Spain to sign bilateral accord with Russia banning Spanish same-sex couples from adopting Russian children

Scene from a 2013 marriage equality demonstration in France.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are only six weeks away and there are no signs that the Russian government is anywhere close to disavowing any of its recently enacted anti-gay policies despite international pressure.

France, Germany and the United States have already announced they will be keeping their top diplomats away from the event and the U.S. and has also said their official delegation will include three openly gay former athletes in a clear dig at Russian policies.  Similarly the European Parliament condemned these laws in June and European Commission Vice President Vivian Redding announced she was boycotting the games on December 9th:

I will certainly not go to Sotchi as long as minorities are treated the way they are under the current Russian legislation
— Viviane Reding (@VivianeRedingEU) December 9, 2013

Until now most of the international attention has focused on so-called "anti-gay propaganda laws" which ban the "promotion" of homosexuality but some have also expressed dismay about recent Russian efforts to clamp down on international adoptions as well.

The Los Angeles Times took a look on the impact of a Russian law restricting adoptions from the United States that went into effect on January 1st:

The new Russian law banning adoptions by U.S. families that took effect Jan. 1 erased the Nagels' plans to bring Timofey to America in March. In all, it stranded more than 330 families who had already begun stitching hoped-for Russian adoptees into the webs of their lives.

"We have all these sorts of feelings of grief that we could process — if we didn't know he's still out there," said Andy Nagel, 31, an assistant pastor at a Presbyterian church in Germantown, Md.

The estimated 1,000 Russian adoptions annually by American families has been a tender subject in the Kremlin for years. Though an estimated 300,000 orphans languish in about 3,000 facilities across Russia, handing them over to a former Cold War enemy can strike a painful note.

The occasional story of a Russian adoptee abused or neglected in an American home — as in the case of 21-month-old Dima Yakovlev, who died in 2008 when his American father left him in a hot car for nine hours — sparks outraged headlines across the country.

But critics say the motivation for the ban was not so much concern over potential harm — they point out that far more orphans die after being adopted in Russian homes — as it was reprisal for a U.S. statute focusing on human rights in Russia.

Furthermore in July, a week after the "anti-gay propaganda" laws were signed, Russian president Vladimir Putin also signed a law explicitly banning adoption rights for same-sex couples.

In effect the law applied to all same-sex foreign couples wishing to adopt as well as heterosexual couples from countries that allowed same-sex couples to marry.

Though little noticed at the time, the effect was felt immediately in countries such as Canada ("Russia quashes Halifax couple's hope of adoption"), Sweden ("Russia stops adoptions to Sweden") and Spain ("Hundreds of Spanish adoptions halted by Putin's homophobia").

Shockingly instead of condemning these discriminatory turn of events both Sweden and Spain have shown a willingness to change their adoption treaties to meet Russia's homophobic demands and last week El País said Spain was ready to sign a new bilateral adoption agreement which would, in fact, kick Spanish same-sex couples to the curb.

The agreement would open up the possibility for Spanish heterosexual couples to adopt Russian children once again as long as Spain makes a commitment to keep Russian children from being adopted by same-sex couples. From the article:

The government has authorized the international accord on adoptions between Spain and Russia - pending since 2009 - during a meeting that took place on December 20th at the Council of Ministers.

The announcement was made by Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, who said the accord was adopted at a meeting between Spanish and Russian authorities that took place on October 3rd in Madrid. 

Last August the Russian Supreme Court which ordered a hold on any proceedings with countries that allow gay marriage until there was a bilateral accord guaranteeing the children would not be raised by homosexuals including in the case of orphans. 

Since then 500 Spanish families have been affected and, as a result, negotiations between Madrid and Moscow had intensified. "We would like to renew these adoptions," said Santamaría.

Governmental sources tell the paper that the accord will be signed in January and might go into effect by April after Russian authorities had a chance to process the paperwork.  In cases the adopted children are abandoned in Spain or lose their Spanish parents Russia also requires Spain to report where they have been relocated to make sure that even in those circumstances the Russian child does not end up being raised by a Spanish same-sex couple.

A sad development in the country that became the first Spanish-speaking nation to pass a marriage equality law back in 2005.

UPDATE #1: The pro-Putin Voice of Russia reported on December 23rd that bilateral adoption agreements with the U.K. and Israel were also in the works although it doesn't mention whether it would demand those countries place restrictions on same-sex parents.

It does say that an agreement with Ireland is on hold due to concerns that there were too many American couples with Irish passports who might try to circumvent the blanket ban keeping U.S. citizens from adopting.

UPDATE #2: It appears that Canada might also be considering signing a bi-lateral agreement with Russia to "unfreeze" a number of stalled adoptions in process ("Russia's gay marriage memo puts Canadian adoptions at risk", The Globe and Mail, Jan. 8, 2014).

ADDITIONAL SPANISH LANGUAGE SOURCES:

• Government will approve adoption agreement with Russia "in the next few weeks" (Dec. 11, 2013: Europa Press)
• Spanish government caves in to Russia and agrees to discriminate against gay couples in bilateral agreement (Dec. 22, 2013: Dos Manzanas)

REACTIONS:

• Reports: Spain to sign accord with Russia barring gays from adopting (The Advocate)
• Spain colludes with Russia to ban same-sex adotion of Russian children (Towleroad)

Homophobia rears up its ugly head in Panama: Lesbian couple jailed for kissing, consul forced to resign over leaked photos

A couple of notably homophobic incidents this week in the Central American country of Panama:

Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands resigns over photos distributed on Twitter:  I have a feeling that when 22 year old Ítalo Giovanni Afú Quiel was appointed as the Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands in Spain he might have felt as if he'd won the lottery.

Known as a tourist destination for its beaches and relatively mild year-long climate and situated in the southern tip of Spain just across the northern coast of mainland Africa, the archipelago seems like a dream destination for just about anyone, particularly a young politically connected guy like Afú.

His appointment had already drawn some controversy in May of last year when it was revealed that he was one of ten individuals who found cushy government positions after his former boss, Juan Carlos Varela, became the country's Vice President.

That report also reproduced an e-mail message in which Afú boasted that one of Spain's leading store chains had agreed to carry a rum brand produced by Hermanos Varela, the company owned by the VP's family for which he and the VP had previously worked.

Nepotism, using a consular office to promote a sitting Vice President's economic interests? No big deal. Showing up to an annual carnival celebration dressed up like a woman and being caught on camera? An almost immediate resignation.

