***START OF UPDATE (as of Oct. 14, 2011): Monica Trasandes from GLAAD reached out to me this afternoon and said that they brought up my concerns to the producers of "Noche de Perros". In response, the producers said they "get" why the clip might be considered offensive by some viewers and have made a decision to pull it off the air.
As for the English-language online version of the promo - as can be seen here - it turns out that a second person used basically to make the same joke as in the televised version happens to be openly gay and is one of the show's hosts. The producers have told GLAAD that they are more than thrilled to include an openly gay person as a host.
That's great of the producers but does the fact that the person is gay change the fact that he is still being used as the punch joke? If they found the televised version to be problematic, it should be clear why the online version is problematic as well. They should pull it offline as well. END OF UPDATE***
Lately I have been watching a great telenovela from Colombia called "Correo de Inocentes". It's airing on the Telefutura network which was launched by Spanish-language powerhouse network Univision to counter Telemundo.
On the Univision corporate site, they describe Telefutura as a "leader in cutting-edge content" and highlight the fact that it often beats Telemundo in their ratings - though not during prime time.
Imagine my surprise, then, when the following clip ran during the commercials as I watched the telenovela...
Promoting homophobia on television and lesbophobia to draw English-language advertisers? I have a feeling GLAAD will be knocking on Univision's door pretty soon.
At the beginning of March, I found myself in the same room with some leading Latino LGBT rights advocates and allies who met on the issue of the state of the Latino LGBT community in the United States.
During a break, I walked over the table where Oscar De La O was sitting (he is the Executive Director of the largest Latino HIV service agency in the country, Bienestar, which is based in California) and found him having an angry discussion with others. He wasn't angry with those at the table, mind you, but he was discussing comments made earlier that week by popular Mexican ranchera music singer Paquita la del Barrio on the topic of adoption rights for gays in Mexico.
The singer, known for her outrageous lyrics and for taking strong positions against Mexican sexist male culture, had appeared on "Al Punto" on Univision on February 21st and had the following exchange with anchor Jorge Ramos (if you click on the link, jump to the 4:30 mark):
Jorge Ramos: On March 4th, in Mexico City, gay marriages will be allowed. Mexico City is taking the leading role in this... well, in this angle, and many times, in Latin America, what do you think of this? Paquita la del Barrio: Very wrong. JR: Why? PLDB: Because, no, eh... OK, I'm still in agreement with a couple getting married but, in what, eh, is... adopting a creature. No, I am not in agreement. JR: Hold on, let's go by parts. You are in agreement with allowing a man and a man to get married, that a woman and a woman can get married. On that you are in agreement. PLDB: That, more or less, is how it is. But, as I said, adopting a creature for those people, no, no, that is not honest. JR: Hold on, when you denounce violence against women, you are denouncing discrimination. PLDB: Of course. JR: Gay people, homosexuals, would then say that not allowing them to lead an equal life to a man and a woman would also be one type of discrimination. PLDB: No, no, no, no. That's very wrong because I will nothing more than... will make one thing clear. You, let's say, are gay. You marry another gay. You adopt a creature. And when that creature grows up, he will say 'OK, whom will I call dad and whom will I call mom.' [I'll bring] nothing more than that argument for you... JR: But, but, I have colleagues who are gay and are two mothers or two fathers... PLDB: Two mothers and two fathers? JR: Uhum... PLDB: Well, I don't know. It's wrong! It's very wrong! The creature will end up crazy. JR: So this that has been happening in the city of Mexico, you wouldn't like it to happen throughout the Mexican Republic or that it spreads. PLDB: Nowhere in the world. To finish making my point. JR: But, perhaps, and let me insist on this, you don't believe that this is a form of discrimination. PLDB: No, it's not discrimi... no, no, no, no. No. They are human beings that, as a matter of fact, personally I care for them a lot, I have many friends, but that doesn't set things up for that; that they adopt a creature.
I had seen the interview after it aired but wasn't necessarily as incensed as Oscar. Instead I was struck by the dichotomy of someone who would claim to love her gay friends and support their right to marry, on the one hand, but also state that children might be driven insane if they were adopted by a gay couple. I might be in the minority out there, but I actually think she was being sincere in both respects.
It all comes down to this: The argument that adults should be allowed to do whatever they want to do in the privacy of their home has been mostly won in Latin America. It explains, in part, the increasing support for civil unions or marriage rights for gay couples throughout the region. But, on the specific issue of adoption, the old stereotypes still prevail. Gays are out there to recruit children and turn them gay. Homosexuality is a learned behavior and children can pick it up almost by osmosis. Whatever gay adults do in their own home might be OK if you don't think about it but it's certainly grosser than whatever straight adults do at home (I mean, we don't sit around scratching our bellies as we watch football, do we?).
Then came this: On March 12th, gossip show "Escandalo TV", also on Univision, caught up with Paquita during a promotional stop in Los Angeles and interviewed her again. THAT interview was picked up by the gossip show "NX" on Televisa and posted on YouTube that same day. I picked up on it and did a rushed translation and posted this version on March 13th...
It's only now ghat I've realized that the clip on "NX" has been edited so here is the translation of the full comments from the original Escandalo TV clip with bold typeface indicating the segments that were missing (not that it ads a lot to it but it starts at the 1:45 mark):
PLDB: What I said was that it was not... that it's not in my taste that a poor creature should be adopted by them. They can do whatever they want with their lives. Angel De Los Santos (Reporter):I read a commentary when the controversy began, which said 'What would Paquita prefer: That a child dies of hunger in the street and lonely, or that two human beings give him love, give him food, give him a roof...' PLDB: That he die... Reporter: You prefer that he die... PLDB: It's better for the child to die and not that life for the creatures. Reporter: OK... PLDB: Yes, because if I had a son, I would never be at peace if he was with them... Yes? Reporter: Why, Paquita... PLDB: ...my respect to them, I care for them a lot, but you have to give a place to he who is owed.. he who deserves it.
