Spanish-language anti-homophobia ad #1

SOMOS... One of a series of ads that ran in Spanish language media back in 2003 and 2004 which comes to mind as the New York State Black Gay Men's Network launches a brand new campaign targeting homophobia in the African-American community tomorrow. Ad design: Pablo Caro. Photo credit: Javier Soriano

You might have noticed, but we inadvertently jumped the gun on a new initiative to combat homophobia in African-American communities here in New York. After writing about a poster I noticed last week in a subway station, Mark Jason McLaurin of the New York State Black Gay Network said:

Hello Andres-

Thanks for posting our campaign- This is actually a campaign of the New York State Black Gay Network and it will be running all over the city - We have a launch press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning [August 22nd] with Congressman Charlie Rangel and Borough President Scott Springer- if anyone wants any more info on the campaign or materials- feel free to contact me at mmclaurin@nysbgn.org

Thanks for getting the word out (although we were hoping to keep it under wraps a bit until Tuesday but they started the subway stuff early) LOL!

Oops! Aplogies to Mark and the NYS Black gay Men's Network! Rod2.0 picked up on the post on Friday and Keith Boykin gives the down-low on the campaign on his blog today. The campaign, as Mark and Keith say, will be officially launched tomorrow. We wish them great luck and success with the campaign and on-going efforts to tackle homophobia in the African-American community.

In the meantime, these ads have brought to mind an initiative conducted back in 2003 and 2004 to combat homophobia in Latino communities in New York. In the post immediately below and in this post, I wanted to share a couple of the ads that we ran in some of the local Spanish-language newspapers Hoy and El Diario La Prensa. For a high resolution version of the ad above go here.

The text of this particular ad reads:

Jose Sanchez, Graduate Student, Peruvian, Gay
How long have you known that you were gay?
"The truth is that being gay has always been part of my identity. What was difficult was to accept myself and to be able to be sincere with my family and my friends. Nowdays I am the pride of my parents and brothers. I don't have to keep anything from them."

And you, what do you think?

Spanish-language anti-homophobia ad #2

Ad design: Pablo Caro; Photo credit: Javier Soriano

This one in a series of Spanish-language ads that ran in New York City dailies El Diario La Prensa and Hoy as part of an anti-homophobia campaign developed by Francisco Lazala, Bolivar Nieto and I through the SOMOS... Project at the Latino Commission on AIDS back in 2003 and 2004. For a high resolution version click here.

The text reads:

Nina Rosado, Executive Assistant, Puerto Rican, Lesbian
How did you feel when you realized that you were a lesbian?
"Confused and scared, I didn't know who to talk to about my feelings, I was afraid of being rejected by my friends and my family. I decided to participate in this campaign so that no one else would have to go through what I experienced. So that other Latina lesbians know that we are part of the community."

SOMOS... [We are...] part of our community...

The Latino community in New York is pretty diverse. We are of different ethnicities, nationalities and ages. We are from different social classes and professions and - many of us - are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender persons.

Nevertheless there is HOMOPHOBIA

There are many erroneous perceptions about homosexuality and people who ask themselves: Is a person born or made gay? can we chose a sexual identity?

And you... What do you think?

Of heretical reverends, NYS Senator Ruben Diaz and a cure for AIDS

Reading Hoy newspaper last Friday, something caught my attention:

On the eve of "a historic Christianca community gathering" humbly titled "The Last Crusade" which took place at the Madison Square Garden this past weekend, Pastor Ricardo Reyes of the Queens-based El Elyon Church told reporter Tommy Calle:

[Translated by yours truly] In this 'crusade' at the Madison Square Garden' we hope to count with the presence of people who are sick with AIDS, cancer and all types of incurable illnesses so that they will be healed through their faith and the power of God

The event not only counted with performers such as the Pastor's wife, Lucy Reyes, but Christian reggaeton 'sensations' The Reyes Queenz (daughters of the Reyeses).

Now, many a congregation nowadays promises to 'cure' people of everything and, though the quote stuck in my head, the whole article just struck me as a puff piece on the Reyes clan.

Then I caught this WNYC radio report and transcript and realized it was more than that.

REPORTER: Most of the crowd is Latino, though there are many blacks, Asians and some whites. Yirzavit Castillo, whose father runs a church in the Bronx, is here, because he saw one of the many Spanish-language TV ads, complete with celebrity endorsements

The event was actually a revival by controversial South Korean preacher Jae-Rock Lee and the WNYC reporter mentions other supporters:

REPORTER: At the Garden, [Lee] was joined on stage by New York State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz and by the head of the National Religious Broadcasters, one of the country’s most influential evangelical groups

Outside the Garden, there were protests by South Koreans, who claimed that Lee was setting himself up to be the next Reverend Myung-Sun Moon, by seeking to align himself with foreign religious leaders to gain respectability when in South Korea, some see him as being a heretical preacher. WNYC says:

