View Full Version : Gay Tarot - Sage of Swords
telcontar
18-09-2004, 19:18
The Sage of Swords is a wise, elder judge in court. You can see a scan here:
http://www.tarotpassages.com/images4/GayKS.jpg
I think this Sage somehow carries the principle of the Sage of Cups to a higher and slightly different level: a referee, too, in some regards, but of more serious matters.
Originally posted by Elentir
This interpretation of the king of cups makes a nice compliment to the King of Swords, who is in many ways also a mediator (as in judge or decision maker), but whereas the King of Swords mediates between differing opinions, points of view, or even differing versions of "the truth," the King of Cups mediates between differing feelings and desires. The King of Swords would be great in a business dispute, but the King of Cups would be better for a divorce dispute.
So the Sage of Swords will have to settle the divorce dispute, too, and it rests to hope that there will have been a Sage of Cups involved before it came this far :)
Yes, the Sage of Cups is like the couples therapist that they went to before they went to divorce court to stand before the Sage of Swords!
This card's thread might be a good opportunity for me to say something about the fact that the suit symbols do not appear on the cards (as Chris mentions in his wonderful review (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gay/review.shtml)). Actually, I personally would have liked ideally to have included the suit symbols. I enjoy my various non-scenic-pip decks, and I also like playing cards. I feel that the suit symbols appearing on a card, whether it be a non-scenic card or a RWS-type card, really helps establish the tarot-ness, if you will, of the deck.
My problem was, I simply could not figure out (or perhaps was not clever enough) how to accomplish this while still keeping the modern setting, which was very important to me. One simply cannot have modern characters carrying around swords and goblets and giant coins without looking ridiculous. The Sage of Swords is a perfect example -- can you imagine him holding a sword while he sits at his desk in the courtroom?
I could perhaps have searched for modern analogues of these implements, using different ones on each card (I actually did this on the 8 of Coins, which shows a clockmaker with eight clocks), but I felt this would result in a bunch of cards which would be basically about how clever I was (or wasn't) in working the suit symbols into the scenes, rather than having them be about what I really wanted the cards to be about.
The result, frankly, isn't the perfect solution, because a part of me feels that Minor cards without the suit symbols make it less of a tarot deck and more of an oracle deck. Of course, there are other decks which do it the same way; one example is Riccardo's Fey Tarot. On the other hand, I feel that the ability to express what I wanted to express was a higher priority for my deck than that it have the highest degree of tarot-ness. I would love someday to be able to design a tarot deck where I could make it as tarot-ish as possible, and then, you can be sure, I'll work in the suit symbols, or even have the pip cards be non-scenic! Maybe someday I'll get the opportunity.
I'm just sort of babbling here, not sure if this will be useful to anyone...
-- Lee
telcontar
20-09-2004, 02:02
No Lee, you're not babbling. It's quite interesting, in fact :D
I don't think it is less of a Trot deck without the suit's symbols on each card. I actually consider it more important to find a picture that carries it's own symbols and the content, the meaning of a card rather than containing a lot of cups/wands/swords/coins or something. I never liked pip-cards that much for exactly this reason- I think I know enough about the Tarot by now to read from them- but I still don't like them. I don't think they drag you any further- when I have a picture, it can tell me things I haven't thought about before. Even things I don't want to hear, in fact. With a pip-card, there is always only the meaning I have remembered at some time. Maybe the other cards can give it extra meaning in a spread- but I could never do my daily draws the way I do them now with pips... And I'd really miss it!!!
Moreover it is fun to find the suit's symbols in your deck, in the one or the other card. For example, the cups in the 2 of Cups or, of course, this great 3 of Swords. - Makes me think of a sword-fish behind the Sage of Swords on the wall :joke: Sorry. *still laughing*
This is another great tarot topic that I'm happy to comment on, though I hope it's not too far off topic.
While I would never read with unillustrated "pip" cards, I very often refer to the numerological symbolism (in accordance with kabbalistic correspondences) combined with the meaning of each suit to reference the fundamental meaning of each card, regardless of the illustration. Thus the fact that there are no suit symbols on the cards in this deck, while it will certainly open up the range of my usual card associations, will in no way inhibit my use of the (RWS) traditional meanings of the cards when I read with them. I am completely with Lee in feeling that without the structure of the major arcana, the court cards, and the four suits, it wouldn't feel like a tarot deck anymore. (I do use the Lenormand oracle from time to time, though.)
