Guest post: "La Mission" and Latino Masculinities

In late March, I asked my friend Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano if I could post an essay he wrote about Ricky Martin's coming out as a guest post on this blog ("Why Ricky Martin matters", March 30, 2010). It was the first ever blog post on Blabbeando.

Today, I am posting his thoughts about the recently released movie, "La Mission".  I posted a preview of the film based on it's appearance at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival but I have yet to see the actual movie now that it's out in the theatres.

Lorenzo's essay, though, not only raises a number of interesting issues about the film, but also about representation of Latino queerness and masculinity in media.  Enjoy.

Thoughts on La Mission and the Ongoing Struggle to Broaden Notions of Latino Masculinities

by Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see a screening of Peter Bratt’s La Mission. The screening, which was part of a limited release, was at San Francisco’s Metreon Theaters. My compañero and I, joined by two of our queer sisters of color, were lucky enough to find seats in relative proximity to each other in the sold-out space.

It was a late night screening and the vast majority of folks in the theater were people of color. In fact, I’d say most of the people there were Latina/o, with a nice mix of generations representing. The experience was unforgettable as all four of us, none of which were born and raised in San Francisco, were sitting in what seemed to be an intimate living room screening of La Mission.

We all smiled and were occasionally misty-eyed as people in the crowd, youth and adults, loudly expressed their pride in the various shots of San Francisco portrayed in the film. During the movie, I realized that this was the first time I had ever witnessed the screening of a film that embodied the geographic and cultural identities of the audience. People not only saw themselves on the big screen, they also saw the places that have shaped and witnessed them.

All in all, I found La Mission to be a beautiful film. I’m not a film critic and will leave that to those who know better. Instead, I’ll limit my thoughts on what moved me most about the movie, and those areas I wish it had gone deeper.

The relationship of Benjamin Bratt’s character, Che Rivera, and his son Jesse, played by Jeremy Ray Valdez, was sweet, raw and in many ways reflective of my own experience with my father. I was further moved by the depiction of comunidad and the ways in which we, as a village, honor our shared responsibility and opportunity to support each other and our children. Even as the father struggled with the realization of his son’s sexuality, their community intervened, loved and supported both of them in a way that rings true to my experiences of community engagement in times of family crisis. This particularly resonated with memories of how my family responded to the teenage pregnancies of cousins and to my own coming out. This isn’t to say my family, or our communities are romantic portraits reminiscent of Norman Rockwell. Rather, it is necessary to honor the fact that even in our messiness and pain, we managed to love each other in the only ways we knew how.

A question I had throughout the film was the extent to which audience members knew what the film was actually about. This was somewhat answered by the collective surprise when Jesse first kissed his boyfriend, Jordan. However, after the initial shock, people seemed to settle with the idea, though I wouldn’t suggest this was a celebration or affirmation of queerness; yet another reflection on my coming out experience.

In addition to the possibility that some in the audience were unaware of the gay theme in the story, people were very surprised when Benjamin and Peter Bratt entered the theater. The Q&A with the actor and the director was a bit all over the place. Nonetheless, I was excited to hear Peter Bratt, who was both the writer and director, talk about his process.

Something that resonated with me was Bratt’s reasoning for the gay theme in the film. To paraphrase, the writer wanted to portray Latino masculinity in its most vulnerable state. According to Bratt, the best way to expose ultimate vulnerability in a Latino who is deeply rooted in what some would argue is a stereotypical depiction of Latino maleness (dare I say machismo), would be in the realization of his son being gay. Hearing this evoked the memory of hearing my father crying inconsolably on the phone while he asked if his suspicions of my sexuality were true. The call, which ended with my father saying I was a dried-up branch of his family, exposed the darkest and scariest of both his and my vulnerability as Latino men.

I appreciate Bratt’s analysis and his courage to quite literally breakdown Latino masculinity on the big screen. However, I am saddened by the fact that he only focused on exposing the vulnerability of the father’s masculinity, and in doing so, left a gaping whole in exploring the vulnerability and possibility of the gay Latino son. Instead, the story seemed to use the son and his sexuality as a conduit, rather than truly honoring the experience of gay Latino men and our relationship with our fathers.

