11/29-11/30 open thread w/UPDATES
November 29, 2016
This is an open thread. We’ll do a full post with any breaking news.
– Today, a state judge in Louisiana will hear arguments in a challenge to the governor’s LGBT non-discrimination order.
– Apparently every person Donald Trump has nominated to position in his administration holds anti-LGBT views.
– In the Supreme Court, a response to the petition in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, involving a bakery that discriminated against a same-sex couple, is due. We’ll post when it’s filed.
UPDATE: Anti-LGBT language has been stripped from the defense bill in Congress.
UPDATE 2: Today, the en banc Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Hively v. Ivy Tech, involving employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. The audio is here.
46 Comments
1.
VIRick | November 29, 2016 at 1:49 pm
North Carolina: High Point Furniture Fair and the Fall-Out from HB2
High Point NC – The multi-billion dollar NC furniture market has reported significant attendance drops after HB2. Fewer people are attending a world-renowned furniture market in North Carolina, where state law defines which bathrooms people can use and limits legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Attendance at the High Point Market’s fall event dropped 2.4 percent compared to October 2015 (meaning that it drew about 1850 fewer registered attendees). The spring 2016 event also drew about 1,000 fewer registered attendees than in April 2015.
The taxpayer-supported authority was one of the first North Carolina business groups to warn the law could hurt commerce. The twice-a-year markets together generate about $5 billion in statewide economic activity.
The 2015 fall market for wholesale furniture buyers and sellers had been the best in five years, so this October’s registered attendance of 77,036 is still strong, High Point Market Authority CEO Tom Conley said in a news release last week. It’s nearly 1 percent higher than in 2014, he said (perhaps the only good news angle that could be reported).
The spring market held in April was marked by a social-media campaign urging a boycott after North Carolina lawmakers in March voided a Charlotte anti-discrimination ordinance and imposed the new rules statewide. Some of the roughly 20,000 retail and interior-design companies that usually attend the five-day event stayed away (to the tune of about 1850 potential buyers).
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/11/multi-billion-….
Note: Given High Point's complete focus on ultra-fashionable, high-end furniture and interior décor, this city easily qualifies as North Carolina's gayest (even ahead of Asheville and all its artistes), and without question, its semi-annual furniture fairs qualify as North Carolina's gayest and splashiest business event, given how all the high-end fashionistas and interior designers from everywhere descend upon that locale to do their wholesale buying for the upcoming season. One simply has not lived until one has attended a High Point Furniture Fair. By comparison, the competing furniture fairs in Hickory specialize in all the functionally-mundane, non-gay, run-of-the-mill stuff.
2.
VIRick | November 29, 2016 at 4:04 pm
Romania: Court Defers to Court of Justice of the European Union
Today, 29 November 2016, Romania's Constitutional Court deferred the question of the pending same-sex marriage recognition lawsuit to the Court of Justice of the Eureopean Union. This referral is a major step since a positive ruling there could have area-wide implications within the entire European Union.
ILGA-Europe, one of a group of five NGO third-parties who have intervened in the case, "Coman, Hamilton, and Association Accept," are very encouraged by the Constitutional Court’s decision. ILGA-Europe Advocacy Director Katrin Hugendubel commented, "We are hopeful that the CJEU will use this occasion and, with their judgment, affirm core principles of the European Union, in particular freedom of movement and residence, also for same-sex couples."
The decision to submit a request for a preliminary ruling to the CJEU means that the couple at the center of the Coman case will soon have a definitive answer, one that could be valuable for many other couples across Europe in a similar situation, guaranteeing legal certainty by the uniform application of EU law.
The Romanian authorities refused to issue a residence permit for Mr. Coman’s husband in 2012, as the state did not recognize him as a spouse. The current case is challenging the constitutionality of the section of the domestic Civil Code that excludes same-sex marriages carried out abroad from being recognized in Romania.
