Staff Writer, New Yorker
Staff writer for the New Yorker
PROFILE
Margaret Talbot
Guest
FROM Margaret Talbot
Which Way, L.A.?
Tradition of Marriage on Trial in a Federal Courtroom In a San Francisco federal court this week, a witness testified on tape that, if California’s ban on same-sex marriage is repealed, “children would suddenly find homosexuality irresistible.” The lawyers who want the ban overturned really wanted the judge to hear that. Is same-sex marriage banned because of ancient tradition or because of discrimination against gays and lesbians? What’s it like for gay and lesbian parents, and their children, to have their legitimacy challenged in such a public forum? Are the courts being asked to rule on broad social issues rather than questions of Constitutional law?
To the Point
On Trial in a Federal Courtroom: The Tradition of Marriage The US Supreme Court says the trial on Proposition 8 , California's same-sex marriage ban cannot be televised . Is that a clue as to how the case might finally be decided? Is same-sex marriage banned because of ancient tradition or because of discrimination against gays and lesbians? What's it like for gay and lesbian parents, and their children, to have their legitimacy challenged in such a public forum? Are the courts being asked to rule on broad social issues rather than questions of Constitutional law?
To the Point
Brain-Booster Drugs "Every era…has its own defining drug." In the 60's, LSD and other banned substances were supposed to expand the mind. Now, just as athletes use steroids to make them more competitive, college students and white collar workers turning to so-called "neuroenhancers" -- prescription drugs that are being used for purposes different from those approved by the manufacturer of the FDA, to speed up their minds. That's according to Margaret Talbot in the current issue of New Yorker magazine.
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