Shortly after the Supreme Court held Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional on June 26 in U.S. v. Windsor, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the immigration service under her department would recognize same-sex marriages that were valid where they were performed, using the “place of celebration rule.” But her announcement, which varied from standard practice of considering whether a marriage was recognized where the couple was residing, … <Read More>
Marriage Equality Enacted Today for England and Wales
On Monday, July 15, 2013, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill passed its third reading in the British House of Lords and was referred back to the House of Commons where, surprisingly, there was no interest in doing other than approving the amendments made by the House of Lords. Thus, the usual “ping-pong” game where legislation goes back and forth between the two Houses until a mutually acceptable version emerges did not occur, and the
… <Read More> Justice Department Finds ATF Discriminated Unlawfully in Transgender Discrimination Case
The Justice Department’s Complaint Adjudication Office (CAO) issued a decision on July 8 holding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 2011 when it denied a position as a contract Ballistics Forensic Technician to an applicant who was in the process of transitioning from male to female. In its first such ruling, the CAO applied an earlier decision in the case by the … <Read More>
Prop 8 Proponents Ask California Supreme Court to Halt Marriages
Two weeks after same-sex marriages resumed in California on June 28, the Proponents of Proposition 8 filed a petition with the California Supreme Court, seeking a stay of Judge Vaughn Walker’s 2010 Order and contesting the right of anyone other than the two same-sex couples who brought the federal court challenge against Prop 8 to benefit from that Order. The Proponents, represented by attorneys from the misnamed Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona and D.C. based … <Read More>
A “Multicultural” Weekend in NYC: The Yankees, City Center Encores!, and “The Lone Ranger” Movie
I use the term “multicultural” in a special sense here, not referring to different ethnicities but rather to different forms of our modern entertainment culture – major league baseball, musical theater, and major Hollywood motion pictures! My Friday and Saturday this past weekend combined these three different cultural experiences.
First up: Major League Baseball. As a delayed birthday present, my usual theater and concert-going companion arranged to buy skybox tickets at Yankee Stadium for Friday’s … <Read More>
Implementing the Windsor Decision
Under U.S. v. Windsor, Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and we are left with no broadly applicable federal statutory definition of marriage. What we have are 13 states and the District of Columbia, which now grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and several other countries (including neighboring Canada) in which such licenses are also available. At this point, there are thousands of same-sex couples living in the United States who … <Read More>
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s Final 2012-13 Season Concert Terminated Early by Rain
Last night I attended the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s final concert of the season, an appearance at the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park that proceeded in defiance of adverse weather forecasts for the evening. In the event, the orchestra was able to play the first three numbers on the program, albeit with a brief delay between movements of a Haydn symphony due to a brief burst of light rain. However, a stronger downpour terminated the concert … <Read More>
Sears Roebuck Loses Summary Judgment Motion in Sexual Orientation Hostile Environment Case
N.Y. Supreme Court Justice Debra James has rejected a motion for summary judgment by Sears Roebuck on a claim that a gay former employee at Sears’ Auto Center in Nanuet, N.Y., was subjected to a hostile working environment in violation of New York State’s Human Rights Law, which forbids employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, Justice James’ June 28 decision granted Sears’ motion to reject Joseph DeVito’s retaliation claim stemming from a promotion he … <Read More>
11th Circuit Revives Gay Ukrainian’s U.S. Asylum Claim
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled on July 8 that Oleksiy Okhremenko, a gay man from Ukraine, is entitled to reconsideration of his petition for asylum in the United States. After criticizing in detail the credibility findings of an Immigration Judge, who had discounted Okhremenko’s testimony about being severely beaten by anti-gay skinheads outside a gay bar, the court vacated the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision and … <Read More>
New York Philharmonic Summertime Classics – 2013 Edition
This afternoon the New York Philharmonic winds up the unfortunately abbreviated Summertime Classics series directed by Bramwell Tovey, with a repeat of last night’s spectacular program, “The Planets – An HD Odyssey.” This was the second of two programs for this year’s series. The first, presented on July 3 & 4, was the annual “Star-Spangled Celebration.” The second program was performed on July 5, 6 and is repeated this afternoon, the 7th. Thus, the entire … <Read More>