The Romanian Constitutional Court will seek clarification on whether a same-sex couple, married abroad (in this instance, in Belgium), can be recognized as spouses under Romanian law by way of application of the EU law on family reunification with a EU citizen. This is the first time that the Romanian Court has referred questions to the CJEU.
The next hearing in the case before the Constitutional Court has been set for 30 March 2017.
http://www.ilga-europe.org/resources/news/latest-…
3.
allan120102 | November 29, 2016 at 4:57 pm
Looks like there is a rumor that Kennedy is the next one who might leave the supreme court if this is true we are in big trouble. Hopefully is a rumor and no more. http://dailysignal.com/2016/11/29/trump-could-res…
4.
guitaristbl | November 30, 2016 at 8:19 am
I refuse to believe someone like Kennedy would leave the court after Trump has been elected ! No it must not happen. No judge should be willing to voluntarily step down right now from those of age. That's what I expect.
5.
scream4ever | November 30, 2016 at 11:26 am
There were rumors of Thomas stepping down as well, but those were debunked.
6.
FredDorner | November 30, 2016 at 11:26 am
Note that the "Daily Signal" is a right-wing conspiracy site like Breitbart or World Nut Daily.
They have no credibility.
7.
VIRick | November 29, 2016 at 8:00 pm
Anti-LGBT Language Stripped from Defense Bill
A provision that would have undermined President Obama’s executive order barring federal contractors from engaging in anti-LGBT workplace discrimination won’t be included in the final package of major defense spending legislation, according to senior armed services committee aides.
During a background briefing with reporters on Tuesday, 29 November 2016, an aide said the final version of the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill hammered out by House and Senate lawmakers in conference committee lacks the language Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK) inserted in the House version of the bill.
The aide affirmed that neither the Russell amendment nor anything like it would be included in the $619 billion defense package, which is expected to make it to the House floor for a vote on Friday, 2 December.
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/11/29/anti-lg…
8.
davepCA | November 30, 2016 at 10:04 am
YES!!!! I was getting very concerned about this one. What a relief!
9.
VIRick | November 29, 2016 at 8:07 pm
Ray Buckley Announces Bid to Become Next DNC Chair
The gay head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Ray Buckley, on Tuesday, 29 November 2016, announced he is running to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee.
“I am a candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee,” he wrote on Facebook. “I look forward to a robust discussion with you on the future of the Democratic Party and I ask for and hope to earn your support.”
South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, and Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison have also announced their candidacies to succeed the interim Chair, Donna Brazile. The election on who will succeed Brazile is slated to take place in February during the DNC’s winter meeting in Atlanta.
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/11/29/buckley…
10.
VIRick | November 30, 2016 at 4:20 pm
It appears as if I may have gotten caught in the cross-fire after our "special snowflake" arrived, as everyone will note, beginning from immediately below this point, as I am unable to post to anything further down.
My retort to what follows is the comment just posted by someone named M!guel at Matrimonio Igualitario:
"Soy Único porque mi Dios Yahveh me hizo a su imagen y semejanza."
" I am Unique because my God Yahweh made me in His image and likeness."
11.
VIRick | December 1, 2016 at 2:27 pm
The "special snowflake" situation to which I have alluded here has now been deleted in its entirety, and thus should now be cited in the definitive past tense.
12.
VIRick | December 1, 2016 at 2:39 pm
Allan, I am also having extreme difficulty in posting anything whatsoever below this point in this thread. I suspect that it has everything to do with the now-deleted "special snowflake" situation which once filled a long stretch between here and your post about the North Carolina governor's race. I think a few extra items might have also gotten deleted, and in the process, that the thread itself gotten messed up.
That is why I reverted to the previous thread to post my long up-date about the Venezuela Supreme Court, and then continued posting from there.
13.
bayareajohn | December 1, 2016 at 9:01 pm
If no one engages flakes, when their site policy violating posts are removed, there is far less collateral damage to interleaved messages.