I very much agree with Lee that attempting to find modern analogues to the suits would have had a detrimental effect on the deck. It makes me think of the PoMo tarot; a very amusing deck, but not quite in the same spirit as this one. Perhaps traditional suit symbols could have been incorporated into the cards' scenery and backgrounds, but I don't think it was necessary. Cups and coins might not have been too hard, but swords and wands would have definitely been a strain!
In fact, although I combine both the numerological/elemental significance of each card with the traditional RWS pictorial representations as references, I have often wished for an RWS deck that had no titles, no suit symbols, and no rank indicated on the card. Just the picture and nothing else. I have considered trying to custom print one of my own.... but that's a whole different project! :(
Other decks have done odd things with suits; in particular I'm thinking of the Olympus tarot, which instead of wands, swords, cups, and pentacles has persons, places, things, and creatures.
Speaking of traditional RWS imagery, I saw an image of the 10 of swords from this deck and I found it rather bizarre (not that I didn't like it). Could we start a thread on this one, Telcontar? :)
I thoughy using letters, clocks and geese as element symbols in the deck was quite appropriate. There are many ways to convey Air and I think the symbols. The eight of pentacles usualy connotes a period of waiting and studying before you are on your own.
So the King of Swords... a judge was definately a great way to go. Judges must concern themselves with what is correct rather than what is right, what is legal rather than what is moral. A King of Swords often has to make decisons that the rest of us don't have the stomach for. When I was first looking at the cards online Iwondered if the figures wern't a bit too specific. I wasn't sure if a judge and a chef were broad enough to symbolize everything their cards convey. But reading this forum I was impressed by the way someone could see him as a divorce attourney, probably making the card fit very appropriately for romantic readings.
I don't know if I've ever scrutinized a deck so much before. Usually I just say "Well I like most of it and accept everything else as being part of the artist's vision" but since this deck is so very close to home I'm really giving it the third degree. I'm paying as much attention to what isn't in the deck as I am to what is shown. It's maddening that I still have to wait for a copy of the deck of my own to sift through and pass judg.... I mean evaluate. Maddening!
telcontar
22-09-2004, 19:39
Welcome, Shade!
Nice to meet you here :D
I kept thinking of the Sage of Swords and thought the little hammer in his hand is a nice substitute for the sword. It is a symbol of his might and, like the sword, it provides the means to enforce a decision.
Moreover, I like the way he has changed from the younger but sterner King of Swords to a Sage of Swords- Elder and wiser and maybe a little (but just a little!!) more benevolent. Being a Sage implies that for me... And his deep-thinking look does so, too, like he's not only exploring laws and prior court decisions in his mind but his own conscience, too.
A word about sages in general...
The Voyager deck has apparently had a great effect on me, particularly its use of Sages rather than Kings. I always liked that because it gave elders a place in society and culture, which modern Western culture generally doesn't do. At 43, I'm not such an elder or sage (despite the title over my avatar!), but I can certainly foresee the day when I am, and I don't want to be marginalized by a youth-oriented culture.
This is true of Western culture in general but is even more true, unfortunately, among gay men (I don't know if it's true among lesbians). It's a cult of youth, and it's ridiculous, especially when you consider that there are a lot more gay men who are older (i.e. 40 to whatever) than younger (18 to 40).
I've kept this in mind for the Majors, as well. Several Majors show people over 40. I've also tried to have diversity in body type and in ethnicities. I felt it was important to have as much diversity as possible, especially since we were leaving out a rather large segment of the population (women). I did not want the Young White Buff Gay Male Tarot!
Also, in general I wanted to show men in different jobs to make a political statement, which is that gay people can be found in any profession. There's no reason in the world why an elderly black judge couldn't be gay.
-- Lee
Thank you for your comments, Lee; I laughed out loud at your hypothetical "young white buff gay male tarot;" that collection of attributes is so often taken for granted as the implicit norm. I'm neither an elder nor particularly buff, but characterizing gay culture as a "cult of youth" is pretty accurate, in my opinion. Though doubtless the same could be said for straight "culture" as well.
What are the four court cards in your deck? I've heard mention of the guide and the sage. Is the guide standing in for the page? What did you di with the knight and queen?
