Colombia Dispatch: Last one for now

Today´s Miami Herald has an article on recent gay rights advances in Colombia ("Colombia is moving forward on gay rights"). It talks about the recent efforts to grant rights to same-sex couples in the nation, about the first LGBT Center in Colombia (in the Chapinero neighborhood of Bogota - I might visit before this trip is done) and about the LGBT rights advocacy organization Colombia Diversa for which I have acted as an informal advisor from time to time. Thought you might want to read.

Anyway, this is probably the last of my hiatus break postings until I get back to the States in mid-August so I thought I´d share a photo of yours truly relaxin´(and channelin´"Ray of Light") as well as some stunning (if I may say so) shots of the Medellin skyline. Yes, even makes the smog look beautiful, doesn´t it?

ITN: The Latino edition of GayNewsWatch

In the news: As we prepare to go on hiatus (El Blabbeador is taking some much needed vacation time and it's not certain if I will have access to the internet starting on Monday through mid-August), we'd like to point out that someone seems intent in driving Blabbeando out of business (in a good way, I mean).

I haven't had much time to devote to covering some of the latest news from Latin America but, with increasing frequency, I log on to GayNewsWatch and I find English-language blurbs and links to English-language blog posts that have beat me to the punch anyway.

If you want to see what I mean, bookmark this link:

http://www.gaynewswatch.com/Page.cfm?PageID=8&RID=3

It will lead you to the latest LGBT news stories and blog posts related to Latino / Hispanic culture or Latin America on the site.

Among the recent stuff they have covered that I have not: Federico Garcia Lorca's ode to Walt Whitman, Puerto Rican political parties seeks out gay candidates, Carlos Gardel now said to have been gay, Border city hosts bi-national Brazil-Bolivia pride and Caribbean gay man wins damages for police harassment.

I am also thankful for their prominent featuring of this blog on their site.

Point Foundation grants scholarships to Latino students

The Point Foundation, the nation's largest publicly-supported organization granting scholarships to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in the United States, has announced this year's list of scholarship recipients.

Among the 37 lucky scholars two are Latinos.

Lilia Espinoza grew up in Chicago, IL, in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Lilia has been an active member of the Chicago Children's Choir for ten years. Her experience in the choir, a not-for-profit organization founded as an outgrowth of the Civil Rights movement, enabled her to see firsthand the unifying potential of music. Lilia is a National Hispanic Scholar as well as a National Merit Finalist. This fall, Lilia will be an undergraduate at Columbia College at Columbia University in New York, NY. She especially hopes to work with queer youth who have encountered extreme adversity in both their homes and schools.

Born in Mexico and raised in San Diego, Allan Acevedo grew up surrounded by a predominately conservative Latino community. In school, Allan pursued challenging courses and was a cross-country runner and the President of his school's Gay-Straight Alliance. Allan served for three years as a Student Coordinator for the GLSEN Jumpstart Leadership Team, a Trainer for GSA Network, and most recently as a leader of the Stonewall Young Democrats. He has also spoken across the country advocating and promoting youth involvement in social justice issues. Allan will attend San Diego State University in the fall. He aspires to go to law school and be able to take a more direct role in ending social and economic inequalities.

Blabbeando congratulates Lilia and Allan and wish them much success in their studies.

About the Point Foundation: Point scholarships are substantial and multi-faceted; the average annual award is $13,600, and will be renewed annually for the remainder of their degree program as long as a student maintains academic standards. Point runs a formal mentoring program that matches each scholar with a successful professional in a field related to that particular scholar's area of interest. Finally, Point also hosts a leadership conference each year for all current scholars.

Prospective donors and potential applicants can learn more about Point Foundation and Point Scholars at www.pointfoundation.org.

Press Release: 20 Años de Lucha! – 20 Years of Struggle!

Latino LGBT History Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jose Gutierrez
202-588-0067

The Latino LGBT History Project Welcomes You to Celebrate
20 Años de Lucha! – 20 Years of Struggle!

