Written: 1/16/2013

And sadly, no, this is not an Eddie Izzard sketch.

Britain is set to legalize marriage equality, but in a strange twist of fate, they will prohibit the Church of England from performing gay marriages.  Which opens a strange discussion about the separation of church and state, but then again, it’s not the United States.

The Church of England will allow gay bishops, even partnered gay bishops, but only if they are celibate.  So barring the fact that they can’t get married, at least in a church setting, they have a strange set of requirements, only brought upon themselves.

So, the odd thing, is now Muslims are mad that they are being treated differently.  It’s strange, for only the CoE to be treated one way, but being the state religion, I guess they can do that.

Still, it’s all very confusing, at least to a damn Yankee across the pond.

All my best,

Mike

Written: 1/2/2013

The 9th circuit of appeals has ruled that cities may offer the BSA reduced rent.

I’m not a legal scholar by a long shot, but even to me the ruling sounds a bit fishy.  What I took away from it (and please correct me if I’m wrong) is that even though the BSA discriminates, and in this case it was determined they do based on religious principles, since that is not their main operational concern, the city can give them a lower rent, at the cost of taxpayers.

I guess I’m a bit torn.  Here in Pa., there are massive tax breaks for (oil) companies coming in to help create jobs (that’s what we’ll go with, yeah).  A non-profit isn’t creating that many jobs.  Yes, the services they provide to the community and the youth of the community are valuable, but how do you measure that against other non-profits.

If it’s just a sense of tradition, that’s not a reason at all to give out a tax break, and again, who gets to decide what’s a tradition?

Like I said, I don’t understand legal cases like this, but it’s still a shame to see taxpayer money going to help fund discrimination.

All my best,

Mike

Written: 12/13/2012

Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world has stopped giving money to the BSA, once again, citing their discriminatory policies.

This comes on the heels of UPS and Intel.

Hopefully more companies continue this trend.  For the BSA to change their policies, they have to see it will hurt them more to discriminate than to embrace equality.  This is one half of the equation, the other side is membership.  That to also has to show that they lose more due to discrimination than equality.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 12/13/2012

Just a quick note to share a touching wedding video…that includes readings from Harry Potter.

I love nerds (being one myself, of course)!

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 12/13/2012

I’m really nervous.  And I’m going to be for the next seven months or so.  The Supreme Court is taking up the DOMA and Prop 8 cases.  A lot is at stake.

And yes, anti-sodomy laws were once ruled constitutional, to be later overturned, so it’s not the end of the battle.  And most legal scholars, and even a lot on the right are predicting that equality will win.

And if equality doesn’t win, we’ll keep fighting.  We have for so long, and we will keep at it.  These are our rights we’re fighting for (and yes, it’s absolutely absurd that we have to fight for our basic civil rights in 2012).

So until the decision comes down in June, I’ll be a nervous wreck.  Not because I need the Supreme Court to validate my existence, but because I believe in fairness and equality, and the security that comes from full marriage equality.

And if they do decide for equality, there is still more work to be done.  But just think of how exciting Pride 2013 is going to be.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 12/13/2012

It’s so sad, because The Onion is always so spot on, it’s painful.  Case in point:

Supreme Court To Hear Cases Determining Whether Human Beings Deserve Equal Rights

And the follow-up:

I Get To Determine Whether Gay People Can Marry, By Clarence Thomas

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 12/06/2012

I love the AP Styleguide.  I’m a writer, so of course I do.

This seems strange however:

Last week the Associated Press declared war on the word “homophobia,” deciding its new stylebook would ban it (and “Islamophobia”) because a “phobia” is an “illness” and connotes a “mental disability.” Therefore, says the AP, it is not accurate and should not be used in a “political or social” context.

I’m not sure I completely understand where they are coming from, but I think that homophobia is recognizable to use.

Granted, many organizations use their own styleguide, or take the AP, or Chicago, MLA or what have you, and modify it a bit to be their own.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 12/06/2012

UPS has decided to stop funding the BSA, until their discriminatory policies end.

This however, is not a rational reaction:

For example, a day after the Human Rights Campaign repeated the charge that the Family Research Council was a “hate group,” an employee of another LGBT organization walked in to the headquarters of the Family Research Council, armed with 50 rounds of ammunition and a bagful of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and began shooting the “haters” who worked there. According to Thomas Strobhar, President of the Corporate Morality Action Center, “UPS should be careful whom they support with money that belongs to all the shareholders. The Boys Scouts are a national treasure with legitimate interests regarding the safety of the scouts, while the Human Rights Campaign has contributed greatly to a lack of civility in public discourse.”

All my best,

The King of Spades