to retire at the end of the year. The announcement put an immediate halt to her bid for an eighth term – she [...]
3rd annual Gospel & Soul hits plenty of high notes
DETROIT – Whether you call it happenstance or the Holy Ghost, something was definitely moving in the air at the third annual Human Rights Campaign Gospel & Soul event last Saturday. After hearing the remarks of Brenda Warren, whose gay son [...]
Third annual Gospel & Soul ready to roll
DETROIT – The third annual Gospel & Soul event, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17. This year's event, which will once again be co-chaired and co-hosted by Michelle Brown and Curtis Lipscomb, carries with [...]
Mighty Wrong: Biography fails to capture the full fabulousness that was Sylvester
"At first, I thought maybe I was the wrong person for the job of writing this book," writes Joshua Gamson in the acknowledgments section of "The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70s in San Francisco" (available now from Henry Holt [...]
OBITUARY: Regi Thompson
(June 17, 1955 – June 27, 2005) DETROIT – Entrepreneur and nightclub owner Regi Thompson died in the early morning hours of June 27. His death the result of malignant lymphoma, the most common type of blood cancer. Thompson turned 50 on June 17. A [...]
A decade of Black Gay Pride
DETROIT – Organizers over at the Black Pride Society, formerly known as Detroit Black Gay Pride, knew this year's celebration had to be special. They've spent a year planning it and by all accounts it looks like Hotter Than July is prepared to turn [...]
Freedom To Marry' a moving argument for marriage equality
Let's get this out of the way up front. "Freedom To Marry" is not the most sophisticated documentary I've ever seen. It certainly could have been a little more polished, a tad more tightly edited. But less than halfway through the 55-minute film I [...]
Daddy and Papa
SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP – They could well be the poster family for domestic partnership benefits in Michigan; and, indeed, they are co-plaintiffs with 20 other families in the ACLU lawsuit that seeks to ensure that state-funded institutions can continue [...]
Detroit Black Gay Pride to celebrate 10 years in July
DETROIT – There's no doubt about it. Organizers of Hotter Than July, Detroit Black Gay Pride, are excited about planning their 10th annual celebration. Scheduled for July 27-31 and subtitled Family Re:Union, this year's HTJ promises to kick the [...]
Detroit's first gay-straight alliance off to strong start
Cut/ Sonia Ponce de Leon (center) and the students from the Cesar Chavez Academy Gay Straight Alliance. BTL photo: Jason Michael DETROIT – They meet every Monday after classes end, from 3:20 to 4:30 p.m. The Gay Straight Alliance at Cesar Chavez [...]