I've always thought of the king of swords as a judge, so this card is in no way contrary to my accustomed interpretation. I like the fact that he's black, too, although it for some reason reminded me of Clarence Thomas... perhaps he's the king of swords reversed!
Is the picture on the box showing several men from several different professions around the perimeter of a wheel the illustration from the Wheel of Fortune card?
Originally posted by Elentir
I like the fact that he's black, too, although it for some reason reminded me of Clarence Thomas... perhaps he's the king of swords reversed!I agree! I prefer to think of him (upright, anyway) as Thurgood Marshall. :D
The Court ranks are:
Youth (Page)
Man (Knight)
Guide (Queen)
Sage (King)
The new ranks are not exactly analogous with the traditional ones. Youths are basically Pages. The Man, I would say, is a little more mature than a Knight, basically in between a Knight and a King.
The Guide is the biggest difference, not really comparable with Queens. The Guides are nude, winged men. The wings are of different kinds through the suits. The Guides represent spiritual values and are really the only directly obvious emphasis on spirituality in the deck. Then the Sages represent attainment of wisdom and life experience.
Yes, the box picture is the Wheel of Fortune, although here it is called the Wheel of Life. I'm not sure exactly why. My original title was "The Wheel," but perhaps something got lost in translation. :) I certainly have no objection to "The Wheel of Life."
-- Lee
I think I recall you saying somewhere (in another forum, I think) about the potential "camp" implications for the "queens" in a gay-themed tarot. I agree that it would have been a mistake to interpret the four queens as men in drag, but I'm curious if any cards in the deck make some kind of reference to that particular branch of gay culture, or to the transgression of gender-roles in one way or another?
Originally posted by Elentir
[...] I'm curious if any cards in the deck make some kind of reference to that particular branch of gay culture, or to the transgression of gender-roles in one way or another? Actually, no. I feel that branch of gay culture (camp, drag, etc.) has received plenty of media attention over the years, and while I certainly have no bias or hostility to those things, I wanted to give some attention to people who live quieter, less exotic lives.
-- Lee
I just realized my prior post isn't really consistent with my previously stated desire to be as inclusive as possible. Oh well, no one's perfect! I guess any creative work will at least to some extent reflect the interests, likes and dislikes of its creator, no matter how inclusive one tries to be.
I think some cards in the Cosmic Tribe deck reflect some of that camp/drag perspective, such as the Moon and Justice cards in that deck (which I like a lot, by the way).
-- Lee
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you
speak of one who lov'd not wisely but too well.
Othello V.ii. (342-344)
*
Originally posted by Lee
Actually, no. I feel that branch of gay culture (camp, drag, etc.) has received plenty of media attention over the years, and while I certainly have no bias or hostility to those things, I wanted to give some attention to people who live quieter, less exotic lives.
-- Lee
Honestly, I think that's too bad. :( I know that my own sense of gender-identification is in many ways tied to my perceptions of prominent female figures, role-models, idols, archetypes, celebrities, etc. On the one hand, that's very cliche, but it's nevertheless true for many, many gay men (hence it becoming a cliche). ;) This might have been an interesting way to incorporate one or two female figures into the deck.
Similarly, there is a certain relationship between the performing arts (drama, opera, etc.) and gay men that is difficult to deny and difficult to define, even if it's not universal (nothing's "universal" anyway), which has often been expressed through the drag phenomenon as well. (I myself don't dress in drag, but I can certainly be a big QUEEN when the mood strikes me. :D )
OF COURSE none of this will keep me from loving this deck once I get my copy)! :D
You'll be pleased (hopefully) to know that there are still several references to the theater and stage work in the deck.
In one respect I do think it's consistent for me to have avoided the whole camp/drag aspect, because besides being a gay male deck, I also wanted it to be a masculine deck. Bringing in feminine elements would have been interesting, but would, I think, have made the deck a little less unique, since feminine elements, I would say, dominate the tarot scene as it is today.
However, as I say in my previous post, I don't deny that the deck may reflect the preferences of its creator, for better or worse. :)
And I must say, Elentir, I can't wait for you to get your copy either! I will be very interested to hear your comments (as I am now as well, of course).
-- Lee
Originally posted by Lee
Actually, no. I feel that branch of gay culture (camp, drag, etc.) has received plenty of media attention over the years, and while I certainly have no bias or hostility to those things, I wanted to give some attention to people who live quieter, less exotic lives.
