In what may be a heartbreaking miscarriage of justice, last week a unanimous panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an asylum appeal by a woman from Colombia, a lesbian, who claims to have been raped by military personnel in her home country. As is frequently the case in these asylum appeals, the court issued a brief unpublished opinion that does not go into very much detail, and makes it difficult to judge … <Read More>
Weekend Trifecta: City Center Encores; Miller Theater Early Music; 5Boroughs Music Festival
Headlined above are the presenters of my three musical events of the weekend, each entertaining, enthralling, and worth attending.
Saturday afternoon I was at New York City Center for the Encores presentation of "Bells Are Ringing," a 1950s musical with music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comdon and Adolph Green. This was written as a vehicle for Judy Holliday, starring as Ella Peterson, the young telephone answering service employee who becomes … <Read More>
NY Philharmonic’s “Contact” Series at Symphony Space – Lindberg & Grisey
The NY Philharmonic devoted its first "Contact" program this year to a lengthy work for chamber ensemble with soprano soloist by Gerard Grisey (1946-1998) and a lengthy work for chamber ensemble in memory of Grisey by the NYP's composer-in-residence, Magnus Lindberg. The ensembles, drawn from members of the orchestra and conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, performed at Symphony Space before a moderately full house. NYC classical radio personality John Schaefer interviewed Gilbert and Lindberg before … <Read More>
A Musical on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Back in the 1980s, the filmmaker Pedro Almodovar created a movie called "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." I've never seen the movie. A few weeks ago, a new musical show open on Broadway, also titled "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "based on the film" with book by Jeffrey Lane and Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek. I saw last night's performance at the recently-restored Belasco Theatre.
One of the … <Read More>
Pleading Shortfall Defeats Federal Constitutional Suit Sparked by Bar Raid
On August 28, 2009, Suffolk County Police officers and some officers of the Town of Babylon staged a raid on Zodiac Lounge, a gay bar run by Felice Rubino in the Town of Babylon, New York, on Long Island. During the raid, according to Rubino, the "Town Enforcer," John Farrell, referred to Rubino as a "gay bastard" and allegedly said to him, "gay issue or not, if you fuck with the Town, the Town will … <Read More>
Archaic New York Family Law Stands in the Way of Common Sense
With our dysfunctional legislature and the longtime disproportionate influence of certain religious lobbies, New York State has the dubious distinction of a body of archaic family law statutes that are clearly out of synch with the situation "on the ground" affecting how people actually live in the 21st century. The New York Law Journal brought to light this week a decision rendered on October 22 by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Peter Fox Cohalan that … <Read More>
“The Last Castrato,” by Guy Frederick Glass
Gay psychiatrist Guy Frederick Glass has written an interesting play probing the career of "the last castrato," Alessandro Moreschi, who sang in the Sistine Chapel Choir and is the only castrato to have actually made sound recordings – late in his career. Glass's play was undoubtedly significantly aided by the advice and support of his partner, Dr. Lewis Baratz, a musicologist who contributed an interesting note on the castrati for the program book of the … <Read More>
Gay Probation Officer Victorious in New York Discrimination Suit
A unanimous panel of the New York Appellate Division, 4th Department, has ruled that a gay Onondaga County probation officer is entitled to enforcement of the State Division of Human Rights order that he be reinstated to a supervisory position and awarded $43,000 as compensatory damages for his lost wages and mental anguish as a result of discriminatory action against him by the County Department of Probation. County of Onondaga v. Mayock & N.Y. State … <Read More>
Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” at the NY Philharmonic
This week's subscription program at the New York Philharmonic consisted of Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio "Elijah," conducted by music director Alan Gilbert. Gerald Finley sang the part of Elijah. The tenor roles were performed by Alan Clayton, the soprano by Twyla Robinson, and the mezzo solos by Alice Coote. Two different boy sopranos alternated in that brief role; when I attended on Saturday night, Benjamin Wenzelberg was the boy soloist.
The Philharmonic dedicated these performances to … <Read More>
New Strategy to Attack DOMA Unfolds in Federal Courts
Early challenges to the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were all unsuccessful. The Act, passed in 1996, provides that no state is required to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in another state (Section 2), and that no federal law may be interpreted to recognize same-sex marriages (Section 3). The new strategy focuses on Section 3, and narrowly targets its specific applications rather than launching a broadside facial challenge to the statute.
The … <Read More>