Three photos, apparently taken on March 12th on the final night of the annual carnival celebrations in Las Palmas, show Afú dressed in a pink dress and carrying a fuchsia-colored purse as a plastic yellow banana sticks out of his chest.  Apparently, the images only started making the Twitter rounds early last week quickly exploding on the national scene with the major Panamanian dailies running daily articles about the "scandal".

On Friday, the leading Panamanian newspaper, La Estrella, breathlessly reported on the images.  It quoted academic leaders as saying that the images were "yet another insult to the dignity of the community" while Vice President Varela defended him.

"He could have dressed up as a pirate, he could have dressed up as sea robber, or he could have dressed as - I don't know - Donald Duck?", the Vice Predident said, "We have to call it what it was: Carnival, a costume party".

The damage was done, tough, the director of the conservative and homophobic paper Hora Cero called him part of a "flowery" cadre of diplomats known for their homosexuality ("The diplomacy of 'el florón'"), conservative journalist and former political candidate Carlos Zavala called him a "faggot" ("Carlos Zavala confronts consul Afú") and, to top it all off, a Miami television station made homophobic fodder of the whole deal by showing a jaw-droppingly bad video of skimpily clad girls dancing to an all-female group singing lines such as "a confused consul went to a party wearing a woman's dress instead of pants" to the tune of "Guantanamera".

You might laugh but, apparently, though, Panamanians are incredibly concerned about how their country is viewed by a tiny Miami cable station ("U.S. television station makes fun of Panamanian consul - Newspapers of the world feature the case" La Estrella screams out).

What to do? Well, Afú resigned as a consul yesterday, effective April 30th.  In an interview published before his resignation, Afú revealed that Vice President Varela had called him after the scandal broke and warned him that he'd be fired if he ever showed up dressed like a woman to work or to any diplomatic event. Afú told Crítica he'd never dress up like a woman ever again. Sigh.

Lesbian couple held behind bars for hours after kissing in public: Surprised that a consul might lose his job over dressing up for carnival instead of charges of political nepotism?  Wait until you read this...

On Sunday, 32 year old Valentina Hernandez (right) and her 24 year old girlfriend were enjoying a romantic walk down the streets of the historic Casco Antigüo colonial district of Panama City when she stopped to give her girlfriend a kiss.

Hernandez, a psychologist by profession, reached out to Panamanian newspaper Prensa and shared details of what followed ("Police abuse reported").

Hernandez says that a member of Panama's presidential guard who had seen them kiss approached them and accused them of improper behavior.  When Hernandez asked him to explain clearly which law they had violated, the guard grew exasperated and called for reinforcement.  She says that ten other members of the Institutional Protective Service (S.P.I.) quickly showed up and took her ID and cell phone as they whisked the couple to the local police precinct.

Hernandez says that, once they reached the precinct, she was given an intrusive body check by a policewoman.

"I felt they touched me everywhere," she said, "They rubbed their hands on my genitals, it was disgusting, my girlfriend was asked to take her pants off."

Hernandez says that they were both held behind bars for hours until the authorities asked her to sign a three-page document which they did not allow her to read completely but in which she was told she would free the authorities of any responsibility for their detention.  "I signed," she said, "because I did not want to spend a night in a jail cell."

Late that night, Hernandez said, they were taken to a court where the judge granted them freedom not before warning them that they might be penalized if they were caught doing the same thing again.

Prensa says that the S.P.I. office released a statement saying that the women had been arrested for "drinking alcohol in public" but counters that assertion by pulling out a police report by one of the officers, Alfonso Rodriguez, who reported the arrest was made on the basis of "interfering with police activity and engaging in immoral activities in public".

Speaking to La Estrella, Hernandez says that the couple has hired a lawyer and is exploring the best way to fight back against those who violated their rights.

Interviewed by TVN-2, catholic priest Rafael Siu said that the women should have respected a public environment and said that it was not the way to express love towards others.

To date, as far as I know, neither the Panamanian President nor the Vice President have spoken out about this flagrant human rights violation in the same way that VP Varela came to the defense of the now former Panamanian consul of the Canary Islands.

Year in Review, pt. 4: Argentina's gays get to marry, Rev. Ruben Diaz thanks Blabbeando, Piñeiro goes to prison

Previously:

• Pt. 1: Esteban Arce keeps his job, the man formerly known as Luke Sissyfag riles NOM's nerves
• Pt. 2: Wedded bliss in Mexico City, transgender blood on Peruvian Flag, Lisa M. comes out
• Pt. 3: World Cup fever, Jorge Steven Lopez's killer brought to justice, Lady Gaga's Little Monsters in Monterrey

Moment of the year, captured on video: By a margin of 33-27, the Argentinean Senate voted to approve a marriage equality law in the early morning of July 15th and, by doing so, Argentina became the first Latin American country to allow gays to marry.  President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed the bill into law on July 21st and couples started getting married on July 31st.

They weren't the first couples to marry in Argentina, though.  That honor went to longtime HIV prevention activists and Argentinean LGBT Federation members Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre, who got married on December 29th, 2009, after a court gave them the go-ahead.

They also became the first gay couple to marry in all of Latin America. Mexico City might have approved their landmark marriage equality law on December 21st, 2009, but the law only went into effect in March of 2010.

Best television ad of the year: In the days before the Argentinean Senate vote, we saw the following incredible television ad. It was produced and written by Mati Caseaux and directed by Juan Schnitman.  I'm not sure if it has gotten any end of the year "Best Commercial of 2010" accolades, but if it hasn't, it should.

On a side-note, media watchdog webportal Mediaite covered my Twitter senate vote coverage (!).

Fidel Castro says he is to blame for past persecution against the LGBT community in Cuba: In August, former Cuban president Fidel Castro took responsibility for all past abuses against the LGBT community in the island.  It was a stunning admission, tempered by his assertion that he personally has never had a homophobic bone in his body and that, if gays were sent to "internment" camps, well, that should be blamed on the incidental homophobia among the Cuban population at the time.

NYS Senator Ruben Diaz says marriage equality will happen in New York State soon --- as a sign of the end of days: I know! Isn't that special. Read all about it here.  Thanks for the marriage equality endorsement, Reverend!

NYS Senator Ruben Diaz thanks Blabbeando: I know! Isn't that special. Read all about it here. WTF!