-- Lee
I was going to wait to see the whole deck before saying this but since you answered the drag queen question I thought I'd go for it.
***Note*** Lee I think you're brilliant, witty, and good stuff... and I think by and large this deck is great... but careful criticism has its place on a message board so please please please don't be offended. I've constructed this post in my head for a while and I'm not flying off the handle
I understood the decison not to have a whole load of kitcshy queeny campy stuff in the deck, especially when I read that the intent isn't just a deck based on the world of gay men but a deck for the spiritual empowerment of queer folks and their friends... and their friends. However... the exclusion of Drag Queens in the deck is a nigh unforgivable decision. While the John Q. Homo approach is very inclusive and wonderful for many people out there who don't find themselves in common gay media the Drag Queens have been there from the beginning. They are in the ancient myths, the spirtual traditions of many indiginous people, and it was the drag queens who on June 29th 1969 at the Stonewall Inn told the cops and the world "Here and no further." The gay rights movement was lead in a large part by the drag queens from the stonewall inn up to our modern day Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. One of the most moving images of early gay rights struggles in the United Stated is a postcard a friend gave me of a drag queen entering a paddy wagon in the 1940's. Before they closed the doors she tossed her head back curstied and shot the camera a very Marilyn-esque smile. The image would have made the perfect Strength card. Though I haven't donned drag I really am moved by the way they have put themselves out there when others were content to remain silent and fit in.
I agree that it is important to say well of course that old judge is gay, and the chef, and the stage performer... because anyone coul be gay. However (again I know) sometimes looking at scans I have wondered "So besides guys kissing is there anything gay about this deck?" But then I am reminded that the Magician and his magnanimous smile and i'm reminded of my favorite gay artist Joe Phillips and the way he can depict a variety gay folks in true to life situations.
Dear Shade,
Please, please, for goodness' sake, don't hesitate to post criticisms of the deck or my work on it. I want people to feel free to say what they think, positive or negative. The best thing this deck can accomplish is to inspire discussion and debate, and that means disagreement too.
I agree with every word of your post, especially when you say "The gay rights movement was lead in a large part by the drag queens from the stonewall inn up to our modern day Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence." I absolutely respect, admire and honor these folks, and I always get angry when people (straight or gay) express the wish that "those people" not march in gay rights parades. I think they have more right to march in them than anyone, and to a large extent the freedoms I have today, I have because of them.
The reason they aren't in the deck is because the deck isn't simply an intellectual exercise where I figure out a strategy of what should be in the deck and what shouldn't. Creating the deck was very much an intuitive, feeling-driven process. Anything else would have resulted in failure. And much as I respect and admire drag queens, it's just not me. Not their fault, not my fault, it's just the way it is, it's who I am (or who I'm not).
So, should there be a deck which features drag queens? Certainly. Am I the person to create such a deck? No. I hope someone makes one. I would certainly buy it.
I do need to disagree with this: "However (again I know) sometimes looking at scans I have wondered "So besides guys kissing is there anything gay about this deck?" While I admire drag queens and enjoy camp, I don't think the essence of gayness lies in a camp or drag sensibility. I think the essence of gayness lies in loving those of the same sex.
This is a difficult subject. No one can be everything, and so it's hard to express oneself without leaving someone out. At the same time, if anyone feels left out, it's important that they say so. Shade, I would suggest, if you're interested, that after you get the deck, that you write a review and submit it to Solandia, expressing exactly the kind of concerns that you address in your post. I definitely think it needs to be part of the dialogue.
-- Lee
P.S. Or... maybe I just need to get in touch with my inner drag queen. :)
telcontar
23-09-2004, 21:08
Originally posted by Lee
Or... maybe I just need to get in touch with my inner drag queen. :)
:D
We could make this a self-help group, Lee!
I for my part am very glad about the guides. The word "Queen" could have invited some pictures of guys in drag- and not these angels I never would have thought every gay man has earned. I never particularly liked angels, but I like these ones. They represent their suits in a special way, I think, they just carry the essence of their suits innate in them, what the queens of other decks ideally do, too.
