Politics and Law
Major Wins for Equality In Maine and Iowa
News too good to wait for my weekly update: In a unanimous decision, Maine’s Law Court ruled that two foster children, 10-year-old “M” and her brother, six-year-old “R,” could be adopted by the lesbian couple who have raised them for the past six years. Equality Maine, in an e-mail to supporters, notes this is “the
Parents Appealing Decision that Schools Can Teach About Same-Sex Families
Two sets of parents in Lexington, Massachusetts are appealing a U.S. District Court dismissal of their claim that the local public school district violated their constitutional rights by teaching their children about families headed by same-sex parents. The District Court judge had said (PDF link): Public schools are entitled to teach anything that is reasonably
Weekly Political Update
Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, offered his perspective on Marriage Equality and the Presidential Election. The ultra-conservative Arkansas Family Council has submitted a proposal to the state Attorney General as the first step in placing a measure on the November 2008 ballot to ban adoption by unmarried couples. The group failed earlier
Medieval Civil Unions?
Did the concept of a civil union originate in medieval Europe? That’s the intriguing possibility raised in the respected Journal of Modern History by Allan A. Tulchin of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. (Via Box Turtle Bulletin.) As a recovering academic with a graduate degree in medieval history, I find this fascinating—though I’ve got the usual
Science and Poetry
In my last post, I wrote about the very cool new Google Sky and how it could be a fun way to teach kids about astronomy. As an astronomy major myself, and someone who is married to an engineer, I’m all for science education, particularly for girls, who still tend to be overlooked when it
Baby, Will You Marry Me?
Proving the importance of a good copyeditor, lawmakers in Arkansas passed a law this year that mistakenly allows state residents of any age—even babies—to marry with parental permission, as long as they are not pregnant. The bill says: “In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is
Weekly Political Roundup
New Jersey dominated the headlines this week, but there’s also good news from Oklahoma, a celebrity marriage in Canada, and some items of bad news from round and about to remind us why we need to keep fighting. On a lighter note, if you haven’t yet seen the Daily Show’s take on the HRC/LOGO Presidential
Hillary and Mary, Separated at Birth?
Is it just me, or have Hillary Clinton and Mary Cheney been sporting some rather similar hairdos over the years? What could it all mean? Do they share some strange bond? Does this explain Hillary’s initial hawkishness on the war? Or Mary’s support for marriage equality in the face of her party’s opposition? Dorothy Snarker
Better Late than Never: Chris Dodd on LGBT Issues
(First, just a note to say that I didn’t post my usual Weekly Political Roundup last Friday because I thought the HRC/LOGO Presidential Forum was enough politics to hold us for a while. I’ll incorporate outstanding items from last week into this Friday’s update.) Presidential candidate Chris Dodd, who missed Thursday’s HRC/LOGO Presidential Forum because