Speech reactions

Here is a sampling of excerpts from reactions to yesterday's speech by Barack Obama on race, religion and the presidential race from other blogs I read frequently:

Unlike Kennedy, he was not born to great wealth, pedigree or expectations. What this speech, and his willingness to deliver it, his skill at doing so, the passion in it, represented is what I mentioned second, a quality of mind that is very, very high, certainly in the same league with Kennedy, perhaps surpassing him. I don't know if it will save Obama's candidacy; those who would find a reason not to vote for him now have one, if they didn't already, and as I saw tonight on the monitors at my gym, CNN is still flaying the Wright outtakes and pumping its pundits as if Obama had not said a word today - J's Theater

Having been in the civil rights movement for over forty years, I have heard numerous speeches dealing with race in America. In my mind, this speech occupies the same rank as Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Granted the rhetorical flourishes were missing but the substance, honesty and bravery of this speech was simply stunning. He did not duck the tough issues no matter what the political consequences. The Senator bared own personal journey and those that came before him to the entire nation - David Mixner

This searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime. It is a speech we have all been waiting for for a generation. Its ability to embrace both the legitimate fears and resentments of whites and the understandable anger and dashed hopes of many blacks was, in my view, unique in recent American history - Andrew Sullivan

I thought this was one of the best speeches of his career, and one of the most nuanced speeches on racism of any Presidential candidate with perhaps the exception of Shirley Chisolm. I think one people will be critiquing and debating for years to come - Kenyon Farrow

In Obama's speech I was reading the words of a man that gets it, regardless of the fact that he is a candidate for President of the United States of America that resonate with me on this issue. That he is this close to becoming president of this country -- and to risk it all by cracking open this door on a painful area of this country -- is something I thought I would never see. He is giving voice to a healthier view on race relations that needs to be embraced from a stage where it's hard to argue that it is not an issue worth tackling - Pam Spaulding

I am convinced now more than ever that Barack is the president that we need to move our country forward and to help us create a more perfect union - Bloggernista

He stepped up to the plate, and talked about race and what it has meant to this country. I have been killing the guy since day one to get just a little real, so when he does, I am going to give him credit - The Field Negro

The brilliance of the speech instead was evidenced by the way he leveraged the issue of Wright's comments to examine not only the reality of African-American life, particularly for those of the minister's generation, but also the fears, resentments, and anger that the issue of race has spawned within the nation's white majority. In doing so, Obama's words were significant not only in what was said, but as well in what was not said - Paul Schindler, Editor in Chief, Gay City News

In some ways the furor over the incendiary sermons by Rev. Jeremiah Wright played right to Obama's strengths -- a controversy he could address with a powerful speech, expertly delivered. Certainly anyone with an open mind who heard Obama speak so forcefully about his love for country and faith will accept that no part of Obama agrees with his pastor's outrageous statements... For the immediate future, however, Obama did not do all that he could have to relieve legitimate doubts raised by the controversy - Chris Crain

The question I have is, when will Hillary give her address on race issues? Why was it necessary for Obama to repudiate Rev. Wright when Hillary has so reluctantly distanced herself from racist statements coming from her camp? Why is it Black people always have to take on the responsibility of educating the rest of society on race? - Bejata

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if Obama could stand up and say: "I agree with a lot of what that pastor says! We do act like terrorists sometimes. And whitey is a mean, oppressing motherfucker who's made life hell for us!"? And if Geraldine Ferraro could stand up and bray: "I have to admit, I was idiotic to suggest that being a black man would be someone's entrée into the White House! Perhaps the fact that not one black has ever been allowed to come close would have been a pretty good clue!"? - Michael Musto who blogs here.

Adil Doukali on bisexuality and being a gay Muslim

Adil Doukali (pictured above), the 32 year old Moroccan man who won the Mr. Bear Spain 2007 sash last summer - and then drew heated criticism for comments he made about his sexual orientation during a nationally televised gossip show - has sent me a link to a new interview he did with a Spanish gay magazine called MOXOW.

Although I can't find a direct online link to the interview, a .pdf version of the magazine can be downloaded here (the interview is featured on page 9 of the magazine).

Here's my translation of the interview from the original Spanish:

MOXOW: Why did you decide to present yourself at [Spain's] 2007 Bear Fest?
Adil Doukali: Simply because I'm a Bear. I have a beard, I'm hairy, handsome, I had what the contest required. In my opinion the Mr. Bear contest is, before anything, a "beauty" contest, which is to say that people are judged on aesthetic terms. I match the Bear aesthetic.
M: You were named Mr. Bear 2007 last summer and you went on with a normal life until you appeared in an Antena3 show. Why did you want to appear on television?
AD: I thought it would be interesting to show that a Muslim Moroccan man could be gay. I also thought we would talk about the bear world.
M: Nevertheless things became complicated.
AD: The show's hosts stopped asking about this subject and went directly to the topic of religion. If you ask me what the Koran [says] about homosexuality I will say the same thing that I told them, that it's a sin. It was very harsh [for me] when they showed a segment taped outside a mosque and asked my countrymen about me, showing them photos of me in underwear which had been published in Hot Bear magazine - to be naked in public is a sin in the Muslim religion.
M: What we didn't understand was your desire to return to a good path by marrying a woman. Can you explain?
AD: I am bisexual and it's true that one day I may want to marry a woman. It's a possibility. What happens is that if you ask me who I am, I would tell you that I am gay. Because in Marroqui culture - and also in mine - to be gay or bi, is the same thing because in either case you sleep with men. People did not understand that a boy who says he is gay [can also] declare that he wants to marry a woman. For me bi and gay is the same thing. There were people and journalists who said that I regreted being gay and this I never said, nor is it the truth.
M: What was your reaction to everything that happened [after] that show?
AD: It hurt me that people didn't try to get in touch with me before printing that information. It surprised me that a lot of gays [reproached] me and did not want to accept that a bisexual could be Mr. Bear.
M: That is something that is still not clear to us. A bisexual can participate in the Mr. Bear contest?
AD: I wasn't told anything before participating nor was I asked anything. After the show on Antena3 I remained with the organizers of the contest. The only thing I was told was that it would have been better if I hadn't said that I was bi. But they didn't give me trouble nor was I stripped of my title as many have said.
M: Do you regret appearing on that show?
AD: No, even if things got pretty bad afterwards. The news even came out in Morocco where my whole family lives. My mother and my sister had a rough time. They wouldn't leave the house for fear of people. There were rumors that I would be killed. I have friends there who used to say I was a very good person who now say I am a woman.
M: At the very least in Spain things are better?
AD: A lot of hetero people recognize me in the streets. And that's what I wanted, that the Bear [lifestyle] reach heterosexual people. Nevertheless a lot of people have not understood me, I have work colleagues that don't greet me [Doukali works as a home painter], don't talk to me or throw insults at me. Even the old Mr. Bear 2006 took it up against me in a Barcelona magazine, calling me false and telling lies about me.
M: We hope you're not also angry with us.
AD: Nah, you are the only ones who have agreed to interview me to know what really took place. I get angry if I'm not given the possibility to tell the truth and respond. You have listened to me and that's why I respect you.
M: Well, thanks, and to finish the interview: Do you know if you are heading to San Francisco for the selection of Mr. International Bear?
AD: Well, at the moment I don't know a thing. The contest takes place in February and to date nobody has gotten in touch with me. If they ask me to go, I'll go.

The annual International Bear Rendezvous ends today in San Francisco and the International Bear competition took place last night. No word on whether Adil made it to the event or won any new titles.

Previously on Blabbeando:

• Adil Doukali in his own words (Dec. 15, 2007)
• Muslim bear to defend Spain's title at IBR (Dec. 11, 2008)
• Is Mr. Oso Gay Enough? (Dec. 8, 2007)

Puerto Rico: In lieu of civil unions, de Castro Font offers "shared residence" measure

In an OpEd piece that ran in the New York Times last year ("Praise the Lord and Pass the Budget," May 20, 2006) novelist Mayra Montero expressed concerns about the outsize influence of a few religious leaders on government and their role in mediating a resolution to a budget crisis that threatened to overwhelm the island.

In this crisis, they took advantage of the ineffectiveness of other forces in society and made off with the prize.

This is not to say that evangelicals, Catholics and other religious groups shouldn't help out when there's a crisis — though it is a shame that the governor and the Legislature needed an intercessor to come to an agreement.

But at what price? There is little doubt that one day these religious groups will send an invoice: when Puerto Rico has to decide on matters like gay rights and abortion, they will surely seek restrictions. And then we will find ourselves asking if divine intervention was really worth the cost.

Yes to "shared residence" rights, no to civil unions: The essay came to mind yesterday when Puerto Rican Senator Jorge de Castro Font announced that he was ready to back passage of a judicial "contract" proposed by the Catholic church that would recognize something called "recidencia compartida" (shared residence).

According to El Nuevo Dia, the measure would extend "hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and medical insurance rights" not only to same-sex couples but to anyone living together under the same residence which seems pretty progressive but would fall short of recognizing same-sex couples as a family unit - or offer protections and rights equivalent to marriage as civil unions would do.

At the press conference, de Castro Font was joined by San Juan Archbishop Roberto González (pictured) who was the proposal's lead architect.

"It seems to me that these three fundamental rights and this proposal by the Catholic church will result, in a certain sense, in breaking the 'impasse' that has existed in the last few weeks between minority groups and the majority without in any way changing what we have said in the past, that we understand that Puerto Rico is a Christian town and a pro-family town," said de Castro Font (so much for separation between the church and the State).

Today's Primera Hora says that the concept of a "shared residence" was the same as the "shared union" proposal that the Archbishop proposed last year but that the name had been changed to avoid any confusion as to whether the proposal would recognize unions other than heterosexual marriage - it does not.

Today's El Vocero also says that de Castro Font would ad language to the measure specifically prohibiting polygamous couples from accessing "shared residence" rights.

Withering criticism: Most probably it was a response to the withering criticism that has followed the Senator for his efforts throughout the past year to 1) force legislators to withdraw support for language that would grant civil union rights to same-sex couples in a version of the civil code that is currently being finalized; 2) stonewall, antagonize and question the expertise of other legislators who stood in his way during the civil code revision process, which he presided over and recently calling for the dissolution of the body that oversees the process; and 3) successfully pull a last minute legislative maneuver that resulted in the Puerto Rican Senate approving an amendment to the Commonwealth's constitution that would ban the recognition of same-sex marriages (a similar measure seems destined to be taken up by the House of Representatives in the new legislative session that begins in early January and, if passed, would then be submitted for a public vote as a referendum).

