Musica: Alison Moyet chomps up the big juicy apple, spits out the seeds

Above: Alison Moyet performing on Oct. 10th at the Paramount Theater in NJ (photo by rustiallen)

A bit late, perhaps, but I wanted to share just how amazing it was to see Alison Moyet live in New York back on October 7th in her first United States solo tour in fourteen years. Not that it had been that long since I'd seen her singing live. That would have been July 19th at the Beacon Theater when she performed as Vince Clarke's muse in a Yazoo revival but - even back then - I said the following:

"I just hope that the adulation and love [from concert-goers] results in a future Alison Moyet tour; I am amazed that I was finally able to see and hear her live but I really hope to see her perform some of her solo work in the future as well."

Well, it didn't take long! Three months later and there I was at the Blender Theatre (much better acoustics) listening to an amazing array of Moyet's back catalogue (she must have sang over 20 songs).

A taste:


From the couple of videos I posted on YouTube, "Find Me" seems to be the most popular so far (perhaps because my voice doesn't overcrowd the vocal and, really, who goes to an Alison Moyet concert to hear MY voice?).


No such luck with one of my all time favorites "This House" but how could I keep from warbling some lyrics this stunning song? And then the bf calls to ask for directions to the theater. Damn camera mic! Why won't you ignore some registers!


In the meantime, Moyet was clearly having a heck of a time with a packed theater and all those adoring gays eating up everything she did. If there seems to be a running joke between her and the audience throughout this "Is This Love" clip, it's because she had already started to sing this song and got thrown off key by the audience singing along with her. Before she began, she asked audience members to please hold on til the 2nd verse (here is the FULL banter from another angle, including the aborted take). I have a feeling part of it is pure stage theatrics but it was GREAT.


The Schemer has a clip of the amazing "Whispering Her Name," which I didn't capture with my cam. The upshot? You don't get to hear me trying to hit those high notes.


From The Schemer, here is "Wishing You Were Here" (and, finally, there is no video footage but check out the STUNNING version of Melanie Safka's "Momma Momma" and her own "Can't Say It Like I Mean It").

Yes, she did do a few Yaz songs but, at least to me, they paled in comparison with her own stuff just as I loved the Yaz show back in July but felt some of it hadn't aged well.

Some of the funniest stuff was her banter with the audience and her response to an annoying audience member who kept screaming "Invisible!" and her response to why she would not sing it that night.

The saddest thing is that while there were a few other shows planned during this tour (and she did play dates in New Jersey and DC), slow ticket sales, poor promotion from US promoters and the US economic crisis meant that it was unsustainable to continue the tour with a full band and all other shows had to be scrapped. Sadly, in a personal note, Moyet says this might have been her last tour in the US.

Related:

• For all things Alison please hit www.alisonmoyet.com
• To purchase albums go to Amazon.com

Previously:

• Goddess (July 20, 2008)
• Yazoo reboots and tours the US (May 15, 2008)
• Alison Moyet's Turn (August 19, 2007)
• Alison Moyet, terrorist? (October 10, 2005)
• Rare Alison Moyet appearance in NYC this Monday (September 30, 2005)

Coda: McGhee gets 22 to life in murder of Edgar Garzon

Today at the State Supreme Court in Queens, John L. McGhee was given a sentence of 22 years to life in prison in the 2001 murder of 35 year old Edgar Garzon, closing a painful chapter for his friends and family.

Above, photos from Eddie's life including his baptism (above left); his loving family (just below); Eddie as a child standing next to his mother Leonor (above right); and with the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association crew (several photos at the bottom) hoisting a huge coffee bag with the yellow blue and red colors of the Colombian flag and dancing up a storm down the 5th Avenue Heritage of Pride Parade dressed in the coffee cup costumes he designed for the parade [click on image to make it larger].

An online article by Duncan Osborne posted late today at Gay City News reports that Leonor Garzon, Eddie's mom, addressed McGhee with the help of a translator:

"There is a deep wound in our hearts that will never heal; as you see Mr. McGhee, you have taken us from living a good life... Today, our companions are sadness and loneliness."