Washington, DC, - May 21, 2007 – The Latino LGBT History Project cordially invites you to the opening reception and the celebration of 20 Años de Lucha! – 20 Years of Struggle!, as part of the Capital Pride 2007. Join us for Latin food and refreshments on Friday, June 8, 2007 from 6:30pm.– 9:00pm.at Human Rights Campaign in the Equality Room, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Washington, DC

“The history of the Latino LGBT community will be presented through an astonishing and unique collection of photographs, posters, flyers, banners and memorabilia from 1987 to 2007. The event will include the participation of key Latino LGBT leaders and provide a better understanding of the 20 years of struggle to create a movement in our National Capital,” said Jose Gutierrez, Director of the Latino LGBT History Project

20 Años de Lucha! - 20 Years of Struggle! is a historical exhibit and a panel discussion focused on the growth and contributions of the Latino LGBT community in Washington, DC since 1987 when the first two Latino LGBT groups were formed: ENLACE and LLEGÓ. The panel discussion will be moderated by Mario Acosta-Velez, Latino human rights activist, and will include as panelists long-term Latino LGBT leaders: Letitia Gomez, Yolanda Santiago, Eva Young, Raquel Sapien, Ruby Corado, Frank Yurrita and Jose Gutierrez. The program will also include opening remarks by Councilmember Jim Graham and Christopher Dyer, Interim Director, Office of LGBT Affairs.

20 Años de Lucha! - 20 Years of Struggle! is sponsored by Capital Pride 2007, Human Rights Campaign, Gertrude Stein Democratic Club and Latin@s en Accion. The entire LGBT community is invited to attend this important event.

Albany black and Latino gay pride banner vandalized

From Albany, New York, comes word that a banner announcing a June 2nd Black & Latino Gay Pride celebration was slashed earlier in the week by vandals. Capital News 9 has the story (as well as video if you go to their webpage).

The annual event is put together by Albany's LGBT people of color organization In Our Own Voices.

Jamaica: What does it take...

Above: Video originally posted on YouTube and then banned, re-posted on JumpCut thanks to Terrance Heath.

The homophobic drumbeat continues to flow from Jamaica. If you were reading some of the articles that appeared in Jamaican media last week you might have seen the following:

An April 22nd Jamaica Gleaner editorial column writer quoting a nameless Rastafarian leader he calls Soul Rebel defending reggae singers who have been targeted for their homophobia and sharing, among other things, this reasoning for Jamaican's hate of gays:

Listen man. They have sought with some measure of success to equate the civil rights and liberation movements for responsible freedom with their 'freedom', their devilish desire to 'make close contact with human waste matter'. And therein lies the real rub and nub of the matter, for it is this aspect of the practice that makes your average Jamaican see red.

An April 25th Jamaica Gleaner article in which Jamaica's public defender (!!) is said to have asked gays in the island to abstain from "flaunting sexual preference may incite violence" arguing that it "may provoke a violent breach of the peace." "Tolerance has its limits," he added.

So, considering the abysmal recent record on human rights abuses and crimes against the LGBT community in the Caribbean island, is it really any surprise that reports surfaced on Friday about yet one more mob attack against a transgender woman in Falmouth? (and no, it's not the same as the mob attack that took place on February 14th in Montego Bay).

This time, though, the attack was captured on camera and, not surprisingly, posted on YouTube.

That hasn't stopped editorial writers from saying that Jamaica's "moral values" are under attack by international pro-gay political and economic forces as Newton Gabbidon wrote in yesterday's Jamaica Gleaner, two days after the attack . At least some churches seem to be coming around on the issue of violence against gays and HIV positive people.

Indeed, international human rights agencies and some within Jamaica have been calling for a government and public response against crimes such as these. And both local and international activism around these crimes has certainly forced the nation to have an unprecedented dialogue on issues related to LGBT rights and homophobia (hence this and this). These are seeds for change that should be nurtured and I hope that they do not get lost in the reaction to the latest developments.

Today, a few of us were made aware that the YouTube video had been uploaded, giving graphic proof of the violence that is taking place in the island. Among those who have blogged about it are Terrance Heath (cross-listed at Pam's Houseblend), j.brotherlove, J's Theatre, Emanuel Xavier, Taylor Siluwé, Keith Boykin, Jamyne Cannick and Kenyon Farrow.

And tonight I can say with certainty that enough is enough: What does it take for the Jamaican government to stand up for its own people instead of leaving it up to others to call for an immediate end to the spilling of Jamaican LGBT blood on Jamaican soil?

Let's hope that this will be the catalyst that will truly turn things around in Jamaica. I will keep you posted on reactions and hopefully it will lead to action. It would be a shame if this becomes just one in a very long list of incidents instead of the final straw that broke the camel's back.

