DOCSLIB.ORG

View Entire Issue As

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
View Entire Issue As Curtains up Three world premieres take first bows on the stages of the Alchemist Theater, Milwaukee Rep and Skylight Music Theater. page 32 March 12, 2015 | Vol. 6 No. 8 Wisconsin cyclists have ridden out the winter. Will lawmakers run them off the road? page 4 E AN M K N EE aur ILLUSTRATION: M ILLUSTRATION: 11 Right-wing pageant 12 Wisconsin's Ferguson? 14 Decorating trends 31 MKE Ballet's 'Giselle' 40 Keeping wonder alive Tea party gathering ranks The police shooting of an Leading designers and Michael Pink restages his A retrospective for Walker second among unarmed black teen in fashionistas have picked successful take on the Milwaukee artist JoAnna GOP hopefuls vying for Madison sparks protests, wine-red "Marsala" as the classic ballet, translating it Poehlmann drops into the Republican nomination. raises questions. color of choice for 2015. to war-torn 1941. artist's fascinating world. 2 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | March 12, 2015 News with a twist WiGWAG By Lisa Neff, Louis Weisberg & Matthew Reddin HOLLYWOOD ing stations so home office he’ll travel to men built the tunnel sim- pastries in the shape of a posted a screencap of the HARVEST workers can get the job Florida the ply because they wanted weapon. Educators could complaint. Will consumers be more done from the Lazy Boy. next day. a hang out. “They started still punish students for likely to eat asparagus out as goal to make a cool eating Pop-Tarts in class. endorsed by Jessica Alba OH O’REILLY BAD BLUFF place and that’s what they or kale if promoted by Bill O’Reilly operates Police in Lincoln, did,” said police Constable TOURISM CAM-PAINS Colin Kaepernick? Partner- under the belief that if he Nebraska, arrested a man Victor Kwong. Promotional ship for a Healthier Amer- shouts something loud for possessing less than an commercials for urban ica, created in conjunction enough, his Fox fanatics will ounce of marijuana alleg- PLAYING WITH tourism can be saccharine- with first lady Michelle take his word as truth. That edly found after he was PISTOLS sweet at times, but one Obama’s Let’s Move! doesn’t work with journal- stopped on suspicion of Inspired by the punish- anonymous Milwaukee effort, hopes so. The group ists, who have devoted a drunken driving. The report ment of a kid who brought blogger has swung the recently announced a lot of energy to disproving said police found the pot in a gun fashioned from a pendulum very far in the celebrity campaign to pro- O’Reilly’s claims to be on a plastic sour cream con- Pop-Tart to school, Nevada other direction. Since mote consumption of fruit the spot and in danger dur- tainer labeled “Not Weed.” Assembly Republicans are March 3, a Tumblr page has and vegetables. The idea ing his correspondent days. backing a bill that would been presenting itself as a is to put as much thought Most recently, CNN pub- TUNNELING IN bar schools from barring parody of Visit Milwaukee's PHOTO: COURTESY and money into marketing lished a taped telephone TORONTO students from playing with website, posting mean healthy foods as chips and from 1977 that reveals The discovery of an toy firearms on school and misleading campaign CANNACON candy. O’Reilly was not outside underground bunker in grounds. Nevada Assem- slogans that alternately Tommy Chong of Cheech the Florida home where Toronto set off a social blyman Jim Wheeler is mock the tourism site or and Chong was among DOCKING DÉCOR an associate of Lee Harvey media frenzy. Authorities sponsoring AB121, which critique Milwaukee, such the celebrities to attend a Ikea recently announced Oswald committed suicide. said the tunnel measured would forbid schools as "1st in segregation!" or recent three-day marijuana plans to sell home fur- O’Reilly, in his book Kill- about 2 yards high, 3 yards from punishing students "Valuing your right to drive expo in Seattle. Entrepre- nishings — desks, lamps ing Kennedy, said he was wide and 10 yards long and who play with toy guns or drunk over an effective neurs debuted a number and tables — capable of on a porch when he heard contained plywood walls, pretend to use a firearm. public transportation of new products, includ- wirelessly charging smart- a gunshot from inside the a sump pump, a generator The bill also extends pro- system since 1958." Visit ing a pot-infused barbe- phones, tablets and other home where George de and a lot of discarded bev- tections to students who Milwaukee has already cue sauce, hash oil, smoke electronics. The Swed- Mohrenschildt commit- erage cans. Police set up wear clothing with images filed a complaint with wipes, facial creams, seeds ish company also plans to ted suicide. But on the surveillance to identify the of firearms, use hand ges- Tumblr regarding the use of and munchies. The next offer a kit to convert fur- recording, O’Reilly is told inhabitants and eventu- tures to imitate a gun or its logo on the blog, which expo will be held in Denver niture into wireless dock- of the death and he says ally learned that two young brandish partially-eaten we know because the blog in June. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | March 12, 2015 3 4 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | March 12, 2015 Riding out winter, gearing up for fights spring, about pumping up the tires on his Trek Bike and cruising on the Capital City State Trail. Wisconsin is one of the best bik- ing states and Madison is one of the 10 best biking cities in the country, said Czerwinski, a cycling enthusiast since his sixth birthday, when he got a BMX bike coveted by every kid in his neighborhood. “In a couple of weeks, with spring, everyone will see why. For cyclists, this is just a superb time of year to be in Wisconsin.” PHOTOS: NORTH COAST CYCLING ASSOCIATION March madness exhilarates cyclists. Riders join in a North Coast Cycling Association on a frozen Lake Superior. The NCCA PHOTO: BUDGET BICYCLE CENTER OF MADISON/ Warm-weather riders tune up their bikes, hosts a free ride from Bayfield to Madeline Island — the largest of the Apostle Islands — JOEL HEIMAN on the Ice Road on Saturdays in winter, at least for as long as the ice lasts. “I am excited register for tours and update their gear. The Velocipede, circa 1869, is on display in about all the ice biking that is happening in the area,” said NCCA president Joe Groshek. Four-season cyclists change out their rides “Shifting Gears” at the Wisconsin History “Our mission is to get people out riding bikes. All people, all types of bikes and all types or their tires, and also their clothes, as Museum in Madison. of riding.” For more, go to northcoastcycling.org. they shift from winter to spring. Schewe has cycled, literally, through 12 Milwaukee winters. “The first year, my By Lisa Neff That same morning, Paula Schewe friends thought I was crazy and my par- GEARING UP FOR FUNDING FIGHTS Staff writer cycled 4 miles into work on her Surley ents thought it was because I didn’t have Conservative Republicans at the state One recent morning while motorists fat-bike, stopping on the way at the Shore- enough money for a car — which was and federal levels this year launched ini- were scrapping ice off their windshields, wood Colectivo for coffee and granola bars kinda true,” she said. “But it’s just a way of tiatives to weaken biking programs. So Bill Hartz hopped on his Schwinn hybrid with some biking buddies. “I get to work on life for me. If you know how to dress, and the National Bike Summit this month was and rode the scenic route to work. “I took a riding high, there’s really nothing like it,” you learn how to ride, and you take care of bringing bike advocates to Capitol Hill to: the long way and went down by the lake said Schewe, who works at a retail shop on your bike, it’s all good.” • Encourage federal lawmakers to co- to watch the sun rise,” said Hartz, who Milwaukee’s Capitol Drive. Bike retailers, mechanics and associa- sponsor the Vision Zero Act to prevent lives in Riverwest and works at Marquette And on that icy morning, Steve Czer- tion members report a recent uptick in traffic fatalities and the Transportation University. winski daydreamed about the arrival of winter bicycling in Wisconsin. The expla- Alternative Program Improvement Act to nations: refinements in cold-weather gear, provide more local control on transporta- attention to infrastructure, the popularity tion priorities and funding decisions. of fat-bikes with jumbo tires that seem to • Counter a campaign to strip bicycle float on snow, rising gasoline prices and funding from the transportation bill. environmental awareness. Congress could vote in May on the anti- Hartz said he’s long cycled in warm cycling initiative, which is backed by right- weather to work, where he’d otherwise wing groups with strong ties to the fossil have to pay $65 a month to park a car. “A fuel industry and billionaires David and few years back, I decided to see how far Charles Koch. into winter I could go,” he said. “It turns “Despite billions in Highway Trust Fund out — all the way through to spring. This is shortfalls, Washington continues to spend my third winter.” federal dollars on projects that have noth- Cycling, he said, is “far cheaper than ing to do with roads like bike paths and a car, less crowded than a bus and gets transit,” read a letter signed by represen- you out in the fresh air for exercise year- tatives of Tea Party Nation, the Heartland round.” Institute, Club for Growth, American Ener- And it's also a way of life, Czerwinski gy Alliance and Americans for Prosperity would add.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From Criminal to Citizen: How the Evolution of Public Opinion Won Gay Marriage in the Courtroom
