July 11th, 2009
July 9th, 2009
But I did want to get some links and updates out.
Kitten?
Yes, in the next two weeks or so there may be a new kitten here at Fort Fun. Stay tuned for details! And pictures! And hopefully some "meet the kitten" events!
Photography
The rush photos project (three days and two evenings of nearly constant photography and photoshopping) is almost done, the deliverable is a CD half-full of finished PSD files and three CDs full of intermediate files and originals. Go me.
Separately, I've got lots of stuff to get up to stock sites.
When I have free time, I really need to revamp the joedecker.net web site.
General
Way behind on everything, hope to at least catch up on neglected emails, etc., in the next day or three.
WWWPD (While We Wait, People Die) Watch
Please add needle exchange/HIV issues to the evidence for WWWPD
And here's some guys who probably died WWW for DADT repeal. Allowing threatened soldiers the option of raising those threats to their superior officers without getting fired seems like it would be a positive step. Fully seventy percent of voters in the United States agree? Why are we waiting?
While nobody died (I think) when the Ft. Worth police "celebrated" the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a bar raid and queer bash, it's worth remembering that we live in a country that has a legal defense which is predicated only on the fact that the victim is queer.
Musical Interlude: People Who Died (Classic!)
In cheerier news:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is challenging section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. (Section 3 concerns federal, not interstate, recognition of marriage.) Massachusetts, thank you, you are a beacon of light on a dark land.
The ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR filed a request to intervene in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal Prop 8 challenge. They'd already filed an amicus brief, but they want to win the right to have lawyers there fighting during the lawsuit as well. The attorneys who filed the original case are not amused, saying that the three rights groups had worked against their case to begin with, and that intervenor status will slow down the case even more. There's a lot of debate about which of the two groups "on our side" to trust less. I think that's a fascinating and difficult question, my gut says to let AFER take this one solo, but ... what do I know?
Kitten?
Yes, in the next two weeks or so there may be a new kitten here at Fort Fun. Stay tuned for details! And pictures! And hopefully some "meet the kitten" events!
Photography
The rush photos project (three days and two evenings of nearly constant photography and photoshopping) is almost done, the deliverable is a CD half-full of finished PSD files and three CDs full of intermediate files and originals. Go me.
Separately, I've got lots of stuff to get up to stock sites.
When I have free time, I really need to revamp the joedecker.net web site.
General
Way behind on everything, hope to at least catch up on neglected emails, etc., in the next day or three.
WWWPD (While We Wait, People Die) Watch
Please add needle exchange/HIV issues to the evidence for WWWPD
And here's some guys who probably died WWW for DADT repeal. Allowing threatened soldiers the option of raising those threats to their superior officers without getting fired seems like it would be a positive step. Fully seventy percent of voters in the United States agree? Why are we waiting?
While nobody died (I think) when the Ft. Worth police "celebrated" the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a bar raid and queer bash, it's worth remembering that we live in a country that has a legal defense which is predicated only on the fact that the victim is queer.
Musical Interlude: People Who Died (Classic!)
In cheerier news:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is challenging section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. (Section 3 concerns federal, not interstate, recognition of marriage.) Massachusetts, thank you, you are a beacon of light on a dark land.
The ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR filed a request to intervene in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal Prop 8 challenge. They'd already filed an amicus brief, but they want to win the right to have lawyers there fighting during the lawsuit as well. The attorneys who filed the original case are not amused, saying that the three rights groups had worked against their case to begin with, and that intervenor status will slow down the case even more. There's a lot of debate about which of the two groups "on our side" to trust less. I think that's a fascinating and difficult question, my gut says to let AFER take this one solo, but ... what do I know?
July 6th, 2009
Just got customer who needs some simple commercial photo work plus some driving the P'shop controls. Anyway, rush schedule, will probably be more offline than usual through the end of the week, but yay getting paid. :)
July 5th, 2009
July 2nd, 2009
I guess this would be the silver monthaversary? ;)
squee!!!!!
squee!!!!!
My incoming spam volume has crossed the 5000 emails per month mark.
July 1st, 2009
Dehli High Court decriminalizes homosexuality.
The judgment [PDF]
From the conclusion:
Also:
(As I understand it, the Dehli High Court is vaguely parallel in this case to a federal appeals court, e.g., the Nth Circuit Court of Appeals, but I don't know if I have that right, or how vague that parallel is in various respects.