Now, it's one thing to have a personal conviction that gays shouldn't adopt, as homophobic as that conviction may be, but quite another to say that homeless children should die rather than be adopted by gays.
The response was quick and visceral. Blogger Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God. fame noticed that I had uploaded the video on my YouTube account and asked me for some background. I asked him to hold while I wrote about it but before I could do it blogger Andy Towle also picked up on the clip and posted it on Towleroad on March 15th - and kept it on his top news header for almost a week.
Stateside, aside from Univision and Telemundo, People en Español was among the first non-blog media to pick up on the controversy in an online article posted on March 12th - the same day that the original clip aired.
On March 16th, Monica Trasandes, Director of Spanish Language Media at GLAAD joined Oscar De La O and Bienestar in Los Angeles to publicly call for Paquita to apologize.
A local NBC affiliate picked up on the press conference on March 17th. A 14th minute clip features Oscar talking about the controversy as well as Victor Cordero, an on-air personality for the local Telemundo affiliate. Cordero, who says he knows the singer, vouchers for the enduring appeal of Paquita La Del Barrio in Mexico and among the Mexican and Mecican-American community in the United States and her strong support for women's rights. Here's an excerpt (starts at the 9:17 mark):
I personally know her, and I think - first of all, this is my opinion - I don't think she really meant to say that, number one; number two, I think she has - being Mexican, being with all those roots, if you will - she probably doesn't agree with the gay community, although it's very important to mention she has a lot of gay community followers, a lot of, ah - when she comes over to Los Angeles and she does the parade for the gay community she's very loved and, unfortunately, this, what she said, I'm gonna say she didn't meant to say it. One thing led to another, it's one of those situations where you mis-express yourself. And, again, this is just what I think by knowing her. And, of course, the media has been trying to make a living out of this and we're gonna wait and see if she gives another interview and see if she can rephrase this.
Cordero also says that her possible lack of education growing up and her ignorance on the topic of homosexuality might have made her trip up when she was posed the question.
On March 17th, Los Angeles Times blogger Daniel Hernandez, who is based in Mexico City, picked up on the scandal.
Online responses were also quick and harsh. A man in California created a Facebook Group called "Boycott Paquita La Del Barrio" which has drawn 1,200 members. Another Facebook group, created in Mexico, is titled "I prefer if Paquita La Del Barrio dies rather than she be adopted by a gay couple" and has 1,500 members. Twitter has the inevitable #PaquitaLaDelBarrio hashtag, which has been winding down from all the activity that it saw last week. Some on Twitter joked that Paquita La Del Barrio finally was getting what she always wanted: Cross-over success, since the Times and NBC Los Angeles were featuring her.
On March 2nd, days after the first interview aired on Univision but before the follow-up interview occurred on Escandalo TV, Paquita was among the many Latino stars who taped a 2010 Spanish-language version of "We Are The World" called "Somos El Mundo" to benefit victims of the earthquake in Hati. I won't post the video since it's so embarrassingly awful but you can check it out here.
Along with Paquita, a who's who of Latino stars took part in the performance, including Ricky Martin, Juanes, Shakira, José Feliciano, Vicente Fernandez, Pitbull, Andy Garcia, El Puma, Chayanne, Jon Secada, Juan Luis Guerra, Aleks Syntec, Gloria Estefan, Olga Tañon, Paulina Rubio, Daddy Yankee, Aventura, and, ehm, David Archuetta of American Idol fame.
Not that they have been individually reached to comment or need to do so but I think it's telling that of all those present at that taping, only two have spoken up against Paquita's words. Thalia, wife of music impresario Tommy Mottola, whose "Arrasando" is a staple at many Latino gay bars and recently covered the Alaska y Dinarama gay anthem "A Quien Le Importa", told Es Masthe following:
I believe that it's a commentary that is out of place, because they have fought for their dreams, them as a community, and they are seeing doors that have just begun to open, that they have legalization of their marriages and have additional rights in the society in which they live.
I have many friends, such as Rosie O'Donnell, who has her children and I have seen the passion, the love, the adoration she has with her children.
The second "We Are The World 2010" is Christian Chávez, one of the few commercially successful openly gay Latino singer in the world, who told People en Españolthe following:
I think it’s really sad especially being in moments in which, for example, in Mexico gay marriages are accepted, which is a big step forward, especially for the Mexican culture and a great example for all Latin America. It’s very sad to see someone who many people admire and who has been an icon for the gay community to say something like this… I was recently at an orphanage and saw many kids that are in need of caring, they need sneakers, shoes, a good education. I invite people to see things for what they really are before making prejudices. Mexico is one of the countries with the most domestic violence and child abuse. What is more normal, for kids to see their parents beating each other, being molested sexually, having their mothers beaten, in which many times they look to escape and abandon their kids? Is that normal?… Gay people aren’t perfect, but neither are heterosexuals. There are well-educated homosexuals that are responsible enough to be great parents and there are heterosexuals that shouldn’t be able to adopt kids. I don’t understand why we have to cut off an opportunity for a child, prefer to see them die than to get a proper education, a roof over their heads, a home. I think it’s absurd and very sad [translation c/o Latino Gossip].
