The Pride Project

For me, one of the most frustrating things to come out of the discussion about Motor City Pride moving to Hart Plaza from Ferndale was this leitmotif that Detroit is not as gay-friendly as Ferndale.  It's been mentioned in comments on Facebook (although the Motor City Pride page is pretty aggressive about removing excessively negative comments, a policy I have mixed feelings about) and covered in Between the Lines (be sure to read the comments).

Now I get where this perception comes from.  There have been widespread reports of homophobia in the African-American community in the past, and we've had several civic and community leaders make homophobic remarks over the years.  But let's compare apples to apples.

Ferndale is a community of 19,000 people covering 3.9 square miles.  Detroit is a city of 713,000 people covering 149 square miles.  But the greater downtown area, the area including the Central Business District, Corktown, the Midtown neighborhoods, Lafayette Park & adjacent areas, and Eastern Market, is roughly 16 square miles and approximately 40,000 residents. Essentially that's been my world (with the addition of the Villages and SW Detroit) and it's a better comp than the city as a whole.  And I've never lived anyplace more gay-friendly.

A little over three weeks ago this was rattling around in my brain, trying to figure out how to send the message that Detroit is actually an AWESOME place to live and be gay.  And maybe Motor City Pride moving downtown was an opportunity to show that.

The independent business community downtown is pretty tightly-knit, so I asked a couple friends if they were interested in doing a small sponsorship of Pride that we could bundle together.  And if they thought other business owners would be receptive to the idea.  It turns out they weren't just receptive, they were enthusiastic.

I could never in a million years have anticipated the positive response I received from every friend I approached.  And they approached friends too.  And in the three weeks since we started spreading the word, we've raised over $6500 from a whole slew of downtown independent merchants who are proud to be sponsors of Pride.

See the fact of the matter is, Detroit is the most welcoming city I've ever lived in - and I've been around.  Jim Geary, owner of the Woodbridge Pub, said it even better:

I think this is great for the city and a good public example of the diversity and tolerance that Detroit should be famous for. It is my experience, in the ten years I have lived here, that Detroiters are more tolerant in general, whether it be religion, race, sexual orientation or financial status, than anywhere else I have lived.

So anytime you hear someone say Detroit isn't welcoming to gays, why don't you straighten them out and mention the following list of businesses - the bars, restaurants and retailers who make Detroit as cool as it is - who put their money where their mouth is and jumped at the chance to welcome the regional gay community to Detroit.

I'll share more info about this when this little Downtown Pride Project is done.  I'm still approaching folks - these are just the people my friends and I knew personally who'd committed by last night.  If you don't see your favorite downtown spot on here, why not ask them about it? Hit me up at the email to the left, I'd love them to help roll out the gay welcome mat!

Home Slice

Judging from the amazing events I've been attending lately, it's high season for Detroit's downtown society.  And things are only heating up!

MoCAD, Detroit's contemporary art museum, is known as much for their events as they are for their cutting-edge exhibitions.  Lord knows I've had my good times there.  As someone who has worked on his fair share of non-profit art events, I can tell you it isn't easy to keep them interesting, fun and well-attended. But MoCAD has always exceeded expectations.

Well, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here they go again.

This Friday?  Go to Home Slice, their big benefit that features the best of the local food movement, the best local chefs, the best local artists and more than likely the best local crowd you'll have seen in forever.  And I gauge this because I looked at the back of the invite and saw the most comprehensive who's who benefit committee I've ever seen.  I was even impressed to find myself on the list!  I thought I was just adding a little creative touch to the event styling.

If you love to mix up a little trouble, get yourself in a sticky jam or suck on a local pickle then I recommend you buy your ticket tout de suite.  It looks like it'll be the event of the season.  Tickets are only $75 (or $85 if you aren't a MoCAD member ... and why aren't you?) but do note because this is a fundraiser there is a cash bar (with Michigan libations and artisinal cocktails). Open bar can get expensive, especially for a bunch of heavy indulgers like you guys.

Oh, and don't forget to mark your calendars for the MoCAD Halloween Party on October 30, put together by the extra cool New Wave committee!  More to come on that for sure!

Best of Detroit: The Supergay Slate

Hey kids what time is it? It's time to vote in the Metro Times Best of Detroit reader's choice poll! And I would like you to vote for me again this year! Yes, more election season drama!

I don't think I that I ask too much from you, my wonderful readership. Expect too much? Of course. But ask? Not really. I do enjoy/require a little affirmation from time to time, however, and this is such a cheap, easy and less invasive way to give it, how can you possibly deny me?

