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North Carolina GOP Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court to Review Gay Marriage Ruling

North Carolina GOP Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court to Review Gay Marriage Ruling

Nc

GOP lawmakers in North Carolina, joined by newly sworn in U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (above middle) and the National Organization for Marriage, are asking the Supreme Court to grant review of the ruling that brought marriage equality to the state back in October, The Advocate reports:

In a 35-page filing, the top lawmakers in the state legislature — President Pro Tempore of the Senate Phil Berger and Tillis in his capacity as House speaker — make the case for review in a petition for certiorari before judgment.

“The current push to redefine marriage to encompass same-sex relationships would remove several of the other key components of the institution of marriage,” the brief states. “It would remove biological complementarity, therefore depriving a significant number of children of being raised by both of their biological parents and removing them from a structured household with both masculine and feminine influences.”

The petition is an unusual move because the federal appeals court considering the lawsuit, in this case the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, has yet to issue a decision on lawmakers’ appeal of the marriage ruling.

But lawmakers argue that Supreme Court review of the North Carolina case at this stage is warranted because the Fourth Circuit already erred in its decision against Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage by ignoring the 1972 decision of Baker v. Nelson, a marriage equality case the Supreme Court refused to hear for lack of federal question.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court declined to hear a similar petition for certiorari before judgement from Louisiana. The high court is expected to announce whether it will take up a Sixth Circuit case tomorrow.

Read North Carolina’s petition below via Equality Case Files:


Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/north-carolina-gop-lawmakers-ask-supreme-court-to-review-gay-marriage-ruling.html

NEWS

'American Horror Story: Freak Show' Makes Another Connection To 'Asylum'

'American Horror Story: Freak Show' Makes Another Connection To 'Asylum'
A lot of bizarre shocking stuff happened in the penultimate episode of “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” but most important was another huge connection made to a previous season.

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen “AHS: Freak Show” Episode 12, “Show Stoppers.”

First of all, let’s not ignore the fact that your Oscars host, aka Neil Patrick Harris, cut Emma Roberts in half last night, had sex with a two-headed woman and then murdered his wooden puppet and cried over it. No big deal. Now moving on to the important stuff …

Murphy revealed last October that all the seasons of “American Horror Story” are connected. The first major connection happened in the “Freak Show” mid-season finale when Sister Mary Eunice from Season 2 appeared, revealing how Pepper had arrived at Briarcliff in “Asylum.” But now “AHS” has made an even further connection between the second and fourth seasons with another character: Dr. Arden.

Fans of the series will remember Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell) from “Asylum,” the physician at Briarcliff Manor who conducts sadistic experiments on patients. It’s revealed that Dr. Arden is a Nazi war criminal who’s birth name was Hans Gruper. In Season 2, we get a brief flashback of Gruper at a concentration camp (who is played by Cromwell’s real-life son, John Cromwell). Arden also amputated Shelley’s (Chloe Sevigny) legs in Season 2.

tv show gifs
Image via Tumblr

It seemed likely that Arden could be connected to “Freak Show” in relation to Elsa Mars’ origin story: while shooting a snuff film in 1932 Berlin, Elsa was drugged and her legs were cut off with a chainsaw by German men. Fans speculated that a young Dr. Arden could’ve been behind this, and they were right. Wednesday’s episode revealed, it was him.

tv show gifs
Image via Tumblr

“Freak Show” flashed back to the 1930s when Massimo Dolcefino (Danny Huston), Elsa’s lover at the time, attempted to kill the man responsible for taking her legs. His name was Hans Gruper (played again by John Cromwell). Massimo failed to kill him, so Gruper tortured the man for years until a German soldier set him free. It’s unknown what happened between then and when Gruper, aka Arden, arrived at Briarcliff when it operated as a tuberculosis ward, but we finally know that he was the same man.

And just for fun (or maybe it has purpose), Murphy threw in another Season 2 connection. While Elsa and her “monsters” are toasting and about to watch a movie, they all plead to Elsa, “Not ‘The Sign of the Cross’ again!” If you remember from “Asylum,” the 1932 film “The Sign of the Cross” was Sister Jude’s movie of choice. Could it just be a coincidence or meaningless wink from Murphy that both of Jessica Lange’s characters enjoy that film? Hmm.

The season finale of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” airs on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET on FX.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/15/american-horror-story-connections_n_6475640.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

NEWS

New Cuban Travel and Trade Rules to Take Effect Friday

New Cuban Travel and Trade Rules to Take Effect Friday

Satellite-image-of-cuba

Many of the broad range of changes to the U.S. Government’s policies toward Cuba which President Obama announced in mid-December are going to take effect tomorrow, the administration announced today.

Reuters reports:

The United States eased decades of trade and financial restrictions on Cuba, opening up the country to U.S. telecommunications, construction and financial services in a slew of changes announced by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury.

The new rules, effective on Friday, are the first concrete step to implement U.S. President Barack Obama’s move last month to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba and ease the long economic embargo on America’s Cold War enemy after more than 50 years.

The AP adds:

The measures include permission for Americans to use credit cards in Cuba and U.S. companies to export some technologies. Americans authorized to visit Cuba need no longer apply for special licenses.

Americans can also bring home up to $100 in alcohol and tobacco from Cuba, meaning the ban on Cuban cigars is officially over.

Only Congress can lift the full embargo which has been in place for more than 50 years.


Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/new-cuban-travel-and-trade-rules-to-take-effect-friday.html

NEWS

Oscar Nominations 2015: See The Full List

Oscar Nominations 2015: See The Full List
The Oscar nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. ET. “Star Wars” honcho J.J. Abrams will join Alfonso Cuarón, who won Best Director last year for “Gravity,” to announce the technical categories. Eight minutes later, Chris Pine and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs will announce the top awards, marking the first time all 24 categories will be unveiled during the live telecast in Los Angeles.

Watch the nominations announced in the live-stream below:

Check back for the full list soon.

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Actress

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay

Best Foreign Film

Best Documentary Feature

Best Animated Feature

Film Editing

Best Song

Best Original Score

Best Cinematography

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Production Design

Best Sound Editing

Best Sound Mixing

Best Visual Effects

Best Short Film, Live Action

Best Short Film, Animated

Best Documentary Short Subject

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/15/oscar-nominations-2015_n_6473542.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

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