Barinas Gobernor Adán Chávez Frias signing marriage equality petition (photos by Luis Carlos Paredes Tapia, used by permission)
Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Mexico City recognize marriage equality. Courts in other regions of Mexico and in Colombia have also granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Advocates in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, El Salvador, Cuba and Costa Rica are demanding equal marriage rights. And here comes Venezuela.
Against all odds and despite the general polarization that defines Venezuelan politics, LGBT advocates on both sides of the political divide launched a signature gathering campaign earlier this year to force the National Assembly to take up the issue.
For all his years in power, it cannot be said that Chávez was particularly homophobic but he also was far from proactive on addressing the needs of LGBT Venezuelans or speaking about it publicly.
After those declarations and before his death earlier this year, Chávez and the Great Patriotic Pole party he lead increasingly embraced the LGBT community or the "sexually diverse" as they preferred to call it particularly when trying to draw away LGBT voters from the opposition.
In the meantime, LGBT advocates continue to collect signatures in support of a marriage equality law and on Wednesday they ran into Barinas state governor Adán Chávez Frias who was happy to add his sinature to the list.
Governor Chávez Frias happens to be the late president's brother.
It might reflect an increasing willingness among 'Chavistas' to embrace LGBT issues including marriage equality.
Related: The Facebook page for the coalition of LGBT organizations gathering signarures can be found here.
Photo by Luis Carlos Paredes Tapia, used with permission.
A month before the Venezuelan electorate goes to the polls to choose their next president in the wake of Hugo Chávez' death the topic of homophobia in the campaign continues to be front page news.
On Monday Hugo Chavez' chosen successor and interim president Nicolás Maduro seemed to echo some homophobic statements from the past by calling himself a someone "who does like women" which some took as a swipe against opposition party candidate Henrique Capriles.
In the past, members of Maduro's campaign have openly questioned Capriles' sexuality and Maduro himself called him a "faggot" during a Chávez campaign rally in March of 2012. Days later Maduro went on television to deny his use of the expression had been in any way homophobic and to apologize if anyone was offended by it.
Calling themselves the "sexually diverse" which is also the term used by Maduro to refer to the LGBT community a couple of organizations associated with with the Chávez revolution came to Maduro's defense. Luis Menenses of the Sexually Diverse Revolutionary Front of Zulia said that media had taken Maduro's most recent comments out of context and willingly left off the last part of his statement which they highlighted in capital letters: "I am someone who likes women, and here I have one. It's great how one feels when one kisses a woman OR THE PERSON ONE LOVES" [Video].
The Front argued that those last few words which were omitted in most reports proved that Maduro's comments on Monday were not a homophobic dig at Capriles and instead framed it as inclusive language that embraced forms of love other than heterosexual.
By then Capriles himself had gone on TV and blasted Maduro for his comments calling it homophobic exclusion "absolute fascism" and telling viewers to demand respect for all. "You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion," Capriles said [Video].
"If that's how you want to attack me, let it be," Capriles said, "but from here on I will always demand respect for all. You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion."
Last evening Maduro responded and denied he ever alluded in any way to Caprile's personal life during his comments on Monday.
[Full translated transcript after commentary]
Call it chutzpah. In denying he ever was alluding to Capriles' personal life On Monday he takes several opportunities in yesterday's response to express respect for Capriles "whatever he might be" - as in gay or straight.
In "respecting" Capriles, Maduro also never manages to use his opponent's name once during the five minute statement. Instead, at various times he calls him the "opposition candidate," "Candidate Mr. Loser," "a prissy man with an aristocratic last name" and "Prince of New York."
As Queerty posted today Maduro has previously joked that Capriles spends time in New York with a close friend and last week, as the site puts it "Jacqueline Faria, a senior official in Chavez’s PSUV party, tweeted that
Capriles was in Manhattan because 'it’s easier to come out of the
closet in New York than in Los Teques,' the capital city of Miranda,
where Capriles was governor."
As he has done in the past, Maduro denies he is a homophobe. He explains:
When you live in a town you have to be respectful of the private lives
of all human beings. And in terms of sexuality - what today is known as
the concept of the sexually diverse - they are the same friends we have
known all of our lives - male and female - from the time we were kids.
Because we have always respected them.
Maduro also says that if he were gay he'd be proud of it:
If I were gay I'd take ownership of it with pride
and shout it to the four winds and I would have no problem loving whoever I had to love
with my heart.
He then adds another not so veiled dig at Capriles:
Because the worst homophobe is one who is
gay and discriminates against his own.
It's similar to a foreman in a slave-owner's farm. A black traitor who
whips an African man's back. That's the worst homophobe: He who denies
his identity and discriminates against his equals.
He also claims Chávez made a failed attempt to amend the constitution to include anti-discriminatory language:
We introduced a
constitutional amendment to acknowledge their existence and the supreme
respect the nation has towards our sexually diverse brothers and sisters
- and our opponents and the right called for a vote against that
amendment.
Maduro is right that there is a conservative right wing in Venezuela who would love to see Capriles win and would oppose any advance in the recognition of LGBT rights in Venezuela. Neither Capriles on Monday nor Maduro yesterday mentioned any LGBT-friendly legislation they would support if either one wins the election.