An editorial published on November 14 in El Nuevo Dia ("Be careful with the Supreme Law") expressed alarm:

The problem is that there is an attempt here to assault the Constitution subjecting it to the whims of a few with inopportune proposals that should have never been considered for a matter as important as a constitutional amendment.

Actually one of them, the one about marriage, would ad an element of exclusion against a sector of our population as we denounced in this same forum. This is not only immoral, but also illegal. Undoubtedly, amendments of this nature put our democracy in precarious standing.

For his part, despite what he obviously sees as an olive branch to the gay community, de Castro Font is not backing off his anti-gay efforts. When asked about civil unions yesterday, the Senator replied:

I have already said that I will not support anything that may grant the rights and benefits or mechanisms or substitutions or legal semantics in the proposed Civil Code that could affect the exclusive rights of what is a family in Puerto Rico, marriage.

He added that he would not give way to the recognition of civil unions for gays or even for heterosexual couples and we are certain that he will have a prominent role in pushing his colleagues in the House of Representatives to take up the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment come January.

The response from LGBT activists: Ada Conde from the Human Rights Foundation called the proposal a "joke" and told El Vocero that it would be tough to implement such a plan in reality.

Pedro Julio Serrano said that the proposal amounted to "crumbs."

"To me it seems absurd," said Serrano, "even if they do not want to acknowledge it, the gross inequality has forced the legislators and religious leaders to admit that in Puerto Rico they have to grant rights to same-sex partners and that eventually, it should be equality."

In a statement on his blog, Serrano also takes de Castro Font to task for seeking to dissolve the legislative task force in an effort to shut down any consideration of civil union rights for same-sex partners and urges the House of Representatives not to take up a constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples.

Previously on Blabbeando:

• House of Representatives won't take up constitutional ban on same-sex marriage until 2008 (Nov. 8, 2007)
• Religious pressure drives Senate vote to ban same-sex marriage (Nov. 7, 2007)
• Puerto Rican Archbishop gives OK to "domestic partnerships" for same-sex couples (April 17, 2007)
• If I had time... (April 1, 2007)
• Miss Universe to back equal rights for gays, transgender individuals in Puerto Rico (March 13, 2007)
• Puerto Rico to include same-sex civil unions in civil code (January 10, 2007)
• Green light for civil union legislation in Puerto Rico (Sept. 23, 2006)
• LGBT Latinos for equal rights in Puerto Rico (Sept. 21, 2006)

Update: Puerto Rican senate votes in favor of constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, civil unions

PLEASE NOTE: This post has been updated. Click here for details...
----
A brief update: Tonight the Puerto Rican senate approved a measure that calls for an amendment to the Commonwealth's constitution that would ban same-sex marriages in the island. Calling it a "nefarious day for our democracy," Pedro Julio Serrano of the gay rights organization Puerto Rico Par Tod@s also expressed dismay that the proposed amendment goes even further than expected and, if successful, would also ban civil unions between same-sex couples as well as heterosexual couples.

More information tomorrow as more is known about tonight's vote.

Puerto Rico: Religious pressure drives Senate vote to ban same-sex marriage

Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Dia is reporting this morning that pressure from conservative religious groups might result in a Senate vote later today on a constitutional amendment to ban marriage between same-sex partners in the island.

Senator Jorge de Castro Font, who authored the measure and controls which bills are brought to the Senate floor, said just as much to El Nuevo Dia reporter Israel Rodríguez Sánchez yesterday, and said that he also believed there were enough votes to pass it.

Other Senate leaders from different political parties did not go on record to say if they agreed with De Castro Font's assessment though independent Senator María Lourdes Santiago did say that she would oppose attempts to pass such an amendment.

The measure would have to pass with the support of 3/4ths of the Senators and also be adopted by a 3/4ths vote in the House of Representatives before being submitted as a public referendum where it would just need a simple majority.

Rodríguez Sánchez, who has reported extensively on legislative issues in the island, said that he noticed the Reverend Jorge Raschke, an long-time gay rights foe, in De Castro Font's office earlier in the day but the Senator said they never met because he was unavailable. Other anti-gay pastors, Otoniel Font and Ricky Rosado, were also seen in the Senate corridors yesterday while a few people stood outside the Senate using speakers to express support for an amendment.

The latest move by De Castro Font follows his successful bid to eliminate language from a new Civil Code currently being drafted which would have granted same-sex couples in the island access to civil unions (I was definitely more upbeat about the issue the last time I mentioned the chances for same-sex civil unions being adopted by Puerto Rico).

The move, coming two days before the end of the legislative session, seemed to catch LGBT rights advocates by surprise. As I wrote yesterday, they are urging members of the LGBT community in Puerto Rico and their allies to call their representatives today and express their opposition to the amendment.

In a public statement sent this morning, Puerto Rico Para Tod@s' Pedro Julio Serrano stated that Puerto Rico's laws already limits marriages to those between a man and a woman and said that the effort to amend the constitution was a purely discriminatory endeavor: "With the country in [fiscal] bankruptcy, the senators should focus on finding solutions to the socio-economic crisis and not spend millions of dollars on a referendum that doesn't resolve a thing."

He added: "We trust that reason will prevail in today's senate session; that the senators understand that the Constitution guarantees equality for all Puerto Ricans, not only the majority; that they understand that the rights of no one, even less those of minorities, can be subjected to the possible abuse of the majority."