Jacobo Piñeiro goes to prison: In a case I have followed since March of 2009, a man who confessed to brutally stabbing a gay couple in Vigo, Spain, was finally convicted and sent to prison after an earlier verdict had cleared him of all murder charges.

That earlier verdict was vacated by a higher court earlier this year and, after a new trial was ordered, Piñeiro was released after three years of being held in prison.

In October, a court reached a different verdict and the judge sentenced Piñero to the maximum allowable time in prison: 25 to 58 years, minus time already served.

Venezuelan mural defaced by homophobes, repaired: A street mural in the Chacao District of Venezuela portraying two men kissing which was defaced with dark graffiti paint and homophobic epithets. The mural, which urged tolerance towards others and was part of a campaign sponsored by the Chacao Mayor's Office to improve the city's living environment. Darient, the graffiti artist who painted the mural, returned and painted another male couple kissing. Instead of urging "tolerance," the new mural promotes "respect."

Which brings us, finally, to December.

HIV/AIDS: There were problematic HIV prevention campaigns launched in New York City and Chile, plus a Puerto Rican first lady who thought there already was a cure.

Miami homobigots protest Ricky Martin and Univision: The protest didn't really go anywhere but it was certainly shameful.

And I'll close with one of my favorite stories of the year: The Argentinean version of Big Brother drafted this cutie-patootie as one of the contestants!

...aaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap! That was the Blabbeando year that was.

Gay kissers greet Pope Ratzinger in Barcelona

Photo credit: Guillaume Darribau (www.guillaumedarribau.com)

Sweet! The queer kiss flashmobbers who received Pope Ratzinger in Barcelona today even got the attention of the New York Times via the Associated Press ("Pope Defends Family as Spanish Gays Hold ‘Kiss-In’"). An excerpt:

Pope Benedict XVI strongly defended traditional families and the rights of the unborn Sunday, directly attacking Spanish laws that allow gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier access to abortions as he dedicated Barcelona's iconic basilica, the Sagrada Familia.

It was the second time in as many days that Benedict had criticized the policies of Spain's Socialist government and called for Europe as a whole to rediscover Christian teachings and apply them to everyday life.

As he headed to the basilica, about 200 gays and lesbians staged a 'kiss-in' to protest his visit and church policies that consider homosexual acts "intrinsically disordered." Later, a few hundred women marched to protest their second-class status in the church and the Vatican's opposition to birth control. 

The kiss-in was organized by six friends from Barcelona who used Facebook to call for a response. In the past weeks they alleged that Facebook shut down their "Queer Kissing Flashmob" page twice before being allowed to keep it (check it out here).

Spaniards are not known to mince words and, on the eve of the Pope's visit, many hung banners from their windows and balconies that read "I don't wait for you" in Catalan and Spanish.

In the best video of the kiss-in I've seen, which was uploaded by the Spanish paper 20 Minutos on their website, participants are heard shouting "Nazi" at the Pope as the Pope-mobile goes by. They also flip the finger at him and kiss before erupting into a chant that says "Throw him out, throw, him out, throw out the pederasts."

I said Spaniards do not mince words.  And they certainly didn't during the protest.

For additional coverage, check these out:

• Protesting pope with gay kiss flash mob (Reuters)
• Pope met by gay protesters in Spain (CBC News)

Here is a video I found on YouTube.

Spain: Jacobo Piñeiro given maximum sentence in murder of gay couple after having been previously acquitted

In March of last year I wrote about an unspeakable crime that took place in Vigo, Spain on January 13th, 2006.

That early morning a man called Jacobo Piñeiro (right) killed a gay couple by stabbing them 57 times and then tried to set their apartment on fire to cover up the crime.

In court, he acknowledged he had murdered the two men but argued that he had acted in defense after the couple had made unwanted sexual advances and threatened him if he didn't comply.  Piñeiro said he "panicked".

Piñeiro's lawyer argued his client had become overcome by an "insurmountable fear of being raped and being murdered".  The good ol' 'panic defense'.

It worked. A regional jury acquitted him of murder charges and, at first instance, also acquitted him of arson charges.  From my original post on that March 2009 verdict (link above):

It was only after beginning to read the statement in court that the judge stepped in to correct some "errors" which led Piñerio to be charged in setting up the fire. When the verdict was read, jury members covered their face, perhaps already aware of the outrage that their verdict would elicit.

He remains to be sentenced and is expected to be sent to prison for 15 to 20 years for setting the fire. If he hadn't been acquitted of the murder charges, he would have been sent to prison for up to 60 years.

In other words, Piñeiro was acquitted of taking two lives but declared guilty of setting a building on fire.

The worldwide outrage was fast.  There were protests in London and Spain and my friend Karlo organized a small protest here in New York outside the Spanish embassy.

In October of last year, after the verdict was appealed, a higher court called it "defective, absurd, illogical and arbitrary" and ordered a new trial.

On July 12th of 2010, Piñeiro walked out of jail a free man (video).  His attorneys argued that Spanish law forbid the authorities from holding anyone without being charged for more than three years and - since all previous charged had been invalidated - Piñeiro was released until the new trial. Obviously, the friends and family of the murdered couple were distraught and Piñeiro certainly didn't show any more resourcefulness than he showed in jail (check photo above).

Good news: On September 26th a second jury found Piñeiro guilty of both murders as well as setting their place on fire and on October 14 he was sentenced to 25 to 58 years in jail, minus time already served- The maximum allowed time for the horrendous crime.

It's always nice to learn that justice has been served.

A break-up song for boys who meet backwards

Today's edition of El Pais has a feature story on the increasing success of a few singers in Madrid whose song lyrics don't shy away from addressing LGBT issues. An excerpt:

"And his huge eyes / And my tongue between his teeth".  It sounds like just one more song tinged with eroticism, but it has something that's peculiar: It's title is "David" and it's author, 26 year old Victor Algora, dedicates it to the great love of his adolescence.  That's why the last stanza leaves no room for soubt: "Our mouths wide open / And his dick between my legs".

Ooops! Did I mention some of the lyrics are a bit NSFW?

Algora himself admits it's unusual to find a song like "David" in a Spanish record. He also admits he won't perform the song live in more than a few places.  "It is auto-censorship, yes" he tells El Pais, "but us gays still see ourselves forced to repress certain attitudes when we are out with our partner."