    From Criminal to Citizen: How The Evolution of Public Opinion Won Gay Marriage In The Courtroom Sabrina Singer Senior Thesis Department of History Barnard College, Columbia University Advisor: Robert McCaughey Singer 1 Prologue A warm tropical breeze brushed my face as I stood in the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens waiting for the mayor to begin. The crowd murmured with excitement, looking around at each other with anticipation as the sun set behind the palm trees. I glanced over at the couple I had met earlier in the evening. They were dressed in matching tuxedos, holding hands, waiting. The drag queen next to me shifted her weight back and forth, impatient. Then, finally, the speeches were over and the ceremonies could begin. The judge had only lifted the stay on gay marriage in the early hours of the morning, yet hundreds of gay couples lined-up to walk down the makeshift aisle to the hastily constructed altar to be married by the mayor. Dressed in suits, biking clothes, jean shorts, and bathing suits, couple after couple affirmed their love and commitment. Same-sex marriage had come to Florida. I had witnessed similar jubilation in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building two summers prior when the Court issued its momentous ruling in United States vs. Windsor, overturning the Defense of Marriage Act that had prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. Beholding the relief and joy on the faces of the people swarming the steps of the Supreme Court building, I knew that I had chosen the right issue to believe in.
    [Show full text]
  • Oral Argument: the Essential Guide
    ORAL ARGUMENT: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE by Brooke J. Bowman Kirsten K. Davis Lance N. Long Jason S. Palmer Stephanie A. Vaughan Table of Contents Information about the Earlier Version ..........................................................................................iii Copyright ...................................................................................................................................................iii Citation Information .............................................................................................................................iii Limitations on Use .................................................................................................................................iii About the Authors .................................................................................................................................iii About Stetson’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication ....................... iv Chapter 1: Oral Argument Matters: An Introduction .............................................................. 1 Chapter 2: Understanding the Purpose of Oral Argument: Take a Judge-Centered Approach ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 3: Preparing to Persuade: Get Ready to Argue ......................................................... 5 Chapter 4: Organizing the Oral Argument: Balance Structure with Flexibility ......... 19 Chapter 5: Answering Questions: Know
    [Show full text]
  • Anti-Defamation League
    Jewish Privilege E. Michael Jones Fidelity Press 206 Marquette Avenue South Bend, Indiana 46617 www.culturewars.com www.fidelitypress.org © E. Michael Jones, 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Fidelity Press. Contents What Is Hate Speech? The ADL and the FBI Online Hate Index Capistrano on Jewish Privilege Homosexual Proxy Warrior Chubby Lesbian Kike Who Defines Hate? What Is Hate Speech? In keeping with the so-called “Christchurch Call to Action” which flowed from a meeting of government officials and internet giants on May 15, 2019 in Paris, Facebook issued an internal document entitled “Hate Agent Policy Review,” which, according to Breitbart, which received a copy from a source inside Facebook, “outlines a series of ‘signals’ that Facebook uses to determine if someone ought to be categorized as a ‘hate agent’ and banned from the platform.”[1] The guidelines were simultaneously draconian and incoherent. You can be designated as a “hate agent” if “you praise the wrong individual, interview them, or appear at events alongside them.”[2] Hate agent status is evidently contagious because Facebook may designate you as a hate agent if you associate with a “Designated Hate Entity,” like the Englishman Tommy Robinson. You can also be designated a hate agent “merely for speaking neutrally about individuals and organizations that the social network considers hateful.” Facebook tagged someone in October of last year simply because he gave what they considered was a “neutral representation of John Kinsman,” who is a member of “Proud Boys,” a group which Facebook does not like and does not want you to like.