Dominican Republic: Cardinal calls gays "maricones"

In an article published yesterday in El Nacional on the views of Dominican Republic Cardinal Jesús López Rodríguez the lead issue was whether political figures should disclose where they get their earnings. The Cardinal supported the idea and said that it would bring transparency to politics in the island. Good thing!

But the paper also says that the Cardinal used the interview to reiterate the Catholic church's opposition to making abortion legal (he argued that access to abortion would promote promiscuity among youth by making it easy for them to get rid of unwanted pregnancies).

No big surprise there.

He also criticized those who promote condom use as a prevention tool against pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases saying that all they were doing was working on behalf of the condom companies (he argued that that condoms did not provide 100% protection because sperm was 500 times smaller than condom fibers and that they could easily get through, language that comes from a 1993 research paper that has been soundly challenged).

No big surprise there, either.

Still, the good Cardinal didn't stop there and, for someone like me who has grown used to anti-gay religious leaders sweetening their anti-gay language in fuzzy-wuzzy "love the sinner, hate the sin" rhetoric, something else he said literally made my jaw drop.

According to El Nacional, the Cardinal, arguing that fidelity should be at the core of education efforts to stem pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases "explained that for those reasons the Catholic church was opposed to promiscuity between 'heterosexuals and maricones' because sex had to be of the moment and between a man and a woman."

Now, mind you, the Cardinal could have easily said 'homosexuals' or 'gays' but he specifically used the word "maricones" meaning 'faggots' which I find shocking coming from the Dominican Republic's top religious leader.

Then again, this is the same Cardinal that has made the following comments about gays in the past:

On the presence of gays in Santo Domingo's historic colonial district: "They should stay in Europe or the United States, we don't need that social trash, we don't need it" and "Take all of them away... We cannot allow that this place, the historical center of Santo Domingo, be converted into the patrimony of foreign and Dominican degenerates" (AP, April 7, 2006)

On whether gays should serve in the military: "The moment it is allowed that a general can marry a lieutenant, the line of command immediately fails... Not only [am I against] the inclusion of these type of people, if the fact is that they are already in they should be thrown out, because if it's allowed they will have to renounce one of their key principles, which is discipline" (Clave Digital, November 28, 2006).

Arguing that the United States and its tolerant policies were to blame for the Catholic church's child sexual abuse scandals and stating his views on the ordinance of gay priests: Referring to what he called "hombres flojos" [weak men] and "amanerados" [effeminates] the Cardinal said "I am not involved in this topic, discussing the silly things that people make up: If someone is effeminate or whatnot. Those who are effeminate have to go elsewhere. I don't want them anywhere near a place of responsibility. I don't want them in the cleric. Honestly, I don't have interest in them" (Reuters, April 30, 2002).

Considering these views, I guess it was only a matter of time until the word "faggot" rolled off the Cardinal's tongue as effortlessly as it did earlier this week. It still doesn't fail to be shocking to me.

UPDATE: A religious-themed blog, Secretum Meum Mihi, aks why other media who reported on the Cardinal's statements did not mention his usage of the word 'maricones.' They wonder if El Nacional is at fault for erroneosly attributing the usage of the word to the Cardinal.

Is brown Jesus better than chocolate Jesus?

Dateline: San Antonio, Texas - Never mind that a brand new chocolate Jesus might actually see the light of day in a Manhattan gallery before Halloween (the old one was never unveiled at a planned exhibit back in April due to protests and was subsequently the gruesome victim of rat nibblings while being held in a dark Brooklyn storage room - the horror!). In any case, here comes Hispanic Jesus! Yay?

Yesterday hundreds of devoted church-goers in San Antonio, Texas, turned out for the unveiling of the city's "first Hispanic Jesus!" Praise the Lord!

Television reporter David Cruz described an "unmistakeable (sic) Hispanic appearance" (judge for yourself above) and I imagine for Latino kids growing up praising a Jesus that looks a bit like them - even if he's nailed to a cross - might be a good thing? I mean, I guess it's better than those 3-D images of Jesus with long blond hair and blue eyes whose stare follows you across the living room at many a Latin American living room (but probably not even close to representing the Middle Eastern man most probably portrayed in the Bible).

The difference? Well, brown Jesus has a loin cloth and was created by a believer. Chocolate Jesus doesn't have a loin cloth and was not necessarily created for a place of worship. Which is better? Only Jesus knows. What do you think?

Related:

• QueerSighted debates Folsom Street and public displays of sexuality (Queer Sighted, October 4, 2007)
• A last thought on the Last Supper...? (Citizen Crain, September 28, 2007)
• Father forgive them (Citizen Crain, September 26, 2007)
• Other Last Suppers: Where is the outrage? (Dan Savage, September 25, 2007)
• Culture war gasoline (Andrew Sullivan, September 25, 2007)
• Xtians on warpath over Folsom poster (Joe.My.God., Septemver 25, 2007)

Previously on Blabbeando:

• All chocolaty and Jesus-like (April 2, 2007)
• Billboard ads removed in Panama after uproar (March 23, 2007)
• The last supper, the sacred femine, Opus Dei and liberty of expression in Colombia (August 4, 2006)
• José Mantero: A gay Catholic priest and his blog (November 8, 2005)
• Gays are part of God's creation, says Colombia's sole female priest (October 2, 2005)

Father John Azzali has died

[NOTE: I have corrected the date of the memorial service, see below for more information] I received some sad and unexpected news today: Father John Azzali, a minister at the Sts. Sergius & Bacchus Catholic Parish in Jackson Heights, Queens died of a heart attack on Saturday, Sept. 22nd, according to an e-mail message that I received from the Queens Pride House.

