Argentina: LGBT youth protest "Volunteer Blood Donor National Day"

Every 9th of November, the Health Ministry of the City of Buenos Aires in Argentina observes the annual "Volunteer Blood Donor National Day" to promote recognition of those who have donated blood throughout the year and to promote future blood donations.

Just as in the United States, gays are barred from donating blood in Argentina so yesterday members of the Youth Area program of the Comunidad Homosexual Argentina disrupted the official event and plastered walls with signs that read "I can't because I am gay."

In a statement that tagged the gay-ban policy as discriminatory, the group said that the policy was based on outdated concepts that segregate all gay men into "risk groups" instead of taking a look at "risk behaviors" not only by men who have sex with men but also by anyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

"We expect that the proper measures are taken to guarantee the employment of valid and trustworthy scientific criteria in the donation of blood," the statement reads; "We demand that the State stop using homophobia as institutionalized criteria in any regulation, which, in this case, results in restricting the altruistic right to donate blood and to help those that need it."

After Elton: Breakthrough Black and Latino Roles on the Big Screen

A few days ago one of my favorite bloggers, Rod McCullom - who writes for The Advocate and blogs at Rod2.0 and at The Huffington Post - contacted me to ask if I'd like to comment on Latino gay roles in American film for Logo Online's After Elton. I immediately said yes but then panicked when I actually didn't remember that many representations of Latino gay life in films produced in the United States.

As a result I sent a long and rambling stream-of-consciousness answer (always an iffy proposition because you just don't know what will be quoted). Good thing though! The article has been posted online and I think I can breathe easier. You can make up your own mind at "Breakthrough Black and Latino [Gay] Roles on the Big Screen" (After Elton, Sept. 7, 2007).

Consider this, then, the After Elton extra (or stuff that didn't make the final cut):

El Blabbeador on Hank Azaria in The Birdcage: "I mean, take the Hank Azaria gay Latino bimbo character out of The Birdcage and not much would be missed. The movie, though, would probably still be just as bad" (writer Johnny Diaz makes almost the same point in the article).

El Blabbeador on Epitafios and Testosterone (that's actor Julio Chávez pictured above as ex-detective Renzo Márquez in Epitafios): "Then again you still have the case of productions such as the HBO Latino miniseries from Argentina, Epitafios - filmed more like a movie than a television show - that still portray gays as unhinged psychotic cross-dressing serial killers. Ugh. And the less said about the ludicrous cross-country lovers revenge flick Testosterone, also filmed in Argentina, the better."

El Blabbeador on the film version of Love! Valor! Compassion!: "As much as I like some of Terrence McNally's work, there's something that has always immediately turned me off about storylines where the Latino gay character just serves as the object of lust and conflict of a bunch of white gay men. I'm sure it represents certain milieus in some gay circles, but my idea of entertainment is not going to see a film where a gay Latino character is simply objectified based on the character's ethnicity."

El Blabbeador on I Like It Like That: "A personal favorite remains a little seen film depicting the life of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx called I Like It Like That. Even though the character in question is not a gay man but a transgender woman, it still remains one of the best movies about Latino life in the United States that explores issues of sexuality and gender from a Latino perspective."

El Blabbeador on the future: "Right now I have my eye on 'Elliot Loves' which is currently in production and apparently tells the story of a gay Dominican kid growing up on the streets of Washington Heights - it's being produced by a production company owned by gay actors Chad Allen and Robert Gant - and directed by a Dominican director."

Like Epitafios, I also touched on television series like My So Called Life with Wilson Cruz and Noah's Ark. But the focus was specifically on films so there you go.

An aside, thanks to Rod for calling Blabbeando "The top destination for Latino gay and lesbian news from the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean" in the piece. Not sure if we are quite that but it always is good to know that the blog is appreciated (he has more here).

Puerto Rico: House of Representatives won't take up constitutional ban on same-sex marriages until 2008

In an AP article posted online this afternoon, Jose Aponte, President of the House of Representatives, put the breaks on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages in the island as well as civil unions even for straight couples but said that the House would take up the issue in the next legislative session which begins on January 5th of 2008.

Speaking at an impromptu press conference pulled together earlier today in response to pressure from those seeking a House vote on the measure today, the last day of the current legislative session, Aponte asked "How much time did the Senate have? Do they expect us to act without any type of House review, just because the Senate took action? Space should be given so that, at the very least, there is a day for review regarding the process. Here, on the last day of the session, the Senate sends [these] measures to say that they accomplished something and to further a cause. I have more responsibility than that."