Other artists mentioned are Carlos Salinas, Andrés Lewin, Fran Loud and Manuel Ríos.

I looked around for some samples of the music being discussed in the article and had to stop at "David".  I'm not sure I like the ending, which implies some sort of suicide even if the man being mourned as he lies on the floor is the singer and not one of the two men who've just broken up.  I actually love the song.  Here is "David" with my translation provided as annotations on the YouTube clip...

The official Spanish-language definition for "marriage" will be changed to reflect new gay reality

Darío Villanueva, the Secretary of the Real Académia Española (RAE), has said that the 2013 edition of their influential "Dictionary of the Spanish Language" will reflect the reality that gay couples can get married in several nations and localities throughout the world.

In an interview published yesterday ("RAE: Dictionary will include 'matrimonio homosexual'", EFE), Villanueva said specific changes to the dictionary's entry for "matrimonio" were still making their way through a lengthy approval process but stressed they would "appear without a doubt" [matrimonio is the Spanish word for "marriage"].

From the article:

The approval - in 2005 - of the law in Spain that allows marriage between same-sex people - Argentina has also joined in this current month -  led the Academy to consider "the need to modify the meaning of the word 'marriage' to reflect 'that reality which the law has created'".

Based in Madrid, the RAE has been the Spanish kingdom's regulatory body for the usage of Spanish since the early 1,700's, and stands today as the lead regulatory body for the language throughout the world.

Villanueva said that one of the points to be ironed out before publication is whether the final text would explicitly name the countries and localities which allow gay couples to marry.  

"Marriage" vs. "Homosexual Marriage": In it's heading and text of the article, EFE specifically states that the RAE will include the term "homosexual marriage" in it's 2013 edition but that's not so clear to me from Villanueva's quotes.

If that's the case, I am more than certain that LGBT-rights advocates throughout the world will raise the issue that "marriage" in itself hasn't changed and that, instead, some countries and localities have allowed their gay citizens to have access to the institution of marriage.  Furthermore, while a human being can be described as being "gay", a noun such as "marriage" doesn't really have a sexual identity.  Expect a clarification to come soon from RAE or from EFE.

Pederastia, Sodomia, Espray: The changes to the 2013 edition of the RAE's dictionary are part of 2,996 amendments or additions planned for the print edition. Among them are changes to the definition for the Spanish words for "sodomy" and "pederasty" to clarify that the practices are not exclusively linked to homosexuality and the addition of terms and definitions for words such as the verb abducir ("abduct") and the noun espray (an anglicism stemming from the word "spray").

Video: Brutal murderer Jacobo Piñero walks out of jail a free man

In the midst of all the celebration about the huge marriage equality win in Argentina, on Monday I also wrote a disturbing post ("Outrage in Spain: Man held in brutal murder of gay couple is set free after 4 years in prison").

Basically, I said Jacobo Piñero (right) walked out of jail a free man when a court in Vigo, Spain, invalidated a 20-year conviction for arson.

Last year, a jury in Vigo absolved all charges against him and almost set him free. The arson charge was tacked on at the last minute by a judge who could not believe the jury would set him free.

What did Piñero do other than set an apartment in fire? Well, let's revisit another post I wrote a year ago ("Spain: Outrage at aquittal of man who stabbed gay couple 57 times and set their bodies on fire").

Hm, the title certainly gives it away but it doesn't nearly describe the violence this man committed against that gay couple:

27 year old Isaac Ali Dani Peréz Triviño was born in Spain. 32 year old Julio Anderson Luciano was born in Brazil. They lived together in the Spanish province of Vigo and were planning to get married.

Both were stabbed to death by Jacobo Piñeiro Rial in their apartment in the early morning of January 13th, 2006. The bodies showed a total of 57 stab wounds, according to forensics.

After killing them, Piñeiro took a shower and cleaned himself up. He filled a suitcase with some of their belongings to make it look like a robbery and then spilled clothing all over the place. He poured alcohol over everything, including his victims' bodies, turned on the gas spigot on the stove, and set everything on fire. The local fire department said that little evidence would have survived if it wasn't for their prompt response to the 5-alarm fire [...] There are no independent witnesses, but police and forensic experts say that the murder rampage began around 4:00am. Apparently, Pérez Triviñio was stabbed first but did not die. Piñeiro then stabbed Anderson Luciano twice while in the couples' room, and 22 more times as he followed his victim out of the room, into a corridor and out to the living room - where he died.

Pérez Triviñio, in the meantime, had locked himself in the room and records show that he was able to call local authorities. The call was cut short when Piñeiro was able to break back into the room and finish him off by stabbing him 35 more times.

In the living room, he tied Anderson Luciano's hands and put a blanket over his body; in the bedroom, he placed a blanket over Pérez Triviñio's head, tied a cable around it, and tethered it to a bed post. He then emptied closets and threw clothes all over the apartment, poured alcohol and set everything on fire.

The fire department arrived soon after Piñero left the apartment and different leads led to his capture.  He was held in police custody for three years until the trial took place last year.  The reason he almost walked out of the courtroom despite confessing to the murders was that he claimed he went temporarily crazy when the couple made sexual advances towards him. The jury bought the gay panic argument and nearly set him free.

Following worldwide outrage about the verdict (and the fact that a man might be convicted for setting an apartment on fire but not for stabbing two men 57 times) a higher court said it would consider an appeal of the verdict and eventually overturned it.  They also set a new trial date for September of this year.

At issue, though, is that penal laws in Spain limit the time someone can be held in custody without being sentenced to four years and, since a court had invalidated his conviction, and Piñero had been held in custody since he was arrested in 2006, the four years were up.

On Monday, Piñero walked out of jail a free man. At least until the new trial.  Here is the video. Truly disturbing.

Outrage in Spain: Man held in brutal murder of gay couple is set free after 4 years in prison

Photo: Julio Anderson Luciano and Isaac Ali Dani Pérez Triviño (l-r) who were brutaly murdered in Vigo, Spain on January of 2006.

Stunning news: On January 13th, 2006, Jacobo Piñero stabbed Julio Anderson Luciano and Isaac Ali Dani Pérez Triviño  to death 57 times.  The victims were a gay couple. He then threw clothing all around the apartment, poured gasoline over everything and set everything on fire. Firemen arrived in time to quickly put out the fire and, within hours, leads led to Piñero's arrest.