With all the increasing public outrage, there has been pressure on Paquita to apologize and this week she did. Daniel Hernandez at Los Angeles Times reports that Paquita extended apologies for her comments, blaming her upbringing - if not exactly changing her mind on her opposition to adoption by gay couples - and said that she would make public amends to the gay community tomorrow in Mexico by performing at a gay bar in Mexico City. Late word tonight is also that a popular gossip show on Univision called "El Gordo y La Flaca" ran an advance clip from n interview that they will air tomorrow in which she breaks down and cries:
What she says in the clip:
Paquita la del Barrio: [The reporter] asked like this, rapidly, it didn't even give me a chance to think what to answer. I ask for a thousand apologies. I am sorry. Understand. But no. I don't know. Morally, I feel really bad. At one point I thought about killing myself, I am telling you this, but I have the moral force of my children. They are not at fault. I already lived my life. It's that a person should not be hurt... should not be hurt like that..
As I said, one of the first US-based media venues to jump on the story was People en Español. They have also posted up follow-up stories on the scandal. The main reason they have devoted so much space to Paquita's statement? Most probably it's the fact that it hit a personal nerve with People en Español editor Armando Correa.
Armando is, perhaps, one of the most powerful gay Latino men in Spanish-language media in the United States. He is also the author of "In Search of Emma", a personal account of the search for his first adopted child with the help of his partner of 24 years, Gonzalo Hernández. Today, they are the proud parents of three children (Carole Joseph, Senior Writer at People in Español, posted the picture on the right on her Twitpic account with the legend of "Armando Correa with his babies. I took this photo specially for Paquita").
On Friday, March 19th, AOL Latino's Celestrellas published an interview with Armando Correa. I personally think it's the best response out there to what Paquita la del Barrio said. Mind you, this is before today's "El Gordo y La Flaca" clip for tomorrow's show was aired. And it's no small measure that it's the editor of People in Español speaking. Here is my translation (I hope I haven't bored you enough by all that preceded this and that you will read this)...
AOL: Armando, how do you feel about the declarations from Paquita la del Barrio? AC: When she said, with Jorge Ramos, that she thought a gay couple should not adopt, I accepted it. We all havethe liberty to think whatever we want, she is not part of a minority but, instead, a majority who thin that gay couples should not adopt, she expressed her point of view and said it with a great deal of decency. But when she gave the other interview, sitting down, and said that she preferred that a child die instead of being adopted by a gay couple, that in itself promotes hate and intolerance. When you are a public figure you have to think a lot about what you say because you could hurt many communities that are your public and you could be promoting hate and intolerance, and, in this society, the least that is needed is that, we have to learn to respect. We are all equal, we are human beings, but at the same time we are very different. In the measure that we accept the existence of black, white, Asian people, that gays exist, disabled people, when we accept our differences the world will be different. As a public figure one has to think what one says, We are fighting for immigration reform, there are still many phobias in this century, hate against immigrants, for example, we have to promote tolerance and love. What Paquita has provoked is a lesson for the whole world. AOL: Why do you say it's a lesson? AC: I'll give an example that has nothing to do with whether or not she hurt the gay community. If you talk to a Hollywood actor who thinks the borders should be shut down, throw out illegal immigrants, how would we feel? How would Paquita herself feel as a minority in this country? What would happen with these kind of statements with the hate that exists against Mexicans in California? We have to romote tolerance, whether or not she referred to the gay world. AOL: Many of Paquita's followers are poor with few educational opportunities, in what way do you think her thoughts can influence what her followers believe? AC: All of a sudden I hear a person I like and admire say that they prefer that a child die instead of being adopted by a gay couple, people may believe that she is reasonable and I believe that is the greatest danger, when a public figure says those kind of phrases that promote hate. We are talking about a majority in this country who think a gay couple should not adopt, we are not talking about a minority, we have to educate the public, it's not an issue of going to vote, this is a social problem. It's as if in the 60's we asked the government if Afro-Americans could marry whites or is a black person had the same rights as someone who is white. That is not something you would put up for a vote but, instead, it's a social transformation, you have to educate the public, the society. If in the 60's you'd ask Southerners if they believed blacks should have the same rights as whites they would have said 'no', but you can't put that up for a vote because they are human rights, rights that we all have. AOL: After those declarations Paquita, she gave some apologies. Do you think she was sincere? AC: Of course not. I think she should have expressed being sorry about saying it, but not about thinking about it. That entails a public relation campaign to be able to save an image, everyone who works with her know that it can affect her concert earnings. The other day Raúl de Molina [ed. - the lead host of "El Gordo y La Flaca", who will air his interview tomorrow and has his own shady history of homophobic statements on the show] said that half of her concert-goers were supporters from the gay community. I believe there is a lot of fear that it might have an effect on her earnings. I am not promoting we should not listen to her, nor to buy her album or attend her concerts. She is an artist, her music is there and her presence will be there, what I say - and it's a message not only for her but for all public figures - we have to promote love and tolerance. AOL: Paquita said that as a way of apologizing she would give a concert at a gay disco and, perhaps, a [gay bar] tour, do you think she might be using this now as promotion and for publicity? AC: That would be a sad answer and it would be in bad taste to amend what she did in that manner, she is commercializing it, she is not giving free concerts for the gay community in California or wherever it is. She is doing her job and seeking an economic gain, but on some ways it is part of the business and part of the solution. I believe the public has reacted to her comments, with only a few exceptions of those who have shown themselves favorable to Paquita's comments, but people are hurt with the second declaration. The other day we were talking to Raúl Molina that she doesn't need to as forgiveness from the gay community but, instead, from those children she preferred to see dead instead of being adopted by a gay couple. AOL: Would you like to interview her? ¿Te gustaría entrevistarla? AC: A difficult question... She is also a human being and I'd like to know how she feels after making those statements. No one bathes themselves in a miraculous river and thinks one thing one day and another the next day. She is firm in her convictions that it's what is best for a child and my job is not t convince her, but she is an artist in this medium and if I have her before me I will greet her and if I have to interview her I will interview her. AOL: What would you say if you had her in front of you? AC: I would tell her that she should be careful when expressing what she feels when she is a public figure because, even without wanting to, she is promoting hate and intolerance; and not to think about it only when referring to one community, and it's the gays, but that she thinks about it whenever someone can do such a thing against immigrants and the millions of Hispanics who live in the United States and that suffer discrimination in some regions.
