While charting the progress towards equality for LGBT families as it unfolds from state to state, it is easy to forget that progress is uneven and, in some states, even seems to go backwards at times. The latest chapter in litigation over second-parent adoptions – two appellate decisions issued in recent days – bears this out, as the North Carolina Supreme Court overruled both trial and intermediate appellate courts to find that a second-parent adoption approved five … <Read More>
New York Philharmonic: A Divided Week
This week the New York Philharmonic managed to be in two places at once. That is, a chamber orchestra drawn from the full ensemble appeared at Avery Fisher Hall, collaborating with four vocal soloists, the New York Choral Artists, and guest conductor Bernard Labadie in what threatens to become an annual practice of a week of performances of George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah", while another group of ensembles drawn from the orchestra was busily rehearsing … <Read More>
DADT: The Beginning of the End Game
Prior to 1993, when the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was adopted by Congress, there was a ban on military service by gay people, but it wasn't embodied in a statute. It was a personnel policy adopted by the Defense Department — actually dating back to the World War II period, although occasionally modified over the interim — and it had withstood several major court challenges over the years. From 1993 onwards, the ban was … <Read More>
How Private Is Private? Tennesse Court Revives Tort Action Against Drugstore Chain in HIV Case
On November 24, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Jackson, reversing a ruling by the Shelby County Circuit Court, revived a tort action by a former employee of a drugstore who claims that her right of privacy concerning her HIV status was improperly violated by co-workers and a supervisor. Doe v. Walgreens Company, No. W2009-02235-COA-R3-CV.
The Jane Doe plaintiff worked as a pharmacy technician at a Walgreens store in Memphis, where her direct supervisor … <Read More>
Gay Common Law Divorce, Washington-State Style
On December 14, a panel of the Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3, determined several legal issues raised by the termination of the long-term relationship of Jeremy R. Long and Dr. David R. Fregeau. In re the Meretricious Relationship of Long & Fregeau, 2010 Westlaw 5071860. One of the things the court did at the beginning of its decision was to, in effect, correct the title of the case. Although the Washington state common law … <Read More>
NJ Appellate Division Affirms Demotion for Homophobic County Employee
On December 9, the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed a decision by the Civil Service Commission approving the demotion of a Middlesex County Corrections Officer from the rank of lieutenant to sergant because of his "repeated offensive remarks" to a subordinate officer "based on her sexual orientation." In the Matter of Pedro Delgado, 2010 Westlaw 4977101.
In New Jersey, discrimination on account of sexual orientation violates the state's law against discrimination, and civil rights laws of … <Read More>
Friedrich Kleinhapl (cellist) & Andreas Woyke (pianist) at Peoples’ Symphony Concerts
This afternoon, Peoples' Symphony Concerts presented a program in their Festival Series at Town Hall in Times Square, with German cellist and pianist Freidrich Kleinhapl and Andreas Woyke. I'd not heard of either before getting the publicity for this seasons' concerts, but since then have noticed some reviews of Kleinhapl's recording in the record magazines. He has made a fair number of recordings for a young guy, and has won a fair number of awards, … <Read More>
Klezmer Brunch at City Winery in NYC – Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi!
A friend had been after me for some time to join him for a klezmer brunch at City Winery, and finally the stars were all lined up today and off I went. City Winery is a restaurant/event space at Varick and Spring Streets in SOHO, Manhattan West Side, just a few blocks from the #1 subway (Houston or Canal – it's intermediate between the stations). They have a variety of entertainments nightclub style, and evidently … <Read More>
Daniel Hope and Roman Rabinovich at Peoples’ Symphony Concerts
Tonight's concert at Washington Irving High School was supposed to present violinist Daniel Hope and pianist Wu Han in an evening of sonatas, but Wu Han suffered an accident this week, announced PSC Manager Frank Salomon from the stage, and the young (age 24) Roman Rabinovich, whom she had recommended, had agreed at just a few days notice to step in. So we had a little instant drama: How would the young pianist handle this challenging … <Read More>
Inhabiting the Hiatus Period….
For every professor who has shared this feeling: after turning in the exams to the Registrar's Office, there is this bloody hiatus while waiting for the students to take them. I try to stuff lots of culture into the hiatus, so herewith a brief report on the past few days.
On Tuesday night, I went to see the Atlantic Theater Company's production of two one-act plays by Harold Pinter, "The Collection" and "A Kind of … <Read More>