When the case finally came to trial last year, Piñero stood up in court and confessed to the murders but a jury accepted a gay panic defense and found him innocent of every single charge against him, including murder and arson. It was the presiding judge who then stepped in to 'correct an error' and found him guilty of setting the fire ("Outrage at aquittal of man who stabbed gay couple 57 times and set their bodies on fire", March 2, 2009).

On April 3rd, 2009, the judged sentenced Piñero to twenty years in prison, the maximum term allowed by the law.

The acquittal on murder charges considering the extreme violence and gruesome details of the attack, drew orldwide outrage with several rallies throughout Spain demanding justice. A few LGBT advocates in New York also gathered outside the Spanish embassy in New York City.

Today Piñero walked out of jail a free man ("Man accused in double homophobic crime, goes free", Público, July 13, 2010).

At issue was an ruling earlier this year by a higher court which actually annulled last year's verdict and ordered a new trial.

Spain's penal laws limit the maximum time that a person can be held in custody without charges to four years in prison. The court ruled that, since Piñero had been held in custody from the day he was arrested in 1996, he could not continue to be held in prison unless he was found guilty of a crime on a later date.

The court ordered Piñero to hand in his passport, recognizing that there was a risk he might try to leave the country, and required that he meet with authorities every single day until the next trial. But they also turned down a request by friends and family of the murdered couple to require that Piñero use an electronic ankle bracelet to pinpoint his whereabouts at all times.

A new trial in the brutal murder has been scheduled for September 16, 2010.

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo backs marriage rights for gay couples

As soccer fans around the world get ready for the FIFA World Cup, which begins in South Africa on June 11th, the sports pages of newspapers worldwide are doing their usual job of ratcheting up expectation by profiling participating team rosters and team members.

Portugal's Púbilico is no different than other papers and yesterday they featured an interview with Portuguese-born Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured above), in which he made worldwide headlines by expressing discontent and frustration about his first six months as a player for Spain's Real Madrid.

In the same interview, Ronaldo was also asked whether he followed developments in Portugal including the recent approval of a law that allows same-sex couples to get married.  His response:

The Portuguese man that I am, I try to keep informed about what is happening in my country.  I know the law was passed and the comment it deserves is that we must respect the choices made by anyone, because, after all, all citizens should have the exact same rights and responsibilities.

This is a breath of fresh air coming from one of the top players in a sport not particularly known for its tolerance or respect towards gays.

Wasn't it just earlier in the month that I covered the latest homophobic flare-up in the soccer world?  In that instance, as it often does, media was only happy to fan the flames by gleefully questioning whether this image proved that two Barcelona CF teammates were gay.

An update: Back then, I described how one of the players in the image, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, had angrily reacted to questions about his sexuality by lashing out at a female reporter and asking her to come home with him so he could prove he wasn't a 'fag'.

Since then, the other player in the image has also addressed the controversy.  In an interview posted on May 24th, Gerard Piqué (pictured right) says that the image in question was actually taken in March after both players had left a press conference in which Piqué had presented his published auto-biography.  Piqué believes that the image was held for days and only released at a later date in order to shake the team's stability during the season's final games.

Piqué doesn't directly address Ibrahamovic's angry outburst but does say that, at least at the time the image was released, both players took it in stride. "We saw it on the television in the dressing room," he said, "and we were both cracking up in laughter."

Previously:

• Cristian Sancho in Romeo magazine (April 12, 2010)
• Soccer players in love (April 11, 2010)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 74: When a kiss is not what it seems (Sept. 19, 2009)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 71: Maradone vs. Pelé (March 30, 2009)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 70: Dalasso and his cybercheating (May 17, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 69: Honduran coach Edwin Pavón (May 6, 2008)
• Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo says he is not gay (May 6, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 67: Luciano Moggi and Jorge Luis Pinto (May 3, 2008)
• Trans panic in soccer, Part 64: Ronaldo's big night out (May 3, 2008)
• Homophobia and racism in soccer, Part 65: Hugo Sanchez (March 31, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 64: Hernan Dario Gomez (Nov. 16, 2007)
• Los Dogos: World gay soccer champs (Sept. 29, 2007)
• Soccer player "outed" in Peru as Argentina hosts gay soccer tournament (Sept. 26, 2007)

Fuck you, AIDS

The Summit International Awards, an international agency based in Portland which recognizes "companies and individuals that produce outstanding marketing, advertising, design and interactive communications" has just announced their 2010 roster of Summit Creative Awards winners and, among them, is two mentions for an HIV prevention campaign developed by the Coordinadora Gai Lesbiana de Catalunya (CGL) from Spain.

Dos Manzanas reports that the awards are seen as the Oscars of the advertising world. They also reached out to Antonio Guirado, Coordinator of the CGL, who said:

It is an unexpected honor to have received this double award, in competition with designs from 24 countries from the whole worlf and authors of great stature.  We dedicate this double award to all the volunteers who fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as those who have been taken by this illness.

The advertising agency who designed the print and video campaign is Barcelona's Suigeneris.  The video posted below begins with the words:

To you, who has fucked us during so many years, who CRUSH us all, young people, older people, women, men, heterosexuals and homosexuals.  To you, ABOMINABLE being... we say...

You'll probably get the rest...

Homophobia in soccer, part 76: Really, you don't have to prove your heterosexuality THAT way

What do you see in the photo to the right? A private moment between two men. Hands entwined, sadness on the face of the dark-haired man, concern shown by the other man. Two lovers? A scene from the Argentinean 'soccer-players-in-love' television soap opera "Botineras"?  Close, but not quite.

I wasn't going to blog about this. I really wasn't. But then one of the men in the photo had to open his mouth and say something stupid and homophobic about the picture and, well, reluctantly. I knew I had to write something about it.

The two men in question are Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerard Piqué.  They are teammates at the world-famous Barcelona C.F. soccer team from Spain. And, unless you live in the United States, you probably would not have been able to escape this image or all the random conjecture about the soccer players' sexuality.

Considering the media whirlwind that followed, I certainly understood why they were trying to keep silent.  Thursday, though, a female reporter from Spain's Telecinco caught up to Ibrahimovic - the dark-haired guy - and asked what he thought of the photo. The soccer player simply replied "Come to my house and you will see if I'm a fag, and bring your sister as well".

Sigh.