McGhee, to the end, maintained his innocence:

"I did not commit this crime," he said. "By locking me away for the rest of my life and leaving the real criminal out there, that may feel good, but that's not justice."

A jury has decided otherwise.

• Full story at "Edgar Garzon's murderer sentenced to at least 22 years".

Previously:
* September 11, 2008: McGhee guilty of 2nd degree murder in killing of Edgar Garzon
* July 17, 2008: Key witness vanishes as 2nd Eddie Garzon murder trial approaches
* September 5, 2007: Last night's vigil...
* September 2, 2007: Six years since the murder of Eddie Garzon...
* July 25, 2007: Judge Declares Mistrial in Eddie Garzon murder case
* July 13, 2007: Trial Begins in the Slaying of Edgar Garzon
* February 8, 2007: Michael J. Sandy and Edgar Garzon pre-trial hearings underway
* October 18, 2006: A Pansy for Edgar Garzon
* September 5, 2006: 5th Annual Memorial Mass and Vigil in honor of Eddie Garzon
* July 7, 2006: Gay City News on Eddie Garzon
* July 1, 2006: Armando Garzon talks to El Diario La Prensa
* June 30, 2006: New York Times: Stepping off plane, man is arrested in '01 murder
* Part 1: The Attack
* Part 2: COLEGA and Eddie Garzon
* Part 3: So what is, exactly, is a 'hate crime'? (and a prayer)
* Part 4: Eddie Garzon passes on
* Part 5: The Vigil
* Part 6: A Newsday Editorial
* Part 7: A parade of angels
* Part 8: Epilogue

And now: A message from the next president of the United States

Gotta love this guy!

Barack Obama at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner tonight

Update: Manhunt.net responds to comments in Mexico's La Reforma

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Out NOW: MARIPOSAS - A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry

New this week, from Floricanto Press, "MARIPOSAS: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry" edited by Emanuel Xavier.

Here is what people are saying:

Just as blood curses through our queer Latino veins, so does a complex and sometimes contradictory history. The words captured in this volume of poetry perfectly capture a moment in time in which we all are in flux and yet still very much grounded in the moment. Personally, these poems speak to my being, my sexuality, my erotic desires, my future hopes and my wishes for new generations and yet they also stand for the danger that those words might also be fragile and easily forgotten. It is up to the reader to make these words count for something. And, simply said, it's just an amazing and moving collection of poems that truly represents who we are as queer Latinos at this crucial moment in time.

Oh wait! I think I wrote that! Embarrassingly, it ended up on the book jacket! Well, I meant it and don't just take my word for it.

Here's the legendary Felice Picano:

An 800-year-old tradition of Hispanic poetry gets a substantial augmentation, and at the same time, a wondrous makeover, with the rich, varied, sensual, often bi-lingual work in this collection. It helps that the translations by Xavier are so true; and that the poets amassed from all over the Americas, are mas o menos gay in subject matter and attitude.

And here is reviewer Richard Labonte writing in his Pride Source column "Book Marks:"

The 17 writers collected in Xavier's dynamic anthology of contemporary Latino poets make up a real mosaic. Some are American-born, others hail from Argentina, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Their poems are in English, in Spanish, even in "Spanglish"; some are bilingual, and a few Spanish-language poems also appear in English, translated by Xavier - a vibrant diversity connected by mutual queerness and common themes. One such theme is sexual desire: "Why, my God, do I like men so much?" Daniel Torres wonders, and "Suddenly, our sex lives were full of safety drills," Rane Arroyo laments. Another is defiant anger: "There are not enough hate crimes/ to kill us all," Yosimar Reyes declares in memory of murdered queens, and "You call me wet back/ Yes my back is wet/ Wet of sweat/ Wet of blood," Xuan Carlos Espinoza-Cuellar cries in the face of immigrant-bashing. Xavier is a generous editor: instead of compiling a "greatest hits" sampler of one or two poems by many poets, he has opted to limit the number of contributors, giving each a real showcase for his talent.