What Maduro fails to mention is that Chávez never made it a personal priority to push the constitutional amendment and that the key foe against it was not the right wing who did not really have the political power under Chávez to oppose it but the Catholic church and their legislative followers on the right and on the left.
Maduro did mention the Catholic church last night in a way that captured worldwide attention and it's a telling statement about whose allegiances Maduro might follow if elected president.
We know that our commander ascended to the
heights and is face-to-face with Christ. Something influenced the choice of a South American pope, someone
new arrived at Christ's side and said to him: 'Well, it seems to us
South America's time has come.'
That's right. In death, Chávez had a hand in the choice for a new pope.
Chávez, whose death has been increasingly mourned as that of a religious martyr, increasingly used religious rhetoric during his final campaign and as his death got nearer.
Maduro has embraced Chávez religious fervor as his own as he campaigns for the Venezuelan vote. But the truth is that when it comes to LGBT rights in Venezuela there is no guarantee that Capriles wouldn't do the same if elected.
Here are Maduro's full comments on homophobia from last night:
I said certain things about my relationship with [my wife] Celia and they have begun to manipulate them. So the losing candidate from the tiny minority that is the embittered oligarchy showed up.
I agree with Gustavo Pereira: Our flag and our valor is love and our victory will come when love prevails over rancor and hate. When true peace prevails. Peace along with justice and equality.
The type of peace in which we can come to love each other as one and in which she can love her and he can love him and others can love others.
So don't let them come and say I am homophobic, "erreteromophobic," "heterodophobic" or start to invent other nicknames. I did not delve into...
Camarades! The first thing I have to say is that when you live in a town you have to be respectful of the private lives of all human beings. And in terms of sexuality - what today is known as the concept of the sexually diverse - they are the same friends we have known all of our lives - male and female - from the time we were kids. Because we have always respected them.
So much so that we introduced a constitutional amendment to acknowledge their existence and the supreme respect the nation has towards our sexually diverse brothers and sisters - and our opponents and the right called for a vote against that amendment, for example.
So don't be so manipulative, members of the bourgeois media. We show absolute respect because each person has ownership of his or her life.
Second: I did not delve into the sexual life of the opposition candidate. I did not delve into the issue - it was him who assumed it was about him so he responded against me as if I'd said something about his life.
I respect him and I've said it for a long time as well. One time I used a certain word and I apologize for using that word. I have already apologized several times. You remember the term I used, no?
But what happens in Venezuela is that the when that word that escaped from my soul...
Because they want to present themselves as snobs who cannot stop... and I apologize to snobs who are patriotic and there are lots of them as well - but I am talking about pro-imperialist snobs...
Please forgive me for that but let me welcome the male and female snobs who are patriotic and pro-Chavez - and we have a lot of them... a lot [laughs].
Now, this mister - who I've previously called a "prissy man with an aristocratic last name" and "Prince of New York" as he has yet to say how he managed to buy the five million dollar apartment he owns there and will never say it - he showed up full of rage towards me and said I was delving into his personal life.
I have never delved into it, I respect him. Whatever he is, I respect him.
And we all must respect him. And I am being absolutely serious: We all have to respect him. But don't be such a manipulator! Don't be such a manipulator!
Each one of us takes... I take ownership of my life with pride and I respect each person who takes ownership of their life with pride. Be whatever it may be.
If I were - and please don't clap your hands and I am going to say this with all of my heart - if I were gay I'd take ownership of it with pride and shout it to the four winds and I would have no problem loving whomever I had to love with my heart.
Because the worst homophobe is one who is gay and discriminates against his own.
It's similar to a foreman in a slave-owner's farm. A black traitor who whips an African man's back. That's the worst homophobe: He who denies his identity and discriminates against his equals.
We have respect for all. I have not delved into your life, candidate Mr. Loser. Now you'll face another full defeat and this one will be that much worse because what we will achieve on April 14th will be the greatest victory known to this country and we will do it in the name of Hugo Chávez. In his memory. For the example he gave. For his strength. For the greatness of the historical legacy he left us.
Well, compatriots. Look at this: This is how we govern.
As the Venezuelan election heats up in the wake of Hugo Chavez' death ugly recriminations have flown back and forth between those who support chosen interim president Nicolás Maduro and opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.
Some of Capriles' supporters have taken to denigrating Maduro for his former life as a poor bus driver exposing existing classist bias while some of Maduro's supporters have revived recent allegations that Capriles is gay and attacked him for his Jewish heritage even though Capriles calls himself a Catholic man.
"I do have a wife, you know? I do like women!" he told the crowd with his wife Cilia Flores at his side, who has served as attorney general but is stepping down to join her husband's campaign.
Though single, Capriles has had various high-profile girlfriends in the past. He scoffs at the personal insults, saying they illustrate the government's aggressive mindset.
Following those remarks by Maduro this morning a number of LGBT Venezuelans spent the day on social media like Twitter urging Capriles to publicly denounce Maduro's homophobia. Tonight he did just that.
Capriles:
I'd like to send a respectful and considerate message in rejection to the homophobic remarks made by Nicolás [Maduro] today. It's not the first time. I believe in a society without exclusion and that's the way I express it to the country. A society where no one feels excluded based on the way they think, their race, their creed, their sexual orientation. People should go out and reject it.
