[news] "Cease and De-sissy"

We're used to seeing gay cases involving Equal Protection or Due Process. But...the Copyright Act? Some poor fellow got a nastygram from Exodus International about his parody of their campaign (can you spot the parody, can you guess the original campaign?). One of our members said he'd write out an exposition of the legal issues for us. Me, I'm just gonna sit back and laugh.

(link to story)

(tag line shamelessly stolen from manhattanoffender.com)



[edit: Mar 23rd, 8:16.]--------------------------------

It seems the ACLU has picked up the cause of our celebrated satirist.

And we get more of the story (though there's not a lot to tell):

The billboard, sponsored by the "ex-gay'' ministry Exodus International in Florida, read, "Gay? Unhappy? www.exodus.to.'' Watts, 26, a web developer for O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol, felt compelled to respond when he saw the billboard on a Web site in September.

"It was pretty immediate. It took about 15 or 20 minutes. I felt it was pretty offensive, unfair and mean spirited. I wanted to respond in a productive way,'' Watt said.

His response was an altered version of the billboard that he posted on his blog. It read, "Straight? Unhappy? www.gay.com.''

His intent was to get straight people to think how they would feel if their sense of self was disparaged.

"If the parody was real it would be ridiculous,'' Watt said.

(link to article)



[edit: Mar 25rd, 7:51am]--------------------------------


Well, the ACLU sent its own letter (which very nicely explains that you can make fun of people if you want to--even if it tramples on a few Copyright laws in the process), and it seems Exodus has backed down.

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

Art of War.

Case closed?

(link to Justin's blog post, including ACLU letter)


[edit: Mar 25rd, 9:32am]--------------------------------


We'd like to remind you, Dear Internet User, that big fish like to push little fish around. If you get a nastygram, don't immediately run scared. The law is not so easy to judge: just because they say you're doing something wrong does not mean it's true. Call an attorney, the EFF, the ACLU--anybody (not us).

(link to EFF's Bloggers' Rights)