UPDATE: Equality news round-up: Disappointing judicial decisions from Michigan, the Seventh Circuit, and more
August 22, 2016
Marriage Equality Trials Transgender Rights
– BREAKING UPDATE: A district court judge in Texas has granted a preliminary injunction striking down the US government’s interpretation of “sex” to include gender identity. The injunction will take effect nationwide, meaning the administration can no longer implement its interpretation of the regulation unless it’s overturned on appeal.
– The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that a Jamaican man’s request to remain in the United States for fear of persecution based on his bisexuality should be denied. The court didn’t believe he’s actually bisexual. Judge Richard Posner issued a strong dissent discussing biphobia and other issues. Lambda Legal has more.
– A district court in Michigan has ruled that a funeral home which engaged in anti-transgender discrimination is protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
– The district court judge hearing the case against Kim Davis, the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky, has dismissed the case against her. Some of the aspects of the case were due to be dismissed because of changes to Kentucky law, but there were still a number of live claims in the case. As Equality Case Files notes, the plaintiffs will have to determine whether they’ll challenge the decision.
Thanks to Equality Case Files for these filings
10 Comments
1.
guitaristbl | August 22, 2016 at 8:58 am
Meh, the injunction was to be expected given the judge. This was always an issue for SCOTUS anyway. To the 5th quickly and then to SCOTUS.
2.
allan120102 | August 22, 2016 at 4:55 pm
For some reason Tamaulipas have stop letting ssm couples obatin amparos. Couples will need to change dates of their wedding if amparos are not granted soon. http://www.hoylaredo.net/NOTASCAMP/011494%20Sigue…
3.
JayJonson | August 22, 2016 at 4:59 pm
Interesting essay at NCRM on America's gay ambassadors. Some wonderful embedded videos and good contrast between the difficulties faced by an openly gay ambassador in the Dominican Republic and the warm embrace of an openly gay ambassador in Denmark.
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/claude_s…
4.
VIRick | August 22, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Cher Hits Gay Hotspots Trifecta Campaigning for Clinton
Cher’s gay mileage points rolled over to gold status this past weekend, as the legendary singer and Oscar-winning actress campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Miami Beach, Fire Island, and Provincetown, all in the space of two sun-filled days.
NewNowNext reported tickets to one of the fundraisers went for a princely sum: $250 for admission and $1,000 for a picture to prove “I’ve got her, babe.”
She was in Miami Beach earlier on Saturday, then to Fire Island on Saturday night into Sunday morning, finally heading on to P-Town for the rest of Sunday, where she was joined by Hillary, Billie Jean King, Donna Brazile, Barney Frank, Ed Markey, and Maura Healey.
Oh, and in what could gamely qualify as the most-understated "Quote of the Week," Cher called Trump a fucking idiot, and then added that Hill is tougher than Chinese Algebra.
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/08/cher-hits-gay-…
5.
VIRick | August 22, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Mexico: National LGBTI Conference in Cuernavaca
Per Rex Wockner:
Mexico's first truly national LGBTI conference, "El Encuentro Nacional de Activistas LGBTI, Morelos 2016," is to be held in Cuernavaca, Thursday through Sunday, 25-28 August 2016.
6.
VIRick | August 22, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Ricky Martin in Colombia Blasting Bigots against Same-Sex Marriage (in Peru)
In an article dated 22 August 2016, in what may prove to be a difficult sentence to properly translate, given its quintuple negative construction (no, ningún, ni, ningún, ninguna,– something which can be done in Spanish, but which is not typical in English), Ricky Martin thoroughly blasted religious opponents of same-sex marriage (particularly in Peru) on a Colombian TV interview program entitled "Punto Final:"
El cantante Ricky Martin declaró en Colombia que la Biblia no tiene ningún poder ni autoridad para frenar decisiones de ningún estado sobre ninguna ley relativa a las uniones homosexuales.
http://www.boy4me.com/news/ricky-martin-critica-l…
Singer Ricky Martin declared in Colombia that the Bible does not have neither the power nor the authority to stop decisions of any state over any law relative to homosexual unions.
To me, the translation just does not carry quite the same compressed in-your-face "oomph" as the original Spanish language declaration.
7.
Rick55845 | August 23, 2016 at 6:17 am
Or you could just go with the Google Translate version, which renders the translation as:
Singer Ricky Martin declared in Colombia that the Bible has no power or authority to stop any state decisions on any law on homosexual unions.
8.
VIRick | August 23, 2016 at 2:08 pm
True enough, but I was attempting to convey the adamant, forceful, multi-layered negativity directed against biblical interpretation which is present in the Spanish, as that one short sentence contains every Spanish negative form except "nada."
And by the way, too, Ricky Martin has been all over South America of late, publicly championing the cause of same-sex marriage in increasingly strident terms. Several months ago, he was in Chile, working hand-in-hand with several LGBT groups based there. Now, he's in Colombia doing pro-marriage equality TV interviews.
9.
Sagesse | August 23, 2016 at 5:21 am
Judge won't toss same-sex suit against Paramus Catholic [northjersey.com]
" [Kate] Drumgoole, a Paramus Catholic graduate and former star point guard for the Lady Paladins, began working for the school as an assistant basketball coach in 2005, while still a student at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She was hired as a guidance counselor in 2010 after earning her master’s degree in social work from New York University. She was promoted to director of guidance and then dean of guidance by 2015, the same year she was named head coach of the girl’s basketball team.
"In January, her wife’s sister created a Facebook page containing wedding pictures from Drumgoole and Jaclyn Vanore’s August 2014 wedding that she shared with two school Facebook pages and Vail’s personal Facebook page. Drumgoole was suspended as coach four days later and then terminated from her dean of guidance position Jan. 25.
"The support Drumgoole has received since her story went public last week keeps growing. More than 400 graduates, parents and others affiliated with Paramus Catholic have signed an open letter to the school’s administration that’s being circulated on social media."
http://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-won-t-toss-…
10.
JayJonson | August 23, 2016 at 5:33 am
Australia's plebiscite meets opposition. There seem to be enough votes to block the plebiscite, which is being characterized as a colossal waste of taxpayer money.
"A plebiscite on same-sex marriage is looking less likely, with the Federal Opposition determined to have a parliamentary vote to change marriage laws instead.
The Greens, Labor and the three Senators from the Nick Xenophon Team are all firm that a plebiscite is unnecessary.
That would make it impossible for the Government to pass a law to have a national vote.
Labor frontbencher Jim Chalmers has told the ABC a vote in Parliament is the simplest and cheapest way to determine the marriage laws.
"I think it says it all about Malcolm Turnbull's weakness that he is prepared to waste $160 million of taxpayers' money," he said.
"We are trying to get the parliamentary outcome that people expect us to get. We are putting all of our effort into that."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-23/same-sex-ma…