sino que lo piense cuando alguien puede hacer eso contra los inmigrantes y los millones de hispanos que viven en Estados Unidos y que en algunas partes sufren la discriminación".
NOTE: This post replaces and expands on an item I wrote at the end of 2009. I'm replacing the post because it was a bit rushed and because, much to my surprise, it's suddenly become the most discussed topic in Mexico during the past few days.
The video: It all started with a televised segment from a Mexican morning show called "Matutino Express" which aired on December 18th.
In it, lead host Esteban Arce welcomes sex columnist Elsy Reyes to the show for what he says will be a discussion on the difference between 'sexual orientation' and 'sexual preference'.
At first, things seem to run smoothly as Reyes begins to define both terms. But, just as she begins to talk about the fact that homosexuality is not considered to be an illness, he stops her at the 1:23 minute mark of the video and asks "So, is it normal to be a homosexual?" Watch:
Reyes initially sidesteps the question and tries to be gracious about her host's grilling. But Arce wants a direct response from her. "There are things that are normal: Being a man or being a woman" he says,"To be a homosexual is normal?"
When Reyes finally says that many studies show that being gay is an orientation and, as such, it is normal, Arce cuts her off again by saying "no, no, no". He states that Reyes and others might consider homosexuality to be an orientation but asks, for a fourth time, "is it normal?".
Reyes attempts to answer once again but it's clear that Arce is not getting what he wants to hear from her. So he simply interrupts her once again and indicates where his thoughts are going. He says that "what is natural" is for a man and a woman to come together and procreate. He then asks if anything that deviates from sexual relations between a man and a woman is "natural" or "normal".
In vain, Reyes says that sexual relations are not only limited to procreation. Arce's response? "It's not what you believe - it's what it is."
When Reyes says that she is sharing knowledge from the many studies she has read and not relying on her beliefs, Arce responds "What studies! You don't need to be a genius to know that there's a female and there's a male!"
And the hits keep coming!
Arce jokes that "eating cheetos and masturbating in the afternoon" is a sexual preference but isn't necessarily "normal".
When Reyes brings up studies that show that homosexual behavior have been observed among other animal species, he says that male dogs who engage in sex with other male dogs have been deprived of sex for a long time and are "letting themselves go" and that their behavior is considered to be "animal dementia".
He also says that younger people are susceptible to "letting themselves go" and turning gay even "if they look to you like men". "There is a lot of degeneration and a lot of drugs", he explains, as if homosexuality could also be the result of using illegal drugs.
By the end of the segment, Arce doesn't seem to care that he is speaking over the expert they invited to the show and, as she urges tolerance, he keeps repeating that she shouldn't be giving the wrong information to people.
Finally, he states that sexual relations not meant for procreation and not between a man and a woman are not a normal or part of nature. He dismisses Reyes as she is still trying to make a point with an "OK, thank you, let's leave", and that is the end of things.
Initial reaction: The original YouTube video was posted on December 19th, a day after it was broadcast, by someone with the handle of MikeParkRevolutions. I first saw it through a Google Alert but I didn't initially post it because it was hard to identify the actual broadcast date and location. I recognized Arce from a Telemundo gossip show called "Cotorreando" so I erroneously assumed that it was from the United States and I was so incensed by it that I actually forwarded it to GLAAD on December 24th.
In the meantime, I uploaded it to my YouTube page and began to translate it for posting on this blog. With additional research, I found out that Esteban Arce had left Telemundo in 2007 and now worked for Televisa in Mexico. I finally posted the video and a brief note on my blog on December 29th. The women at Macha Mexicopicked up on it on the 30th. Mexican newspaper Milenio had also picked up on it back on December 21st but the newsbrief drew little notice at the time. And I think that was it... until the new year.
On Monday, January 4th, my contacts at GLAAD, alerted me that they had sent the link I gave them to NotieSe and other LGBT media in Mexico. They also alerted me that Mexican LGBT news web-portal Anodis had just published an article about it ("People point out television host's homophobia"). Later that day, El Financiero picked up on a press release sent out by folks involved with Anodis demanding an apology from Esteban Arce ("Esteban Arce's homophobic comments are questioned").
And then, Twitter: That afternoon I started noticing that my Tweeter feed had begun to show links information related to the incident. That was the first time that I noticed the Twitter hashtag #EstebanArceFueraDelAire (#EstebanArceLeaveTheAir) being used to ask Televisa to fire Arce. I found out that the President of Televisa's Board of Directors, Emilio Azcarranga, was also on Twitter (@eazcarraga) and I started urging interested Tweeters to send complaints directly to him.