I was also concerned with Bratt’s reinforcement of the notion that gayness is white construct and something that only exists openly in white-defined spaces such as San Francisco’s Castro District. This is not to say that the Castro is not an important space in queer culture and one that many queer men of color, myself included, have traveled through in the formation of our identities and experience. Yet, to continue leaving gayness within the realm of whiteness speaks to our ongoing inability to claim the many facets of Latina/o sexualities and the many ways we express and manifest gender.

Furthermore, leaving gayness to be embodied by the Castro and a white boyfriend also overlooked the rich history of queer Latinidad that has long been an integral part to San Francisco’s Mission District. As a queer brown man, the LGBT Latina/o community of the Mission, including such spaces as Esta Noche, heavily shaped my identity. Horacio Roque Ramírez, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, has done extensive work on the LGBT Latina/o community of La Misión and has done an excellent job in honoring the legacies of organizing and community building that has taken place over several decades.

To be clear, I am not arguing against depictions of the Castro or against mixed-race relationships. Rather, I ask that we think about what continues to stand in our way of fully acknowledging that LGBT Latinidad can and has long existed outside of the confines and direct influence of white LGBTness. Perhaps acknowledging that queerness can be just as inherently Latina/o as it is to white communities is a vulnerability we are not prepared to experience.

---

Related: For local showings of "La Mission" try an online movie ticket sale site such as Fandango.

About Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano: A Queer Xicano writer, Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-nominated  Santo de la Pata Alzada: Poems from the Queer/Xicano/Positive Pen (Evelyn Street Press, 2005).  He is also the editor of Queer Codex: Chile Love (allgo/Evelyn Street Press, 2004), an anthology of visual and literary works by queer men of color from across the U.S.; and, Queer Codex: Rooted (allgo/Evelyn Street Press, 2008), a mix-genre anthology by queer women and trans-identified writers and visual artists. His work also appears in  Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry (Floricanto Press, 2008), edited by Emanuel Xavier. A native born, raised and perpetually residing in Aztlán, Lorenzo was born in San José, CA, raised in Estación Adela, Chihuahua, and schooled in Austin, Tejas. Along with his compañero of nine years, Lorenzo now makes home in San Francisco, CA. 

Oh, and he also blogs, sometimes, at Hairspray & Fideo. Oh, and he has a personal website.

San Francisco's only Latino-owned gay bar vandalized

Disturbing news from KTVU in San Francisco this week:

One of the managers of what is described as the only Latino owned and operated gay bar in the Mission District of the city woke up Friday morning to see a number of swastikas spray-painted on the club's facade.

Edgar López, manager of the gay bar Esta Noche, said that there had been other times when he'd awoken to find spray-painting on the bar's walls but never something implying hateful sentiment.

Nevertheless, instead of calling the police to report it as a possible hate crime, López decided to quickly paint over the swastikas in an apparent attempt not to raise too much attention and to avoid a police visit.

“It's a lot of problems with police," López said to the KTVU reporter, "they have many paperwork and everything".

Armando Hernandez, of the Instituto Familiar de La Raza, indicated another reason why the manager might have thought twice about drawing police attention to the bar in these days of increasing xenophobic sentiment in this country.  "That it happened in a place that attracts Latino immigrants, gay identified individuals, transgender individuals should be a big concern," he said.

The article doesn't mention how KTVU got wind of the graffiti so I assume a viewer called it in.  Facing the media attention, the two co-owners of the bar say that they might file a report after all after sitting down with the manager and discussing the incident.  They also say they will definitely report any follow-up incidents if they happen.

Police tell the channel that the incident should have been reported but that there might be a problem investigating the case since the actual offensive symbols were painted over.

[h/t for this post: Towleroad, Rod2.0]

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)

Update: Adil Doukali in his own words

Earlier in the week I contacted Adil Doukali, Mr. Bear Spain 2007, and asked him about comments he made on a Spanish gossip / talk show on Antena 3, one of Spain's largest television networks.

Though I haven't actually seen the interview, 20 Minutos reported on Dec. 8 that the Morocco-born man revealed he was bisexual and said "I hope to some day recover the good path, to have a woman and children" - comments that have drawn the ire of some in the gay community in Spain (see comments at this Spanish-language site) and glee from some conservative websites (including this one, also in Spanish).

20 Minutos also implied that Doukali lied to organizers of the Mr Bear Spain contest by representing himself as being "100% gay" and claimed that he was on the verge of turning his back on homosexuality (an eye-catching claim that probably sold more than a few papers) even as blogger GayMenGC provided better context).