UPDATE:

• Editorial by the Jamaica Gleaner (May 1, 2007)

A new political blog is born: The Agenda

A new blog has joined the blogosphere today and they have been kind enough to include Blabbeando on their blog roll (we have returned the favor).

The Agenda is run by the top-notch communications team of New York's Empire State Pride Agenda, the leading civil rights advocate in New York State for the LGBT community (full disclosure: I was a member of their board of directors for almost 6 years).

Josh Meltzer and Joe Tarver hope to shine "a few additional rays of light and add perspective on the issues and people that operate in the heavily congested intersection between LGBT communities and New York State politics."

Should be an interesting read. Welcome to the fray!

Twenty years later, Don McPherson in Harlem

(L-R: Columbia U. fellow Aries Dela Cruz; author Raquel Rivera; former Philadelphia Eagles QB Don McPherson; GenderPAC ED Riki Wilchins & Beyond Beat and Rhymes Director Byron Hurt at last night's youth community forum in Harlem)

Last night after work I headed up to Harlem's Children's Zone for a screening of Byron Hurt's "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" and a discussion on the role of gender, violence, sexism and homophobia in hip hop and rap culture presented by GenderPAC.

You probably have seen these topics addressed before but what makes this sometimes uneven but fascinating documentary stand out is that Mr. Hurt puts himself at the center of the debate and admits from the beginning that he is a "hip hop" lover himself. This might have opened some doors (Mos Def, Chuck D, De La Soul, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli and Russell Simmons all appear in brief but telling segments; Bustah Rhymes' knee-jerk homophobia doesn't surprise anymore considering his past skirmishes but Russell Simmons claim that he can't do a thing to change the industry rings hollow and his evasiveness stings).

Good thing that I caught the airing of the film last month on PBS because last night technical glitches forced the screening to be cut short. A shame, because the huge number of kids that showed up missed out on some of the most thought-provoking issues that the film raises.

There was an additional reason why I decided to go last night: One of the panelists was Don McPherson, a former Philadelphia Eagles quarter back that I had known twenty years back when I lived in Syracuse and he was then the star QB for Syracuse University (he is now the Director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University in Long Island).

During the break, as people tried to fix the technical glitches, I walked over to Don and introduced myself. I'm probably forty pounds heavier and twenty years older so I wasn't surprised that there wasn't any immediate recognition but the moment I started describing where we'd met it all seemed to click. You should have seen his double take! He was still shaking his head in wonder as I made my way back to my seat as the presentation resumed.

The panelists all made some good points but considering there was a mostly younger audience some of the discussion seemed a bit dry and too academic (not sure a fourteen year old is going to appreciate a comment on hip-hop being a way to tell the history of the impact of Reaganomics on black urban masses).

Don, though, was amazing.

On appropriating the word nigger and using it as a term of endearment: "You can't take back a word that wasn't yours in the first place!" - He argued that the word was born out of hate and not as a gift to blacks and that it shocked him that some African-Americans used it almost with pride. He also argued that there were many other really bad words in the American vernacular that could be used to express anger or pride and, as an example, pointed out that - in Pulp Fiction - Samuel L. Jackson's character had a wallet imprinted with the words "Bad M.F." on it (when few of the kids in the audience seemed to react to the reference he said "Damn, I guess I'm showing my age!").

On homophobia: "Homophobia polices masculinity and doesn't allow us to be who we truly are as men" - He said that he'd been reading former NBA player John Amaechi's autobiography "Man in the Middle" and that he was struck by how he desrcibed the locker room, all these basketball players competing in showing the most bling bling or the best clothes and Amaechi sitting there and thinking "And I'm the gay one!"

On being punked: Reacting to an audience question on why some were so quick to violence as a reaction to being disrespected, "We need to teach kids that you can let it roll off your shoulders," adding that kids needed to be taught that someone who resorts to insults and taunts is instead showing their own insecurities.

And, finally, when an audience member said that it was one thing to attend this meeting and quite another to reach out to kids in the street and asked the panelists what they would say to a kid in the street if they only had 2 and a half minutes to make a point Don replied "I'd spend those two minutes trying to make sure that we would have a follow-up conversation because you can't do much to change someone's perceptions in 2 and a half minutes."

I didn't realize that Mr. Hurt had also been a quarterback at Northeastern University and at the end of the presentation he spoke of how much he had respected the strides that Don made as one of the few black quarterbacks in the NFL back in the late '80's.