It would have been so easy for him to laugh off the suggestion he is gay. Or to challenge media and their homophobic reactions as they gleefully played up that two soccer players from the Barcelona team might be gay lovers. Instead, Ibrahimovic lashes out at the reporter, uses a pejorative word to talk about gays and, in anger, offers to fuck the reporter and her sister to 'prove' he's not gay.

THAT'S why I decided to write about this incident after all. No, I still don't think that the photo above proves anything about either man's sexuality. But Ibrahimovic's reaction certainly proves that he is thin-skinned, homophobic, misogynistic and an asshole, to boot.

Or, in other words, welcome to yet one more example of the rabid homophobia that still exists in soccer.

Previously:

• Cristian Sancho in Romeo magazine (April 12, 2010)
• Soccer players in love (April 11, 2010)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 74: When a kiss is not what it seems (Sept. 19, 2009)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 71: Maradone vs. Pelé (March 30, 2009)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 70: Dalasso and his cybercheating (May 17, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 69: Honduran coach Edwin Pavón (May 6, 2008)
• Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo says he is not gay (May 6, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 67: Luciano Moggi and Jorge Luis Pinto (May 3, 2008)
• Trans panic in soccer, Part 64: Ronaldo's big night out (May 3, 2008)
• Homophobia and racism in soccer, Part 65: Hugo Sanchez (March 31, 2008)
• Homophobia in soccer, Part 64: Hernan Dario Gomez (Nov. 16, 2007)
• Los Dogos: World gay soccer champs (Sept. 29, 2007)
• Soccer player "outed" in Peru as Argentina hosts gay soccer tournament (Sept. 26, 2007)

Loving this: Ay Haiti

So I am on Shakira's Twitter feed (don't ask, and certainly, don't tell) and this came through a few minutes ago. I clicked through and found myself moved by a new musician-led effort to raise funds for disaster relief in Haiti following the devastating January 12th earthquake.

The song, featuring some of the best singers from Spain as well as a few worldwide superstars, has been playing on the radio since March 27th but the video was just launched today.  It features superstars Shakira, Miguel Bosé, Alejandro Sanz and Juanes. Other participants include actress Paz Vega, soccer players Kaká, Andrés Iniesta, "Kun" Agüero, Diego Forlán and Sergio Ramos and singers Bebe, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Aleks Syntek, Anni B. Sweet, Macaco, La Mala Rodriguez, Belinda, OBK, Hombres G, Daddy Jean, Wally López, Zahara, Sandra Carrasco, José Mercé, David Otero, Enrique Iglesias, Marta Sánchez and Najwa Nimiri. 

In a Madrid press conference yesterday to launch the video, producer David Summers - who also is the lead singer of Hombres G - said that the artists had hoped to be able to sell the song through iTunes but charged that Apple insisted on charging a 30% commission on sales instead of waving the fee and allowing all funds raised through the sale of the single to go towards the effort.

I'm not sure if there is an international fundraising effort through the sale of the song but all proceeds will go to Intermón OxFam. If you like the song, you might want to make a donation here.

In my humble opinion, this rocks! It beats those awful English-language and Spanish-language "We Are The World" remakes anytime (ok, the only thing all three share in lameness is the rap interludes and, if one thing jumps out from this new effort, it's just how white the pool of artists is. I mean, the rapper wearing black gloves? Huh?). Anyway, some of the lyrics are beautiful:

There are lands that don't have any dreams
There are lands that tremble in fear
There are lands that want peace
Haiti only wants to be normal

There is still time to be reborn
Of horse-riding above the hunger and the iron
There is a time to give out love
To erase the hunger and the destruction

CHORUS:
There is love, there is you, and in my voice, there's Haiti
There is love, there is you, and in my voice, there's Haiti

A life comes to a stop, desolation behind his back
It's a child with a lost view
Who, from the dust, illuminates with his own light

Seriously, it made me tear up. Oh, and I simply love Bebe (she is the one with the ring through her lower lip). And Alejandro Sanz? That voice! *melts* Damn! Enjoy. And donate.

Related: The "making of" video here

Bad economy claims one of the best gay news magazines in the world

Shock waves are still being felt in the United States over the sudden demise of several leading LGBT newspapers under the Window Media imprint after the media conglomerate announced it was shutting them down after declaring bankruptcy.

Among the papers affected by the bankruptcy proceedings were the Southern Voice, the South Florida Blade and the venerable Washington Blade.

Some of the papers might actually be revived under different ownership and name. Staff members of the Washington Blade, for example, have already announced the launch of a new publication to be called "DC Agenda" (set to launch today).

Just as shocking as the Window Media closures, at least to those of us who follow international LGBT media, was this week's announcement that the owners of Zero magazine in Spain might also be shutting down the print version of their publication after declaring themselves under financial duress.

Rumors that the magazine was in trouble surfaced earlier this year when Zero Press SL, publishers of the magazine, failed to produce a single issue after July for what had been a monthly publication. On their website, all content was gone except for an offer for two photography books they had published before at a discount.

Their Facebook page was full of inquiries about the status of the magazine with no response from the editors.

Official word finally came yesterday, via Spanish newspaper El País, when they quoted Zero Press SL Director Miguel Ángel López as saying that publishing the magazine was no longer economically viable ("Crisis threatens Zero magazine").

"The 'no' from the banks, the crisis in publicity and the general situation has made it impossible for us to sustain a monthly with 16 full staff members," he said.

López says that Zero will survive but in a different incarnation. Indications are that the magazine might go into a bi-monthly publication schedule and eventually be replaced by an online version of the magazine.

A year ago I was all giddy about the prospect of Zero launching a Latin American wing ("Zero magazine's global ambitions"). According to El Pais, their abandoned Latin American venture, HispaGay, was a flop.

López, who admits Zero had been launched twelve years ago following the prototype set by US magazine "Out", had criticized the US counterpart in an interview with Argentina's Pagina/12 last year. Out, he said then, "never reached a situation in which it was anywhere near to achieving something in political terms; they allowed themselves to be carried away by commercial interests, beyond activism".

And that is exactly what made Zero so great. Sure, they had the puff pieces and fashion spreads, but they also ran in-depth articles on transgender rights, immigration issues, and gay life in Spain and elswehere. Among their most controversial articles was a cover piece on the coming out of the Catholic Reverend José Mantero, about whom I wrote early in the life of this blog, back in 2005.