In the e-mail message he sent me, Mr. Doukali denies he lied to the Mr. Bear Spain 2007 organizers but stops short of addressing some of his most problematic comments (you can write to me directly if you want to receive the original Spanish language message - in the meantime here is my transtation):

Hello and good day, today I am afraid to say anything, today I live feeling terrorized, what has happened to me is very rough, I am a sincere and sensible guy, and when I participated in this contest it was to show the beauty my God gave me, showing favoritism to a hairy and bearded man that doesn't shave, and to show that there are men from Morocco who have an open mind.

In the contest there are no questions as to whether you are bisex or gay, the jury's questions were 'Why do you want to be Mr. Bear?' and about my Islamic culture, and whether I knew who the president of France was, and if I was willing to fight against homophobia.

The truth is that I am going through a bad moment. I thought that people would respect my ideas in the same way that I respect everybody else, at no time did I have the intention to offend anybody, neither gays nor Muslims, something that nowadays has placed my life and that of my family in an unbearable hell. I am sorry for this misunderstanding and I am sorry, my friend, because I cannot write any more because I am very depressed.

What strikes me about this whole thing is the the intersection between sexuality, religious dogma, negative views about immigrants in Spain (which are similar to those in the United States and particularly in this presidential race) and the rush to demonize anyone who does not conform to gay ideals. Yes, I am still struck by Mr. Doukali's choice of words when it comes to what the right or wrong path is for a man when it comes to his sexuality but I am also struck by his willingness to condemn - as a Muslim man - abuses against gay people in Islamic countries as well as the hypochrisy of other men who might sleep with men but never aknowledge it.

Furthermore, in one of his online profiles he proudly features a video that showcases his nomination as Mr. Bear Spain 2007 which seems to indicate he is more comfortable with his sexuality that others are giving him credit for. Part of his participation at the contest night itself is also available on YouTube (he is the last one featured in this clip):


I say give Mr. Doukali a chance and welcome him to San Francisco in February.

Update: In stunning twist, leniency requested for Chad Ferreira's attacker who is now transgender

In a December 7th sentencing hearing following a felony assault conviction for Kyle Adams over a 2006 street fight that ended with the death of Chad Ferreira, Adam's attorney is asking the judge to consider probation instead of a jail term for his client.

The reason? In a shocking turn of events, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Phong Wang - Adam's attorney - has told the judge that his client, who had previously identified himself as a gay man is now a transgender woman who calls herself London who would be placed at great risk if sent to federal prison. Representatives of San Francisco's Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project also appeared before the judge to support Adams.

Adams had been sentenced to six years in prison but might face additional charges if manslaughter charges are refiled against her (the jury deadlocked on similar charges during the first trial).

Full details over at the Bay Area Reporter.

Previously:

• Man charged with felony assault in Ferreira trial, jury deadlocks on other charges (may 23, 2007)
• Chad, Again (August 24, 2007)
• Latino gay man killed in San Francisco (February 9, 2006)

Update: Devout Muslim bear to defend Spain's title at IBR

Well, this certainly has gotten a bit more interesting.

With my recent post about Morocco-born Adil Doukali getting massive online hits this week, a bit more information has become available about the context in which he stated that he hoped to be "on the good path" to meeting a woman and raising kids in the future after being elected to defend Spain's crown at the upcoming International Bear Rendezvouz.

Over at GayMenGC there is a substantial description of the interview that ran on Spain's Antena3 this Friday - which I am quoting almost in its entirety - that provides additional context to Doukali's comments:

The programme’s presentation team were openly supportive of him as the contest winner, and respectful of the bear and wider gay community: but they didn’t pull any punches in questioning him about how he felt about the public repression and ill-treatment of gay men in many countries which describe themselves as “Islamic”.

He’s 32 and Moroccan, but has been living in Spain for some time, working as a painter and decorator. There’s no doubt he publicly identifies himself as a gay man, but also says there’s a bisexual side to him, and he doesn’t rule out the possibility of marrying a woman and raising a family.

What he does rule out is the possibility of marrying a man, for religious reasons. This sits somewhat strangely alongside his new role, since he’s been elected to act as an “ambassador” for the bear community, and it’s probably a comment which the contest organisers may find uncomfortable, and many in the gay community will find unacceptable; though it’s clearly a personal view, and not one which he said others should necessarily agree with.