It was a small ray of light for LGBT-rights advocates in the island who were dismayed by the degree of support that the last minute constitutional ban measure - which was authored by senator Jorge de Castro Font - drew in the Puerto Rican senate last night securing its passage. The final tally was twenty senators in favor, two against, one abstention and four other senator absent (the measure needed 18 votes to pass) .

Promoters of the ban, leaders of conservative religious institutions the most visible amongst them, had pushed for a House vote today believing that they might have enough votes to pass it there just as they did in the senate yesterday.

Had they gotten their wish, the constitutional ban would have been submitted for a public referendum in May of 2008. This might still come to pass if the House approves the amendment in the next legislative session.

In the meantime, the Puerto Rican press reported on yesterday's senate vote.

As usual, reporter Israel Rodríguez Sánchez from El Nuevo Dia, had the most in-depth report.

Describing what appeared to be a senate turned into a Christian revival tent, Rodríguez Sánchez said that "the legislator's speeches turned into preaching last night."

Senator Lucy Arce presented the measure by thanking "he who does all" which was followed by other senators including Lornna Soto, Modesto Agosto, Héctor Martínez, Carmelo Ríos, Carlos Pagán, Migdalia Padilla, Luis Daniel Muñiz, Bruno Ramos and Margarita Nolasco invoking the Bible or religious passages and allusions at every turn.

De Castro Font also spoke of "a Christian Puerto Rico, that promotes a man-woman marriage."

When it was all said and done, senators stood up and applauded with a religious young man shouting "Suck on that!" - to gays I assume - from the spectator stands.

"Various legislators admitted to El Nuevo Dia, on the condition of not being identified, that they were not in agreement with the measure, but that they could not vote against it on a date so close to the primaries" writes Rodríguez Sánchez.

Senators allied with Pedro Rosello, a 2008 governor candidate, also admitted that they voted in favor of the anti-gay amendment in exchange for agreement that other senators would also approve two additional constitutional measures related to health care and municipal issues. Both passed.

The AP reported that the only two senators that opposed the measure last night were Maria de Lourdes Santiago and Sila Mari Gonzalez, the one abstention was senate president Kenneth McClintock.

El Vocero said that McClintock, in a statement released to press, stated that the constitutional ban "does not extend rights nor strengthen marriage."

"It is not the life styles of two neighbors or professional colleagues that endanger the matrimonial union," he added, "What affects the institution of marriage are the laws that each time make divorces easier, laws that do not require an adequate pre-matrimonial perparation... the laws that punish those married and promote separation and divorce."

In a statement released last night after the senate vote, LGBT-rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano said "Never in our history has the Constitution been amended to discriminate or restrict rights, but instead to expand or recognize them. The Senate has turned its back to our idiosyncrasies, our culture, our history. In a few years we will remember as the moment in which the Senate erroneously decided that there are a few Puerto Ricans that are worthier than others. What shame and what a disgrace for our history!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Argentina: President elect coy on LGBT issues, activists split on same-sex partnership strategy

Despite rumors that she might have to face a run-off in the Argentinian presidential elections Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, wife of sitting Argentinian president Néstor Kirchner, earned 43% of the vote last weekend in a resounding victory and became the first woman ever to be elected president of Argentina.

Most US commentary that I have seen, even in the LGBT news blogs, have touched upon the supposed similarities between the presidential power couple and our own presidential couple - or on how fabulous-looking and fashionable she seems to be.

Steve Ralls at Bilerico picked up on a blog post at Hepzibah, written before the election, to note that a close Krichner supporter, Senator Vilma Ibarra (pictured right), had introduced a bill proposing changes in the country's Civil Code that would allow same-sex couples to marry (a detailed Spanish language Pagina/12 article on the bill can be found here).

Some saw the move as an indication of where the Kirchner camp might go in the future in regards to the recognition of same-sex partnerships in Argentina.

Then again, Senator Ibarra announced her intention to submit the bill a mere two weeks before last week's election and Pagina/12 pointedly pointed out that Ibarra was the sole sponsor (Ibarra chalked the lack of support up to the fact that political leaders were hesitant to sign up to such legislation in an electoral season but that begs the question: Why not wait until the elections were over to introduce the bill in order to find additional sponsors?).