ETA: Times of India coverage.
(Utterly geeky ETA 2: The relevant legal section of the law in question was section 377, I can't hear that number without recalling that it's the surface resistivity, in Ohms, of a black hole. Any black hole. It's like a constant. It's so cool.)
(Tip o' the hat to![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
mactavish for the news.)
The judgment [PDF]
From the conclusion:
Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding, such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and nondiscrimination. This was the 'spirit behind the Resolution' of which Nehru spoke so passionately. In our view, Indian Constitutional law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconceptions of who the LGBTs are. It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual.
Also:
In the present case, the two constitutional rights relied upon i.e. 'right to personal liberty' and 'right to equality' are fundamental human rights which belong to individuals simply by virtue of their humanity, independent of any utilitarian consideration. A Bill of Rights does not 'confer' fundamental human rights. It confirms their existence and accords them protection. [Someone should send this section to the California Supreme Court]
(As I understand it, the Dehli High Court is vaguely parallel in this case to a federal appeals court, e.g., the Nth Circuit Court of Appeals, but I don't know if I have that right, or how vague that parallel is in various respects.
ETA: Times of India coverage.
(Utterly geeky ETA 2: The relevant legal section of the law in question was section 377, I can't hear that number without recalling that it's the surface resistivity, in Ohms, of a black hole. Any black hole. It's like a constant. It's so cool.)
(Tip o' the hat to
mactavish for the news.)An optimistic but through discussion of Perry v. Schwarzenegger.
There was a filing in that case today, in which the judge clearly would like to get moving with the case.
A particular paragraph of the first post caught my eye, regarding Ted Olson. Now Olson was the lawyer whodefended represented George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore. Chad Griffin, who helped instigate the federal case against Proposition 8, had his concerns about Ted Olson. In talking about his first meeting with Olson, Griffin says
There. Perhaps now that folks who are high-falutin' laywers are saying what I've been saying the past six months, that "While We Wait, People Die.", perhaps you'll start to believe me.
There was a filing in that case today, in which the judge clearly would like to get moving with the case.
A particular paragraph of the first post caught my eye, regarding Ted Olson. Now Olson was the lawyer who
"I realized I could be sitting in the room with the most eloquent, articulate game-changing spokesperson of our movement. As the conversation went on, I was quite impressed with his analysis of the legal aspects," Chad told Unite the Fight. "We discussed timing, on now versus wait, and the arguments that could be used for and against, and the impacts on the LGBT community - how state sanctioned discrimination leads to the real life consequences, such as rising suicide rates in LGBT youth, who are being kicked out of their homes when they come out. Ted expressed his long held personal views of support for same-sex marriage."
[bold emphasis mine]
There. Perhaps now that folks who are high-falutin' laywers are saying what I've been saying the past six months, that "While We Wait, People Die.", perhaps you'll start to believe me.
DOJ declines to appeal in Schroer v. Library of Congress. As a result, the district court ruling stands, a ruling which concluded:
In refusing to hire Diane Schroer because her appearance and background did not comport with the decisionmaker’s sex stereotypes about how men and women should act and appear, and in response to Schroer’s decision to transition, legally, culturally, and physically, from male to female, the Library of Congress violated Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination.It's not everything, but it's a step.
June 30th, 2009
I finally did get that customized URL for my artist page: http://www.facebook.com/JoeDeckerPhotog
(To those of you who don't FB, apologies for the interruption, we return you to our previously scheduled LJ.)
(To those of you who don't FB, apologies for the interruption, we return you to our previously scheduled LJ.)
June 28th, 2009
The handfasting was lovely. :) I probably already said that, but it's still true! :)
Totally ripped off from a comment here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c
Dear DNC,
I truly "support" Democrats being elected in 2010 and 2012. I am a "fierce advocate" of the Democratic Party after all. I know that I have promised you my support over the past few decades and have done my best to follow through.
Even now I am "working towards" a financial donation to the Party. I do have to ask for your "patience" though, because as a gay man, my family and I are still second class citizens and are having to funnel our resources towards causes that protect and honor our basic civil rights. "We have a lot on our plate."