That's fascism. Absolute fascism. From the extreme right.
If that's how you want to attack me, let it be. But from here on I will always demand respect for all Venezuelans. Because the society that we want to build in Venezuela is a society without exclusion.
You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion. There should be overwhelming rejection of something like that.
It's not the first time that Maduro has called Capriles' sexuality into question. In April of 2012 when Capriles was running against Chávez the then Vice President used the word "faggot" to describe the opposition.
Maduro back in 2012:
That's the ilk of these stuck-up faggot fascists who pretend they can win the elections as they face the Venezuelan public. But they have yet to overcome our community's lineage as liberators and they will never do.
The outrage was such that Maduro appeared on television a few days later with a semi-apology.
Maduro:
Some have tried to manipulate it. What I said at that moment was in the heat of remembering all the passion generated when you recall how all these stuck-up fascists believed they had all power in their hands and went out on a fascist hunt to capture, imprison and kill the people. And how they dared do something that not even Pinochet and his dictatorship dared to do: Attack the Cuban Embassy. In the heat of all that I used some expressions such as 'stuck-up' - and I went further than that.
We all respect the militant sexual diversity community that is active within the Venezuelan United Socialist Party, our organization. Tomorrow, the Great Patriotic Pole will establish the national team and the national organization for sexual diversity. Even in the Foreign Ministry - where I work - they always have known that we respect them and that we have done our work without treating them any different.
In any case, and let me say this to you, if it's the product of a genuine sentiment or a product of whatever it is, if someone from the sexual diversity community felt bothered or discriminated against, I apologize. I am sorry. There is room, within that expression, for someone to have felt somehow offended by an expression that had a different connotation... There is no reason why I should delve into anyone's sexual condition. That of our adversaries, the opposition's candidate, their leadership or anyone. Each person is free to do what they want with their lives to achieve happiness. I would never ever get involved with Capriles Randoski or his condition whatever it may be. It's not up to me to define it. That's why I am offering an apology to whomever felt offended or attacked.
That apology would probably carried more weight if supporters of Chávez had not systematically used the same word to describe Capriles at campaign events. This one goes back to 2010 (lower volume on your computer).
Pablo de Miranda of the United Socialist Party:
We are here to tell the truth to your followers. You are a man without shame, a traitor, a fascist, a cunning thief and a homosexual. And we are saying this because we have proof that even when you opted for a lady named [...] you declared yourself gay to that lady. We have her name, we are giving it to you so you know exactly the kind of governor we have in this state.
No mincing words in that one.
In fourteen years of Chávez rule, the advancement of LGBT rights in Venezulea came to a standstill. Unlike Maduro he never - to my knowledge - expressed a single derogatory word about members of the LGBT community but he also never lifted a single finger to back LGBT-friendly legislation.
Capriles has an uphill battle to emerge victorious when the special presidential election takes place thirty days from now. If he does, his statements tonight mean that he will have the responsibility of proving he means what he says by enacting pro-LGBT legislation soon after he takes the presidency. If not, Maduro has to prove that he truly means to represent all Venezuelans and not just those who support him.
On March 5th - after Chávez death was announced and before the recent homophobic skirmishes - Maduro said that the "sexually diverse" would be guaranteed protections under a future socialist government.
Maduro:
We will continue to offer guarantees on all levels. From the highest ranks of the political-military leadership of the country to all levels of the popular movement: Community councils, communes, urban committees, water resource committees, electric resource committees, grassroots farming organizations, all grassroots community organizations, the Great Patriotic Pole [political party], the social labor movements, women's rights movements, young people, the sexually-diverse, professionals, technical engineers.
The entire nation has constructed the Great Patriotic Pole. From the [political] revolutionary parties - all of them - the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and their militants and leaders throughout the nation, the Communist Party of Venezuela, the People's Electorate Movement, the UPB, the Tupamaro, Podemos, PPT. All compatriots, all activated, as one man and one woman. As a single patriotic fist. United in Chávez. United in the liberator's dream. United in the construction of a nation of all and for all
UPDATE (3/12/13): Since writing this post on March 11th, several Venezuelan LGBT and HIV prevention organizations including AXA: Activistas por el Arcoiris, Alianza Lambda de Venezuela, ACCSI VIH/Sida and Union Afirmativa have strongly condemned Maduro's words and applauded Capriles for his statements. For the most part these are organizations who were also strongly critical of the Chávez government and what they saw as inaction on LGBT issues.
Throughout the years the Chávez government did count with strong support from a few LGBT organizations including Movimiento Gay Revolucionario de Venezuela and the Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia.
To all LGBT, feminist, Afro-decedent, indigenous and disability rights activists, women, men, children, everyone:
The Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia responds to all the media trash being lobbed against Nicolás Maduro for statements made yesterday March 11th in Caracas during his registration as a presidential candidate.
His statements were not at all homophobic and here is what he said textually: A mi si me Gustan las Mujeres, que Rico es Besar a una Mujer o al ser que UNO AMA ["I am someone who likes women, it feels great to kiss a woman or the person ONE LOVES"].
That is a reference to the sexually diverse community. The Frente will vote in favor of Maduro based on our loyalty to Chávez.