Twenty years ago I was just coming to terms with my sexual identity and fearful that any of the football players who were my friends at Syracuse University would ever find out. Don spoke of his own road in conceptualizing these issues and of the years it took for him to be able to express his thoughts as well.

To sit there and hear Don talk about all these issues was totally bizarre. Who would have known that I'd be meeting him again under these circumstances... No disrespect to the other panelists, who I have hardly mentioned but, it still blows my mind.

More On Don McPherson's recent work:

• A recent taped dialogue here
  
• "You Throw Like a Girl!" (Sentinel & Enterprise, March 20, 2007)
• "GenderPAC and Black History Month" (Trancending Gender, February 10, 2007)
• "Ex-NFL quarterback addresses sex assault" (Clarion, October 31, 2006)

El Salvador: A "shout out" from Sir Elton John

This week's issue of the UK's New Statesman has a "shout out" from Sir Elton John to LGBT rights advocates throughout the world, who often do their work in less than receptive environments and, in some cases, under the threat of violence or death.

In the essay, Sir Elton highlights the work of one of my heroes, William Hernandez of El Salvador's Entre Amigos, who has persevered even as attacks against him and members of his organization have increased and become increasingly violent over the last few years.

In December, reporter Doug Ireland wrote an article for Gay City News on William and Entre Hermanos which is available on his blog, Direland.

Today's issue of the UK's The Independent also has a profile and interview here.

All this is in no small thanks to Amnesty International which has long championed the work of Entre Amigos. For more information on their ongoing campaign to support this crucial organization please go here.

Gay City News and Bay Windows on UNID@S

Gay City News picks up on our "Exclusive" on UNID@S: The National Latino LGBT Human Rights Organization from last Friday. New England's Bay Windows also has a take.

EXCLUSIVE: A national Latino LGBT human rights organization is born

It has been more than three years since the only national Latino LGBT organization, LLEGO, suddenly closed its doors.

Faced with a vacuum in leadership and concerned that our national voice as LGBT Latino leaders would be silenced, I quickly reached out to those people I knew who were working on Latino LGBT issues throughout the United States and asked them to join a dialogue on what LLEGO's shut down meant for the community and where to go from there.

At the time, LLEGO had been planning one of its bi-annual national conferences and had selected Seattle, Washington as the host city. Through the leadership of many and the collaboration of Entre Hermanos - a local Latino LGBT organization - we managed to draw a diverse number of people for a historic meeting that took place in September of 2004.

Though many of the leading activists were not able to make it to Seattle, I'd say that in such a short time we managed to get a pretty impressive group of people, including some who might not have been plugged into the national structure beforehand. There was also a palpable sense that there was a common interest in creating a new national entity - although it was still not clear whether it would take the shape of a national network or an actual organization. Additional conversations were had with participants of that year's Creating Change conference in St. Louis, Missouri to include the voices of additional ctivists who might not have heard about or been able to participate in the Seattle meeting.

Miami's Unity Coalition spearheaded and hosted a third meeting in the spring of 2005 during which an ad-hoc steering committee hammered out the nuts and bolts of what a new Latino LGBT organization would look like and do (details will emerge later through official communication from the organization). In Miami, we also selected the name UNID@S: The National Latino LGBT Human Rights Organization.

Up until then, we were working at an almost feverish pace. After Miami, the pace slowed down a bit. Over the years several people have stepped up to the plate to push the project forward and so it was that things picked up steam again last year and in November a call for candidates for the Board of Directors was sent out.

Elections just took place and today the elected officials were finally announced! Without further ado, the newly elected and founding Board of Directors of UNID@S: The National Latino LGBT Human Rights Organization is as follows:

• Yoseñio Lewis, West Region
  
• Gael Gundin Guevara, New York City
  
• Ada Conde Vidal, Puerto Rico
  
• Cristina Martínez, Texas
• Ruby Jade Corado, Washington, D.C.
  
• Sandra Telep, South East Region
  
• Pedro Julio Serrano, North East Region
  
• Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, South Central Region
  
• Jorge Alexandro Cestou, Mid West Region
  
• Wilfred Labiosa, Massachusetts
  
• Gabriel González, North Central Region

It is the end of a process and the beginning of a new one and I for one am tremendously moved that we have reached this point.