I don't know how guys who are into drag perceive the deck. Me being the guy from next door, who just happened to fall in love with a man, I would have the same problems identifying with a drag queen as with a "real" queen- and that's why I love this deck. It is just what I wanted. - But if there ever was a "Universal Gender Tarot" or something, I'd be the first to try this, too. But for other reasons and to other aims. For example to make better friends with the drag queen inside ;) But it would not reflect my everyday experiences- and the gay tarot does. Very much so.
-I wouldn't have minded a drag queen in the 6 of wands or "Beyond Judgement" or even "The Wheel", which is much about diversity for me- but I can live without them in this deck for it has a clear (I was tempted to say "straight" but thought better of it :) ) line- a line I am walking everyday.
Well, and now I wish I had posted a thread "On court cards in general" or something, in time... :)
I just want to chime in with what Shade has to say; as an erstwhile classicist, I *especially* appreciate his remark "the Drag Queens have been there from the beginning. They are in the ancient myths, and the spirtual traditions of many indigenous people." Being a drag queen "isn't me" either, but I honestly think they are an integral part of gay culture.
To add to my earlier remarks about the connections between drag, stage performance, and being gay, on the ancient Greco-Roman stage (as well as the Shakespearean stage), female roles were always performed by men, women not being allowed (of course). And already in ancient Rome, to be an actor (or compared to an actor) was, in some contexts, very close to being called a "queer." The Emperor Nero was a cross-dresser; in fact, he also staged a gay "marriage." (Not that I would otherwise take Nero as a role model!)
Also, insofar as homophobia is ultimately a displaced form of sexism/misogyny, drag queens also participate in the struggle against that, as well. I just think it's unrealistic to ignore the fact that identification with the feminine is an important part of being gay for many, many people, even if it does not define being gay in general (as many in the psychiatric profession still try to argue).
I think perhaps the 7 of cups might have been a nice drag queen card, since the RWS is of someone looking into the mirror and seeing things as they appear in the imagination, rather than as they actually are. I like the idea of using the Strength card, as well-- or the Star! (Isn't being a drag queen often about being a star? :))
I can see what you mean about following your intuitive process and staying true to that. I would wholeheartedly agree that any deck in which the creator tossed in everything people wanted to see would be a watered down mishmash of nothing and of use to no one. I would, probably grudgingly to be honest, prefer Lee's Gay Tarot than THE Gay Tarot.
When I said I wasn't sure if there was anything particularly gay in the deck I didn't mean campiness or drag... I was referring to that amorphous something in certain works of art that on some level deep down we (us queers) recognize. I know that probably doesn't sound lucid... but since it's an amorphous quality I don't know how to nail it down. It's the feeling yo get when you look at wors by Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, and Stephen Undergill... or when you look at a representation of St. Sebastion ir the Rider Waite Page of Pentacle and something clicks inside.
Stephen Underhill is the perfect example of this. His photography of men features some of the most masculine non-queeny models but in his pictures I think most of us recognize that amorphous (there's that word again) je ne se quois of gayness. Also, to put it out there I do think that undefinable something is present in the deck I'm just having a hard time becasue I haven't see the whole thing yet.
***Warning*** Serious tangent danger
Oh and to touch on something Elentir mentioned a while back, in this thread I was reminded of a group of men I used to hang out with generally every weekend. We really were not the stereotypical club scene gay crowd, of circuit biys working in retail. There were cops (several), teachers, members of the military, actors, advertising execs, etc. And while we weren't he gaggle of gay geese, many of us were a fan of Bernadette Peters, Julie Newmar, Madonna, Claudette Colbert (sp?), and if asked we could probably sing a long with Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive" or a Kylie Minogue song. I thought it was fascinating how some of us would loudly speak against "those queens in san fran" but could tell you what Cher was up to. I think that at times gay folsk have a crisis where they by into the notion that masculinity and femininity is a Will and Grace either or situation when, I believe, for most of it is more of a blend. Ok I've completely derailed and left the tarot conversation behind somebody steer it back.
telcontar
24-09-2004, 04:35
Well, maybe Steven Underhill himself can bring us back to the topic. I had to go to his website to find out who he is :| Knew some of his pictures, though. At least, I think so.