In addition, his statements on Tuesday, March 5th of 2013 [ed. - see the last video posted above] were very clear: "The sexually diverse are important for the construction of the nation" as Maduro said on the National Channel in front of the civil-military leadership, the presidential Cabinet and the 20 Bolivarian Governors of Venezuela.
Thanks to the Bolivarian Government as led by Commandant Hugo Chávez - to which Maduro has belonged for a long time and continues to belong - they have given an opening the sexually diverse in all social and political areas.
There have been articles within laws and statements against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity submitted before the United Nations and the Organization of American States signed and ratified by Venezuela as a country that guarantees the human rights of the sexually diverse.
In the Nation's Plan, Objective 2.2 says "To build an equal and just society".
Objective 5.3.3.2 says "To put special emphasis on gender relations. Based on this, to support the creation of work groups constituted by women with the goal of reflecting on their family and work life and produce strategies of resistance and liberation, since they suffer the brunt of the dominant culture where the woman is relegated to a secondary role and often suffer explicit forms of violence. The same applies to sexually diverse groups (homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons) forced to live in repressive and humiliating conditions where the only path is the frivolity offered by the capitalist world".
The Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia will work to bring Nicolás Maduro to the presidency by providing more than 5,000 votes of the sexually diverse just from Zulia alone.
Signed: Luis Menenses in representation of the Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia. Until victory always, we will live on and we will win victory. "Chávez lives, the fight continues".
I'm also reminded that when it comes homophobic expressions, the left doesn't have the ground covered. A right-wing newspaper editor from Spain alleged that Chávez himself was gay in an OpEd that hardly hid his homophobic intention. Chávez's response? He said he was too macho to be gay.
Yesterday, I was thrilled to hear that the US-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) had gained consultative status by the United Nations (Official press release here).
This came at the end of a prolonged fight to block the accreditation by leaders and representatives from some of the most homophobic nations in the world as well as fundamentalist religious institutions.
"Today's decision is an affirmation that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have a place at the United Nations as part of a vital civil society community," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Executive Director. "The clear message here is that these voices should not be silenced and that human rights cannot be denied on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."
Today, they'll be glad to know they were on the same side as Venezuela.
Yes, of the thirteen nations that voted against the measure, the only country in the American continent was Venezuela.Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Jorge Valera (pictured) has yet to explain his vote as does the government of Hugo Chavez.
An aside: Yesterday the White House released a brief statement by President Barack Obama, welcoming the news:
I welcome this important step forward for human rights, as the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC) will take its rightful seat at the table of the United Nations. The UN was founded on the premise that only through mutual respect, diversity, and dialogue can the international community effectively pursue justice and equality. Today, with the more full inclusion of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, the United Nations is closer to the ideals on which it was founded, and to values of inclusion and equality to which the United States is deeply committed.
Hm, it's not the International "Lesbian and Gay" Human Rights Commission. They switched those two words around, and also got the acronym wrong. It's not "ILGHRC" , it's "IGLHRC". Oooopsie! A good thing, though, for the president to recognize the great news.
A Venezuelan delegate stated the 'no' vote was not based on the nature of the agency's work but, instead, on procedural issues...
Speaking in explanation of vote after the vote, Venezuela’s delegate said her country’s Constitution forbade discrimination on grounds of economic or social status. Venezuela had voted against the granting of consultative status to the organization for reasons of procedure, not because it had substantive objections to that organization’s work. The examination of applications for consultative status was the responsibility of the Non-Governmental Organization Committee.
She said the Council did not have enough information to make a clear, objective opinion on the issue and it should, thus, respect the Committee’s recommendations. Any decision adopted regarding the consultative status would establish a negative precedent, opening the door for any State to selectively bring the Council’s attention to applications for consultative status based on national interest.
As rare as it is to have Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez on the record on LGBT rights, I wanted to share this little nugget from an interview given on the spot during his visit to Europe last month. In it, an Italian gossip show host lobbies a series of questions on controversial issues and elicits as clear an answer from Chavez on his views on marriage equality and anti-gay discrimination. From my translation:
REPORTER: Can you tell me your position on gay marriage? [EDIT] ...in a world in which gay marriage is possible. HUGO CHAVEZ: I believe that... look, each country has its customs, no? At least, in Venezuela, it is not well-regarded, no? But there are societies, there are societies, there are ideas which continue to mature [EDIT] ...what I am indeed against is any persecution against anyone based on sexual orientations... REPORTER: What do you think... [CLIP] HUGO CHAVEZ: ...we are all equal, the particularities of the individual, of a human being, have to be respected. REPORTER: ..brings us, justly, to gay marriage... [CLIP] HUGO CHAVEZ: In Venezuela, it is not well-regarded... REPORTER: What do you think... HUGO CHAVEZ: Now, if... Me? The same as Venezuelans, as the majority of Venezuelans, those of us who don't see it as being good. REPORTER: No... HUGO CHAVEZ: No, but it's a state of opinion, it's a state of opinion. Which doesn't mean we are in opposition, that I am in opposition of what you might think.