Anyway, it IS a great book and you should really get yourself a copy. It's exclusively available here.

Related links:

• Floricanto Press
• Emanuel Xavier

Mexico: Was Manhunt.net rep racially insensitive?

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Mexico: Putocop nabs thief who preyed on gay men online

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Colombia: Senate rejects same-sex partnership bill AGAIN; gay-friendly Notary Public shot to death in Bogota

Without much fanfare, a Colombian Senate committee rejected a bill on Wednesday that would have brought the legislative branch of the Colombian government up to speed with several Constitutional Court rulings determining that same-sex couples should be granted access to limited partnership benefits.

According to a statement released by Senator Gloria Inés Ramírez, the bill would have addressed what the country's top court identified as a legislative "deficit of protection" for same-sex couples. It would also have extended all the legal rights and protections already afforded to heterosexual couples in a common-law unions or long-term partnerships to same-sex couples.

It was the sixth time since 1999 that such a bill was rejected (the last time being June of 2007 when a similar bill was widely expected to pass and be signed by President Alvaro Uribe into law).

In the last two years, Colombia's Constitutional Court had determined that same-sex couples must be granted the right to share their common assets (Feb. 2007), their social security and health insurance benefits (Oct. 2007), and their pension benefits (Apr. 2008).

The Senate's failure to act does not mean that same-sex couples have lost any of these limited protections. If I understand correctly, it means that same-sex partners can continue to avail themselves by registering their names at at a notary office - but it still falls short of having the actual relationship be recognized as a civil union or marriage.

Gay-friendly notary public shot to death last night in Bogota: Now, back in February, I reported that it didn't seem to matter to a number of same-sex couples that access to a few rights did not mean that same-sex civil unions had been or were even close to being recognized by the government: They treated it as such anyway.

According to El Tiempo, notary public Norberto Salamanca - who oversaw partnership registrations at Notary Office 76 - stated that he'd "seen couples and guests carrying wedding invites in their hand, reading statements, taking pictures of the event and exchanging rings," adding "Some couples kiss each other to seal the ceremony" (see "One Bogota notary office, a hundred same-sex partnership registrations").

For his willingness to be on camera and to be interviewed by media during some of these ceremonies, Mr. Salamanca became perhaps the best-known notary public accepting these types of registrations (at the time El Tiempo had identified only two notary offices willing to register -sex couples in all of Bogota and said that Mr. Salamanca's office led in number of registrations putting the figure at 100).

Imagine my sadness this morning when I read reports online that Mr. Salamanca had been shot to death at 8:15 last night while he sat in his car.

Mexico's Milenio says that the police were looking for two gunmen who "escaped with great velocity towards an unknown destination."

They also note that Salamanca was well-known for his work with gay couples, "which cost him criticism from diverse conservative organizations that graded him as a detractor of morality."

Colombia's El Espectador says that Mr. Salamanca had driven his Mercedes Benz and had parked outside a building in an upper-class Bogota neighborhood as he waited to pick up his children from their place of residence. He was shot four times and died before his body was brought to a nearby hospital.

El Tiempo says that authorities are offering a reward equivalent to $24,000 dollars to anyone who provides information that leads them to the killer, who was said to be between 22 and 24 years of age, and said that they were also looking for a second man who was seen running away from the scene.

General Rodolfo Palomino, Director of the Bogota Police Department, said that they assume that those responsible for the crime are people who are opposed to same-sex partnerships but Salamanca's family told the paper that they didn't see a clear reason as to why someone would want to kill Mr. Salamanca.

In the meantime, El Espectador has uploaded a Caracol News segment on YouTube (below) which includes an interview Mr. Salamanca gave to CM& News hours before he was killed.

In the interview, Mr. Salamanca is asked whether notary officials should be authorized to act as judges while hundreds of judicial workers are engaging in a current ongoing strike. (bringing to a halt thousands of court cases).

Mr. Salamanca argues that notary officers can indeed serve as judges in some cases if only to assist with the backlog and that the notary office system provides a viable infrastructure for these cases to move forward in light that the court system has shut down.