I'd just seen John earlier this month at the 6th anniversary vigil in remembrance of the death my friend Eddie Garzon. At the vigil, I had a chance to briefly chat with him as we waited for Eddie's parents to show up. At the end of the vigil, Father Azzali was also gracious enough to lead those gathered in prayer and to introduce me when the Garzon family asked me to say a few words.

I must have met John when we were both on the founding board of the Queens Pride House back in mid-1990's and also were members of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club. He later became chair of the Queens Gays and Lesbians United (Q-GLU) for which he also went to produce a series of weekly public cable television shows on issues facing the borough's gay community.

I took this photo of John on June 4th, 2006, when he was named one of the Grand Marshall at the Queens LGBT Pride Parade, a much deserved honor for a man that devoted his life to the gay community in Queens through his tireless activism and his religious ministry to the LGBT community in the borough.

To those who know a little bit about the borough's entangled and fractured LGBT political world, I will always remember John for rising above the pettiness and posturing. Despite knowing that I have not necessarily been on the good side of the Queens LGBT political forces that be, John never let this keep him from greeting me warmly every time we saw each other and of asking after my partner and about life in general. That might be a small thing but I always thought this was such a loving gesture and something that truly defined who John was to the community and to the borough. I dare say that John was one of the few people that could really get along with everyone in and bring them together.

It had been a while since I had seen John and I am glad that I got a chance to talk to him on September 4th. Sometimes these things really come out of nowhere and I can't fail but feel that we just lost someone that was incredibly important to the LGBT community in Queens.

A public memorial service in honor of John's life will be held on Friday, October 5th at 7pm at the Community Methodist Church (81-10 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights; 7 train local to 82nd Street is the best option, you can also take the R/F/V/E Trains to 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue). A private funeral service will also take place, no details are available.

• Related: Community mourns loss of beloved Pastor Fr. John Azzali (Queens Chronicle, Oct. 4, 2007)

Mexico: The church loves the gays but only if they stop having sex

Starting today and ending on Sunday, Courage Latino says that they will be coordinating a spiritual retreat for some eighty individuals in Leon, Mexico, to "re-orient" them away from same-sex attraction.

According to EFE, forty of the participants have attended similar retreats in the past and are back to strengthen their commitment to God.

For Juan Martinez, the priest who is organizing the event, homosexuality is "an accident of life" and homosexuals do not exist but, instead, are "men and women in a situation where they are attracted to the same sex."

He does admit that sexual attraction is difficult to change and that participation in the event may not result in changing someone's sexual orientation: "[The attraction] can remain for a long time," he says, "but sexual activity can be perfectly overcome."

"Oscar" who would only use a pseudonym and leads the Courage chapter in Mexico City, tells La Jornada that this is the 2nd year that the organization has been putting together these kind of retreats and that there has been eight of them so far in other cities such as Aguascalientes, Monterrey, Cuernavaca, Mexico City and Guadalajara - where as many as 200 people participated in the event.

Interviewed by AM in the streets of Leon, site of the retreat, a young gay man identified as Martin R. says he paid 700 pesos (about 63 US dollars) to register for the retreat but he seemed to have misinterpreted the call: "To be gay is no sin," he says, "Society itself has condemned us and the church itself used to do it. I think it's good to have these type of events where they can provide answers to the many concerns we have."

Others were not so sure this was a signal that the church had become accepting of gays. "I hope this event helps those who are suffering," said Fidel Negrete, to the AM reporter, "but I suspect this is an attempt to control the population through faith. It doesn't seem to me that there is a great willingness to help, since the retreat costs 700 pesos."

In a different AM article, Heber Sosa Beltran, who leads an organization that combats sexual violence in Leon, was more direct in his assessment: "The idea behind these types of retreats is to change a person's sexual orientation through the will of force. They call upon religion and therapeutic sciences, even if many of them are not valid as therapies."

"We do not suffer because we are homosexuals," ads Sosa Beltran, "we suffer due to rejection from our loved ones, friends, family members. Even though nowadays there is more family acceptance."

He stated that the practice of one's sexuality was a human right and that it was wrong for anyone to connect homosexuality to a host of social problems.

The original Courage, of course, was founded in the United States in 1980 and, at least according to Wikipedia, they had a hand in setting up the Mexican-based chapter. Of course, while they do not outright say that a person can change their sexual orientation, they believe celibacy is the way to spiritual well-being even though their claims and methods have no scientific basis.

For a fact-sheet on the reality of Courage's claims, please download this .pdf file (developed by The Catholic Action Network for Social Justice and made available through the Dignity USA website).

Puerto Rico: False homophobic statements attributed to popular singer

[H/T: El Blog de PJ] A profile of Puerto Rican singer Melina León (left) - as first posted online yesterday afternoon in El Nuevo Dia's website and set to be published today in their print edition - began with the following:

"On the eve of launching her new record 'You will pay,' singer Melina León acknowledged today the loneliness in which the average Puerto Rican woman lies submerged due to the crisis in masculinity [confronting] society. Part of the crisis is the tendency, each day more visible, towards mistreatment [and], in addition, to a masculine profile that is drifting towards homosexuality, alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment and gambling addiction."