Translation caveat number one: Italian is not my first language, so I might have erred in translating some of the reporter's questions. Translation caveat number two: As you would expect for an Italian paparazzi show, the video has several edits which means that Chavez' response has been severely truncated. Translation caveat number three: "No es bien visto" can be translated as "it's not well-regarded" but doesn't have the full impact of "it's not considered to be a good thing" which is probably what Chavez means.
All in all, Chavez admits a couple of things: 1) He thinks that marriage equality is a symbol of a 'mature' society and yet he sides with the Venezuelan population that believes marriage equality is wrong, and; 2) He says that he is against persecution against anyone based on sexual orientation.
Last week, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission sent out an urgent alert on the arbitrary detention of LGBT leaders in Caracas. So far, no word from the Venezuelan government or Chavez. I guess it's one thing to say that he is against discrimination against the LGBT community when interviewed in a foreign country but quite another when it comes to governing his own country.
Update (or, some additional thoughts as of 11/21/09): Over at Towleroad as well as below, some readers have taken some issue with what I wrote on this post. I wanted to address a couple of those issues.
On taking Chavez to task for violence and detentions against the LGBT community in Caracas instead of the local authorities and the city's mayor: Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma might be among those who oppose Chavez and the IGLHRC 'action alert' might be directed at local Caracas officials, but ultimately Chavez is the country's president and it would make a world of difference if he stepped in and publicly declared the detentions a violation of people's human rights. What's particularly galling to me is that there he is in Venice boasting that he is against persecution based on sexual orientation and yet, when he goes back home, he continues his long-term silence on LGBT issues.
On taking Chavez to task for his position on marriage equality when even US President Barack Obama does not support marriage rights for same-sex couples: I doubt that marriage equality advocates in Venezuela give a second thought to Obama or his position on the issue when advocating for the right of same-sex couples to marry in their country. The video was actually sent to me by an LGBT rights organization called Venezuela Diversa and, in a statement that accompanied the video, they deplored Chavez's stand on the issue. Interestingly, they argue that, on LGBT issues, Venezuela is being left behind other countries in Latin America (no mention of Obama) and argued that left-wing movements throughout the world had embraced the issue and now support it (an arguable point).
Argentina is about to see the first marriage between a same-sex couple in all of Latin America in a couple of weeks and courts and legislatures have paved the way for a series of advances in countries like Uruguay, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and others. They are advances that have been obtained through the hard work of local organizations and activists with little economic or strategic input from organizations in the United States.
Obama should be taken to task for not being the "fierce advocate" he promised to be on LGBT rights but his reticence does not mean that every other heads of nation should get a free pass on LGBT issues, including marriage equality.
On these being 'fringe' issues in a region that is facing larger problems: Arguments that the Latin American region is largely homophobic and not amenable to be progressive on LGBT issues, or that these are fringe issues raised by a small minority in countries facing greater social problems, are defeatist and ignorant of the tremendous advances that have been made in the last few years when it comes to same-sex partnership rights in Latin America.
Somewhere on this earth, Sean Penn must be smiling.
Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban president Raúl Castro, and Director of the Cuban Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), announced the launch of a campaign to demand respect for the freedom of living one's sexual orientation.
The campaign, which was announced yesterday, will combat homophobia in the Caribbean island through messages and activities developed by and targeted at younger generations.
The Center, according to the AFP, will sponsor a series of weekly academic and public events at the University of La Habana, including public screenings of HBO's "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (which portrayed the life of three separate lesbian couples living during different points in time) and - wouldn't you know it! - Gus Van Sant's "Milk" (in which Sean Penn portrays Harvey Milk).
Penn has been criticized for writing about his recent visits to Cuba and Venezuela - and Presidents Raúl Castro and Hugo Chávez, respectively - and painting a mostly favorable picture of life in both countries under each authoritarian figure (here is the latest). This has come, specifically, in light of his portrayal of Harvey Milk and the reported violations of human rights against gays in these countries (ehem, even I piled on Penn back in December).
Among critics, few acknowledge that there have been advances on LGBT rights in either country and that's the basic flaw in their criticism. Cuba has jumped ahead leaps and bounds from Fidel Castro's sorry LGBT rights legacy. Chávez, not so much. But it's great to know that both countries seem to be engaged in increasing the recognition of rights for their LGBT populations.
Related:
Official site for Cuba's "Diversity is natural" campaign site here
I feel as if I have been 'blogging in delay' as of late, as much as I've been procrastinating about finishing up some posts and deleting draft posts that are no longer relevant.
For example: A referendum on term limits has come and gone in Venezuela and I still haven't written a thing despite meaning to do it a few weeks ago.
Already in power for a decade, Chávez has little to show when it comes to LGBT rights. So why would a small group of gays and lesbians stage a press conference lauding his record and throwing their unconditional support behind the referendum three days before the vote took place?
Well, when you call yourself the United Socialist Bloc for Homosexual Liberation, and proudly state that you consider yourselves to be "the gay wing of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela" (a/k/a the President's political party), it's not that big of a surprise. Nor the fact that it was prominently featured in television stations and news services owned by the government.
On Feb. 12, Heisler Vaamonde, a long-time LGBT-rights activist known for his allegiance to the Chávez regime, read a prepared statement in front of reporters expressing the Bloc's strong support for the referendum as he argued that equality for gays and lesbians could only be achieved through the Chavista revolution. As he spoke, he was flanked by ten other members of the organization, who wore t-shirts with an image of Chávez and caps emblazoned with a red star.