The magazine, which as of late had turned a bit more fashion-oriented, nevertheless outshone The Advocate and Out in many ways. It covered issues such as gay life in Cuba in a more in-depth way that The Advocate ever did, and also celebrated LGBT sexuality and eroticism in ways that no US LGBT news publication would ever do. For a special issue on body image in the gay community, the full staff posed naked for a series of articles on the topic.

It ran into controversy more than a few times, drawing particular scorn from gays in Spain for putting politicians from the conservative Partido Popular political party on the cover. It also was known for it's photo spreads and centerfolds including that of Kylie Minogue's choreographer and lollipop boy Marco Da Silva (right). That's also porn star François Sagat on their latest - and final? - cover (above).

In any case, the beefcake is certainly important but not necessarily the point I am trying to make with this post.

Just as it is a shame to see the Washington Blade and other LGBT newspapers under Window Media fold, it's shocking that Zero might be gone as well.

If they survive, whether as a print media or on the internet, I'll keep tabs on it and will post updates in the future.

Spain: Calendar features transgender models posing as the Virgin, controversy follows

A calendar released by an LGBT rights organization in Spain is raising some eyebrows for its use of religious imagery in what is a predominately Catholic country.

The 2010 calendar, which had an initial pressing of 10,000 copies, shows settings that mimic religious paintings and features transgender models dressed like the Virgin Mary.

Copies were distributed at July's pride march in Madrid but it's receiving widespread attention now after El Mundo published this story today.

On sale to raise funds for the LGTB Collective of Madrid (COGAM), its
authors say that it's meant to be a "secular calendar" and that it each page suggests alternate ways to celebrate religious holidays.

"Wherever it's noted that December 25 is Christmas, a candy sweet should be eaten on behalf of International Democracy Day" is one example.

Venezuelan photographer Juan Antinoo, author of the images, says that he doesn't see why they should be considered controversial.

"It's not something that worries me, what truly is important is that the message gets out there; which is the importance of the use of a condom" he said. "They are interpretations of religious images, not copies," he added, "I sincerely don't think anyone should be offended by them".

[Disclaimer: I've actually met Antinoo couple of times and love his work and, in this case, each page is supposed to incorporate condoms as imagery; I have to say, though, that I'm not sure the prevention message quite carries through here in the way that his "BEARback, yes, bareback NO" campaign did].

Of course, the predominant factor that sets these images apart is the use of transgender models posing as the Virgin. The include Carla Antonelli, a leading Spanish transgender rights activist, who said she certainly considered the potential controversy that the calendar might elicit before she agreed to pose for it.

"I posed myself the following scenario: Why is it that a transsexual woman can't represent a religious icon given life by so many other actors and actresses throughout history? To not do it would be akin to internalizing the same discriminatory principles that people want to throw against us", she said.

The project's authors say that there is a definite intent to make transgender women more visible to society.

I'm not sure how the whole thing would play here in the United States [you might remember the whole bru-ha-ha over the Folsom Street Fair poster a couple of years ago or the reaction by then-Mayor Rudolph Guiliani to a certain painting]. But this is Spain, a country in which one of the most common insults, despite religious overtones, might even make atheists blush ("Me cago en la ostia"), and where people don't mince words when they want to say something.

So, if your faith is strong enough to withstand it (and if you are a true believer, it should), or if you dig the transgressive nature of the campaign, or if you want to know what the bru-ha-ha is about, or if you want to feel offended despite the warnings, please feel free to peruse through each page of the calendar here (Warning: some nudity).

Related:

• Carla Antonelli's blog can be found here.
• Antinoo's site can be found here.

Reaction:

From Questioning Transphobia:

The shock of these images is, I think, that transsexual bodies are associated implicitly with the profane. Christian theology is, as queer liberation theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid puts it, a “vanilla theology,” an imaginative specatacular economy that depicts already-privileged bodies as holy (the historically inaccurate depiction of Jesus as a white man), and excludes those of marginalised groups. She says that “belief systems are organised around people’s bodies, and people’s bodies in relationships, and in sexual relationships” (2003: 43)... [read on]

From My Private Casbah:

Even though I'm not Catholic, it's devotion to Mary is one of its features that draws me to it the most. The idea of an African woman producing a vessel of salvation for mankind is an intensely powerful idea. I love speaking to Notre Dame D'Afrique [...]The depiction of Mary as a transgender woman seems very natural to me. I really don't understand how it is any different than the myriad ways that Mary has already been depicted. I know that some people arrogantly think that they can own the divine. They don't want others to know that Mary belongs to everyone. She is the face that we see when we think about the feminine divinity. If Mary looks like us and the Creator deemed her worthy of recognition and respect and admiration, how could we worthless? In my opinion, depicting Mary as a transgender woman only magnifies her image and I think this is something that could be quite empowering for all women [read on]

From Page McBee at the bitch magazine blogs:

This calendar may be cheeky and subversive, but it's also powerful in its indictment of the offended viewer: what is so wrong about trans women, anyway? Who decides what bodies are "right?" And what does it mean to be a woman, anyway? Hat's off to these women who, like many before them, force us to examine these sorts of questions anew [read on]

From New York Gay Pride:

I think this is unnecessary and reminds me of the gay nativity in Amsterdam during X-mas last year. A drag queen Maria, a leather Joseph etc. It’s just really disrespectful to religious people and only gathers bad publicity for the gay community. Some things should be left sacred [read on].

From Queering the Church:

So, this calendar, appropriating religious imagery to promote condoms, raise funds for LGBT Collective Madrid, and is meant to suggest alternative, secular ways to celebrate religious holidays, “should (not) be considered controversial”? I’m certain that very many would disagree, and only on the fiercely traditionalist fringe [read on].

From Guanabee:

The calendar has, unsurprisingly, drawn ire of the Catholic Church. And why not, really? Even if the calendar didn’t feature transgender individuals (whom some religious groups view as fighting against being the way God made them), it does prominently feature condoms, which go against the Catholic Church’s firm stance against contraception and view that sex is a means of procreation. So, yes. It is most definitely intentionally provocative. Which is why it’s here, right now, along with our own little reminder to practice safe sex. Unless you choose to remain abstinent because of your faith. In which case: We still love ya, too. And we’ll be eating various sweets on Christmas day for you, for Jesus, for democracy, and because we’re kind of a pig... [read on]

Previously on Blabbeando:

• Panama: Billboard ads removed after uproar (March 23, 2007)
• The last supper, the sacred femine, Opus Dei and liberty of expression in Colombia (August 4, 2006)
  

UPDATE: Court in Spain orders new trial in brutal killing of gay couple

Back in March, I brought you the shocking story a man who was acquitted of murder charges in the stabbing death of a gay couple in Vigo, Spain.

