The Loveshade Family Blog

Constance McMillen wanted to go to her high school prom with her girlfriend.  She wanted to wear a tuxedo.  The Itawamba County Agricultural High School faced a dilemma.  Their policy said no same-sex couples, and no cross dressing.

The American Civil Liberties Union, however, said that policy was a violation of civil rights.  The ACLU's point had already been decided in Fricke v. Lynch, 491 f. Supp. 381, way back in 1980.  So the school district made a decision: rather than let one girl wear a tuxedo, they cancelled the prom for everyone.

The report didn't actually say it was because of that, but "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events."

Apparently, in that county in Mississippi, learning about civil rights is a distraction to what they consider a proper education. 

Read the story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lesbian_prom_date

Image used is at http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13517.html/ and appears at http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13517.html/ No threat to its copyright is intended.

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

You may remember when pushing for breast-milk foods for people was a publicity gimmick done by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals--see below).  Well, this time it's real.

"Iron Chef" Daniel Angerer said necessity is the mother of invention--and in this case the source of milk.  He had and wife Lori Mason had a freezer full of her breast milk, and were running out of room.  Rather than waste it, he decided to serve cheese made from it with figs and Hungarian pepper at Klee Brasserie.

Of course some people are shocked.  Even the New York City Health Department advised him to stop serving it.  They didn't have a law against it, but you know if they work hard enough they can make up--I mean find--something.

It's actually odd that it would seem odd.  People think nothing of swallowing bodily fluid from a fat, four footed creature that regurgitates matter from its stomach, then chews it and shallows it and regurgitates it again.  But humans drinking a drink that's specifically designed to fill the nutritional needs of humans?  Horrors!

And if it starts with getting adults to consume breast milk, it won't end there!  Before you know it, they'll be having teenagers, preteens and young children doing it.  Can you imagine the atrocity of having babies breast feeding?

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35778477/ns/today-today_food_and_wine/

For all our entries that touch on breast feeding, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=breast+feed  The PETA story is at http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/09/will_ice_cream_made_from_breas.html

The cheese breast image is at http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/cheese.jpg and appears in the article http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2008/04/10/human-breast-milk-cheese/.  No threat to its copyright is intended.

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The United States' capital now accepts same sex couples.  Starting today (Tuesday, 9 March 2010), the District of Columbia joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont as the sixth place in America that allows lesbian and gay marriage.  (California did briefly until a court decision was rendered moot by an amendment to the state constitution).

The same-sex marriage ceremonies don't conclude with being pronounced "husband and wife;" instead the happy couples are now pronounced "legally married."

See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35776970/ns/us_news-life for more info.

Photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumphant_newlyweds.jpg

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For all our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same-sex+marriage

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

In a case that drew national attention because the victim posed naked online, Israel Mireles was convicted of the rape and murder of Emily Sander.  One of our friends was one of her friends, so the case is personal to us.

Because of an extradition agreement with Mexico which, like most of the civilized world, doesn't allow executions, he will not be executed.  But for conviction on the rape, murder and aggravated criminal sodomy, he will face life in prison when sentenced on March 31.

Sander was an 18-year-old Kansas secretary and college student whose death drew national attention when it was revealed she posed naked as Zoey Zane.  Her friend, who posts online as Perlie the Pony Girl, said "I'm glad they aren't going to kill him. I don't believe in that and Emily didn't either. She was such a wonderful girl. I hope people remember her that way."

Zoey Zane was not a "porn star," but a young woman who posed for a few photos and who was working to make a better life for herself.  We hope she'll be remember that way, too.

See more at http://www.kansas.com/news/featured/story/1177964.html

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To see all our entries on Emily Sander, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=emily+sander

See Perlie the Pony Girl's tribute to her friend Emily at http://discordia.loveshade.org/xtra/emily.html

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of the 1989 killing of Savannah, Georgia police officer Mark Allen MacPhail and sentenced to be executed.  Since then, seven of the nine key witnesses have recanted their testimony, and one of those remaining two witnesses is a possible suspect.  But prosecuters are claiming Davis' lawyers may have coerced witnesses into recanting.

Attempts to get Davis' case retried have repeatedly run into legal obstacles and entanglements.  Davis' attorneys are currently trying to get access to police files.

For more information, see http://savannahnow.com/crime/2010-02-05/troy-davis-lawyers-cry-foul

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A website for Troy Davis is at http://troyanthonydavis.org/

To see all our entries on Troy Anthony Davis, click on http://loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=troy+anthony+davis

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

"It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business."  -- Air America Media

For those who aren't familiar with Air America, it began in April of 2004.  It was broadcast on over 100 radio stations, and broadcast during a time when disagreeing with policies such as America beginning a war with Iraq were considered "un-American."  It had already dealt with bankruptcy in 2006, but was sold and saved.

It wasn't an unbiased medium--it featured Democrat Al Franken (recently elected senator in Minnesota after months of debate about who won) and Rachel Maddow, who at the beginning of Air America was not well known.  It called itself "the only full-time progressive voice in the mainstream broadcast media world."

It will supply "encore programming" from 6 p.m. Eastern time today, 21 January, through 9 p.m. EST on Monday, January 25.  It will be missed.

See more info at http://airamerica.com/ and at http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9628724

Photo is from http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/974abbd0-9266-430b-a664-83df4c425299_mn.jpg No threat to its copyright is intended.

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

California's gay marriage ban is now on trial.  Beginning today, Monday, 11 January, the court is examing the ban.  Currently, five U.S. states and the District of Columbia approve gay marriage. 

California approved it after a court decision there, but it changed after Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage passed in November 2008.  It left California in the odd position of having legally approved same-sex marriages that were now against the constitution, which also didn't allow the state to force divorces on those already married.

Regardless of how this case of two same-sex couples is decided, the decision is likely to be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court.  America's final court may then well make a decision that will greatly affect marriage through all of America.

In a fundamental question in the current case, District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker asked lawyer Ted Olson about state-controlled marriage.  Olson, who is arguing in favor of same-sex marriage, was key to getting George W. Bush elected president by, essentially, one vote in the U. S. Supreme Court after a recounting of the inaccurate Florida voting was denied.  Walker asked if the goverment could get out of the marriage business.  Olson responded, Yes, I believe it could."

Here, we largely agree with Olson.  Why can't marriage be returned to being a social and/or religious institution, and not something completely controlled by big government?  Participants could sign a contract on how their assets and child custody could be handled, and would have a choice of contracts.  Now, the government tells you who you can marry and how.  Couldn't that be a decision guided by your own conscience?

For more information, see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34801259/ns/us_news-life/.

To see all our entries on gay marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=gay+marriage

Image is from http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-100111-marriage1-9a.hmedium.jpg. No threat to its copyright is intended.

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)