A brief report in Venezolana de Television, the government's official television channel, basically paraphrases some of the comments captured in the above YouTube clip [I have used the YouTube 'annotations' feature to provide an on-screen translation once you click on the video].
ABN says that Vaamonde began by lauding President Chavez' government arguing that no other government had brought so much change and development in such a small period of time. He listed community education efforts (or social missions) that had allegedly increased the literacy rate in Venezuela to 98% of the population; the launch of Venezuela's first ever communications satellite; the increased national reserves; the creation of agricultural incentives and the provision of free HIV medicines for people who tested positive for HIV.
On LGBT rights, Vaamonde lauded one of the few on-the-record statements by Chávez on LGBT rights in which the president acknowledged that it had been a mistake not to include explicit language extending protections to the lesbian and gay community in the 1999 constitution (the semi-apology came in 2002 during one of his infamous weekly radio addresses).
To be fair, Vaamonde's advocacy resulted in the inclusion of limited protections for gays and lesbians in the constitutional draft that was narrowly defeated last year, but the fact remains that Chávez never actively backed or fought for their inclusion and that, ten years after he took power, the Venezuelan government still does not protect its LGBT citizens from discrimination.
Vaamonde also credited Chávez for allowing gays and lesbians to be visible through the eight annual gay pride marches that have taken place in Caracas under his rule but that has mostly been thanks to Caracas Mayor Juan Barreto and not Chávez who, to date, has never appeared or officially acknowledged the events.
He ended by acknowledging that much remained to be done when it came to recognizing the rights of LGBT Venezuelans including same-sex partnership rights, adoption rights, inheritance and joint property ownership rights, housing rights, the right of transgender persons to change their identity in official papers and to have access to gender-reassignment surgery. Rights which Vaamonde said, "can only be reached through Revolution."
I feel for Vaamonde, I really do. His commitment cannot be faulted, his belief in the Chávez revolution seems to be sincere, and it has actually brought him several anonymous death threats from right-wing anti-Chávez zealots. There is also a point to be made that sometimes it's good to have someone who is within the system to elicit change. But if "change" means no results on LGBT rights in ten years of power, how can this be anything but sucking up to Chávez - and allowing to use you for his benefit without requiring any commitment or compromises on LGBT rights?
For a while Vaamonde also led a group called the Gay Revolutionary Movement of Venezuela and his efforts then also seemed to fall on deaf ears. Under the new organizational moniker (as well as the last), he has never criticized Chávez - to my knowledge - or called him up on his outright homophobia as when he denied rumors that he was gay by joking that he was too macho to be gay in 2007. He also did not speak up when the Venezuelan constitutional court nixed same-sex marriage rights in 2008.
At least one organization withdrew from the 2008 LGBT pride organizing committee last year and specifically singled out Vaamonde as the reason. The Venezuelan Reflection Foundation sent out a terse statement that read as follows:
The Board and members would like to state: WE DO NOT HAVE any relation, responsibility, nor are we any part of the 8th LGBT Pride March; this is due to the discriminatory, disrespectful and anti-democratic attitude of Mr. Heisler Vaamonde with the backing of the sponsor entity and supporting entities.
No other details were given. There are actually several LGBT organizations in Venezuela. Just know that the United Socialist Bloc for Homosexual Liberation is the only one organization that unconditionally supports the Chávez presidency despite the lack in the advancement of LGBT rights.
Earlier this month I posted an item on an essay written by actor Sean Penn for The Nation on meeting Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez and Cuban leader Raúl Castro which came under criticism by James Kirchick in the pages of the gay publication The Advocate. Kirchick argued that Penn was tainting the acclaim he has received for his turn as gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk in the Gus Van Sandt movie "Milk" by kowtowing to despots whose governments still violate the rights of LGBT individuals.
Now comes an OpEd column by Sergio Muñoz Bata in which he takes Kirchick's essay and does a more incisive job in taking Penn to task for defending Castro and Chavez. Muños Bata is a former editorial member of the Los Angeles Times and a former Executive Director of La Opinión and his weekly column runs weekly in a dozen leading Latin American newspapers including Colombia's El Tiempo and Mexico's Reforma.
I have seen it pop up all around Latin America but haven't seen an English-language version so let me translate the last few paragraphs from the version that was printed in El Salvador's La Prensa Gráfica ("When Art Imitates Life", Dec. 18, 2008).
In the first half of the essay Muñoz Bata gives some background on the "No on Prop. 8" battle in California, the life of Harvey Milk, and the parallels between Milk's gay rights battles and today's battles. He then launches into his own critique of Penn:
The convincing performance by Penn in the movie, as his incessant political activism in real life, in support of certain causes of the Left, have created a certain cult of personality. Within the gay community, however, there have also been complaints that have questioned his devotion to human rights.
In an essay published in The Advocate, a bi-weekly magazine aimed at the national gay community, James Kirchick reproaches Penn for - on the same day that the movie premiered - publishing an article exalting dictators such as Fidel and Raúl Castro and their mechanical extension, Hugo Chávez, guilty of egregious violations of the human rights of Cubans and Venezuelans.