    [Show full text]
  • Glbtq >> Special Features >> Jo Becker and Dale Carpenter: Two
    Special Features Index Jo Becker and Dale Carpenter: Two Cases, Two Books Newsletter May 15, 2014 Sign up for glbtq's free Jo Becker and Dale Carpenter: Two Cases, Two newsletter to receive Books a spotlight on GLBT culture every month. by Claude Summers e-mail address Among the handful of cases involving homosexuality that the Supreme Court subscribe of the United States has considered, the most important in delineating the privacy policy rights of gay people are Bowers v. unsubscribe Hardwick (1986), in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of sodomy laws and described as Encyclopedia "facetious" the claim that homosexuals have a right to privacy; Romer v. Evans Discussion go (1996), in which the Court invalidated Colorado's Amendment 2 on the grounds that it deprived gay people of equal rights under the law and furthered Forcing the Spring by Jo no legitimate state interest; Lawrence Becker. v. Texas (2003), in which the Supreme Court reversed Bowers v. Hardwick and declared that "The liberty protected by the Constitution allows homosexual persons the right to choose to enter upon relationships in the confines of their homes and their own private lives and still retain their dignity as free persons"; and the two landmark cases decided on June 26, 2013, Hollingsworth v. Log In Now Perry and Windsor v. U.S. Forgot Your Password? Two of these five cases have been the subject of instructively different Not a Member Yet? kinds of books: Dale Carpenter's Flagrant Conduct. The Story of JOIN TODAY. IT'S FREE! Lawrence v. Texas: How a Bedroom Arrest Decriminalized Gay Americans (2012) and Jo Becker's Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality (2014), which provides an insider's view of the federal litigation against California's Proposition 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Ask a Feminist a Conversation with Cathy Cohen on Black Lives Matter, Feminism, and Contemporary Activism
    ASK A FEMINIST A conversation with Cathy Cohen on Black Lives Matter, feminism, and contemporary activism WITH CatHY J. COHEN AND SARAH J. JacKSON Introduction I had the pleasure of having this con- versation with Cathy Cohen, the David and Mary Winton Green Professor of VOL 31, NO. 14 DEC. 30, 2015 Political Science and chair of political science at the University of Chicago, in www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com late 2015. Cohen’s work, both academically and as an activist, has inspired my own, particularly in terms of making connec- tions between black feminist theory, so- cial movements, and issues of race and racism in the United States. Cohen is the principal investigator of two major social change projects: The Black Youth Project and the Mobilization, Change and Political and Civic Engagement Project. Her books, Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics and The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics have offered important interventions in scholarship on race and politics. She is also the coeditor, with Kathleen Jones and Joan Tronto, of Women Transform- ing Politics: An Alternative Reader. Since the publication of my book, Black Celebrity, Racial Politics, and the Press: Framing Dissent, I have been par- ticularly compelled by the use of tech- nology by racial justice activists like the women who started #BlackLivesMatter. My recent collaborative work with Brooke Foucault Welles, “Hijacking #myNYPD: Social Media Dissent and Net- worked Counterpublics” and “#Ferguson is Everywhere: Initiators in Emerging Counterpublic Networks” (in press), has illustrated that everyday citizens—par- ticularly young women and people of Cathy Cohen.
    [Show full text]
  • Previous Honorary Degree Recipients 1954—2017 Previous Honorary Degree Recipients Degree Conferred—Date T
    Previous Honorary Degree Recipients 1954—2017 Previous Honorary Degree Recipients Degree Conferred—Date T. COLEMAN ANDREWS ’21, Commissioner of Internal Revenue. DCS—June. 1954 JACOB L. HOLTZMAN, Regent of the University of the State of New York . DCL—June 1954 JOHN EDGAR HOOVER, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation. DCL—June 1954 FREDERICK MARTIN SCHAEBERLE ’14, Incorporator and Retired Treasurer, Pace College . DCS—June 1954 CHARLES T. BRYAN ’14, Incorporator and Retired Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pace College . DCL—June 1955 WILLIAM B. FRANKE ’17, U.S. Secretary of the Navy . DCL—June 1955 JOHN A. KROUT, Vice President and Provost of Columbia University. DCS—June 1955 ALOYSIUS A. LALLY, CPA, ’25. DCS—June 1955 JOSEPH I. LUBIN, CPA, ’21, Chairman, New York State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners . DCS—June 1955 CHESTER A. ALLEN ’15, President, Kings County Trust Company. DCL—June 1956 ELLIOTT V. BELL, Chairman of the Executive Committee, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., Inc. DCS—June 1956 ERNEST A. JOHNSON, President, Lake Forest College. DCS—June 1956 PETER F. DRUCKER, Professor of Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, New York University. DCS—October 1956 CARROLL V. NEWSOM, President, New York University. DCL—June 1956 EDWARD H. LITCHFIELD, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh . DCS—October 1956 CHARLES F. NOYES, Chairman, Charles F. Noyes Company, Inc.. DCS—October 1956 THEODORE S. REPPLIER, President, The Advertising Council, Inc. DCL—October 1956 EMANUEL SAXE, Dean, Bernard M. Baruch School of Business and Public Administration, City College of New York. DCS—October 1956 MARGARET CHASE SMITH, United States Senator from Maine .