On Tuesday, January 5th, Mexican mainstream media picked up the Twitter revolt. El Gráfico, a subsidiary of one of the largest Mexican newspapers, El Universo, carried the headline "Twitter lashes out against Esteban Arce" on its print edition (they also posted the video I uploaded on YouTube on its online edition).
Sex columnist Elsy Reyes, who also has a Twitter account (@elsyreyes) posted a link to her version of what happened during the taping of the show on her blog ("Clearing up what happened on Matutino Express and sending thanks"). She said that she had been astounded by the amount of attention that her seven minutes on the show had drawn and apologized to the LGBT community for not having been able to defend herself better and for not having been able to express her views completely. She also noted the "pejorative" and "homophobic" comments made by Esteban Arce but stopped short of calling him a homophobe. She said that she was still unsure whether he had meant his comments to be homophobic.
He was wrong on one account: Someone had taken advantage of the moment to open a Twitter account under Esteban Arce's name and was responding as if he were the real deal. One prominent reporter actually fell for it and interviewed the fake Arce for a national newspaper. Azcarranga wanted to tell people that the account was a fake but, unbeknownst to him, Arce did and still does have a Twitter account (@estarc62).
By Wednesday, January 6th it seemed as if every other press media in Mexico had picked up on the story. The YouTube video I posted had gone to the #1 position on YouTube's "Most Watched" list and thousands of people were logging in to watch each day. On Wednesday, the government also stepped in: The National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) announced that it was considering whether to act upon several complaints received about the broadcast and said that they would soon determine if there were merits to those who said Arce's comments had been discriminatory ("CONAPRED opens complaint against Esteban Arce based on homophobia"). As for Esteban Arce, aside from a couple of Tweets on the issue, he remained silent.
His apology came on the morning of Thursday, January 7th, when the first live edition of "Matutino Express" of 2010 aired live. Watch:
That's right. The only apology Esteban Arce made when he went back on air was to Elsy Reyes for having interrupted her. Using carefully edited clips from the previous show, Arce denies he is a homophobe and paints himself as the victim of intolerance. No mention of him having argued that sex between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation as the sole "natural" and "nornal" human behavior in this world, no mention of masturbating while eating cheetos, no mention of teens "letting themselves go" into homosexuality, no mention of his repeated attempts to silence Reyes when she brings up academic research on the topic of homosexuality, and, most laughably, an argument that he in no way had meant that gays suffered "animal dementia" when he claimed that dogs who had homosexual behaviors usually were diagnosed which such an illness (he might not have said that gays suffered "animal dementia" but he certainly was making a direct comparison).
Arce also riles against "social networks", including Twitter, and says that the attention given to his statements are the result of people with "bad faith" uploading the segment online. To be expected, and as they did during the controversial segment, the other co-anchors back him up on everything and only speak up to say he is being victimized.
Note the absence of Reyes or anyone who might speak for the LGBT community to give their point of view (Reyes has said that, even though she was a weekly guest on the show, she has yet to receive an invite to come back).
On Friday, January 8th, CONAPRED served official notice to Arce that there were 18 complaints against him before the agency. If found guilty of promoting discrimination, Arce could face a year to three in prison unless he publicly apologizes for his statements on his show ("CONAPRED notifies Esteban Arce about complaints").
Comments on YouTube: Since MikeParkRevolutions posted the original YouTube video on December 19, it has amassed nearly 147,000 views and 5,106 comments. My translated version of the video has gathered another 62,000 and 790 comments since December 27th. My translated video of Esteban Arce's "apology" has drawn 56,000 views and 272 comments since January 7th and also reached #1 on YouTube's "Most Viewed" list in Mexico and #2 on the US "News & Politics" list (see top image).
Comments left on the videos I have uploaded range from those who are furious at Arce to those who back him unconditionally. What's striking is that a lot of those who back Arce and ask that gays "tolerate" his comments actually make the case for those of us who were troubled by his comments. One extreme example of this is the following comment:
I am in agreement that people should not be homophobic, but don't let gays mix with society. Send them to an island and burn them or something like that. I don't want my daughter to grow up with the idea that it's normal since they are even condemned in the Bible...
Or, more insidiously...
Well, he's right! It's not normal!I don't have anything against homosexuals. What's more, I have a lot of friends like that... and the majority are the best! But let's be realist. You need an ovum and sperm to create life. Period. He's not insulting anyone. Just saying what is the truth.
Arce is a wolf in sheep's clothing. By vilifying gays using the same language that fundamentalist religions use against that without actually saying that we are evil sinners, he can claim that he's just spreading simple facts and not being homophobic, giving an example to others of how they can actually justify their own homophobia in the language of freedom of speech and tolerance.
Overreaction? As media coverage of the clip in question grew during the week and coverage began to appear everywhere, complaints about media overkill also began to surface.
Some say that the outsize attention being given to Esteban Arce is actually promoting a show that had poor ratings and turninng him into a larger personality trhan he ever was. Others say that media have latched to the issue as a way to keep people entertained instead of focusing attention on issues such as increasing poverty and violence. Others say that to go after Arce and not go after religious and political figures who are just as homophobic but have more power is counter-productive.
Indeed, when Mexico City granted marriage rights to same sex couples two or three days after the "Matutino Express" segment aired on Televisa, Cardinal Norberto Rivera said the law was "perverse" and "immoral" and warned about the declining civilization. CONAPRED and other public interest groups have responded and asked them to measure their reactions and be more respectful of the LGBT community, but the reaction to their homophobic statements certainly hasn't reached the level it reached with Arce.
This might be in part because people expect such comments to come from the likes of Cardinal Rivera. He has made similar comments in the past and will make similar comments in the future. In other words, his words probably didn't surprise anyone, and even people who rejected his statements might have seen them as par for the course.