What doesn't escape Kirchick is the irony of the historic duplication which Penn inadvertently revives in playing the role of the "useful idiot" of whom Lenin spoke to describe those who - thankful for an invitation to the Soviet Union - hid the "Gulags" and horrors committed against dissidents and trumped up the glories of the "new workers' paradise".
In his love letter to Chávez and Raúl Castro, Penn describes the small details of his travels with Chávez in the presidential airplane. He also writes about his stay at homes set aside for foreign dignitaries in Habana, and the entertainment, between toasts and meals, provided by the younger of the Castros as he allowed him an 'exclusive interview' which stretched to seven hours make Penn's "journalistic" work easier.
In reaction to Kirchick's essay, Cleve Jones, the gay activist who fought next to Milk and now does it next to Penn, has published a failed rebuttal to Kirchick's arguments. Jones seems to ignore that despite the evident advances that have occurred since the days in which Fidel Castro defined homosexuality as a "deviation from nature", Cuba remains a country in which gay people are denied the right to congregate because they are considered a risk to the national security.
Worse yet, in his plea, Jones avoids confronting the central issue, that which concerns us all, those of us who are not gay and those who are, the undisputed and nonnegotiable universality of the respect for the human rights of individuals.
I think that Kirchick is right when he suggests that it is hypocritical to have a selective vision of how, where and when human rights are respected.
An aside: Miami's El Nuevo Herald, a sister publication to the Miami Herald, also published the column ("When arts imitates life", Dec. 17, 2008) but it's an edited version that does not include four of the last five paragraphs I translated above.
In a Nov. 25th essay published first in The Nation and later on The Huffington Post ("Conversations with Chávez and Castro"), actor Sean Penn takes what turns out to be a rather benign look at Cuban leader Raúl Castro and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez - both of whom he visited.
I have little patience for Hollywood actors going on 'fact finding trips' to countries like Venezuela and Cuba when it's obvious that the access they get to the upper echelons of power is due to their political leanings and their fame. It's certainly great PR for despots who want to come off as cuddly and nice and it certainly highlights the unfortunate tendency by some in the left wing of the United States to romanticize the Cuban revolution and the emergence of left wing "revolutionaries" such as Chávez in Venezuela.
Jump ahead a few weeks and you have a Dec. 9 piece by James Kirchick in The Advocate using the essay in The Nation to criticize Penn on the issue of gay rights ("A friend to gays and anti-gay dictators alike"). Penn, of course, is currently playing gay icon Harvey Milk in the Gus Van Sant flick "Milk" and the editors at The Advocate must have jumped on the chance to run an OpEd piece countering the hosannas the actor has been receiving for his portrayal of the gay rights leader (contrarian OpeEd pieces draw readership).
Considering my comments above, you might think that I agree with Kirchick's argument that Penn's benign take on Castro and Chávez compromises the actor's pro-gay stand (or his portrayal of Harvey Milk). I don't.
The fact is that there have been momentous advances in Cuba when it comes to LGBT rights - particularly over the last five years although government intervention and censorship remain and dissident views are still penalized. And, while Chávez might be homophobic and the Venezuelan top court has banned same-sex marriage, there are annual gay rights marches in Caracas and other cities and several LGBT rights organizations and activists who are pretty visible and who speak to press freely even when criticizing their president.
So while I personally find that Penn lets his ideology get in the way of his appraisal of the Cuban and Venezuelan leaders, the same can be said of Kirchick when it comes to the hit piece on Penn.
As for "Milk" - Saw it a couple of nights back. Not sure if my expectations were too high but I didn't think it was all that. Except for Josh Brolin's brilliant portrayal of Dan White, it came off as a little too didactic and rushed for me (despite it's length), which seems weird since most people who had told me they'd seen it had loved it.
Update: Cleve Jones wrote a letter to the editor in response to the Kirchick OpEd defending Penn. An excerpt:
Sean Penn is a citizen of the world. He harbors a tireless curiosity and a healthy skepticism, so he goes out and ascertains things for himself firsthand. His explorations as a journalist have put a spotlight on some of the biggest issues of our time: in Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and -- closer to home -- New Orleans. His visits and dispatches have opened avenues of communication and encouraged dialogue.
It still doesn't address that Penn is given unparalleled access denied to hundreds of objective journalists and is treated as what he is - a Hollywood star - in part due to the fact that his past essays have shown him to have a benign view of the Cuban and Venezuelan governments.
Totally unrelated but related -Rex Wockner didn't think it was all that either:
One of those truly shameless John McCain attack ads has finally brought me out of blog post hibernation.
So far, most of the McCain smears on Barack Obama have been almost humorous in their obvious desperation but this one, supposedly meant only for Spanish-language media, really crosses the line (apparently an English-language version - above - has been posted on the McCain's YouTube page just for kicks).
Translation:
Announcer: Have you seen who Obama wants to talk with? Hugo Chávez: Shitty Yankees! Go to hell, you shitty Yankees! Announcer: Obama says that he would meet Chávez without conditions. Hugo Chávez: Shitty Yankees, go to hell a hundred times! Announcer: He said he would meet in the first year of his government. Hugo Chávez: The United States which is behind all the conspiracies against our country. Announcer: He said it was a disgrace that we haven't done it. Hugo Chávez: If any aggression were to come against Venezuela, then there will be no oil for people or the government of the Unites States! Announcer: Do you believe we should speak to Chávez? Hugo Chávez: We, you shitty Yankees, know that we are resolute to be free, no matter what happens, and at any cost! Announcer: In November, you decide. John McCain: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.