Another newspaper, El Tribuno de la Salta, also drew questions about the timing, noting that Ibarra is set to step down in December which would leave the bill in uncertain waters.

In addition, press coverage also noted that while Ibarra was among the lead Kirchner supporters, the President-elect was nowhere to be found when they tried to ask about her views on the bill.

As a matter of fact, Kirchner was only one of four candidates (out of thirteen) that did not respond to questionnaires sent by the Argentinian LGBT-rights organization Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (or CHA) on her stand on several issues relevant to the LGBT community - including whether a civil unions law that passed in Buenos Aires in 2002 should be strengthened and expanded to cover the entire country.

Now, there has been an interesting and little-noticed split among the leading Argentinian LGBT rights organizations and leaders on the issue of civil unions vs. marriage.

The CHA, which was formed in 1984, has long led the drive that led to the successful introduction of the civil unions bill that was approved in Buenos Aires in 2002, making the city the first in Latin America to recognize same-sex partnerships (actually CHA secretary Marcelo Suntheim and CHA president Cesar Cigliutti where the first Argentinian couple to enter into a civil union, both are pictured left at the official ceremony) . They have continued to advocate for a national civil union law that would strengthen and expand on the rights offered by the existing Buenos Aires law.

In the meantime, 2006 saw the launch of the Argentinian LGBT Federation (FALGBT), a network of 15 LGBT Argentinian organizations that is led by long-time LGBT rights activist Maria Rachid. On February 14 of this year the Federation made a splash with the announcement that Rachid would head to the Civil Registry office with her partner Claudia Castro and ask for a marriage license, threatening to go to the courts if they turned them down (Maria and Claudia also happen to be the leaders of La Fulana, which advocates for the rights of lesbian and bisexual women, they are pictured on the right and is one of the member organizations of the FALGBT).

It is the first time that I am aware that there has been a concerted strategy in a Latin American country to ask for same-sex marriage rights as opposed to civil unions (so far, it's been a losing strategy with a second couple being denied the right to marriage by the Civil Chamber as Pagina/12 reported just yesterday, Maria and Claudia's court challenge is still making it's way through the courts). No surprise, then, that they have backed the Ibarra bill.

The CHA, noticeably absent from the groups that conform the Federation, has been mostly silent regarding the pro-marriage efforts of the FALGBT while sticking to their civil union strategy. By all measures they have also sustained a civil and working relationship with the Federation (and vice-versa).

Which probably explains why on the eve of the election the pro-marriage FALGBT, while supporting the Ibarra marriage bill, also urged the Argentinian LGBT community not to vote for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for "not pronouncing" herself on the rights of the LGBT community.

But wait! Kirchner speaks!

At the last possible minute, after months of avoiding media (or questions from the CHA and FALGBT), the President-elect suddenly opened up days before the election and was uncharacteristically forthcoming on LGBT issues (sorta like Hillary did when, after months of refusing to meet LGBT political organizations in New York, she decided to have a high-profile meeting on the eve of her presidential announcement).

As part of a radio interview that took place on October 24th and as reported by Perfil, Kirchner didn't necessarily support same-sex marriage but she did espouse generic platitudes that sounded like she did: "I believe in the free will of all men and women in Argentina to choose their sexuality," she said (Hmm... me thinks sexuality is mostly not a choice?).

Furthermore she said "It's not an issue on which I have to express myself [why not?], in all respects it's an issue that has to be debated in the Parliament."

Then there is a SentidoG article written by a member of a NYC-based Argentinian LGBT organization in which it is said that members "exchanged words" with the then-candidate at an "exclusive" Waldorf Astoria Hotel campaign fundraiser breakfast on October 26th. Aside from a nice photo op, though, the article fails to say whether Kirchner said anything about LGBT rights in Argentina (other than to say that she spoke about her commitment to "human rights").

Kirchner is certainly miles ahead on LGBT issues compared to some of the conservative candidates that she faced in the presidential elections but, like her husband, she leaves a lot to be desired about how strong an LGBT rights ally she will be as the president of Argentina.

Dominican Republic: Cardinal calls gays "maricones"

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

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

No big surprise there.