In some ways, it was a very uncomfortable interview, seeing someone - who is in so many ways a modern Western gay man - still wrestling with the contradictions of the religious teaching he has grown up with (something which affects those gay men here who are also devout Catholics). But it was an interesting snapshot too, which probably captures the confused loyalties of other gay men brought up under Islam.

He accepts that Islam talks about homosexuality as being a sin, but says that God should be his judge not men: he openly condemns the treatment of gay men in those muslim countries where we suffer persecution, and is calling for more HIV/AIDS education in Morocco and elsewhere.

He also acknowledges that there’s a great deal of hypocrisy in Morocco and elsewhere, and that men frequently have clandestine gay relationships, particularly before and often after getting married. But he also admitted during the interview that though he didn’t believe he would suffer any consequences should he go home to visit his family in Morocco (he says in particular that his family are very “modern”), living in Spain has given him a very different life.

As a man born in South America, I know how tough it is to turn away from religious dogma when it goes against every grain of your body and yet, as I cringe about Doukali's choice of words in describing a "good path" to marriage and children, there is part of me that is impressed by a man who says he is a devout Muslim and is willing to be chosen as Spain's representative to IBR and to openly condemn "the treatment of gay men in those muslim countries where we suffer persecution."

A curious aside: One of the men Doukali beat for the title was Javier Gónzalez (left) who came in third place. Gónzalez is better known in the States as gay porn sensation Edu Boxer who has performed for a couple of Lucas Entertainment features along with his boyfriend Manu Maltes.

Lucas Entertainment is, of course, run by pouty Zoolander-type Michael Lucas who has an opinion column in the New York Blade that often riles against all things Muslim (which my friend Faisal Alam has taken to task in the past).

I'm sure not all will agree with me but we certainly hope to see Doukali at IBR despite the recent controversies.

UPDATE: Adil Doukali in his own words (Dec. 15, 2007)

Update: Man charged with felony assault in Ferreira trial, jury deadlocks on other charges

In a case that we have followed for a while, a San Francisco Superior Court jury has found 25 year old Kyle Adams guilty of "felony assault" in the beating death of 24 year old Chad Ferreira (pictured left) as a result of an altercation that happened last year a day before Halloween in San Francisco's Castro district.

The jury deadlocked on whether to charge Adams with and additional assault charge for hitting a friend of Ferreira's, Angel Zepeda, and on a more serious charge of manslaughter against Ferreira.

The Bay Area Reporter has full details.

Cathy Smith, Ferreira's mom, had previously expressed disappointment that the court did not seek murder charges and is said to be upset that the jury deadlocked on the other charges.

For now the San Francisco DA's Office is considering whether to retry Adams on the other charges.

Previously on this blog, Ferreira's mom wrote to thank us about following the developments in the case (her reply here). So did a friend of Adams (who posted a message on the same blog post that drew a response from Ferreira's mom).

Ferreira's boyfriend, Octavio Xtravaganza also contacted us a while back. His reaction to the ruling can be found here.

Bay Area Reporter: Disrespectful burial, gay radio jock, GLAAD goes to Mexico

Today's Bay Area Reporter has a number of stories that may be of interest to Blabbeando readers, some on which we have commented before. Among them:

Disrespectful burial: Mourners who went to pay their respects to murdered Latina transgender woman Ruby Rodriguez (also known as Ruby Ordeñana) in San Francisco were not happy to find that she had been dressed as a man for the viewing. Apparently the Nicaraguan Consulate had called the funeral home where the viewing took place to say that Ordeñana's father had requested that she be buried in men's clothing. Close friends expressed surprise at finding out that Ms. Ordeñana had any relatives living in the Bay Area.

Outed ex-Univision Radio employee now a radio show host: The Reporter also profiles 46 year old radio broadcaster Roberto Hernández (pictured), host of a weekly radio show targetting the Spanish language LGBT community in San Francisco (Roberto Al Medio Dia! on KIKI 1010AM).

In 2002, Mr. Hernández sued Univision Radio when, as an employee, he was outed as a gay man in a live prank call he received from two radio shock jocks that also worked for the radio network. He tells the Reporter that the case was settled for $270,000 which he has used to launch his own show and to launch a non-profit group somewhat awkwardly called Gay y Lesbianas Unidos Contra la Homophobia or GLUCH.