The McCain camp calls the ads "Obama Chávez" obviously relishing the naughty opportunity to link Obama with South America's biggest anti-US dictator clown (the fucker, pardon the French, threw out two Human Rights Watch monitors earlier today based on a newly released report criticizing the Chavez government for human rights violations).
If this is what it has come to, perhaps blogger Andrew Sullivan is right in predicting that the McCain-Palin camp is about to fall off a cliff. We should all hope for a rout but until election day there's no surrender!
Except this is pure Chávez cat-nip! Watch him respond to the ad in ways that plays directly into McCain's hands!
Photo: A kiss in the midst of Sunday's gay pride rally down the streets of Caracas (All photos courtesy of Santiago Farías).
Organizers of Sunday's 8th Annual Venezuelan LGBT-rights March said they were surprised by the large numbers of people that showed up which they claimed eclipsed last year's estimated attendance of 30,000.
El Universalreports today that Venezuelan gay rights organizations such as Unión Afirmativa, Movimiento Gay Revolucionario and Orgullo GLBT de Venezuela supported the march.
And then there was Amnesty International: "We are not in favor or against, but it's about defending these person's rights," said Manuel Finol, identified as a member of Amnesty International's executive committee.
Jesus Medina, a member of Alianza Lambda - another sponsoring organization - said that President Hugo Chavez'government had strongly supported indigenous communities and Venezuelans of African descent but was still marginalizing the gay community.
"All the marches have taken place under the mandate of President Hugo Chavez and we thank the Mayor's Office which provided support [in the form of] security, sound equipment and the stage," he said, "but there is still no law that protects us against discrimination - To be homophobic and a revolutionary is a contradiction."
"Following a ruling by [the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice] in relation to this topic, [same-sex partners] only can achieve this through the creation of a Common Partnership of Possessions belonging to the couple; a judicial determination that does not satisfy demands by Venezuelan homosexual couples," he said, "and for this reason [marchers] are attempting to elicit another judicial resolution through the National Assembly."
One Venezuelan lesbian rights organization - Fundación Reflejos de Venezuela - was not present. On June 24th they released the following statement:
"The Board and members would like to state: WE DO NOT HAVE any relation, responsibility, nor are we any part of the 8th LGBT Pride March; this is due to the discriminatory, disrespectful and anti-democratic attitude of Mr. Heisler Vaamonde with the backing of the sponsor entity and supporting entities."
No other reasons are given but Mr. Vaamonde is known as a long-time Chavez acolyte who always trumps the president's policies while overlooking his record (or statements) on LGBT rights.
Dictatorship Versus Democracy.
-
I'm baaack.
It's been a minute field hands, but I have been so overwhelmed with the
fall of our democracy that I honestly didn't know where to start wr...
Hello world!
-
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then
start writing!
The post Hello world! appeared first on Mulai Bola.
Great Sex Games For LBGT Acceptance
-
The following are some great sex games for everyone to enjoy, regardless of
their sexual preference. They can be used in a number of different ways and
t...
Schön Küche Renovieren Aus Alt Mach Neu
-
cool gros einbaukuche weiss hochglanz einbauk c3 bcche from küche
renovieren aus alt mach neu Dieses ist erstaunlich, wie man Farbe aus einer
alten Tür e...
White Feminism Did Not Save Us
-
It is the morning after and my feed is full of angry posts about who is
responsible for this. I have a suggestion:
Back off from third party voters or eli...
Club Fonograma's Best Music Videos of 2015
-
*“Amor Fantasma”*
((The Plastics
Revolution))
10. Sefárdico
"One day, when you sober up, we can be the Coen Brothers or whoever you
want..." sighed by w...
Diversidad Capital: discriminación por edad
-
Esta semana en Diversidad Capital por Capital 21 hablamos sobre
discriminación por edad con: Ana Francis Mor. Humberto Álvarez. Victoria
Beltrán del Consej...
MIT Fellowship and Relocation
-
Very excited and grateful to begin a new chapter in my life. The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has awarded me one of ten Knight
Science Journalism ...
The Years Of Writing Dangerously
-
Thirteen years ago, as I was starting to experiment with this blogging
thing, I wrote the following: [T]he speed with which an idea in your head
reaches th...
Joining the Trans Advocacy Network
-
Post by Christopher Argyros, Pride Agenda Transgender Rights Organizer I’m
excited to announce that the Pride Agenda has joined the nationwide Trans
Advoca...
Chess, anyone?
-
Art by MUROB
From Wikipedia...
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It
specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early ro...
Blabbeando does not claim credit for any images featured unless otherwise noted. Usually we try to give credit when we can. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners.
If you own rights to any of the images, or are depicted thereof, and do not wish to appear here, please contact us for prompt removal.
The views expressed on this site are my own. They do not reflect the views of my employer, or any professional, or legal organization of which I am affiliated.
Posts
