The White House has announced that President Barack Obama will sign an executive order on July 21, 2014, amending Executive Order 11246 to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited grounds of discrimination by government contractors. Announcements emanating from the White House suggest that the addition of these terms to the existing executive order are the only substantive changes that will be made. The non-discrimination requirements will be included in new federal contracts made … <Read More>
Atlantic Theater Company’s Production of “Between Riverside and Crazy”
I attended a performance this afternoon of Atlantic Theater Company’s production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s new play, “Between Riverside and Crazy.” It was not clear to me whether this was a preview or whether the production has actually opened, but everything went very smoothly and the cast and technical crew certainly have everything under control.
I was very entertained and impressed by this story of an elderly African-American former NYC police officer, retired on a … <Read More>
Stay Days in the Marriage Equality Fight
On Friday, July 18, several new “stays” were added to the mounting list of pro-marriage-equality rulings that can’t go into effect as appellate courts ponder where they stand on the issue.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but stayed its appeal while the Tulsa County Clerk, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom and the Tulsa County Attorney’s Office, decides whether to petition the Supreme Court for certiorari. … <Read More>
European Human Rights Court Rejects Discrimination Claim by Finnish Transgender Woman
A Grand Chamber (17 judges) of the European Court of Human Rights has rejected a claim by a transgender woman from Finland that her European Convention rights were violated when the Finnish government would not recognize her correct gender unless her wife agreed to have their marriage converted into a registered partnership. The July 16 ruling in Hamalainen v. Finland drew a strong dissenting opinion from three judges on the court.
Ms. Hamalainen, a resident … <Read More>
10th Circuit Rules on Oklahoma Marriage Case, Affirming District Court’s Decision Striking Down the Ban
The same panel of three judges that ruled last month that Utah’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional reiterated that ruling on July 18 in Bishop v. Smith, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 13733, holding that Oklahoma’s ban was unconstitutional for the same reason: it denies same-sex couples a fundamental right without sufficient justification. Once again, 10th Circuit Judge Carlos F. Lucero wrote for the majority of the court in Bishop v. Smith, devoting most of his … <Read More>
Key West (Florida) Trial Judge Rules for Marriage Equality
A state trial judge in Key West, Florida, has ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Luis M. Garcia ruled on July 17 that Monroe County Clerk Amy Heavilin must issue a marriage license to Aaron R. Huntsman and William Lee Jones, who have been a couple for eleven years, on July 22. Garcia wrote that he was giving the clerk until July 22 “in … <Read More>
Connecticut Supreme Court Rules on Pre-Marriage Equality Loss of Consortium Claim
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled unanimously on July 16 that a woman whose same-sex partner was misdiagnosed with the wrong kind of cancer when it was too late for effective medical treatment can assert a claim for damages for loss of consortium if she can show that the women would have married had they not been prevented from doing so by state law. Although the court’s ruling involves the only such claim that has been … <Read More>
New York Philharmonic Summertime Classics – 2014 Edition
The vagaries of the NYP’s schedule limited this year’s edition of Summertime Classics to just two programs performed within the space of one week. Between the spring tour and the return of the NYC parks concerts, no more time could be spared. That was a pity, because this is a wonderful format for conductor Bramwell Tobey and those members of the Philharmonic (plus substitutes) who gathered to present two strong programs with great enthusiasm, albeit … <Read More>
Recent Broadway Expeditions: Bullets Over Broadway & A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
I recently had the opportunity to attend performances of two new musicals playing in Broadway houses: Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” and Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak’s “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder.” And a fine time was had by all.
I don’t think one would necessarily imagine that “Bullets Over Broadway,” a Woody Allen film of long ago, would readily translate to musical comedy, especially without the active participation of a composer … <Read More>
Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s “The Passenger” at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan
Last night I attended a performance by Houston Grand Opera forces of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s “The Passenger,” which was imported north under the auspices of Lincoln Center Festival. The Armory’s huge space was a perfect setting for the enormous multi-stage set designed by Johan Engels for this production conceived by David Pountney and conducted by Patrick Summers. This was the second of three presentations of this production at the Armory.
Prior to the opera performance, we … <Read More>