Pedro Julio Serrano (below), who we recently quoted on comments made by presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, noticed that the statements were not direct quotes from the singer and decided to call the reporter in the article's byline, Jaime Torres, to ask what Melina had said specifically on the issue of homosexuality.

Torres directed Pedro Julio back to the web portal article ("Melina stands up for women"), which he said had been re-edited to include a direct quote from Melina:

"There are times when you see beautiful men and they have other sexual preferences and people say: Oh! All of them are leaving us, either they're married or they're in prison."

Gone was any direct reference to alcoholism, drug addiction or gambling as a cause of women's loneliness and an attribution to what other people may say about gays but not necessarily a direct blame.

Today's print version of El Nuevo Dia under the title of "Freed partnerships," also by Jaime Torres, is a whole different affair. It abandons the lonely women angle and focuses on Melina's views on gays and lesbians and her support of civil unions for same-sex couples.

"Many of those people live like I do with my husband. They buy houses and if they leave each other they can't claim them. The church is against [it] but I respect [them] because I have relatives and friend who are gay. I would throw a big stone at those who oppose it because there are some heterosexuals that are sick [people], hypocrites, who kill and rape."

But wait! There's more! The article also makes it clear that, while Melina might be in favor of civil unions for same sex partners she believes that marriage should specifically be only between a man and a woman. And yet...

Pedro Julio is now wondering if Melina actually came out in full support of same-sex marriage rights. He points out that there is an audio link to an interview excerpt on the issue of partnerships. Here's the complete translated quote from the audio file:

Jaime Torres: "Are you in favor of gay marriage, since you already mentioned that - also - this is part of the masculine crisis that the country is undergoing, no? The increase in this group of human beings and our brothers... Are you in favor..?

Melina León: "I haven't even gotten involved in that: I believe that persons when they want to be together have to be together no matter who says what, eh, if a person like us heterosexuals that we want to marry the person that we love, because we want to have that blessing from God, we want to get married, I don't understand... I mean, I am not against two persons who want to stay together and want to unite their relationship before God, and many of those couples have lives similar to that of myself and my husband and buy houses and, obviously, if they're not married how can they demand each other if they leave each other. See? Because they're a marriage, an union. Eh, I think what happens is that there is the church against it, eh, they're... I don't like to get involved the same as I don't like to be involved in political issues, but - yes - I have respect. I have family who are gay, I have best friends who are, and I obviously back it and back it 100%."

Jaime Torres: "So you would not pick up a big stone to throw it [Melina: NEVER!] at homosexuals [Melina: NEVER!] and lesbians that decide to get married, for example."

Melina León: "No, I would throw a big stone to anyone who tried to do it because that is a lack of respect. I think that you have to respect everyone equally and that there are many heterosexual persons who are sick people and hypocrites who are bad and who kill and rape but..."

As Pedro Julio notes, at not time when discussing same sex partnerships does she mention a stand against marriage rights. Actually, she believes that gays should be able to celebrate their unions before God and I'm pretty sure that is not the definition of a civil union. In fact, Torres is the one who seems to deduce in his opening question that Melina blames gays for the loneliness of women, that he sees gays as a growing threat and the first to imply that stones should be thrown at gays in his leading questions.

Over on his blog, Pedro Julio salutes Melina's statements in favor of same-sex marriage and states: "As readers it is our responsibility to oversee that the news is reported as and how they happened, without allowing a reporter to interject his thoughts into his writing."

I say: Great job PJ!

UPDATE: Turns out Jaime Torres is no stranger to blaming the ills of society on homosexuality, among other things. Just by looking for additional comments by Mr. Torres in El Nuevo Dia I found out that Torres is the co-author of a blog also published at the El Nuevo Dia portal called "Good News."

And, pray tell what is the "Good News" blog about? Well, it's mostly about how Puerto Rico's society is going down the drain unless people take God back in their hearts and repent.

Take the August 3rd post called "Devils:" It's not necessarily clear whether it was authored by Mr. Torres or the other co-blogger but it certainly carries his name and consent. Still, there are some common themes to the ones raised in the interview with Melina.

It starts by stating that human life is an eternal struggle between good and evil. It lists a litany of ways in which evil can take over which includes unfaithful husbands, a father leaving his son an orphan by having a heart attack after trying drugs, a man who loses his dignity when he becomes a gambling addict, a woman that crashed her car because she was speeding after getting drunk and high on drugs. Then he blames it on free will and how humans tend towards excess if given free will thanks to Satan. You probably get the rest.

"Satan and his legion of devils go around to the bars where there is lots of liquor, sex, drugs, etcetera [...] When [those who fall in his claws] discover his torture, how tormented they are, a lot of times it's already too late. They are the demons of adultery, fornication, lesbianism, homosexuality, drug addiction, alcoholism, the worship of money, gluttony, lying, jealousy and many others."

Hm, sounds suspiciously familiar to some of the things that Malina supposedly told Mr. Torres in the first drafts of his interview and looks particularly egregious now that we know she said no such things. I guess 'lying,' Mr. Torres, is one of the lesser evils?

