Contemplating equal protection

That sweet Attorney General of Virginia -- the one who demanded state universities remove protections for gays from their anti-discrimination policies because such protections weren't in the state law -- elaborated on his reasoning. Ken Cuccinelli was asked if his policy conflicts with the 14th Amendment, the one about equal protection for all. He responded: "Frankly, the category of sexual orientation would never have been contemplated by the people who wrote and voted for and passed the 14th Amendment." True -- sexual orientation wasn't even defined until about a decade after the amendment was passed. However, the people who wrote and voted for it never contemplated it being used to benefit women (or the 2nd Amendment applies to automatic weapons). And the Supremes have already said the 14th Amendment applies to gays (in the 1996 case that overturned a Colorado amendment banning gay protections).



Alas, Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii, vetoed the bill that would have allowed domestic partnerships in that state. She said something like the issue is too important for her and the legislature to decide. It must be decided by all citizens. Let's hear it for the tyranny of the majority!



A new movie being released looks interesting. The Kids are All Right is about a lesbian couple and their teenage kids. The youngsters search for and find their sperm donor and things get a bit strange. Commentators of the movie say how much they enjoy seeing the two women in a loving relationship that simply portrayed as a given. I'd love to say it's coming to a theater near you, but that's not a sure thing. It hasn't yet shown up on the art-house schedule in Detroit.