Mexico: English language media picks up on a few LGBT stories

Here are links to two recent English-language newspaper articles on issues that we have recently covered:

• Police say gay activist's slaying was fueled by passion, not hate (San Antonio Express News, Jan. 19)
• Gay rights surface in the Mexican desert (The Dallas Morning News, Jan. 25)

...and a link to a story we have yet to cover:

• Mexican lawmaker proposes giving transsexuals constitutional protections (AP, Jan. 25)

In the news: LGBT political asylum news, homophobic violence in Peru

Not sure if this will be a recurring feature here at Blabbeando but here's some news stories that caught my attention recently:

Deportation woes: Today, The Washington Post reports on immigrants in deportation proceedings who reach immigration court without access to legal representation which, some advocates claim, leads to hundreds of unfair deportations on an annual basis.

No political asylum for Jamaican lesbian: In this week's Gay City News, Arthur Leonard continues his exemplary ongoing look at LGBT asylum cases and discusses a decision by the federal appeals court in Philadelphia upholding a lower court's decision not to grant political asylum to a Jamaican lesbian woman. Mr. Leonard's blog can be found in my personal links column.

Transgender Mexican woman might get political asylum: In the meantime, on Thursday, Metropolitan News reported that the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider an asylum claim filed by a Mexican-born transgender woman deeming that the Board of Immigration Appeals failed to take into consideration key testimony in their decision not to grant the woman asylum.

Police in Peru accused of systematic attacks on the LGBT community: Finally, the UK's Pink News picks up on an EFE newswire article on a report released by the Lima Homosexual Movement (MOHL) over the weekend in which the organization claims to have documented over 600 homophobic attacks throughout the South American nation during 2006 and in which they accuse police officers of "carrying out systematic attacks on gay people in the country."

More information on the report can be found in this Spanish-language article distributed by the Andina newswire.

The United States vs. Emilio

Just when I thought there were some good news to celebrate at the end of the year, the US government has decided that tax revenues must be spent to stop two men from loving each other.

Unhappy that a New Jersey immigration court judge decided to grant political asylum to my friend Emilio last week, the government has decided that it must spend legal and fiscal resources to challenge the ruling and prolong the legal battle that Emilio and his partner Tom have been waging for the last five years in order to stay together as a couple.

Mind you, Tom and Emilio are residents in the same state in which their Governor Jon Corzine signed a civil union bill JUST TODAY which purportedly would extend the same rights afforded to married heterosexual partners to same-sex partners.

Let's just say that if that was true, Tom and Emilio would not be going through this. Talk about political hypocrisy at the expense of real people's lives.

Colombia: Lack of quorum sinks same-sex partnership bill

A quote from an article in today's issue of El Tiempo listing several bills that failed to receive a vote by the end of the Colombian House of Representatives' 2006 legislative session:

"Rights for gays: It was in the order of the day until the last moment in the legislature, and when there was attempt to vote... quorum disintegrated."

So the bill was actually brought to the floor for a vote but some cowardly legislators jumped up and left their seats. Incredibly disappointing if not necessarily surprising.

Persons of the Year?: In the meantime, Semana magazine is asking online readers to vote for who they consider to be the "Person of the Year" and has listed "The Gay Collective" as one of the top 40 candidates for the honor and single out the role of LGBT organizations such as Colombia Diversa, Apoyemonos, Triangulo Negro, Sentimos Diverso, Polo de Rosa, Degeneres-e, Mujeres al Borde and others for the important work they have done this year. If you would like to cast a vote for the Gay Collective as Semana's Person of the Year, go here, click on the woman with the purple wig and cast your vote by clicking on the "VOTE" button. It allows you to vote once a day, even if you have voted before, so I'm unsure how they are tabulating the numbers.

Argentina: 20,000 at gay pride

Buenos Aires saw their 15th annual gay pride march on Saturday and it drew a record 20,000 people (twice as many as in 2005, according to some observers).

In an interview with Todo Noticias available through Clarin, Cesar Cigliutti, President of Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (CHA), reminisces that fifteen years ago "we were 200 and a half wore masks" to cover their face and talks about the significant advances that have taken place in Argentina since then.

Unlike the last couple of years, the march went without a hitch and was not the scene of the type of confrontations that threatened to overshadow it in 2003 and 2005.

Behind the scenes, some tensions remained as some tried to pit organizers of a women's rights march that took also took place Saturday against the gay pride organizers arguing that holding a gay pride march on the same date was an affront to women. But those attempts seemed to fall on deaf ears, even amongst the organizers of the women's rights march.