REPORTER: Like Reverend Moon, Jae-Rock Lee has been disowned by the Korean evangelical establishment. He was kicked out of his denomination for teachings his critics say are heresy. One website says he has claimed to sit at the throne of God, command angels and performed every miracle in the Bible except walking on water... In 1999, Jae-Rock Lee made headlines when his followers stormed a television station in Seoul and took over the control room, as it was preparing to broadcast a documentary about him. But at the Garden, few of those attending knew or cared about Lee’s clashes back home or his alleged blasphemy. They came because they had seen the ads, or because their preachers had told them to come witness Lee’s teaching

A 'healing session' closed the opening day ceremony with people "limping up to the stage" on crutches and screaming in joy after being 'healed.' WNYC says:

REPORTER: Little noticed by the crowd were those who were turned away – those who couldn’t get out of their wheelchairs, including one man wearing a yarmulke. In the meantime, Jaerock Lee kept chanting, while on the stage below him Juan Sanchez kept tossing his cane in the air and catching it. The semi-paralyzed gunshot victim was one of more than a dozen people exuberantly shuffling back and forth, smiling, shouting and blowing kisses to the crowd. Afterward, Sanchez explained what happened.

SANCHEZ: Today, when the pastor prayed, I felt my leg becoming straight. And my lower back – the pain is gone. I can walk normally. Now I’ve got more faith in my heart and my body and my soul, too.

REPORTER: Sanchez said that he trusts God will help him continue to improve, and he’ll pray every day, just like he always does. Then he leaned on his wife, limped toward the subway and returned to Queens.

This level of cross-pollination between conservative minority religious denominations and leaders makes me a bit queasy and not in small part because it's happening under the radar.

Richard Bartholomew at Salon blogs does and deconstructs the event press release here. Money quote (on an announced 'medical table' at the event were American and Korean doctors were supposed to pray for healing and assess afterwards if the person had indeed been cured thru prayer):

How exactly doctors will be able to make medically-valid diagnoses from a swift once-over at a “medical table” is not explained. However, one New York senator is not bothered by such a detail. ASSIST’s Dan Wooding spoke to Johnny Kim, who liases with mere mortals on behalf of Lee.

NY Media: Hoy goes free

Brand new blue newspaper boxes started appearing during the weekend all through my neighborhood with the sign "HOY GRATIS!" Sure enough, this morning I picked up the first free issue of the daily newspaper Hoy before I went into the subway.

This is the latest step for a beleaguered newspaper which emerged as an alternative to the other major New York City Spanish-language daily, El Diario La Prensa but has suffered as of late: Since 2004 advertising at Hoy had fallen precipitously, a number of reporters had been fired and local newspaper stands started refusing to carry the newspaper due to their delays in meeting store-front sale agreements.

The reason? The damaging findings by the Audit Bureau of Circulation released in the summer of 2004 which revealed that Hoy and its parent newspaper, the English-language daily Newsday, had substantially inflated circulation numbers (a key measure when it comes to a newspaper's livelihood: Advertising prices).

This is unfortunate because Hoy's reporting on LGBT issues has been, for the most part, stellar, bringing fair and balanced information to a large segment of the New York City Spanish-speaking community with cover stories on same-sex marriage (see image above), gay-bias attacks in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, the suicide of a transgender Mexican porn actress, the hanging death of a gay Mexican youth at Flushing Meadows Park, and gay pride rallies. Last year they even did a first-ever gay pride supplement featuring several community organizations as well as a story on gay parenting.

So, this might be a last-ditch move for a newspaper looking for a way out of a circulation scandal, a smart move that will save it, or both. Let's hope it survives and can continue to be a voice for some of our issues in years to come.

Updates: From the Vacilón to Luisma

Looking at past blog posts, I thought that it might be time to bring people up to date on some of the postings:

In Spanish Media No Longer Immune (Sat., Aug. 13, 2005) I commented on the rampant homophobia (and AIDS-phobia) that exists in Spanish-language radio and on past skits performed during one of New York City's top listened radio station, La Mega, and their morning show "El Vacilón de la Mañana" (in one a man sings about getting raped the night before and how he pines for more of the same, in another a man is told that he might have AIDS and might die in hours if he doesn't seek medical help, and in another a 5 year old kid whose dad called the station is encouraged to tell dirty and homophobic jokes on air). Undaunted by anyone or anything, subway posters started appearing this summer announcing an upcoming "Vacilón" movie with the legend "Con La Mega No Se Juega" (Don't play games with La Mega). Well, the movie's out and has been generally panned by all the reviews I have read (not that this was unexpected). Unfortunately, those listeners are certainly flocking to the movie screens as today's New York Times reports (the Times mentions some of the bawdiness but doesn't detail any of the truly offensive stuff that they put out there).