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

No big surprise there, either.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pooh-ness in NY, Carebear-ness in Hawaii, Balloons over Kentucky, a music CD is launched

UPDATE: Love in Bardstown, KY (thanks Jake):
Pooh-ness in New York: Carebear-ness from Kawika in Hawaii: Reason? One year since this...

Kawika also has this...

From Steven Mackin's mom, Sheila, on Sunday's balloon memorial in Bardstown, Kentucky: "I thought of you when we released our balloons. About 50 or more people were there. Wouldn't Steven have loved being the center of attention once again."

From StompOutCancer.com: After months of amazing work, also on Sunday, Jake A. Wheat announced the release of "Indie Music Unified presents Stomp Out Cancer, Vol. 1" - in Steven's honor. All proceeds will go towards efforts to fight Ewing's Sarcoma. You can listen to snippets and, if interested, purchase it here.

Additional stuff:

• Videos here
• Photos here
• Previous posts here
  

Related:

• Steven Mackin's MySpace page here
• Steven Mackin's LiveJournal page here

Reminicences:

• Here's to Steven Mackin (Reverend Hyperion)

Miss you boo!

Machochip delivers! Maximo! Al ataque!!

"His golden dream is to live in Spain because marriage exists NO MATTER THE GENDER!" are the first words that you hear from the MC in the YouTube video above as he introduces Maximo, the "exotic" Mexican wrestler! Of course, we had already introduced you to Maximo back in July when he was featured in the pages of a Sports Illustrated Latino. But now Machochip, a new sports blog from the makers of Guanabee, has unearthed the video above.

It's actually quite funny with Maximo shrieking every time he gets hit and fainting whenever a wrestler takes off his shirt. Unfortunately his unorthodox high kicks are not enough to beat the muscle-bound and saintly The Seducer who seems to bring his hands together in prayer every time he scores a victory against a rival.

The match, of course, is brought to you by Corona.

Related:

• Lucha Libre Gets Its Pink On (Machochip)
• Gay Luchador Pretty in Pink (Guanabee)

Updates: Gay Mexican denied US asylum, Alvaro Orozco, bi-national couples

Political asylum denied to Mexican gay man: In this week's Gay City News, Arthur Leonard describes the failed attempt by a Mexican gay man to gain political asylum in the United States based on sexual orientation.

Leonard writes "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, based in New York City, has ruled in an unpublished decision that the current level of anti-gay persecution in Mexico is not sufficient to justify granting a withholding of removal for a gay immigrant who claimed to fear persecution if returned to that nation."

But what strikes me, once again, is the mistakes made by the applicant in submitting his claim: 1. He applied after the statutory 1-year window of opportunity imposed by the US on asylum seekers and 2. He had no legal representation at the asylum hearing (he argued that his attorney failed to show up but my experience is that an applicant can ask for the interview to be postponed if his attorney is not present - though I'm not sure if this varies from court to court). The fact that he had not personally experienced past persecution while living in Mexico, though sometimes surmountable in an asylum claim if you present evidence, did not help his case.

Alvaro Orozco: Speaking of asylum, this time in Canada, there has been no better luck for Alvaro Orozco, the young man from Nicaragua that was ordered deported back in August after courts originally questioned whether he was truly gay. His attorneys tried to get a stay of removal earlier this month but the courts refused to grant it. A new order of deportation was handed down on October 4th.

Oh, Canada! But not all news from Canada have been as dire. Emilio and Tom, friends of mine whose bi-national immigration story I've featured here from time to time, can breathe a sight of relief: On October 11th they became permanent residents of Canada, or, as Tom put it on their blog "We finally made it after 20 months of waiting and Emilio is now officially safe from US tyranny!"

Understandably, they are looking forward to the move up north even though it will be sad to see them go (we promise a visit or two).

Tom and Emilio are featured in "Through Thick and Thick" so the news might be a spoiler of sorts if you haven't watched it. Below is a YouTube preview of the Sebastian Cordoba documentary. More on the issues faced by same-sex binational couple in the US at the Immigration Equality website here.


Oh, Argentina? Speaking of same-sex binational couples, former New York Blade editor and current blogger Chris Crain, who already changed his country of residence to Brazil in order to live with his Brazilian partner, Anderson, recently wrote on his blog that their next place of residence will be Argentina after options to remain in Brazil dried out. Ultimately, though, Chris says that, like Tom and Emilio, they might take a look at Canada as an option as well.