    [Show full text]
  • 27Th ANNUAL FIRST MONDAY in OCTOBER
    27th ANNUAL FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER October Term 2020 ALEXANDER L. BAXTER Petitioner v. BRAD BRACEY, ET AL. Respondents 1 OFFICE OF THE APPELLATE DEFENDER The Office of the Appellate Defender (OAD) strives to ensure that poor people convicted of felonies receive full and equal access to justice by providing exceptional appellate representation, improving the quality of indigent defense through education and training, and advocating for systemic reform of New York City’s criminal justice system. As one of New York City’s oldest providers of appellate representation, and the City’s second oldest institutional indigent defense office, OAD challenges Manhattan and Bronx convictions and sentences in the New York Supreme Court, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department, the New York State Court of Appeals, and the federal courts. OAD’s Reinvestigation Project identifies potential cases of wrongful conviction and, where appropriate, files petitions for relief. OAD is a training office that not only provides high-quality representation to individual clients, but also educates attorneys that are likely to make a substantial contribution to the representation of poor people charged with and/or convicted of crimes. Thus, OAD’s Staff Attorneys serve limited (three-year) terms; OAD maintains a Criminal Appellate Defender Clinic at New York University Law School; and OAD has a Volunteer Appellate Defender (VAD) program that allows attorneys at private law firms to co-counsel appeals with OAD attorneys. OAD pioneered the integration of social work into indigent appellate defense practice. OAD’s Client Services Director supports clients by providing on-side expertise, assistance and referrals in the areas of medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, employment, public assistance benefits and educational services.
    [Show full text]
  • Helping to Lead the Fight for Women's Equality
    SPRING 2013 www.nyclu.org Published by the New York Civil Liberties Union Vol. LV III , No. 2 2 3 4-6 6 7 8 Director’s Column: An Uncommon Bond in Election 2013: Discrimination at Court Victory Against Solitary Confinement Reclaiming the Defense of Civil Liberties Biographies and Wedding Venue NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Reform Update Progressive Mantle for Statements of NYCLU Abuse New York Board of Directors NYC Council to Appalling Conditions in Candidates Establish Inspector Stop-and-Frisk Watch Long Island Jails Challenging NYPD General to Oversee App on iPhone Surveillance of Muslims NYPD Helping to Lead the Fight for Women’s Equality wo years ago, Governor Cuomo staked his equally participate in society.” reputation as a progressive leader on getting the The NYCLU has for years been working the chan- TMarriage Equality bill passed. During his State nels of Albany and helping to lay the foundation for a of the State address this year, to a standing ovation, the movement to ensure that all of New York’s 10 million governor pledged to make 2013 the year of Women’s women, from the Bronx to Binghamton, can more fully Equality. and equally participate in society. Shortly after his address, the governor met with a The Women’s Equality Agenda recognizes that to small group of advocates to discuss how best to move have equal opportunities, a woman in New York must forward with a large and complex campaign to sweep be able to protect her health and make the reproductive away many barriers to women’s equality in the Empire health decisions that are best for her and her family.