As in recent years, a few people, including trans activist Lohana Berkins, chose to participate in a "Counter-March" to protest against the capitalist system and the increasingly apolitical and assimilationist nature of the annual pride event.

But even Lohana had reason to smile on Saturday: On Tuesday, November 21st, Argentina's Supreme Court ruled that that the Argentinean government must grant ALITT, the organization she represents, official recognition as a non-profit organization. The ruling was applauded by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission as a first for a transgender rights organization in Argentina in this press release.

Additional photos of Saturday's march can be found here and here.

UPDATE: Gabriel from mundogay.com has even more photos here.

Young Latina lesbian stabbed to death in Queens

Priscilla Pimentel (left) never made it to Thanksgiving dinner at her family's place in Bethlehem, PA last week.

The 24 year-old had moved to New York City four years ago because she did not want her sexual orientation to be a source of shame or pain for her Puerto Rican family. Still - when she did not show up on Thursday night, her family knew something was wrong.

On Friday, according to the New York Times, her brother and sister went to her Richmond Hills apartment in Queens and walked into a murder scene. The green walls of the apartment were streaked with blood, a rainbow flag laid on the floor, a mattress she'd been using as a bed was still unmade and dirty dishes were still in the kitchen sink.

Her body, which showed multiple stab punctures in the arms and left side of the chest, was also smeared with "mint green paint, which she had recently used to brighten the walls of her apartment." Her hands had been tied, her dog Gucci, was also lying dead next to her.

It's been a couple of days since the Times article was published (smaller articles also ran in the Daily News and Newsday following an AP report) and there hasn't been additional information.

Most of New York probably hasn't heard about this crime and it calls to mind the stabbing murder of Rodney Velazquez, a young Puerto Rican gay man who was also found in as ghastly a murder scene as Priscilla back in 2002. That case has long been forgotten by most people (actually, it never really caught the attention of people in this city as other crimes have done), and remains unresolved.

Let's hope that things turn out differently in this case even if, obviously, someone else in our community is gone due to mindless violence and nothing that happens will bring her back.

UPDATE: Richmond Hill Woman Stabbed to Death (Queens Chronicle, Friday, Dec. 1, 2006)

Argentina: We are all marvelously different

LGBT pride in Buenos Aires, Argentina will be celebrated on Saturday, November 25th. This year's theme is "We are all, women and men, marvelously different." For more information go here. Above you will see the winning entry in this year's promotional poster design contest (by Gustavo Doradillo). Other entries can be seen here.

Mexico City says yes to civil unions for same-sex couples

Last week I found myself speaking to a reporter from the Los Angeles newspaper La Opinion on the issue of LGBT rights in Latin America. He tried his best to get me to say that the situation for gays throughout Latin America was worse than that for gay Latinos in the United States.

While I did say that the LGBT advocacy movement throughout Latin America was younger and faced incredible challenges as well as organized opposition from conservative religious and political leaders, I reminded the reporter that the United States had seen the vicious murder of Matthew Sheppard and others and that, under this administration, the United States seemed to have fallen behind some Latin American countries on protecting the rights of the LGBT community.

I mentioned the civil union bill that was signed into law in the Argentine cities of Buenos Aires and Rio Negro in 2002, LGBT rights advances in Brazil, and the fact that civil union bills were being debated in Uruguay and Colombia, among other countries in the region.

"Yes," the reporter said, "but what about Mexico!"

I said that, yes, Mexico had a history of homophobia that was strongly linked to its machismo culture but that, as in most other Latin American countries, there was a vibrant and active LGBT community gaining visibility in its urban centers.

I have a feeling he still found this hard to believe.

So, without further ado, it is a great pleasure share a Reuters article from today that says simply "Gay unions legalized for first time in Mexico."

What about Mexico indeed!

Breaking News: NJ to decide on marriage for same-sex couples tomorrow

"The New Jersey Supreme Court is expected to issue an opinion in Lambda Legal’s case seeking marriage for same-sex couples in New Jersey tomorrow afternoon" - From a statement posted on Lambda Legal's website.

Reuters says that the ruling will be posted at 3pm at this website. The New York Times ran a story earlier in the week on the speculation behind the much-awaited ruling. The Star-Ledger reports that Steve Goldstein of the state-wide LGBT rights advocacy grpup Garden State Equality thinks that the fact that the ruling comes before the elections might be a bad omen as to what the decision might mean for same-sex partners.