U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant (D. Conn.) ruled on July 31 that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the equal protection requirement of the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Section 3 provides that the federal government will not recognize marriages of same-sex couples for any purpose of federal law. Judge Bryant became the fifth federal trial judge to declare Section 3 unconstitutional since the summer of 2010, following courts in … <Read More>
Prop 8 Supporters File Supreme Court Appeal
Proponents of Proposition 8, who intervened as defendants in a federal lawsuit to defend their initiative amendment to the California Constitution banning same-sex marriage, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the 9th Circuit's decision that their initiative violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Hollingsworth v. Perry, Petition for a Writ of Certiorari filed July 30, 2012. Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who challenged the constitutionality of Prop 8 in the trial court, … <Read More>
Two Off-Broadway Plays: “Serious Money” and “Warrior Class”
Last week I attended two off-Broadway plans, "Serious Money" by Caryl Churchill, and "Warrier Class" by Kenneth Lin. I enjoyed both of them, although I think I got rather more out of "Warrier Class."
"Serious Money" is the second summer offering by Potomac Theatre Project/NYC. It is not a new play, evidently, but seems very timely in its witty observation of the world of financiers in London in the 1980s, in the heady days of … <Read More>
Straight People Need ENDA, Too: The Case of EEOC v. Boh Brothers
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination because of an employee's sex. As construed by the Supreme Court, this is a broad prohibition on gender-related discrimination. As recently construed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, following the lead of several Circuit Courts of Appeals, this also applies to discrimination on account of gender identity.
However, every court agrees that discrimination against an employee because of their actual or perceived sexual … <Read More>
Gay Polygamy? Mass. Gay Divorce Blocked by Prior Vt. Civil Union
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a same-sex marriage contracted in Massachusetts was void ab initio under the Massachusetts law against polygamy, because one of the parties to the marriage had never formally dissolved a prior Vermont civil union. The court's unanimous ruling means that a pending divorce action to end the Massachusetts marriage will be dismissed.
According to the opinion for the court in Elia-Warnken v. Elia, SJC 11023 (July 26, 2012) by Chief Justice … <Read More>
A Fascinating Read – The Story of Naxos, by Nicolas Soames
I've been a fan of the Naxos classical music label since early in its history, and I usually acquire many of their new releases each month at the one remaining decently-sized classical brick and mortar outlet in NYC, J&R on Park Row. When I saw a review of this new book in a British record magazine, I had to get my hands on it, and ordered from amazon.co.uk. (I don't know whether it is available from … <Read More>
The Dark Knight Rises – The New Film
Yesterday I was part of the enormous outpouring of U.S. moviegoers who packed the theaters for the opening of "The Dark Night Rises." Undeterred by the news of insanity from Aurora, Colorado, I went with a friend to see an early evening show at the Regal Cinema in Battery Park City. NYPD officers were idling out front, as promised by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, but I didn't see how that would have prevented a similar … <Read More>
“Monster” – Neal Bell’s play at Potomac Theatre Project/NYC
For the past few summers, I've enjoyed attending Potomac Theatre Project/NYC presentations at Atlantic Theatre Company's Stage 2 in Chelsea (W. 16 St.). Middlebury College's Theater Department seems to play a large part in funding this project, and recent grads and current students take several of the roles, mixed in with other actors from the NYC community. The productions are minimalist, in the sense that there are rarely sets or numerous props, but the combination … <Read More>
ACLU Seeks Supreme Court Review in Windsor DOMA Challenge
Following hard on the petitions filed by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives (BLAG) and the Solicitor General to get the Supreme Court to take up the question whether Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the Constitution in other cases, the ACLU LGBT Rights Project has filed a petition asking the Court to take Edith Windsor's case as well. Windsor, whose same-sex spouse died in 2009, sued for a … <Read More>
The John Cage Song Books – A U.S. Premiere by “Alarm Will Sound”
Last night, the "hot" new music group "Alarm Will Sound" presented a staged version of selections from "Song Books" by John Cage, as part of the River-to-River Festival of arts events in lower Manhattan that has become a prominent early-summer feature of the New York City cultural scene in recent years. The program described this as a U.S. premiere. The production was co-commissioned by the Holland Festival and the River-to-River Festival, and took place at … <Read More>