Latino LGBT Pride in NYC: 2004

Continuing our look at Latino LGBT organizing in New York through some of the photos I've taken through the years...

copyrighted photos - to post, please ask for permission: blabbeando@gmail.com

Above - Taking a stand outside the Bronx Courthouse, Sunday, March 14, 2004: When conservative Latino religious organizations throughout the northeast asked parishioners to show up in big numbers at a rally in support of President Bush's constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, more than 5,000 people showed up. A few of us also showed up to counter their message and that of the homophobic State Senator (and Reverend) Ruben Diaz, Sr. Full story here.

Below - Heritage of Pride march, June 27, 2004: Venezuelan Gays United in full feather regalia perform before the judge's stand. I was a judge that year and I believe they were nominated for a couple of awards though I swear I tried to be as impartial as possible. They were pretty good though. Rumor says that this year they'll be back in feathers although the colors might change.

Photo of the day: Sperm dance against gay marriage, abortion

Ok, there was, like, a massive demonstration in San Juan, Puerto Rico over the weekend where conservative political leaders like Congressman Jorge De Castro Font and some religious leaders were joined by thousands in a protest against same-sex marriage (and, on a ligher scale, against abortion rights).

This in light of proposed changes to the island's civil code that would allow same-sex couples to have access to civil unions.

Movingly, some of the organizers saw it fit to dress their kids as - ehem - sperm and, hm, teach them sperm choreography by the look of the photo above (from El Nuevo Dia). At least they were painted with the rainbow colors although I'm not so certain that it was in honor of gay pride month.

I'm also not so sure they meant it in jest. No, I'm pretty sure they were pretty serious.

So is it so damn wrong of me to be rolling on the floor laughing?

• Dance of the Puerto Rican sperm children (Gawker)
• Puerto Rican Kids perform Sperm Lake (Guanabee)
• Children of the Sperm (Nerve: Scanner)
• Every Sperm is Sacred (Feministing)
• Sperm Party!!! (Bil*eri*co)
  

All chocolaty and Jesus-like

And, as long as we're highlighting blogs that link up to Blabbeando in meaningful ways, here are Terrance's thoughts on our recent post highlighting an advertising campaign for a magazine in Panama and how those images came to mind when an exhibition of a certain brown-skinned effigy of Jesus Christ here in New York as cancelled at the last minute following protests by those who felt the effigy was sacrilegious.

Panama: Billboard ads removed after uproar

Panama was in an uproar earlier this week over a series of six ads that appeared in seventeen billboards throughout Panama City, the country's capital.

The ads, commissioned by a magazine called Blank which targets upper class readers, pretended to highlight "the prejudices faced on a daily basis by those who are different because they dare to or because they are provocative" - At least according to the magazine.

Each featured a different person hanging from a wooden cross with a one-word label above them (including "faggot" as pictured above as well as "anorexic," "delinquent," "drug-addict," "whore" and "violent aggresor").

Obviously the magazine was probably more interested in being provocative than truly standing against discrimination. In any case if their goal was to attract attention, they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The church immediately called the campaign an insult to Catholics and by Tuesday the Mayor's Office had ordered the billboards removed saying that the agency wanted to take advantage of the upcoming religious holidays to attract attention to the publicity.

Ezra Ángel, an attorney consulted by Panama's news daily La Prensa, said that the Mayor had legal right to ask for their removal since the third tome of the Administrative Code, Title 1, Chapter 1, article 855 calls for "the maintenance of public calm, the morals and the good customs of people and their individual and collective interests" and added that "Blank [magazine] is being disrespectful of a great number of Catholics who feel a lack of respect when they see the irresponsible use of such a sacred symbol as the cross; The morals and good customs should be respected in order not to cross the thin line between freedom of expression an libertinism."

La Prensa interviews two publicists who were not involved in developing the campaign and both agree that the Mayor's actions amount to censorship.

Mayor contradicts himself: Interestingly in defending a different billboard campaign back in 2004, while recognizing that he personally found some images offensive, Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro told La Prensa "The Panama Mayor's Office does not have a role in censorship, on the contrary, I believe in freedom of expression."

He also said that if those billboards were taken down, the same would happen to other campaigns in other media be it radio, television, internet or newspapers: "There are in all of them publicity, programs and news that could be offensive to someone in the [general] public."

The content of that particular billboard campaign? Semi-nude women in advertisements for a strip club called Elixir.

You can see all the provocative ads in the current Blank magazine campaign here.

Rev. Ruben Diaz: Gays might be reason for FBI probe

I can't say that I was surprised to read in the New York Daily News this morning that the homophobic State Senator (and Reverend) Ruben Diaz, Sr. was under investigation by the FBI (his son, Ruben Diaz, Jr. as well). After all, I have kept a pretty good eye on the Reverend and his alleged misdeeds almost since I began this blog - and the article does a good job in spelling some of them out.

But in a brief interview this afternoon with The Politicker's Azi Paybarah the elder Diaz first denies any knowledge of the investigation and then speculates on who might want him under FBI purview:

"I have tons of enemies out there trying to get me. Because of my position. You know, I've been outspoken on certain issues, like gay marriage, abortion. All those things. I might create enemies."

Well, it certainly wasn't me so maybe it was the pro-choicers?

UPDATE: The New York Times also has a story on the FBI probe here.

