It always seemed an unlikely pairing. Ted Olson, the conservative lawyer who defended President George W. Bush to decide the 2000 presidential election, now championing marriage equality in California’s Proposition 8 case, paired with David Boies, his opponent in Bush v. Gore. But Olson has another unlikely partner — his wife, Lady Booth Olson, also a lifelong Democrat.
The Olsons are not the only famous cross-party spouses, of course. Other notables include California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and journalist Maria Shriver (D), and political consultants Mary Matalin (R) and James Carville (D). The New York Times had an article about the Olson’s this week, however, in which Mr. Olson explains the great extent to which his wife influenced his views on the Proposition 8 case.
Mrs. Olson told the paper, “He would have never been able to take the other side. He wouldn’t have had a wife after that!” She doesn’t take full credit, however, noting that her husband’s “fierce libertarian streak” inclines him to view all discrimination as offensive and to see marriage equality as a matter “of right and wrong, justice and injustice.”
Still, as the New York Times explains it, Mrs. Olson, a lawyer herself, was a significant presence behind the scenes on the case. And by simply speaking with the paper, she is continuing to extend her influence. She agreed to the interview so that people could see her and her husband as “happy heterosexuals who are completely supporting this,” and support it as well.
Given a porcupine, some food coloring and 45 minutes, Valerie Brown Eyes’ impossibly deft fingers can create a masterpiece. She is one of the many professional artists specializing in quillwork on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The bracelet pictured above was crafted using the wrapping method — with just a thin strip of rawhide and a Tupperware container filled with brightly dyed porcupine quills, Valerie wraps and weaves each two-inch quill around and around. No glue, no staples, no shortcuts. She has been perfecting this ancient art for a lifetime, and still says she’s “far from done” with her artistic journey.
Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) is no friend to the LGBT community. He is, however, related to it — and that points to an important truth about our society and our approach to LGBT rights.
It isn’t often that straight people are affected by laws preventing same-sex marriages. But Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer is letting same-sex marriage laws affect his straight marriage. Stringer will marry his fiancé Elyse Buxbaum in Connecticut, instead of New York, 