Cuba: Independent reporter says a gay rights organization has been launched

In an article posted online on Monday at the anti-Castro portals Payolibre.com and at BitacoraCubana.com, Manuel Guerra Pérez, a reporter for the newly formed Associated Free Agency (ALAS), writes that a new gay rights organization called the Cuban Movement for Homosexual Liberation (MCLH) was launched at a ceremony that took place in Havana's Arroyo Naranjo neighborhood which involved twenty or so participants [NOTE: Pictured are members of ALAS, the journalist association, not of MCLH, the gay rights organization].

Leannes Imber, identified as the president of the new organization, said that the inaugural ceremony began with the group singing the national Cuban anthem as a symbol that gays and lesbians are also part of the Cuban society.

Imber said "The organizers of this movement will denounce the cases of repression and human rights violations to which [gays] are subjected by the government of this island."

Considering Cuba's well-reported persecution against gays and lesbians in the past, there has been mounting evidence that the country's leadership has been changing its ways and being more inclusive and welcoming. But who knows how they will react to an organization that might challenge their record of human rights abuses against gays and lesbians from within?

In related news, an article posted yesterday in MartiNoticias, says that the Cuban government has finally allowed "Los Siete Contra Tebas" - by Cuban playwright Antón Arrufat - to be staged in Habana after being banned for almost forty years.

Arrufat tells MartiNoticias that he never knew the exact reasons why the play had been banned but that he believes it was part of the government's "witch hunt" against dozens of intellectuals and artists who happened to be gay which lasted for decades.

As for ALAS reporter Manuel Guerra Pérez - who reported on the new gay rights organization and who made a living as as a school custodian - he was fired on October 2nd, according to his ALAS colleague Katia Sonia Martin Veliz.

She implies that the firing was related to his journalistic activities and says that his supervisors criticized his "questioning attitude" and "untrustworthiness." Miami-based blogger Marc R. Masferrer, translating the same article, says Guerra was fired for his "anti-establishment attitude."

UPDATE: In a new article by Richard Rosello posted on Bitacora Cubana on October 25th, the name of the leader of the organization is corrected (Leanes Imbert Acosta) and a contact e-mail is given for the organization ( libresparasiempre@yahoo.com ).

As long as we're butching it up: MachoChip is here

As long as we're butching things up here at Blabbeando with posts about rugby and all that manly stuff:

The good people at one of our favorite blogs, Guanabee, have launched a new Guanabee-like blog called MachoChip that will take a look at "Fútbol, Lucha Libre, Bullfighting, and Mixed Martial Arts" (or what us immigrants call deportes).

And, while the editors take a strong ironic stand that this won't be 'homo' stuff (and they sure like looking at Playboy centerfolds together), why do I think that sooner than later we'll start seeing rippling muscles, torn boxing shots and images of brutes beating each other up erotically? Oh, wait! They are already doing that.

I mean, I'm not saying that they'll ever match JockoHomo who never ceases to amaze with his take on sportastic situations, but welcome to the blog roll nevertheless.

My New York: Gotham Knights reach rugby championship

For a while there, John almost managed to convince me that I should join the Gotham Knights Rugby Football Club. That's until cooler heads prevailed and I decided that if I had survived almost four decades without breaking a bone (well, not counting a finger), why start now?

Still, that's no reason why I shouldn't be happy for John and the team as the Knights are METNYRFU Division III championship-bound (boy, that was a mouthful)!

As you might know, the Knights are the local predominantly gay rugby team and - as John says over on his blog - the fact that they have reached the championship seems to be pretty historic:

"I do believe - I may be wrong here and I am sure as this entry gets read and spread that someone will correct me if I am - that Gotham is now the first predominantly gay rugby team in the US to compete for its Union championship."

Well, hooray!

Next stop, the championship: The Knights will travel to Montclair, New Jersey, on Saturday Oct. 27 for a 1:00 PM rematch with Montclair RFC for the union championship. Montclair bested Gotham 26-15 last month. Directions to Codey Field can be found here.

Then it might get even more complicated because both teams, by reaching this championship, also secured spots in a larger playoff next spring and - if they win that - the national playoffs for Division III. BUT, let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we.