GLAAD crosses the border: Little noticed when it happened a few weeks ago, there was history of sorts made by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. On April 2nd Monica Taher, GLAAD's people of color strategy director, and Luis Perelman, President of the Mexican Federation of Sexual Education and Sexology met with producers and hosts of the Azteca America Network's "Ventaneando" gossip television show. At issue was homophobic language expressed by one of the hosts during one of the tapings which was later broadcast in the United States. The Reporter takes a look at the outcomes and has some local reaction.

Now, for some of us with an eye on Latino media, it seems more than appropriate that GLAAD target Spanish-language television production networks and production houses such as Azteca, Univision, Telemundo and others but the truth is that a great deal of their content is produced outside the United States. So it's worth noting that this particular meeting took place in Mexico City (full disclosure: Monica is one of my bestest friends in the world, but still pretty groovy). I might be wrong, but I believe it is the first time that GLAAD has targetted conglomerates airing programming in the United States even if they are based outside the United States.

Update: Ruby Rodriguez is mourned in San Francisco

Above: San Francisco Chronicle photo by Mike Keane

Happening Here has images from last night's SF vigil in memory of slain trans woman Ruby Rodriguez - including the one on the left. More here.

Good to see the presence of some public officials such as Assemblyman Mark Leno and Police Commissioner Theresa Sparks.

Ruby's murder has drawn a couple of responses that are shocking in their nastiness:

The infamously homophobic Michael Savage called Ruby a "psychopath" and a "freak" in his national syndicated radio show (Media Matters has the details) and an anonymous caller to the San Francisco Chronicle questioned the paper's political correctness in calling Ruby a "she" instead of "he" and chided the paper for not disclosing Ruby's immigration status.

As Don McPherson would say, the comments mostly reflect both men's insecurities. But part of me wonders why they haven't drawn the ire of the mainstream gay community in ways that other homophobic expressions have recently drawn wide condemnation.

Update: SF vigil in memory of Ruby Rodriguez this Friday

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Tina D’Elia, Hate Violence Survivor Program Director
(415) 777-5500 ext. 304

Alexandra Byerly, EL-LA Program Coordinator
(415) 864-7278

Community Mourns Murder of Latina Transgender Woman
Requests Attendance at Vigil to Demand Change

San Francisco, California (March 22, 2007) – A Nicaraguan transgender woman, Ruby Rodriguez, 24 years old, was murdered on Friday, March 16, 2007. Her body was found on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Indiana Streets in the Mission District of San Francisco. The murder is currently under investigation by the San Francisco Police Department. Community United Against Violence (CUAV), EL-LA, San Francisco LGBT Community Center, TRANS Project, allies, and community members will hold a community vigil in her honor on Friday, March 23, 2007 at 6:00PM, on the corner of 24th Street and Mission Street in the Mission District.

Organizers request that the community bring a white candle to the vigil. There will also be an additional altar set up on Cesar Chavez and Indiana Street, and community members are encouraged to bring flowers, photographs, cards and good wishes to this site. Let us not forget Ruby. She was an exceptional woman who was intent on improving her life. Ruby participated in various support groups and language classes, and idolized Chicana singer Selena.

This murder comes at the heels of at least two other violent deaths of transgender women of color in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past six months. Transgender people, particularly low-income transgender women of color, are disproportionately poor, homeless, criminalized and imprisoned as a result of systemic discrimination in our daily attempts to access safe housing, healthcare, employment, and education.

Unfortunately, Ruby’s murder is not an exception, but an everyday fear for many transgender people who are targeted and brutalized by institutions and society at large. Our communities mourn Ruby’s death and ask for a renewed commitment to real safety for transgender communities. It is vital that the Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office work to end the cycles of criminalization, poverty, and violence in transgender communities and communities of color.

Please direct any questions about the vigil to Tina D’Elia or Alexandra Byerly. If anyone has any information regarding Ruby’s murder, please contact Inspector Karen Lynch at (415) 553-1388 or Inspector Tom Cleary at (415) 553-9569 of the SFPD Homicide Unit.

---
Community United Against Violence works to end violence against and within the LGBTQQ communities, providing free and confidential counseling, advocacy, and education in English and Spanish. CUAV’s crisis line is (415) 333-4357.