Eerily he begins the interview with these words: "Since in Colombia there is no justice..."

Let's hope that's not the case and that justice comes in his murder.

La Prensa backs marriage rights for same-sex couples in California

Wait! Wasn't that the same headline as yesterday's post? Actually. No! This is the bi-weekly and bi-lingual San Diego newspaper La Prensa (we do love the bi's). And, though probably not as influential as yesterday's La Opinion editorial, in some ways it's a whole lot sweeter since this is a smaller Latino community newspaper and, unlike La Opinion, a little bit more unexpected:

Proposition 8: Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment - Majority Approval Required

Shall the California Constitution be changed to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry providing that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California?

Whereas opponents to Prop. 4 had the support of the State Supreme Court and the voters, Prop. 8 is different. In the year 2000, California voters approved the designation that a legal marriage is between a man and woman. It was the State Supreme Court (in May 2008) that denied the provisions of Prop 4, citing that it violated the equal protection clause of the California Constitution. Same sex couples have been getting married ever since the May 2008 ruling.

A Yes vote on Prop. 8 would be a vote for marriage as legal only if it was between a man and woman. A No vote would allow the State of California to continue recognizing the legal union between same sex marriages.

First and foremost, marriage is a statement of love between two people. Same sex marriage as a legal union will not diminish the value of heterosexual marriages. Legal recognition for same sex marriages provides a sense of pride, dignity, accountability, and as the State Supreme Court ruled: equal protection under the law.

Gays and Lesbians have been a part of society since the beginning of time. This is a community that continues to grow and speak out. The Gay community is an integral part of our society and their elected numbers continues to grow. We can no longer marginalize this part of our community. Rejecting the legal designation of a Gay marriage will do nothing more than to polarize this community toward working harder for full recognition as a part of society.

This proposition is nothing more than one group trying to impose their moral standards on another. Fortunately, the world is made up of many different people and you simple can’t contain all people in a single box. Instead we should celebrate our differences and work together to make our world a better place for all to live in happiness and in love.

We believe that if two people are in love and they want to get married, we as a State should not legislate against the happiness of these people. We Urge a No Vote on Prop. 8.

Yes, if you haven't heard, today Connecticut became the third state (after Massachusetts and California) to allow same-sex marriages (I actually cried watching this) but the current battle in California will define the issue for decades. Wouldn't it be rad if now that Connecticut has done the right thing we also beat back efforts in California to protect marriage rights for same-sex couples? The answer is YES by voting NO on Prop. 8.

La Opinion backs marriage rights for same-sex couples in California

[NOTE: Above, the latest ad for those seeking to safeguard marriage rights for same-sex couples in California. For more info and to support NO on Prop. 8 efforts head directly here]

In an editorial published today in Los Angeles' La Opinion ("An unnecessary proposal"), the paper asks Latino voters to vote 'NO' on California's Proposition 8 and against efforts to undo a state top court decision legalizing same-sex marriage (It counts quite a bit: La Opinion is the Spanish-language paper with the largest circulation in the United States).

While not surprising (the paper also supported the same-sex weddings that took place in San Francisco under Gavin Newsom's watch back in 2004), the editorial comes at a key time when foes of same-sex couples seem to have the upper hand and Latino and African-American voters are being mentioned as a reason why the ban could pass (not sure I am convinced by the arguments).

I am taking the liberty to reprint the English version of the editorial in its entirety.

Proposition 8 seeks to amend the California Constitution to expressly guarantee that marriage must be between a man and a woman.

We believe this is an unnecessary initiative that would impose a constitutional restriction on rights now held by a group of Californians whose mutual commitment before the law and society poses no danger whatsoever.

The idea behind this initiative and the title its proponents wanted to give it was the "California Marriage Protection Act".The state attorney general changed the title to the more accurate "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry."

That right was declared in May by the California Supreme Court, ruling that such a ban is discriminatory. To arrive at that decision, the judges based their opinion on a 1948 legal precedent that determined that it was illegal to prohibit marriage of couples of different races.

