Andrew's Wandering Mind
Midway through the fabulous Groundhog Day weekend, I find my people once again being pummelled from all sides:
1) A new, even more restrictive ban on recognition of "quasi-marital" relationships (i.e. civil unions, domestic partnerships, and the like) is introduced in the South Dakota house, as if the 1995 ban on recognition of same-sex marriages from other states weren't enough.
2) The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds Florida's one-of-a-kind total ban on gay people (single or partnered) from adopting children, preferring that they stay wards of the state. Gov Jeb Bush: "it's better (for the child) to have a mother and a father". Yet, Florida allows single heterosexual people to adopt, and gay couples may provide foster care or be named guardians. This bit of hypocrisy is just begging to be challenged again.
3) The second-highest court in the state of Kansas has upheld a 17-year sentence for an 18-yr old boy who was convicted of engaging in sexual activities with another boy who was 14 at the time. The problem? If the younger participant had been a girl, regardless of the type of activities involved, the 18-yr old would have gotten a max of 1.25 years, because of the "Romeo & Juliet" exception for underage sex if the participants are within 4 years of age. In a 2-1 decision, this court in Kansas (who, like Georgia, isn't all that sure that evolution should be discussed in schools) has declared that it is less of a crime to commit "statutory rape" on a girl than a boy. That's misogynistic, plain and simple.
That said, I now have the choice of watching the Super Bowl and its overpriced commercials (but not any from moveon.com that challenge the President's policies) which I can download off the internet later, Queer Eye re-runs on NBC, a gay marriage marathon on Bravo, or something random and different. Odds are on the latter.
I have some letters to write.