ITN: SF TG murdered, Dupree loses support, internet sucks & mulah

A few news items that might have escaped your attention:

Body of transgender Latina found by roadside in SF: The San Francisco Police Department is "seeking to determine whether the slaying of a transgender victim found naked near the Interstate 280 freeway is somehow linked to reports of a nude woman seen walking on the same freeway two hours later" according to the San Francisco Chronicle [UPDATE: Candlelight vigil to be held in honor of Ruby Rodriguez on Friday, March 23rd in San Francisco]

Gay Dallas Constable Mike Dupree loses key support, sister still on his side: In a case that we have followed for a while, 50 year old Dallas Constable Mike Dupree - who had a 20 year old Honduran lover jailed when he spurned his advances - and hooked up with a female stripper - has lost key support from one of his deputies. His sister, though, is still on his side.

Latinos suck at internet stuff: The Pew Hispanic Center has the results of a poll.

Mulah: The Dallas Voice has an interview with fundraiser Enrique MacGregor (pictured above) on what it takes to raise money for organizations such as the Latino Cultural Center.

ITN: SF death, black-face performer out in Los Angeles

Death in San Francisco: Martha Arredondo from Santa Cruz, California, says that she has hired a private investigator to look into the death of her daughter Daxi (pictured right). Daxi's body was found in a seedy San Francisco motel room back in November of 2006 but police are still determining whether her death was a homicide. Her mother says that she decided to hire an investigator after she was called to identify her daughter's body and saw signs of violence. The investigator, she says, has already found out that Daxi was seen walking into the hotel with a man who later was seen leaving alone. Daxi, who was 35, was a transgender woman.

Black-face performer kicked out of Los Angeles: Back in 2004, some of us protested an appearance by gay "comedy" performer Charles Knipp at a Chelsea gay bar and his demeaning characterization of black women and black culture. Local protests go back to 2002. But it's 2007 and Jasmyne Cannick has achieved what we were not able to do: To get Knipp's show cancelled.

Update: Chad, again

One of the most interesting things I've found about writing in a blog is that anyone can simply find their way here if they do a blog search on a topic that I've covered. When it gets thorny is when some of those topics touch on emotional issues and when people who are directly or indirectly related to the issue want to comment, sometimes anonymously.

More often than not, this has happened when I have written about people in the community that have been killed, whether in a hate crime or in an assault, in instances that are mostly under-reported elsewhere.

It happened when I wrote about Angel Melendez, it happened when I wrote about Adrian Alun Dennis Exley as well.

Though I've only just recently started moderating comments, when dissenting views pop up, I've done my best to allow the comments through although things get trickier when people start anonymously posting hearsay about a specific incident when some details have yet to be reported. The only time I removed a comment from this blog is when I found it to be patently offensive and homophobic though, in some circumstances, I've left those in as well if only to prove a point.

This is the case with the beating that left Chad Ferreira (pictured above) dead on the streets of the Castro in San Francisco back in February. His boyfriend wrote to me offline to see if I knew more about the case and his mother wrote to thank us for writing about him.

Now, even though the original confrontation and beating happened more than six months ago and the alleged assailant was actually taken into custody (Kyle Adams pleaded not guilty to the charges and says that he was acting out of self-defense), from the start the Bay Area Reporter stated the police saw this as a "problematic case." I still didn't know what to do when an anonymous posting popped up this week defending Kyle, followed within a day by another anonymous poster who said he was with Chad the night of the attack.

In today's issue of the Bay Area Reporter reporter Ed Walsh writes that, in a preliminary hearing, a San Francisco judge has found that "that there is enough evidence to try Kyle Adams with assault and voluntary manslaughter for his alleged attack on Ferreira," even though one of the witnesses called on Ferreira's behalf seems to have contradicted statements he made earlier to the police regarding the incident. So a trial is coming and hopefully some of the issues that are still pending will be resolved.

From San Francisco, more sad news

I haven't been able to confirm this through media reports but El Güero over at Razing Borders, who lives in San Francisco, tells me:

Today I was walking to the gym and I saw a flyer in a store window. I remembered your post on June 8th about Luis Peña, A Colombian gay man who lived in San Francisco and was missing. Sadly, his photo and name were on the flyer, with information about a mass and memorial service here in San Francisco [on Sunday, July 9th]. The flyer didn't mention cause of death, and I haven't seen anything about it in the local gay press yet, although I'm sure it will be when the gay weeklies come out this week

So unfortunately there is no good news to report here either. The original Bay Area Reporter article on his disappearance on the night of May 30th mentioned that Peña had been "kind of depressed," according to a close friend, so it's not clear that this is a criminal case. Nevertheless, it's sad to hear the news.