The Metro Times Best of Detroit poll is also a really great way to help out our fellow gays and gay-friendlies who are doing all the right kinds of things in the city. Since the onerous rules of the poll require you vote in at least 20 categories, I've put together the Supergay Slate with my picks that you can use! All you have to do is set aside five minutes, go to this link, and vote for these deserving entities ... or pick some of your very own! It's fun, it's easy, and you can send a virtual pick-me-up bouquet to a bunch of folks who would really love it!

And when you are done, why don't you email this slate to your wonderful friends! Click here to forward this post.

Metro Times Best of Detroit 2008: The Supergay Slate

Best Detroit Riverfront Attraction : Bike Rentals (from our friends at Wheelhouse!)

Best Dog Park : Doggy Style co-presenter Canine to Five's urban dog park

Best Local Radio Talk Show : Detroit Public Radio's Detroit Today (because sometimes they let me talk on it)

Best Local News Blog : Detroitist (detroitist.blogspot.com)

Best Local Pop Culture Blog : Supergay Detroit! (supergaydetroit.blogspot.com)

Best Florist : This is a toughie, there are two deserving gay-owned florists. My pick this year is Blossoms because, while they are located in Birmingham, the owners just spent like $17 million renovating the Frank Lloyd Wright Turkel House in Detroit. Blumz owners also live in Detroit, and they have a location here, but this past year their money went into expanding the Ferndale location. It's really kind of a wash, so pick your fave.

Best Place to Buy Furniture : Mezzanine (although Ikea or Art Van always win this category, so you may want to save your vote for ...)

Best Indie Home Furnishing Store : Mezzanine, or Bureau of Urban Living. (both are deserving - and while Mezzanine is gay-owned Bureau is as gay friendly as you can be. Pick your fave!)

Best Gourmet Grocery Store : Zaccaro’s (because they really are quite lovely, if you are not buying produce, and I need them to stick around because they are so convenient)

Best Health Club : Downtown YMCA

Best Bike Shop : Wheelhouse

Best New Nightspot (Last 2 Years) : Park Bar (last chance in this category!)

Best Gay Bar : Detroit Guerrilla Queer Bar (because it really is)

Best Beer Selection in a Bar : Park Bar

Best Place to get a Martini : Centaur, home of the original gay straight guy, and great friends

Best Jukebox : Honest? John’s Bar & No Grill

Best Jazz Club : Cliff Bell’s

Best Restaurant Under $15 per diner : Bucharest Grill (inside the Park Bar)

Best Restaurant Under $50 per diner : my fave, Atlas Global Bistro

Best Hangover Brunch : Honest? John’s Bar & No Grill

Best Barbeque Restaurant : Slows Bar BQ

Best Neighborhood Pizza : Motor City Brewing Works or ...

Best Gourmet Pizza Place : Supino Pizzeria (Dave Mancini’s great new place in Eastern Market - thanks Open City! Let's give the new guy a boost!)

Best Brewpub Restaurant : Motor City Brewing Works

Best Beer Selection in a restaurant : Slows Bar BQ

Best Bakery : Avalon International Breads (family owned and operated, if you know what I mean!)

Best Tea Room : No comment (do they mean what I think they mean??)

Best Indie Coffee Shop: Rowland Café (in the Guardian Building)
.

Is it Inn yet?

As you may or may not be aware, Eastern Market on a Saturday morning is a gay hotspot in the city of Detroit. You get queers of every stripe bustling around, picking up gastronomic delights or just getting a high-calibre hangover cure (bacon or a bloody) at one of the many great breakfast spots in the market. It's great to walk around the market just for the people watching - the hot farmer boys, the cactus lady who looks like a drag queen (haven't seen her in a while, though, is she still around?), gay couples galore, and even a tranny once last fall! You may be able to guess how much that thrilled me.

Many people argue about "the best breakfast" in the Market, with Russell Street Deli being the popular choice for many. You will see gays lined up to grab eats there any Saturday. And while it is great, it's always packed, and after you wait in line you have to share a table with people cafeteria-style. Now I'm down with that at the Hudson hotel in Manhattan, but I get less thrilled when I have to share a table with a seven year old. I have a filthy mouth.

Popular doesn't always mean best (ref: high school), so I've turned my sights elsewhere, and discovered possibly the gayest spot in the Market.

Butcher's Inn is located at 1489 Winder, just across the street from R. Hirt. While not a gay restaurant per se, it is gay-owned, and if the waiters the last time I was there aren't gay then I need a gaydar tune-up. But even when the staff isn't gay, the attitude pretty much is. I mean, you've got your Between the Lines right inside the door and everything. The current ownership reopened it last year after an extensive renovation. Gay gentrification is best when it serves booze.