It appears that deliberate disruptions are not lasting long before cleaning, and if it's not fun (nobody screaming back and constantly being removed), most trolls attention span can't handle their pyrrhic results and give up.
14.
allan120102 | November 30, 2016 at 3:20 pm
Amazing news guys. Roy cooper have surpassed the 10,000 lead over Pat Mccrory if it holds Mccrory might not ask for a recout. http://abc11.com/politics/coopers-lead-grows-past…
15.
allan120102 | December 1, 2016 at 1:48 pm
Nigeria ban on ssm to be challenge by lesbian and bisexual womens but not because of getting married but to stop the wild discrimination that the act passed in 2014 brought to them, lesbian and bisexual are the most affected in the community. As being women and lesbian bring double stigma against them. http://mg.co.za/article/2016-11-23-00-nigerias-le…
16.
allan120102 | December 1, 2016 at 2:10 pm
Peru might be the next country to legalize ss unions. Bolivia and Peru are the closest ones right now to present and discuss this laws. Hope both are appprove. https://gioinfante.lamula.pe/2016/11/30/la-unionc…
17.
allan120102 | December 1, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Incredible but one of the PRD deputies in SLP who voted against ssm says that ssm is not normal and that SLP is not prepare for it. I am quite in shock the PRD voted against us in that issue. The other PRD deputy who voted against legalising ssm in the state he made a mistake by error but next year he will introduce a ssm bill. This in my opinion is just an excuse after the PRD scold its member of the states for voting agaisnt. BTW I am having trouble into trying to comment in here, Anyone know why its so hard to post a comment?http://www.sdpnoticias.com/gay/2016/12/01/el-matr…
18.
ianbirmingham | December 2, 2016 at 1:15 pm
How Kinky and Non-Traditional Parents are Punished by Family Courts
http://www.vice.com/read/how-kinky-and-non-tradit…
19.
ianbirmingham | December 2, 2016 at 1:15 pm
Custody Rights of Lesbian and Gay Parents Redux: The Irrelevance of Constitutional Principles
http://www.uclalawreview.org/custody-rights-of-le…
20.
FredDorner | December 3, 2016 at 11:18 am
This reminds me of a recent case in Utah where a same-sex couple were trying to adopt their foster child (with the full support of all the relevant state and county agencies), but the judge denied the adoption and went on a bizarre rant which revealed that his Mormon cult played a big role in the ruling (he's an LDS bishop).
Had that been the extent of it he might have gotten away with it, but he also made it clear that he had done his own "independent research" on the issue of same-sex parenting using bogus and discredited stuff from Regnerus. That's a clear violation of judicial ethics and it resulted in his removal from family law and he retired shortly after. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/utah_judge…
The part I found encouraging was that the judge was very widely condemned, even by the homophobic governor.
21.
Fortguy | December 2, 2016 at 4:55 pm
We have good news out of Africa for once. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, the strong-arm dictator of the country for the past 22 years and who had pledged to lead for a billion more, has conceded defeat after yesterday's election results were announced.
Joshua Keating, Slate: Finally, a Victory for Democracy in 2016
Jammeh is a hideous homophobe who passes a law punishing homosexuality with up to life in prison and expressed the desire to slit the throats of gays. I hope the door slams him hard in the ass on his way out.
22.
allan120102 | December 2, 2016 at 6:12 pm
Well it looks like Trump has reduce its possibly nominees to three and four people. Looks like he will quickly fill the spot of Scalia, and it says that he will fill any other vacancy with people from his list. Most if not all are against us, really sad and disappoint that Americans vote for him. http://dailysignal.com/2016/12/01/one-of-these-21…
23.
Fortguy | December 4, 2016 at 2:53 pm
How tenuous is Trump's electoral college margin? If Illinois ceded Lake County to Wisconsin, and Florida ceded the western panhandle counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa to Alabama, Hillary would have won both Florida and Wisconsin thereby winning an electoral majority.
Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post: How the electoral college gerrymanders the presidential vote