    [Show full text]
  • Assembly Resolution No. 918 M. of A. Rules (Glick) BY: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to Proclaim MEMORIALIZING June 2020, As Gay P
    Assembly Resolution No. 918 BY: M. of A. Rules (Glick) MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2020, as Gay Pride Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, Members of this Legislative Body support the rights, freedoms, and equality of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ); and WHEREAS, Those who took a stand for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969, are among the pioneers within this movement; this year marks the 51st Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots; and WHEREAS, The LGBTQ Stonewall protestors were subject to police harassment and invidious discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and WHEREAS, This decisive moment in history was followed by the creation of gay rights organizations in every major city in the United States within two years of the Stonewall uprising; and WHEREAS, The Stonewall uprising has been followed by many positive progressive historic moments; and WHEREAS, One year after the Stonewall uprising, on June 28, 1970, the first gay pride marches took place in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco; and WHEREAS, Each year, since the Stonewall uprising, the end of June has been celebrated as gay pride with LGBTQ pride marches and other events being held throughout New York State, and throughout the world; WHEREAS, A Marriage Equality Bill first passed the New York State Assembly in 2007; and WHEREAS, The Marriage Equality Act passed both houses and was signed into law in New York State on June
    [Show full text]
  • LN Mag 2015 11 Novem
    LESBIAN 4 • November NEWS 2015 VOL. 41 • NO. AN INTERVIEW WITH DJ DUO REBECCA & FIONA Carol: What we did for Love starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara . And+ Then Came Marriage The drama, the behind the scenes struggles, the fights, the attacks that Roberta Kaplan had to endure . LN Contributors Christin and Ashley Kelly-Brown are owners and wife team of LunaBella Makeup and Hair in Santa Barbara, CA. Originally from Oakland, CA., they met there at 17 years of age and have been together for over 12 years. Legally married in California on October 3, 2008, their company has since taken off. They absolutely love not only what they do but also how uniquely they work together. Dian Katz works a variety of arenas. With a background in Marriage Counseling and a history as a professional performer, she’s LN’s Entertainment Editor and Self Help columnist. Dian’s also authored a book entitled: Love Hurts - A Spiritual Journey to Wholeness. She sometimes works the motivational speaking circuit. Dian’s an award winning drummer with her own rock band. Out of all the many hats she wears, performing and writing are her biggest passions. Gladi Adams, PhD is a native New Englander who was recruited in Boston by the Los Angeles Unifed School District to teach English in L.A. She studied at Boston University, Cal State Northridge, California Western and UCLA. She.retired as a secondary school principal after 35 years in the system. She is married to Ella Matthes, publisher, and they have been working on the LN together since 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • Proof Vs. Prejudice
    PROOF VS. PREJUDICE ROBERTA KAPLAN AND JAREN JANGHORBANI We trust courts to resolve disputes over everything from whether the light was red to whether children experience better educational outcomes in diverse classrooms. As a general matter, such disputes are resolved through hard-fought adversarial testing of an evidentiary record because the American judicial system is premised on the assumption that such testing is the most effective means of reaching the truth. Nowhere is this premise more evident than in cases like those about marriage between same-sex couples, cases that inherently touch on beliefs about the nature of human identity, value judgments about human psychology and behavior, and what is in the best interest for children. Moreover, each of these is a topic on which most people, including most judges, have long-held views that (consciously or not) are based on their own personal experiences. For this reason, a careful, thorough evidentiary record, subject to cross-examination, is particularly important to help assure that a court's decision will not be grounded on assumptions or prejudice. Perry v. Brown exemplifies this. In Perry, the opponents of Proposition 8 put forward testimony from eight lay witnesses and nine expert witnesses, which the court credited extensively in its analysis.' The Proposition 8 proponents, on the other hand, were able to offer only two trial witnesses to support their position that the statute had rationally furthered a legitimate governmental objective. 2 Guided in part by the record in Perry, in representing Edith ("Edie") Windsor in her challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") in the Southern District of New York, we focused on amassing the best evidence for our client.
    [Show full text]
  • Equality USDA News & Notes
    NEWS AND NOTES FROM EQUALITY USDA The employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees and retirees at USDA Message from the President Hello Equality USDA members and friends, I hope the start of fall and a new fiscal year finds you in good spirits. During the month of October, we ob- serve LGBTQ+ history month and celebrate those icons and historic figures who bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice, one act at a time. You can find more info and resources on LGBTQ+ history in this newsletter. We’ve had a recent change on the Executive Board of Equality USDA. Partnership Liaison Tim Sheehan resigned his position over the summer. Randi Johnson has been appointed by the Executive Board to serve as the Partnership Liaison. Randi ran for Office in Equality USDA last fall and lost by a narrow margin. She is Director of the Global Change Division at the Na- tional Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in USDA. She’s served on the board of the non -profit Transgender Education Association of greater Washington, D.C. (TGEA) for the past 6 years. We are happy to welcome Randi to the Equality USDA Board!! Photo above: Randi Johnson, Partnership Liaison The Executive Board is finalizing the updated Bylaws for a membership vote in December. The updated By- laws were reviewed by a small group of members; we are now addressing their comments. In addition to working on the Bylaws, the Board drafted a Strategic Plan and annual Business Plan. We’re also working on updating our communications platforms, including our website and social media.
    [Show full text]