It is subjective to claim that the voluntary marriage between two adults is a threat to an institution which, ironically, these people are fighting to join.

The true threats to marriage are lack of communication, infidelity, domestic abuse, and economic pressures.

The driving force behind the measure comes from Evangelical, Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, Orthodox Jewish, and Adventist congregations, with money, sermons, prayers, fasting, and very respectable and respected opinions.

But that does not mean it is acceptable to impose these beliefs on all of society, and much less, change the State Constitution.

We recommend voting NO on Proposition 8.

Related:

• Los Angeles Times: Gay marriage foes ramp up outreach to Latinos
  
• Orange County Register: Latino adults: Marriage desirable, but too 'risky'
• Rex Wockner: Polls flip, gays now losing marriage in Calif.
• Gloria Nieto: No on Prop 8

Gay Brazilian priest found strangled in Brooklyn, Daily News online readers leave offensive comments

Ever since I read about it this morning, I've been deeply disturbed by a story from the New York Daily News ("Slain priest Jose Ricardo Ferreira de Souza killed helping others?").

From the article:

Struggling to understand his violent death, friends of a Brazilian priest found strangled on the Brooklyn shore said Monday he may have been a victim of his own kindness. Jose Ricardo Ferreira de Souza, 31, whose body was discovered on Brighton Beach on Wednesday, helped fellow Brazilians with immigration paperwork and aided homeless people...

Witnesses saw two or three men beating a man who fit de Souza's description and pull him down to the water's edge about 1 a.m., police sources said...

De Souza's body was discovered about an hour later, clad only in his shirt and socks. Relatives in Brazil have said his cell phone and wallet were missing.

His family told NYPD detectives that de Souza, a bishop in the breakaway Vetero Catholic Church, was gay. Friends, however, said he did not proposition strangers, and it was unlikely that was what triggered a beating.

This reminds me of the 2006 homicide of Michael J. Sandy which also took place late at night by the Brooklyn shore even though I don't know Brooklyn well enough to know if both incidents happened nearby. A gay man's life is gone but don't tell that to Daily News readers who don't seem to care and are already blaming the victim. A sampling:

• How do they know a bunch of angry Russkies didn't kick his arse because he was making gay passes at them?
• Well he IS dressed like Liberace in the picture. How do we know gay men don't join the priesthood for the fashion? You think those guys had Sex and the City nights following Sunday evening mass when the show was on HBO?
• De Sousa was a 31 year old Catholic gay Priest. He wasnot out there at 1am to assist anyone with paperwork. Pedophilia and homosexuality has long been a problem among Catholic clergy.
• Was he out counseling someone at 1 in the morning? Or was he cruising and got caught by some drunken gay bashers who didnt realize he was a priest and got ****** when he tried to cruise them? OR, was this the standard case of a couple of dudes that saw the opportunity to get their "tally-whacked" then beat the f-a-g to make sure he doesnt tell anyone? People, dont let the fact that this dude was a priest deter the common sense factor here.

Supposedly the Daily News has a link that allows people to flag offensive replies but these - others - have been up all day long. Imagine you being his family and having to read such trash.

De Souza's body will be flown to Brazil to his family. Friends in Brooklyn held a small memorial yesterday at his apartment.

Argentina: "Touch and go" sex (or "agujeros gloriosos") in Buenos Aires

At least online, the portal for Argentina's Perfil newspaper has never been the most objective observer of LGBT issues in the country choosing to focus on sensationalistic stories verging on the homophobic.

So it's not surprising that on Tuesday they ran an shocking expose on what they call, in English, "touch and go" sex (which they helpfully translate as "I touch you and I leave").

Still at a loss? Well, perhaps the article's title will clarify things for you a bit more ("Glory-hole: Sex through a hole in the wall"). Yes, glory-holes - or "agujeros gloriosos" as they are called in Spanish - which Perfil describes as "a trend that is growing in the world and that has landed in Buenos Aires" (don't mind me I am still cracking up over the whole "I touch you and I leave" deal).