But, with Arce, that was not the case. Arce is supposed to be a somewhat neutral television show host and watching him become visibly upset that his fundamentalist religious views are being challenged by a guest and try to stop her by interrupting her at every chance is akin to watching a kid cover his ears and say "Nanananananana" when he doesn't want to hear something. And, as he found out, more than a few people thought his behavior more than reprehensible and decided to pass it along to others.
It's also true that he has gained notoriety, but for all the wrong reasons. It's his one television appearance that will probably forever define his career.
But what many are missing here is that Televisa and Arce might not have ever felt the need to respond or explain themselves if it wasn't for Tweeter and the same social networks that Arce described as lacking any "seriousness". It also puts other people on Mexican television on notice that similar homophobic shenanigans won't be taken down without a response.
As for those comments, perhaps my favorite thing has been this parody of a "Peanuts"cartoon strip, which uses Arce's comments to great effect...
[Source: Blog del Mono Hernández] Panel 1 -Voice coming from TV Set: "Eating cheetos and masturbating in the afternoon is a preference but it's not normal"; Panel 2 - Voice coming from TV Set: "When you put a dog in, they let themselves go, and that's considered to be 'animal dementia'"; Panel 3 - Snoopy: "The more I hear demented animals on TV, the more I care for you..."
Catholic preacher Alberto Cutié, better known to millions of Spanish-language television viewers as "Padre Alberto", has been removed from his post at the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach and banned from conducting Sunday mass, reports The Miami Herald.
The swift removal of the Puerto Rico-born preacher comes in the wake of a series of photographs published in the Spanish-language gossip magazine TVyNotas which show Cutié frolicking with a woman on a beach. Representatives from the Archdiocese of Miami stated that Cutié was being removed for breaking his vow of celibacy.
Cutié, arguably the best known Catholic preacher among Latinos in the United States, ran a couple of afternoon talk shows on the Telemundo network in which he doled advice to guests, audience members and callers. Despite the cancellation of those shows in 2002, Cutié continued to be prominently featured on several talk shows while running a local radio show and authoring a couple of books.
For a priest with such a visible media presence, Cutié was often asked about his take on homosexuality and, although not as rabidly homophobic as other Catholic priests, his basic stance came down to the good-ol' 'Love the sinner, hate the sin' position predicated by the Vatican.
On homosexuality: ''The church does not reject anyone. Being homosexual is not a sin because it's something that you don't choose.'' But he added, ''The practice is another matter.''
Q: What about homosexuality in general? Will the church ever openly accept gays and lesbians?
A: The approach of the Catholic Church, I have to tell you, is a lot more accepting than the approach of the new mega-churches and the fundamentalist churches. The Catholic Church is closer to the position of science, which says we don't really know how a person becomes, um, homosexual. We don't know if it's something you're born with or if it's something that you become. What we do know is that they should be respected.
Obviously, the statements seem to show some evolution in his thoughts about homosexuality, but I remember seeing him discuss the issue several times on television and thinking how much more insidious it was to have a telegenic preacher on national television cloak the 'practicing gayness is bad' angle with his wide smile, instead of expressing outright homophobic sentiment.
Cuité has released a short statement which reads, in part, "I ask for the forgiveness of those who may be hurt or saddened by my actions" (in other words, a non-apology apology).
Some of his parishioners have jumped to his defense and the scandal has elicited media dialogue on whether the church should do away with celibacy restrictions on Catholic preachers.
Let's hope that, now that Cutié is on the other side of those who make 'practice' of their sexuality, he will fully come around and acknowledge that his sexual drive and sexuality are as life-affirming and natural as that of gays and lesbians - as well as acknowledge that while some fundamentalist evangelical churches might be more outwardly hostile to gays and lesbians, The Catholic church is not nearly as enlightened as he paints it to be.
UPDATE: In a letter allegedly authored by Cuité, as published in a Puerto Rican television gossip show's blog, InFraganti, the priest alludes to some of the conflicts he has felt for a long time when it comes to his celibacy vows and also indicates that priests he knows struggle with issues related to homosexuality. He also states, unequivocally, that the Catholic Church should embrace the calls for reform. I have translated an excerpt:
For a long time I was convinced that with a good dosis of prayer, exercise and a balanced life, every temptation could be overcome. But, in my particular case, it wasn't so [...] Parish work and the media, introduced me to all kind of persons - including many brother priests who also struggle with diverse topics about human sexuality and the celibacy that the church requires from us. It has not been easy. In fact, to my closest friends and collaborators, I have said that "this year was the most difficult of my life"; witnessing so many unpleasant situations which [some of ] my brother priests have lived - in and outside Miami. Perhaps knowing so many things about the institution and in so many places, has made me more sensitive to all this pain and the need that the Church has of reforming itself. Scripture says: "It is not good for a man to be alone" and that I have lived in my own flesh. I have seen in many brothers and in myself.
I want you to know that I take FULL RESPONSIBILITY for my actions and that it is I who acted badly. I ask God for forgiveness and from you if anyone feels offended. At the same time I am consoled by God's mercy - because God has widely open arms and I know that He loves us all wih his unconditional love.
UPDATE 2: CNN's Rick Sanchez to the rescue! (h/t Guanabee)
On the early, early morning of December 28th, 22 year-old Ashley Schneider was crowned Miss Rainbow International Gay 2008 at an annual beauty pageant ceremony which took place at the Tailú Bar bar in the Dominican Republic city of Santiago.