Still might be considered a whorehouse,
depending on which one of you shows up.

The place is pretty cool inside, all historic 'n' shit. First of all, points because it used to be a whorehouse. Second of all, there is a ton of very fun ye olde Detroit memorabilia on the walls, and not in a typical Detroit memorabilia kind of way. For instance, minimal sporting references - that turns me on.

On a recent Saturday morning visit we didn't have to wait for a table and our cute gay (probably) waiter was like "bloody mary?" right away. We weren't drinking, but that didn't stop him from offering a bloody mary every time he stopped by the table. That also turns me on. He was fun and personable and Detroity and great, and you know it's always better when you have a good server.

But really the best thing there is the food, though. It comes out pretty quickly, which is great on a Saturday morning, and as far as my untrained palate can tell it's fresh and tasty. Most of the stuff is from the Market area. The thing that really blew me away the first time I went was how good their sausage was - um, it turned me on. But seriously, it's really really good, and when even the rye toast is impressive, you know you've hit a winner.

I have never been there for dinner, but they do stay open in the evenings. Open mic nights and live music potentially make it less appealing from a gay perspective, but certainly not from a general person perspective. To their great credit they started having a gay night on Mondays last year, but it fizzled out before I could get there. Eh bien. Mondays are hard, and word of mouth isn't always the fastest advertising.

The clientele each time I've been there has also had gay representation (aside from me), and it tends to be a little less Royal Oak gays and more like East English Village gay types. And that turns, well, you know.

So let the suburban gays follow the crowd to Russell Street - you head over to Butcher's Inn and have a real gay Market day.

Sunday in the Park with Dogs

I had a genius morning.

A friend texted me and found, shockingly, that I was up somewhat early on a Sunday and invited me to go for a walk in Lafayette Park (the actual park, technically referred to as Lafayette Plaisance). So I threw on jeans and a sweater, pulled on a hat to hide my bed-head, and took the elevator down to the park for a walk.

What ensued was a crazy example of why life downtown is so amazing to me. First I ran into the owner of Canine to Five, Detroit's doggy daycare, walking her two ginormous dogs. We chatted and walked around the park a few times. And it was good.

Then we ran into "Dutch," the writer of the great blog Sweet Juniper, who was out walking his dog and daughter. Sweet Juniper is an awesome blog about raising a child in Detroit, and he and his wife are expected a second child (a boy) soon. The gender of the new baby led to possibly the gay-friendliest post on any straight blog ever, which ends with the line:

"Well then let them circumcise their own potentially-homosexual son. Mine is going to get into gay night clubs for free."

Then we walked a bit more and ran into an older woman who lives in the Chateaufort association, one of the lesser-known but still lovely Lafayette Park co-ops that border the park (hang out with a dog-daycare owner in a park and you will meet everyone). And finally a cool couple who are inhabiting the design-y new loft development on Gratiot by the folks at Slows and their friends, also out walking their dog.

I can't have a dog - I simply don't spend enough time at home and I would end up boarding the poor thing all the time (like my brother does, ever since I turned him on to Canine to Five). But I love other people's dogs, and that was one fun morning, seeing cool people: people who love living in the city like I do, and frankly, the people who make living here great.

I feel like I seem really Pollyanna in my posts lately, liking Detroit so much as I seem to. But I'll be honest, the more time I spend here, the happier I am to be here. And the less I feel like Detroit needs a makeover.

Anyone who says Detroit is "on it's way" is kind of missing the point. Detroit is actually there. You just have to dig kind of hard to find it. But believe me, it's worth the work.

Launched, or Six Degrees of Desperation

I've got a couple event recaps in the pipeline here, but since I've been inundated with requests for reports on Friday night's Launch party at the FD Lofts I will start with that.

I'm at a bit of a loss for how to describe the whole thing because it was almost like two parties happening concurrently. There were some really cool elements ... a boutique was set up in a loft near the party entrance and sold clothes by the featured designers The dj there was awesome, up in the loft bedroom overlooking the boutique, spinning vinyl, being hip (I'm assuming that was the Sass dj).

The FD Lofts look pretty damn cool. You had to wander through the building to get to the large loft where the party was held. I was impressed, especially with the secret courtyard area. A really good venue.

The main room was one huge fucking loft. Really, 10,000 square feet is a lot of space. There was some food from local restaurants (very casually presented, which I suppose is fine, but pizza from a box?). Booze was plentifully available at the cash bar (we were told "discounted drinks" were available when we walked in, but I'm not sure where in Detroit $8 for Raspberry Stoli and soda is considered "discount"). And the energy drink was like speed, I threw a shot of it into one of my drinks and I was bouncing off the walls.