But wait! There's more! So far only two gay male sex clubs have installed this imported international wonder but now WOMEN WANT THEIR OWN!!!

"There are many women that come out of curiosity, but this is only for men," says Zoom Buenos Aires club owner Nicolas, "There are yet to be in Buenos Aires places with glory-holes also for women" [Genius! Their site has an interactive online glory-hole! Then again, it's sorta lame in execution].

And what do the experts say? "A glory-hole is a way of bringing virtual-sex to reality, because cyber-sex is, precisely, anonymous," says Any Krieger, member of the Psychoanalytic Society of Argentina, "It's the own reflection of a postmodernist society: Quick, impulsive encounters where all that counts is the anonymity in which we are all submerged in some way or another."

Saaaaaxeeeey! Where can I buy my very own agujero glorioso? If you find out, please let me know. Maybe I can hang it somewhere in the kitchen so I can watch some TV while I do the dishes.

Progressive Victory: Blogger of the Month

Each month the DC-based Progressive Victory - a consulting firm that "helps leaders, organizations, and coalitions achieve their goals by providing strategic guidance and proven tools" - chooses a progressive artist, a progressive author and a progressive blogger to highlight on their website. I have been chosen as the "Blogger of the Month" for October and I am honored by the recognition.

President Hans Johnson writes:

"[Andres] Duque shines a light on issues that generally don’t receive a lot of attention in the mainstream press. He has written about Hugo Chavez’s record on LGBT rights, gay pride parades in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and has extensively covered the murder of Angie Zapata, an 18 year-old transgender teenager in Colorado."

Other bloggers who have been recognized in the past few months include:

• Mara Kiesling who blogs at T-Equality
• Robert Reich who appropriately blogs at Robert Reich's Blog
• Earl Ofari Hutchinson who blogs at The Hutchison Political Report
• Lane Hudson who blogs at News for the Left
• Richard Hasen who blogs at Election Law Blog
• Adele Stan who blogs at AddieStan

and community blogs

• Facing South (blog here)
• Tennessee Guerilla Women (blog here)
• and Blue Latinos (blog currently under maintenance but link can be found here)

Pretty good company, I must say.

Ecuador: New constitution grants gays civil union rights, bans adoption rights

I am no fan of the nouveau-socialist movements sweeping Latin America (at least in the Hugo Chavez or Evo Morales guise) but if you have to give credit where credit is due, that means Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa gets props for defeating the massive anti-gay evangelical fringe in his efforts to push for a new constitution that recognizes some rights of same-sex couples (among other savory and unsavory things).

From the Associated Press (via Gay365.com):

The new constitution guarantees civil rights for gays and lesbians, including civil unions affording all the rights of marriage... Preliminary results showed 65 percent support with 5 percent of the vote counted, mirroring earlier exit polls and quick counts that indicated overwhelming voter approval...

This despite virulently homophobic political opposition as we have reported in the past (see below). But, as someone comments on the Gay365.com board:

Hate to rain on the 'We love Ecuador' parade, but Spanish readers will note that next to the clause on civil unions is a line affirming that marriage is only between a man and a woman, as well as a ban on gay adoption (Article 67 and 68). So, it is more of a “one-step forward, two-steps backwards” sort of constitution. English language gay media tends to over-exaggerate the progress in other countries (while undermining the substantive gains that have achieved in the Anglophone world itself).

He is partly right! Correa says that the new Ecuadorean constitution would afford "all the rights of marriage" but, of course, the fact that it would bar adoption rights for same-sex couples means it does not.

It is still way more than the United States government has ever done. And, considering the concerted efforts by the religious right in Ecuador to sink any recognition of same-sex rights it is a tremendous victory. Let's wait and see how the mandate is implemented.

