(no subject)

[shadowkat]

1. Hmmm...found this on Twitter - a psychologist is examining various Buffy episodes from the perspective of a therapist.

Buffy Gets Therapized: Selfless Love.

I was rather impressed by how he breaks down the difference between love and well "passion".

2. Per the news, and various social media sites: "President Joe Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act, granting federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples."

or "RFMA officially repealed DOMA and requires the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying parts of both Obergefell and the 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia. In July 2022, RFMA was reintroduced to Congress, with revisions including protections for interracial marriages."

Here's the legislative summary of the law:

This act provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages.

Specifically, the act replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.)

The act also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The act allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.

The act does not (1) affect religious liberties or conscience protections that are available under the Constitution or federal law, (2) require religious organizations to provide goods or services to formally recognize or celebrate a marriage, (3) affect any benefits or rights that do not arise from a marriage, or (4) recognize under federal law any marriage between more than two individuals.

That's a big deal. It took forever just to get the Supreme Court to allow rule that it was against the US Constitution to prohibit Same Sex Marriage and Interracial Marriage in the US (various states did for ahem, "religious" reasons). Now, that we're all worried about the Conservatives on the Supreme Court going backwards on those rulings, and overruling the previous case law - the Federal legislature finally did the right thing, stepped up and wrote codified these protections into law. What that means is - no one can undo it.

All States have to respect it. Including the idiots who hadn't passed Same-Sex Marriage Acts yet.

That had to be a bi-partisan effort. Yay!

3. Health experts say its time to wear a mask again - uhm, I never really stopped? KN95 broke on the way to work, so pulled out KN94.

4. Uhm, Starz apparently cancelled Dangerous Liasons not long after they did a S2 renewal, this is happening a lot. HBO Max did the same thing with Minx.

5. But good news? Spiderman II: Across the Spiderverse is hitting theaters in 2023, this is the sequel to the animated film, featuring Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy et al. With great animation.

I also figured out who Monica Rambeau will be in the Marvels - Photon.

Comments

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I was happy about the Marriage Act being passed too. It was definitely a bipartisan effort though of course there were some usual suspects voting against it.

I am with you on the masks too. I don't wear the KN95s but I have been wearing a mask while indoors.