The runway was set up at the far end. The fashion show was really pretty great. Man, I loves me some local models with their retarded walks. They try so hard, they're precious! The collections shown were mostly good, we liked the Wrath Arcane in person more than in the fashion show, but (if I recall correctly) Juma, Michel Delon and Wound Menswear were standouts.

But then ... there were some really fucking cheesy elements. And come on, we all know where they came from. Is there no other option in this city for event production and promotion than Six Degrees? I mean, let's run down the Six Degrees party checklist. Energy drink sponsor: check. Crazy sponsor logos everywhere: check. Luxury/sport cars casually strewn about: check. Long bar along the wall wth really, really tan female bartenders: check. Giant white balloons hanging from ceiling: check. "VIP" seating sofas with bottle service: check. Giant video screens with mediocre video production: check. Superstar DJ Mike Anthony, voted Detroit's #1 DJ (love that top 40 dance, play Fergielicious again!): check. I mean honestly, it's such a formula at this point.

So yeah, that was a 20 foot high inflatable can of Cintron energy drink by the entrance.

But ok, so I can run with the fact that this is a small town ultimately and that it's a necessary evil. And you know, isn't it all about getting your name out there and selling your damn product? This is America, right?

The crowd was pretty good. My prediction of gay hipster central was completely off, because of course I wasn't thinking about how a $25 cover might affect attendance. But it did have a great presence of Oakland County gays, a few fashionistas, definitely SOME gay hipster types, and some of the gay downtown crowd. So really no complaints, a rather respectable gay presence!

In addition, there were Detroit establishment types, actually quite a few media types, lots of downtown residents, and then the whole "Night at the Roxbury" crowd. It was funny to see a few older OC gays flirting with some of those tan boys with the loud print shirts and seeing the boys get all into the attention. I ended up with a little crowd of gay sourpusses for a good portion of the night, which was a little irritating. Look, sorry there aren't any cute gay boys for you to look at. This is a Detroit party.

Even Kwame Kilpatrick was there (lookin' stylish in a newsboy hat), who talked about how we need all kinds of people to make Detroit work, "white people, black people, Hispanics, Arabs, Chaldeans ... everyone!" Except apparently gay people. Go ahead say it, mayor sir. "Gay people and straight people." I mean, there are about fifty of them standing right in front of you. Don't worry, it's a safe crowd, no one will excoriate you from the pulpit for saying it.

I will say this right now, I am super fucking tired of Kwame Kilpatrick showing up places and talking about how welcoming the city is to all types, creative types, everyone, and never once will he explicitly include gay people in that welcome. I mean, I sat and watched him introduce Richard Florida at Orchestra Hall back in 2004 and pull the same crap. He played the "creative class" card, and mentioned all different types by name except for gay people, and then Richard Florida got up and talked about how the single most consistent factor in his research is a welcoming atmosphere for gay people.

It's like Ronald Reagan and his AIDS avoidance of the 80's, because it was considered a gay disease. Ignore it and maybe it will go away. That turned out to be really good policy.

Anyway, that didn't really diminish the fun of the evening (and the even greater fun of talking about it the next day). I'm proud of the Sarahs for pulling this off so successfully. With a little help from their friends, of course.

Also, Kwame ... Arabs and Chaldeans? Same thing.

Put this on your list of things to do

OK, sorry for the lapse in posting, I've been having a very full life. There are about six half-finished blog posts as a result of that, so stay tuned.

In the meantime ... I am sure you've been inundated with information about the Launch event this Friday at the FD Lofts in Eastern Market. Their website is here, but just be sure to turn off your volume if you are at work. They have a song playing - not an unpleasant one - but it's like MySpace, you get the music and by the time you figure out how to turn it off (there is no way on this site, btw) everyone in the office knows you aren't doing work.


This is an interesting event concept. It brings together Detroit hipsters/movers/shakers with the fake-tan/bottle service club set in what should be an extraordinarily entertaining clash of cultures. Who can blame the Sarahs at Wound Menswear for trying to get maximum exposure for the world of up-and-coming designers? And who can blame Six Degrees magazine for trying to get some downtown credibility? And why on earth wouldn't Camilo Pardo be involved?

Of course the rest of us are the real winners because the Sarahs are true cool, and Six Degrees does really know how to produce an event. And the FD Lofts, who's been there yet? Plus Cintron Energy Drink!!!! AWESOME!

Frankly, this event is just too fucking insane to miss, whether you are gay or straight. But the gays should definitely check it out. I predict gay hipster central.