Previously:

• President Correa falls into political trap, accedes to right wing demands, says gay couples deserve some rights (April 7, 2008)
  
• President Correa on same-sex marriage, abortion and including 'God' in the constitution (March 31, 2008)
  
• A push to eliminate constitutional protections for gays and lesbians (March 26, 2008)
• Defense Minister resigns in midst of a 'gays in the military' controversy (September 6, 2007)

Musica: Omar Lye-Fook

On a gray and rainy day, I finally got around to uploading the video footage I caught with my camera at the ultra rare August 14th NYC appearance by UK neo-soul / r'n'b singer Omar Lye-Fook (one of my all time favorite artists).

In part, it had taken me a while to upload the videos due to the unfortunate awful sound quality. I should have known that others had uploaded better clips on YouTube from some of the shows he did on the mini-tour. To wit:

"Ghana Emotion" from the show at SOB's (another take here):


A cover of one of my favorite songs. Roy Ayer's "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" from a February show in North Carolina:


From the same show, his recent international hit "It's So...":


Here's his take on Stevie Wonder's "Be Thankful" from a January show in France (another angle here):


If you'd like to know more about Omar or purchase some of his amazing records:

• Omar's official page
• Omar on Amazon.com
• Omar on MySpace

Farandula: Soap opera diva says she will not go lesbo for "Assassin Women"

I have to admit that when I first heard of it last week, I was a little disturbed and felt somewhat nauseous: Two of the all-time most popular television soap divas in Spanish language television - both way past their glory years and victims of several rounds of cosmetic surgery - had allegedly signed up to play a lesbian couple in the Mexican version of an Argentinian television series called "Assassin Women".

Don't get me wrong! It would be great to see Mexican television portray the lives of older lesbian couples but Lucia Mendez shaking up with her real-life showbiz nemesis Veronica Castro? OMfG!!! I feel queasy all over again just writing that sentence!

Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself: On Wednesday, the Mexican newspaper Milenio broke the story ("It is expected that Veronica Castro and Lucia Mendez will play a gay couple").

The two actresses had already appeared at a news conference (above) to announce that they would be part of "Assassin Women." Carlos Pascual, a writer for the show, revealed that they would be playing a lesbian couple: "The storyline is stupendous, it's about a gay couple made up of two women who dedicate themselves to the theater, one is a costume designer and the other an architect. A huge problem surfaces, a rape, but I cannot say anything else."

I can see Lucia Mendez (right) truly sink her teeth into such a role (full disclosure: I've always had a fond heart for La Mendez ever since I saw her in "Tu o Nadie" with Andres Garcia and the amazingly crap-tastic - in a good way - "The Strange Return of Diana Salazar" in the late 80's).

Her gay fans are legion - I dare say that she was probably more popular than even Madonna at the heights of her career - and it's no surprise that just a few months ago she was touring some of the Latino gay bars in the United States singing some of her hits (in Mexico you cannot be a soap opera star without having a recording career to go along with it and they gays always love you even if your career is on the downturn).

My queasiness, to be sincere, was all about the other side of the equation: The cougar-rific Veronica Castro (left) who used to be as big a star as Mendez (full disclosure: I never got her appeal but have to admit that her role in "Rosa Salvaje" - perhaps her biggest hit - was just hilarious and not in an intentional way - I dare you to YouTube it).

I mean, this is the woman who called someone a faggot back in July defending her son Cristian (long rumored himself to be gay despite a recent and scandalous divorce that has filled pages and pages of gossip magazines in Mexico).

Well, I do have to say, La Vero does not disappoint! Here's her reaction to the possibility of playing a lesbian character, according to yesterday's El Universal ("Veronica Castro rules out playing a lesbian"):

"[To be an actress today] you are asked to let go of your disgust for anything - sucking, sticking, pulling out - and then you have to allow your body to be shown without inhibitions, in other words, a type of prostitution, and if you end up acting, well, you are welcome. But how!"

OK, that was a bit tough to translate but even if El Universal says she said this in good humor, who exactly is asking La Vero to suck, stick or withdraw anything from Lucia Mendez, much less in the nude?