José Izquierdo, the Governor of the Province of Santiago, had threatened to shut down the event until he was reminded that the site was a private space and that he did not have any jurisdiction over the event. It still didn't stop him or others from expressing their displeasure with the event.
I know what you are thinking: It's a drag show! At a gay bar!! What's the big deal? Well, this is the Dominican Republic where things like these become national news. Which is exactly what happened here.
On November 27th the local assembly approved by majority vote a statement of censure against the beauty contest saying that it "attempted against the moral and good customs of the Santiago society" (El Caribe).
The censure echoed statements that the Reverend Ezequiel Molina made on the Dagastan television show the night before the event (La Información). "The beauty contest among homosexuals and marriages between persons of the same gender constitute an aberration, an attempt against the Christian and moral values and an affront to the family," he said.
Reverend Molina also riled against 'carnal union' between members of the same sex and against adoption rights for gays although it is unclear whether any weddings or adoptions took place at the Tailú Bar on the night the event took place. For some reason I have a feeling the reverend pulled out his laundry list of objections against the gays having been given a media platform.
Security at the event was strict. Cameras were banned and attendees were searched for weapons and asked for ID. Organizers feared that the local authorities might use any excuse to shut down and possibly even send in underage attendees to give them cause for a search but the event went on smoothly.
A few people interested in watching the contest walked away from the door criticizing the $20 to $35 dollar ticket price as being too high and others walked away when they saw the dozens of television cameras shooting footage of people entering the bar (Clave Digital).
The owners of the club as well as a number of VIP guests called for the recognition of LGBT rights in the Dominican Republic and said that the event should have never have been the center of such media attention and controversy. They also said that they hoped that the outcome had shown that it was not something that challenged the morals of society nor something that was done in poor taste.
Clave Digital has a multimedia page with lots of photos here.
Below, an eliminatory event that took place a month before the Crowning (loooove the bachata techno mix they used):
...and coverage from the local Telemundo station made available on YouTube by hottie reporter Fausto Cruz after the new Queen was announced.
[UPDATE: Didier van den Hoven was released from detainment by police on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, pending an investigation. Accusations that the actor had sexual contact with a second minor were withdrawn - More information below]
A Belgian-born actor who resides in Colombia and has been a cast member in three of the most-watched Spanish-language television soap operas in the Unites States in the last few years ("La Tormenta," "Pasion de Gavilanes," and, most recently, "El Zorro"), was detained Friday in Chile on charges that he engaged in sexual relations with two underage males.
42 year old Didier van den Hove, who was on vacation in the southern city of Puerto Natales, was arrested at the Índigo Hotel - where he had arranged to meet the two teens - and was accused of "carnal access to a minor between 14 and 18 years of age" - which carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
In an interview with van den Hove's lawyerHermann Klasen published today in El Magallanes, he says that the actor is at peace with the knowledge that his television career is over but hopes that he will still be able to act in the big screen ("'My career in television is finished', the actor confessed to his lawyer"). His main concern, the lawyer says, is the impact of the scandal on his 9 year old son.
Klasen also tells the paper that the actor considers that the charges and the media coverage has been exaggerated as much as there was consent between all parties and that homosexuality is not prohibited in Chile. The actor, his lawyer says, also feels offended that he was taken out of court in hand-cuffs and with a yellow jacket that read "Charged."
Klasen said that van den Hoven has denied any interest in child pornography and that he hopes to be set free after a court hearing being held this evening.
The actor was accused of having sexual relations with a minor under 18 years of age and of possessing "pornographic materials" depicting minors but only charged with the latter charge (no mention of previous reports that van den Hove had sexual relations with a second minor). He will have to remain in Chile for a period of two months while the fiscal office conducts an investigation.
The court stated that a computer had been confiscated from the accused and that they will be looking to see if it contains pornographic images involving minors or indications that the actor had paid for sex an accusation that the actor's lawyer completely denied.
van den Hove, when given an opportunity to respond to these charges told the court that "When we speak of underage pornographic material, we have to be very explicit on those points, there are many photos of myself as an adolescent and of my son, my brother, even photos of when I was a baby."
He also told the court that it was absolutely false that he had paid money for sex and that he was astounded by the accusation. "At no point am I denying my sexual condition,' he said, "but I would like you to be more explicit [on the charges]."
Outside the court, the actor standing next to his lawyer, told reporters that he had carried a six-month relationship with the minor and that they had met through a friend in common and said that he didn't consider that their relationship was a crime.
"To moralize about sexuality is such a complex subject," he said," "I have to laugh a little because we know nothing about the issue, science has not set the last word; If we speak about sexuality how much do we know to be able to legislate about it, what is good and what is bad? One thing is clear to me and this is that abuse is wrong. Laws about sexual crimes are very delicate."
In the meantime, in an article published yesterday in Diario Electronico de La Patagoniaafter the ruling ("MoVILH denounces the case of the actor before the UN"), an unnamed representative from MoVILH is quoted as saying that the law is the law and that charges will be imposed whether tey like it or not but that they are concerned that the court has also called for the two-month investigation based on mere suspicions that the relationship between the actor and the 17 year old indicates an interest in paedophilia. They also highlight that the court recognized that there was no other sexual contact between the actor and a second minor, as previous reports had specuilated.
MoVILH also reminded reporters of the 2000 wedding between Chilean tennis player Marcelo Ríos and Giuliana Sotela, noting that he had been 23 years of age while she had been 15 years of age.
"No one suspected in this case, and in so many others, that Ríos had any links to paedophilia or with underage pornographic material," MoVILH stated, "On the contrary, the union was celebrated nation wide."