Anyway, this is what he says (to be found under Biography): "I think I always wanted others to see what I see, and think that's what being an artist is all about" -- I think that's what Lee has done. ;) And I have a clear conscience calling it THE Gay Tarot as long as there is no other around :cool:
I think almost any criticism people have about tarot decks is based on disagreeing with the artist's choices, even though the choices create an internally consistant whole. The Witchy Tarot (illustrated by the same artist as the gay tarot) is particularly reviled on these boards. I love the deck but many other wiccan board members are horrified by the way the witches in the deck are portrayed. The in-progress Anne Rice tarot also drew a load of criticism on the boards from people who felt that the artist doens't fully realize the charaters in the way they would have hoped. The artists didn't "get it wrong" (like the Lord of the Rings deck with hobbits wearing shoes), the people just didn't get on board with the card choices.
Again, I agree with Shade. And I love his analogy to his men's group: "I thought it was fascinating how some of us would loudly speak against 'those queens in san fran' but could tell you what Cher was up to." When I first came out it was in 1989-90, and I was member of Queer Nation and we were all about being in-your-face queer, and having drag queens around was great because we were all into the shock value. But I've noticed what to me is a very disappointing trend in gay culture where it has been getting more and more materialistic and trying harder and harder to integrate with mainstream society, which has caused people to marginalize the more "out there" branches of gay culture because they see them as an embarrassment, and I think that's sad (and hypocritical). I don't dress in drag, but I wear lots of jewelry and wave my hands about when I talk; I've always bonded with the straight women wherever I work and listen to Barbra Streisand on my computer. I've noticed that I make the straight men in my office feel a little edgy (its a conservative law firm), and I love it! :D Gay men all seem to want to be buddies with straight men these days, which is fine-- in fact I think it's crucial-- but not if it means having to drop everything else in gay culture that straight men find unacceptable.
Sorry for my little rant! I know it's strayed off topic, although I think we started off with a very pertinent, totally on-topic issue. I still love your deck Lee! And perhaps it will lead to a string of gay-male oriented tarot decks in the future (like all the feminist and goddess-oriented decks out there) that will run the entire gamut and have something of everything. Just having one out there is an important and wonderful start!
tarotbear
11-03-2005, 02:19
This card's thread might be a good opportunity for me to say something about the fact that the suit symbols do not appear on the cards (as Chris mentions in his wonderful review (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gay/review.shtml)). My problem was, I simply could not figure out (or perhaps was not clever enough) how to accomplish this while still keeping the modern setting, which was very important to me. One simply cannot have modern characters carrying around swords and goblets and giant coins without looking ridiculous. The Sage of Swords is a perfect example -- can you imagine him holding a sword while he sits at his desk in the courtroom?
Actually, yes I can! There could have been a statue or a carving of the justice figure holding her sword and her scales somewhere in the card image. Hey - Judge Ito has hourglasses all over his desk! LOL!
tarotbear
11-03-2005, 02:33
When I first came out it was in 1989-90, and I was member of Queer Nation and we were all about being in-your-face queer, and having drag queens around was great because we were all into the shock value. But I've noticed what to me is a very disappointing trend in gay culture where it has been getting more and more materialistic and trying harder and harder to integrate with mainstream society, which has caused people to marginalize the more "out there" branches of gay culture because they see them as an embarrassment, and I think that's sad (and hypocritical).
Getting way off subject here! We need a gay men's discussion group!
Although I essentially agree with you, Elentir, part of that marginalization has to do with trying to "fit in" to make things work, and making them work towards gradual acceptance. It's a great thing to run around on PRIDE DAY and revel in 'our differences' and have flaming drag queens all over and lesbians with leather bras with spikes on them and parade our lover with the bone in his nose around in a dog collar and leather shackles. Then we scream how awful straight society is for not wanting to let us get married. Can you blame them? It's one thing to shout 'I'm here, I'm queer - get used to it!" and another to appear as an alien creature visiting the planet. You can go in circles on this one.
tarotbear
11-03-2005, 02:40
The sage of swords as a court justice is a good analogy since the Judge is not allowed to let his feelings override the justice system - except for those judges who have those dreadful TV shows! Are they really real judges? LOL!
The King of Swords is generally seen as an emotion-less individual who ponders his thoughts behind his statue-like fascade. Have you ever been in court? All the judge can do is make decisions about how something is presented or what can or cannot be allowed. He does not make the final decision - the jury does. We hope that the judge's wisdom outweighs what he thinks about the persons involved and looks to the merits of the case for the justice that must be served. Thurgood Marshall (that is who was intended - correct?) is a good choice in this image. {And how do you know he wasn't gay? LOL!}