Probably feeling concious that she might come off a tad lesbophobic she then went on another tangent saying she had always felt some sense of disgust when asked to kiss male actors in the past: "Other [actors] can tell you, like [Guillermo] Capetillo with whom we always tried to eat the same thing, or we'd say to each other 'look, I brought gum' or a new breath-mint, because I am disgusted [by it], anyway she is not my type."

Oops. Ended up coming off worse.

And now I've written way more about Mexican soap operas than I should be allowed - ever! And exposed how much useless information resides in my brain! But, I swear! There were other benefits of having watched soaps like "Tu o Nadie". Perfect example:

Hm, Andres Garcia is is the original McSteamy! Even if he's stuck selling male-enhancement treatments nowadays (and yes, that's the younger Lucia Mendez next to him).

Mexico: School teacher protests children's use of the word 'gay' as an insult

A high-school English language professor from the city of Tampico, Mexico, decided to stage a one-man protest yesterday against anti-gay discrimination.

According to Hoy Tamaulipas, professor Rogelio Pérez Barragán said that he was tired of the way that children and adolescents used the word "gay" when insulting each other and said he wanted to raise awareness about the discrimination faced by individuals with different sexual orientations ("Gay professor from Tampico goes out to the street to protest") [Side note: The paper is clear that the word in question is 'gay' and not 'homosexual' which I believe is more commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries, which makes me wonder if it's usage is in any way related to a similar phenomenon among younger individuals in the United States in which the word 'gay' is used to describe something that is lame or tired - without, some would argue, having a specifically derogatory nature].

"Simply," he said," I believe that there is a lot of work to do and that we have to start with the children."

Mr. Barragán, wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt, taped a piece of paper to his back which read "One part of me is being gay" and "I see life and love." He also attached a piece of lavender-colored cloth to the note.

He then walked down Tampico's Guadalajara Street as reporters followed.

The professor, whose face is not shown on the photos posted online, disclosed he'd previously been called names and ridiculed due to his sexual identity at his place of employment but did not give the name of the school.

September Press

I don't think I've done anything like this in the years that I've written this blog but thought I might point out some articles and blogs in which I have been quoted as of late:

• Justice to transsexual woman (El Blog de PJ, September 25,2008 - Spanish)
• An Argentine transgender rights win (TransGriot, September 25, 2008)
• Quick verdict in 2nd Garzon trial (Gay City News, September 18, 2008)
• Justice, at last, in 2001 killing (Queens Chronicle, September 18, 2008)
• Men banned from back of motorcycles (World Briefs, Dallas Voice, September 17, 1008 - Excerpt)
• Garzon's killer found to be guilty (El Diario La Prensa, September 12, 2008 - Spanish)
• Anti-gay protest fizzles, Obama pride sizzles in NYC (EDGE Boston, September 9, 2008)
• "Pro-family speak" knows no language barrier (Good as You, September 9, 2008)

Argentina: Gay 81 year old widow granted pension benefits

As my friend Rex Wockner reported in his syndicated international news column (posted here by PrideSource), on August 18th the government of Argentina decided to expand pension coverage to same-sex couples.

Today, as Los Andes reports, 81 year old Alfredo Pascale (above), became the first person in the country to gain access to his partner's pension benefits as celebrated today in an emotional public ceremony ("An 81 year old man is the first gay man to be pensioned").

Pascale, who was partnered with José Miguel Castro for 59 years and lived together with him for 47 years (before Castro died in 1996), had spent 11 years fighting the courts for recognition. He said that he felt extremely moved by the recognition and that it seemed "unreal to be able to express myself like this, as freely," adding "I would have loved to live like this during all that time with him."

Present at the ceremony was Cesar Cigliutti, president of the LGBT-rights organization Argentinean Homosexual Community (CHA) and his partner Marcelo Suntheim who also works for the CHA.

You might know their names from the fact that Marcelo and Cesar were the first couple in Argentina to be united under a historic civil union pact in Buenos Aires back in 2003 (the first such law in all of Latin America) or because the CHA was also instrumental in last week's recognition of a transgender person's right to change their name of birth even if they did not have gender reassignment surgery (that's Cesar on the left in this picture I featured in yesterday's post).