Jacobo Piñeiro Rial (right) had spent the afternoon of January 12th of this year drinking at a gay bar. At some point, he left the place with bartender Isaac Al Daní Pérez Triviño, and accepted an invite to Triviño's apartment. According to court testimony, the two spent the afternoon doing drugs. The pair didn't even leave the room after Triviño's partner, Julio Anderson Luciano, arrived with a couple of friends for dinner.

Luciano's friends left, but Piñeiro stayed in the apartment with the couple. Something went horribly wrong and, according to forensic reports, the bloodbath began around 4am on the morning of the 13th and didn't end until 2 hours later.

Piñeiro, who argued that he wasn't gay and that he'd panicked after the men had tried to sexually assault him, methodically took his time as he stabbed them 57 times. Forensic experts testified that he followed Luciano as the victim struggled to crawl out of a hallway into the living room, stabbing him 22 times as he went along. Once he'd killed the couple, he dumped clothes across the floor and on the bodies, dousing them with gasoline, and set everything afire.

Astonishingly, despite the fact that Piñeiro spent a whole afternoon at a gay bar and accepted an invite by a gay bartender to go home with him, the jury that heard the case in March believed in the gay panic defense and absolved Piñeiro of murder charges. Apparently, the jury would have set him free if it wasn't for the judge who stepped in to correct some jury 'errors' and sentenced him in setting the apartment on fire. The judge sentenced Piñeiro to 20 years in prison on the arson charges.

Understandably, there were protests. In Vigo, Madrid, New York and Berlin. The New York protest came at the calling of my friend Karlo.

The outrage elicited by the acquittal led to demands that the court ruling be annulled. And this summer, the Superior Justice Tribunal of Galicia decided to take a look at the ruling and determine if it had been fair.

Yesterday, mincing no words, the Tribunal called the lower court ruling "defective, absurd, illogical and arbitrary"and ordered a new trial, according to El Pais. The Tribunal also dismissed petitions to reduce the sentence for setting the apartment on fire.

Asked by La Voz de Galicia how she felt about the announcement, Marta Pérez Triviño, Isaac's mother, said "I am very happy, although we have only won a battle but we have yet to win the war".

She told the paper that she hopes that a new trial will take place before July.

Speaking about the first trial's murder acquittal, she said "If it had been a different murdered couple, the verdict would have been a lot different; the jury was greatly swayed by racism and homophobia."

Ms. Triviño has always said that she is not only fighting for justice for her son Isaac, but also for his partner Julio, who she loved as if he were her own son.

Although it didn't surface during the trial, police records show that after being arrested, Piñeiro told police that he had been particularly disgusted by the fact that a black Brazilian man made sexual advances, using some of the vilest racist terms possible. Ms. Triviño has implied that the jury in the first trial might have held similar sentiments against Julio.

New Yorkers gather to demand justice in murder of gay couple in Spain

Previously:

• NYC solidarity demo to protest acquittal in murder of gay couple in Vigo, Spain! (March 4, 2009)
• Spain: Outrage at acquittal of man who stabbed gay couple 57 times and set their bodies on fire (March 2, 2009)
  

Considering that the call didn't go out until Wednesday night, and that the news of a court acquittal in the murder of two gay men In Spain was only picked up by a few gay blogs US-wise, I'd say that today's gathering outside the Spanish embassy to protest the court's verdict was a success. All in all about 20 to 25 people showed up.

I also have to say that, for me, the greatest thing was to see my friend Karlo Karlo (fifth from right) moved into action by calling on the gathering after being shocked and disgusted by what he read on my blog. Having been to Vigo - where the couple was killed - and considering it as one of his favorite places to visit, Karlo felt a personal duty to do something here in New York.

I was also touched by just who showed up. Dennis deLeon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS, and Heriberto Sanchez-Soto, President of the Hispanic AIDS Forum. Gay USA reporter and ACTUPer Ann Northrop (a personal all-time hero), and other ACTUPers like Bill Dobbs, Emmaia Gelman and John Francis Mulligan. The later two also members of the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO), who fight every year for inclusion in the Manhattan Irish Day Parade (they also blog at Irish Queers).

Emmaia was there with her partner and brought their kids along. They pretty much stole the show for most of the afternoon (the sign, written by Karlo, read "Nor Spain, not the world, tolerates as vile a verdict. Shameful!").

Also among those who came: Yet another Irish guy! Brendan Francis Fay (Yikes! How many Irish guys are named Francis?). Brendan I have known, like, forever. We worked decades ago on immigration issues and he has since then become known more for his role in challenging Polish attitudes about same-sex relationships and for honoring the life of gay New York Fire Department Chaplain Mychal Judge in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Erik Bottcher, the LGBT liaison to the New York City Council, and my friends Noel Alicea, John Ozed, Gerardo Piñeda, Daniel Ravelo, Jorge Irizarry, Elyaqim Moshe Adam, and Jusqifabio Flores who publishes a monthly Spanish-language newsletter on NYC Latino LGBT issues called Una Sola Voz (he arrived with his partner as well).

On Karlo's side, he brought along Spaniard artists Carlos Casado and Alfonso Muñoz. So even if there wasn't a huge presence number-wise, the deck was stacked!

Bill Dobbs, who showed up with a sign that read "JUSTICE NOT VENGEANCE" (above) made sure to make a point that while justice should be served in the murders, people should not turn their anger at the verdict into vengeful feelings.

BTW, that's me in the pic speaking to Noel (courtesy of the Ozed guy).

In the meantime, in Vigo, Spain, a thousand persons came out today demanding justice in the murders! Related news (and video) over at the following Spanish-language links:

• Protests in all of Spain in rejection of homophobic verdict in Vigo (El Correo Gallego, March 8, 2009)
• In Vigo, a thousand folk reject acquittal of Jacobo Piñeiro (ABC, March 8, 2009)
• Homosexuals protest against acquittal of gay couple's murderer (La Verdad, March 8, 2009)
• A thousand people reject in Vigo the verdict that acquits the confessed author of the crime on Oporto Street (El Economista, March 7, 2009)
• Protest against the verdict in the double homicide in Vigo (EFE, March 7, 2009)