In "Argentina a Goo-Goo" (August 19, 2005), I reported on how Argentina was in thrall about a gay couple, Andrew and Martin Farach-Colton, and their twins. The couple, who currently live in New York but were mulling a move to Argentina, are already back in New York and were thrilled when they saw the posting on my blog. I have referred the Farach-Coltons to the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy for a possible upcoming article and will be having lunch soon with them as my schedule and theirs allow. It's actually a great story and I was glad to write about it here first.

In Another Gay Man Murdered (September 13, 2005), I commented on a story in El Diario La Prensa (and a blurb in the NY Times) about Oswaldo Hernandez, a gay Latino man who was stabbed to death in Washington Heights. Alas, there are no updates to give. Just another murder of a gay man that becomes a blip in the city's consciousness.

In Jass Stewart Update: On to the Nov. 8th Runoff Election (September 21, 2005), I spoke of the exciting mayoral race happening in Brockton, MA, where Jass Stewart might be poised to become Brockton's first gay mayor. This week, the campaign sent out messages requesting support for Jass's campaign. Even if you can donate $25 to the campaign, it will be much appreciated. To find out more about Jass go here.

Finally, in Luisma: 275 pounds of love, pure testosterone (October 17, 2005), we introduced you to Luisma Molinari, a big chunk of goofy Argentinian beef, and the ad he did for a car maker. No, we still have not been able to confirm is that is his real name or if he really plays for an Argentinian rugby team but it took RuggerJohnnyD (a new addition to my Personal List at the right of this column) to point out that, yes, there are links to outtakes of the commercial in the ad site. Just go here and click on "Mira el comercial" (watch the commercial). As the commercial loads, you can actually click on 5 short outtakes on the bottom of the screen. For a translation of the original ad, please click on the Luisma link above. For translation of the outtakes, get a Spanish-speaking friend to watch them with you.

Newspaper watch: Hoy New York and same-sex marriage

Yesterday, the New York City edition of Hoy (one of the two largest Spanish- language newspapers in the city) published an opinion column by Mexican writer Carlos Ruvalcaba titled "Minority Rights: Puritan Double Morality."

In the article, Mr. Ruvalcaba argues that for a city as cosmopolitan as New York, marriages between same-sex couples should be legalized but that, despite a favorable New York State Supreme Court ruling by Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, same-sex marriage advocates continue to meet insurmountable obstacles.

He says that those who want to keep gays from getting married are "the same who oppose abortion but that give licence to Bush so that the armed forces kill and continue killing children, women and innocent elderly people in Iraq and Afghanistan."

It is not the first time that the newspaper publishes an opinion piece that argues for the right of same-sex couples to marry but, in recent months, the newspaper seemed to back away from the issue after the presidential elections.

Editorially they have also shown some temerity: When Mayor Mike Bloomberg decided to challenge Judge Ling-Cohen's ruling in the courts, an Hoy editorial congratulated the Mayor for his pragmatism in dealing with a difficult issue... but then stayed away from editorializing on the issue itself.

To date the editorial board at Hoy has not gone on the record as to whether they endorse the right to marry for same-sex couples (to be fair, their competitor - El Diario La Prensa - also has stayed mum). [in contrast, Los Angeles La Opinion, the third of the major Spanish language newspapers in the nation, has editorialized on the issue twice and given same-sex marriage a ringing endorsement].

Unfortunately, as great as it is to see Hoy accepting positive editorials on this issue once again, in his arguments the author makes several mistakes:

1. The author argues that there should be a constitutional amendment allowing same-sex couples to marry. Ah, no. The United States constitution supposedly guarantees equality for all and those seeking an amendment are doing so to LIMIT the right to only a specific number of couples. The issue here is NOT adding amendments to the United States constitution, it's to make sure that the country does what it says it does: Guarantee equal rights for all.

2. The author argues that Mike Bloomberg or, should he become mayor, Fernando Ferrer, should legalize same-sex marriage in the same way that Gavin Newsom did in San Francisco. Ah, no! Gavin Newsom did not - and does not have the power to - legalize same-sex marriages and nor does the Mayor of New York City. They can interpret existing law and allow public offices to release marriage certificates if the law says that it's legal, but sometimes even interpretation can be faulty as even Gavin Newsom found out when all the same-sex marriages that took place in San Francisco were invalidated.

3. Mayor Bloomberg and Ferrer on same-sex marriages: While mentioning Judge Ling-Cohen's court ruling, the author seems to totally disregard that it was Mayor Bloomberg who decided to use the power of the Mayor's Office to challenge that same ruling while Fernando Ferrer has long been on the record for unequivocally supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry. While in one of the debates Ferrer went as far as saying that, should same-sex marriages be legalized in New York, he would officialize at same-sex weddings as a public official, Bloomberg is not about to say the same thing.

As flawed as the opinion column is, at least it is an endorsement of the issue. Now, if only the editorial board could right the wrongs in the column and editorialize on behalf of the right for same-sex couples to marry as their Los Angeles counterpart has done!