Blogaround

1. Alabama Acknowledges Dangers of Nitrogen Hypoxia Executions But Wants to Carry One Out Anyway (December 18) [content note: death penalty] "If it does so it will be the first time that this method has been used in an American execution."

2. Mickey, Disney, and the Public Domain: a 95-year Love Triangle "On January 1, 2024, after almost a century of copyright protection, Mickey Mouse, or at least a version of Mickey Mouse, will enter the United States public domain." Wow! This article has details on what *exactly* that means. It doesn't mean ALL versions of Mickey Mouse are in the public domain- only the 1928 version.

3. Ohio’s GOP governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care and transgender athletes in girls’ sports (December 30) Good news for trans kids in Ohio.

Update: Oh no, but now there's a new set of proposed anti-trans rules in Ohio which are even worse: Governor DeWine Uses Anti-Abortion Tactic To Target Trans Adults With Defacto Ban (January 7) "On Friday, Governor DeWine announced a new set of rules that would severely limit trans care at any age."

4. U.S. Department of Justice sues Texas over state’s immigration enforcement bill (January 3) 

5. The Plaintiffs and Their Stories: Zurawski v. State of Texas (November 14) [content note: pregnancy loss, abortion] "Taylor and her husband still want a child, but she fears being pregnant again in Texas."