They said that they would bring the discriminatory age of consent law before the United Nations tribunal.
A wide array of Latino LGBT leaders throughout the United States took notice of the recent firing of the host of a popular Spanish-language television gossip show for using a word that might be interpreted as homophobic in Cuba but not necessarily in other Latin American countries. I mean, I'm certainly as knowledgeable as most people when it comes to homophobic expressions in Latino culture and even I had no idea that the word cherna could be interpreted to mean "faggot." Then again I am not of Cuban or Caribbean descent (nor is Luisa Fernanda, the fired host).
Today's Miami Herald takes a look at Telemundo's swiftness in terminating Luisa Fernanda's contract as the host of "Cotorreando" and the mixed reaction from Latino gay leaders including Ron Brenesky of Miami's Unity Coalition - who is of Cuban descent - and says she should not have been fired ("Host had 'no idea' of gay slur").
The groovy, amazing and lovely Monica Taher of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (not to say that Ron isn't just as lovely or amazing) also expresses ambivalence about the firing, praising Telemundo's willingness to address instances of homophobia on the programs they broadcast, but also stating that the context in which the word was said was not necessarily homophobic.
Last week, Monica did an informal survey of Latino LGBT leaders throughout the United States and got a varied response, mostly supporting Luisa Fernanda.
How some of us came to defend a host in as trashy a gossip show as "Cotorreando" still makes me giggle a bit.
El muy groovy and amazing Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano (OMG, I love that name) put up his thoughts over on his blog God is Brown on Friday.
Here is what I sent to Monica last week as well:
When CBS radio fired Don Imus over the racially-insensitive comments he made on air a couple of months ago, it seemed to me that the radio company was responding to the escalating national outrage and the potential impact on their advertising dollars rather than purely because Imus had crossed the line. As has been reported, Imus and his on-air cohorts had crossed that line over and over again with nary a peep from CBS radio UNTIL it became a national controversy.
Similarly, Spanish-language radio shows such as "El Vacilon de la Manana" have long been the target of protests by Latino LGBT organizations and activists for more than a decade and none of the radio stations that carry El Vacilon have ever deemed that it was appropriate to suspend or fire a radio personality for skits, call pranks or comments that not only crossed the line but probably violated FCC regulations as well (case in point: a skit song about a man enjoying being raped and wanting more that was on "El Vacilon" at the time that radio personality Luis Jimenez was part of the crew).
The recent suspension of Luis Jimenez who made a move to Univision radio after he was offered a multi-million dollar contract was shockingly swift and must have been embarrassing for Jimenez. According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the move came after Jimenez used pejorative language to refer to lesbians.
But don’t look for an explanation from Jimenez or Univision radio: Jimenez has yet to officially speak about the incident – or apologize – and Univision radio has only put out a vague statement about “inappropriate comments” and its commitment to upholding the “highest standards.”
But, come on! Univision must have known exactly what Jimenez would bring to the show (Jimenez has a well documented history of homophobic outbursts on and off the air).
Most probably, in the wake of Imus, Univision felt threatened by GLAAD’s interest in Jimenez’ show and potential repercussions if advertisers got wind of it.
The firing of Luisa Fernanda from Cotorreando shows that these punitive actions are probably a passing trend rather than Latino media finally having found its "conscience."
I have had a long personal and professional interest in being a watchdog over the representation of the LGBT community in Spanish-language media so perhaps I've been more involved than others on this topic. So I guess I can say that it frustrates me that some in our own community side with those who say that we are humorless censors looking for any opportunity to shut down anyone or anything that does not portray the LGBT community in the best light – when that could not be further from the case.
The Latino LGBT community is incredibly diverse. We come in all hues and degrees of masculinity or femininity, with all sorts of political and ideological backgrounds. There should be effeminate gay men or butch lesbian women represented on out television or radio shows, as well as femme lesbians and macho gay guys. There are good and bad and semi-good and semi-bad gay people. The issue is not to block out aspects of our community we might not like or to concentrate exclusively on the greatness of the LGBT community (although we ARE great!) but to stop being ridiculed and assaulted through Spanish-language media at our expense.
There is humor to be had through skits, songs or comedies that portray the LGBT community in Spanish language media (see the now defunct and groundbreaking Telemundo comedy "Los Beltran") but one thing is to laugh with us and quite another at us.
So, having said this, it might shock some people to hear me say that Luisa Fernanda should not have been fired from Cotorreando. By all intents and purposes, she has had an on air and off air history of supporting the Latino gay community in ways that other supposedly pro-gay personalities have not done. And if she says that she had no idea that the comment she made was pejorative of lesbians in the Caribbean, she has more than earned the right for us to take those comments at face value.
Still, Jimenez is the superstar radio personality that Univision hopes will bring millions to the station – and he only gets a month's suspension (he is back on air as I write this) - while Luisa Fernanda is off-the air at Telemundo for good.
To me, this shows a case of commercial skittishness and fear from the national radio and television broadcasters rather than a true desire to curve some of the most offensive content on Spanish-language radio or television today.
It's great that Telemundo and Luisa Fernanda met this week with Miami's Unity Coalition. Hopefully the conversations will lead Telemundo to ask Luisa Fernanda back on the show.
But the networks and radio producers have a long way to truly change a culture that promotes extreme offensiveness in exchange for increased ratings even if they do have the power to edit content despite their contention that it's "what the public wants."
Censoring expression, even if its language that offends, is not the way to change cultural stereotypes. It’s whether that language incites hate, prejudice and violence against others that matters and needs to be challenged. Related stories:
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