We are "proceeding" towards lifting the denial of funds to the DNC and are "developing a strategy" that will get us there by the end of Obama's time at the White House. As a matter of fact, my family has planned several "meetings" to discuss these very important donations and will be sending out a press release shortly to announce our "cocktail party" celebrating Democracy.
Thanks for understanding. And hang in there!
Sincerely,
Liam
(ETA: Another comment says this note was taken from http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/fier
Dear DNC,
I truly "support" Democrats being elected in 2010 and 2012. I am a "fierce advocate" of the Democratic Party after all. I know that I have promised you my support over the past few decades and have done my best to follow through.
Even now I am "working towards" a financial donation to the Party. I do have to ask for your "patience" though, because as a gay man, my family and I are still second class citizens and are having to funnel our resources towards causes that protect and honor our basic civil rights. "We have a lot on our plate."
We are "proceeding" towards lifting the denial of funds to the DNC and are "developing a strategy" that will get us there by the end of Obama's time at the White House. As a matter of fact, my family has planned several "meetings" to discuss these very important donations and will be sending out a press release shortly to announce our "cocktail party" celebrating Democracy.
Thanks for understanding. And hang in there!
Sincerely,
Liam
(ETA: Another comment says this note was taken from http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/fier
June 27th, 2009
Poll #1422004 Post-Mortenm: My Show Rhythms
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
(I'd correct the typo, but I can't without killing the poll. Ah well.)
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
What'd ya think?
3 (23.1%)(I'd correct the typo, but I can't without killing the poll. Ah well.)
The latest vote count I have suggests that we need to pick up 27 more votes from undecided Congresscritters to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. There are 51 remaining "undecided" Democrats...
( ...see if yours is on the list. )
A House vote on ENDA is expected in September.
( ...see if yours is on the list. )
A House vote on ENDA is expected in September.
June 25th, 2009
Journal of Pediatrics
(I agree with a later response in that same journal to this article that future studies need to address transfolk and look at this results in other racial groups as well.)
(I agree with a later response in that same journal to this article that future studies need to address transfolk and look at this results in other racial groups as well.)
Today SCOTUS announced a 5-4 ruling today in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, authored by Justice Scalia. In that ruling the Court held that the 6th amendment right to confront accusers includes the right to cross-examine lab analysts on forensic tests, etc.
Sounds right to me. Lab tests are carried out by people, people who may or may not be competent, may or may not have other motives or pressures on them, and so on. While I suspect that the overwhelming majority of lab tests are done honorably and competently, I don't see a counterbalancing need to create an exception to the confrontation clause of the 6th amendment when I can imagine there being cases for which that confrontation has real value to a defendant in terms of making her or his case.
The "5" in the case were Scalia, Thomas, Stevens, Souter and Ginsberg.
Sounds right to me. Lab tests are carried out by people, people who may or may not be competent, may or may not have other motives or pressures on them, and so on. While I suspect that the overwhelming majority of lab tests are done honorably and competently, I don't see a counterbalancing need to create an exception to the confrontation clause of the 6th amendment when I can imagine there being cases for which that confrontation has real value to a defendant in terms of making her or his case.
The "5" in the case were Scalia, Thomas, Stevens, Souter and Ginsberg.
June 24th, 2009
Video: Gay Conversion attempt targeted a 16-year old boy in CT Church
A little more info from the AP.
LA Times
Raw video: http://www.truveo.com/exorcism-of-a-g
A little more info from the AP.
LA Times
Raw video: http://www.truveo.com/exorcism-of-a-g
Just a reminder, for those of you who haven't yet made it to KALIED to see my current (two-artist) show "Rhythms" at KALEID gallery, its last full day up is this Friday, takedown is Saturday.
My own part of that work, my new body of work "Desert Rhythms" has not yet been released on the web--even more than most my early attempts to make the images "work" on the web the way they do in person haven't been satisfactory, some recoding of my web site may eventually be required.
So go see it!
KALEID Gallery
88 S 4th St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 947-1785
My own part of that work, my new body of work "Desert Rhythms" has not yet been released on the web--even more than most my early attempts to make the images "work" on the web the way they do in person haven't been satisfactory, some recoding of my web site may eventually be required.
So go see it!
KALEID Gallery
88 S 4th St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 947-1785