ITN: Costa Rica blood bank challenge, domestic violence in Chile, Mexico turns right on gays

Costa Rican man claims the National Blood Bank discriminates against gay men: On January 9th, Teletica reported that Alberto Cabesas, through his lawyer Marco Castillo, is challenging the constitutionality of a law that bars gay men in Costa Rica from donating blood (the law currently bans donations from "homosexuals, bisexuals, promiscuous [people] and drug-addicts). Cabesas and Castillo argue that it is unconstitutional to base the ban on sexual orientation instead of personal behavior. Mr. Castillio, if you remember, also argued (unsuccessfully) in favor of same-sex marriage when the issue reached the country's highest court back in May of 2006.

Historic meeting between gay leaders and religious leaders in Chile: Also on January 9th, La Nacion reported that the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MOVILH) brought together leaders of the Evangelical, Presbyterian, Christian, Pentecostal and Jewish religious movements for a closed-door meeting to dispel confusion regarding an anti-discrimination bill currently being discussed in the country's legislature. A press release posted on the organization's website says that Evangelical leaders expressed fears fears that they might be prosecuted under the new bill based on their beliefs but lawyers present were able to explain that it was one thing for a religious leader to express his belief that homosexuality is wrong, a right to freedom of speech that would still be protected, and quite another to incite violence against gays as members of the right-wing Crusade of Power Evangelical Movement did last year when they organized a protest and called for the kiling of gays. Jewish religious leaders, says the press release, have backed the measure for more than four years.

Chilean court upholds conviction against man accused of domestic violence against his male partner: Also in Chile, today's El Mostrador reports that a Court of Appeals in the city of La Serena has upheld the conviction of 23 year old Honorino Muñoz Tapia for the "ongoing abuse" of his male partner under the country's Inter-Family Violence laws. In doing so, the court accepted that a same-sex couple living together for an extended period of time should be recognized as a partnership and falls under the oversight of family laws. Mr. Tapia is to serve 41 days in prison and attend mental health and alcohol abuse counseling. He is also forbidden to get anywhere near the victims for a period of a year (he also was abusive towards his ex-partner's mentally disadvantaged son).

Comments by Mexico's new Health Minister augur anti-gay policies: A mere six weeks after conservative Felipe Calderon took possession of the Mexican presidency, his Health Minister is promising to end programs that he sees as promoting homosexuality and speaks of "more education and less condoms" when it comes to HIV prevention.

In an extensive interview posted today in Excelsior, José Córdova Villalobos (pictured above) says that he will prioritize youth pregnancy prevention campaigns that focus on parents as educators rather than other prevention methods including the promotion of anticontraceptives.

Villalobos also criticized the work his office under former president Vicente Fox:

Villalobos criticized campaigns by the Health Ministry in the past six years to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases since he considers that frequently their message instead of being preventive, promoted high risk behaviors.

In particular, he expressed his rejection of campaigns that sought to eradicate discrimination against those who hold homosexual practices, a group that has become the primary transmitter of HIV/AIDS.

Villalobos was referring to a series of controversial public service radio announcements that the Ministry sponsored in 2005.

The paper publishes a transcript of one of the spots translated here as follows:

Mother: So you look very much in love, son, how long has it been?
Juan: Five months, mom
Mother: And likes the idea of being invited to dinner with our family?
Juan: Loved it! Even prepared a dessert dish that you are going to love!
Mother: I hope he likes what I made. By the way, what did you say was the name?
Juan: Oscar, his name is Oscar
VOICE OVER: Even if you think it's strange, many people still think badly of a situation like this one. Homophobia is the intolerance against homosexuality. Equality begins when we accept that every one is different.

Rev. Fernando Frontan: Uruguay, New York, Spain

I met Fernando Frontan a couple of years ago. He was visiting New York City from Uruguay where I knew he'd enjoyed a tremendous reputation as an advocate for LGBT rights but - at the time - he had already been distancing himself from activism and receiving some criticism for the path he had chosen instead: He wanted to devote himself to a spiritual life and become a priest.

Though I had known about his activism and admired from afar, I personally met Fernando Frontan through Nila Marrone, a straight married woman born in Bolivia (she currently is the coordinator of the New York chapters of Latino Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays a/k/a Latino PFLAG and PFLAG for Families of Color and Allies). You see, Nila considers Fernando to be one of her adopted sons and was the one to introduce him to some of us here in New York.

In the meantime, even before Spain allowed marriage for same-sex couples, a minor scandal erupted when a Catholic priest decided to come out on the cover of ZERO magazine (Spain's answer to Out magazine, except it's much better) to counter some of the Catholic church's opposition to granting equal rights to the LGBT community, including the right to marry. The Reverend Jose Mantero has since rallied against ZERO accusing them of becoming a bastion for wealthy gays in Spain (and gained some enemies in the gay press) but, in the meantime, the influential Spanish journalist website Periodista Digital has granted a blog space to Mantero since last year which he has used to spread the word of God's love to the gay community.

How does all this come together? Over the last week Rev. Mantero has profiled Rev. Frontan which is how I know that Fernando's dream finally came through: Over the weekend, he finally became an ordained minister for the world-wide Metropolitan Community Church, which is accepting of the LGBT community. A fact celebrated in Uruguay, New York and Spain and probably elsewhere.

In the meantime, Rev. Mantero has launched a new initiative for Spanish-speaking gay Christians in the form of an MSN group. So, if you somehow find yourself reading these words, speak Spanish, consider yourself a Christian as well as gay, please join this group and you will find that there are others like you.

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.