Tomorrow on Oprah: Gays Around the World

It's rare for a highly-rated national television show in the United States to turn its attention to the situation for gays and lesbians throughout the world so when word spread that talk show host Oprah had invited Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil from India as one of the guests for a show on the topic, I wondered who else would be invited and which issues would be addressed (I also wondered if this Joe.My.Blog post had anything to do with this particular show but that just means I read too many blogs).

Well, the show has been taped and will air tomorrow (check local listings).

The webpage for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has this teaser: "One guest was arrested and spent a year in jail. Another says she was so fearful, she moved to a different country. And, a prince's secret was so taboo, it ripped his royal family apart. A look at what it is like to be gay around the world."

A preview available for viewing here reveals that - in addition to the interview with Prince Singh Gohil - she will also interview former NBA player John Amaechi (he was born in the US to a Nigerian father and English mother and raised in the UK), an Egyptian gay man and the great Staceyann Chin (originally from Jamaica, now living in the United States, pictured above).

The tag line in the preview asks: "What if the freedom to be yourself came down to where you lived?" so I assume the focus of the hour will be on international human rights violations against gays and lesbians around the world.

If that's the case, while it's great for Oprah to cover these issues, I would be disappointed since it is only half the story as there have also been tremendous advances in the LGBT rights movement in other parts of the world and, particularly, Latin America.

African-Americans and Latinos are more comfortable expressing their gay identity than whites

Over the years I have told anyone who would listen that the perception of the Latino gay community as being less willing to identify as gay or be comfortable with their sexuality - at least in the larger urban areas of the United States - did not match my perception of the community. This often seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Now, a new national demographic study released by the marketing groups New American Dimensions and Asterix Group seems to confirm some of my observations.

Among their findings:

"African-Americans and Latinos were more comfortable expressing their gay identity than whites, although their gay identity was not the most important part of who they are. And, while whites were more likely to be in live-together relationships than Latinos or blacks, they were less likely to include children in their family plans."

Today's San Jose Mercury News has a story on the findings and the Asterix Group has a downloadable condensed research report.

That version of the report also reveals that while "two thirds of gays and lesbians report experiencing stereotyping and discrimination," the feeling is more prevalent among whites than blacks and Latinos. A possible reason, the report notes, is that whites are "less likely to have been the subject of discrimination based on ethnicity."

Of all the groups that were studied, Hispanics ranked the highest in "recognizing and accepting the influence of gay identity" and also ranked as the ethnic group that was the "most comfortable about their gay identity."

They also were the most likely to prefer hanging out at "completely gay parties and bars" and were the group least likely to say that they felt discriminated for being gay.

Congressman Barney Frank: Add the T back to ENDA

News release from Barney Frank
Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
2252 Rayburn Building * Washington, D.C. 20515 * (202) 225-5931
October 19, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Joe Racalto 202-225-5931
Steven Adamske 202-225-7141

FRANK URGES COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT REP. BALDWIN'S GENDER IDENTITY AMENDMENT TO ENDA

Congressman Barney Frank is urging his colleagues to vote for the
amendment to be offered by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to include
transgender individuals in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act when it
is considered on the House floor.

"The decision to offer such an amendment came out of a Caucus which
Chairman George Miller held of the Democratic Members of the Education and
Labor Committee. After some discussion, it became clear that offering
such an amendment would offer us the best chance to achieve Speaker
Pelosi's goal of adopting in the House the most inclusive ENDA bill for
which majority support existed.

"I argued in favor of transgender inclusion when I testified on the
original legislation on September 5, but many of us believed that sending
the full inclusive bill to the floor would open the door to a series of
demagogic procedural moves that would have endangered our chances of a
passing any bill at all. The discussion held by the Democratic Members of
the Education and Labor Committee, Congresswoman Baldwin and myself
resulted in this approach and I believe it meets the goal of giving people
the opportunity to support a fully inclusive bill while avoiding the
potential parliamentary death traps that would otherwise have resulted.
I will on the floor of the House be repeating essentially the arguments in
favor of transgender inclusion which I made in the September 5 hearing,
because we will now be able to do that in a procedural setting that allows
us to maximize support for an inclusive bill without endangering our
chances of getting any bill at all."

[A Lisa Keen article for Bay Windows posted on Wednesday gives some background as well as provides some nuance to today's press release from Congressman Frank's Office]

Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez wants trans inclusion in ENDA

So, here's the thing...

As you know, I haven't been blogging much and people "in the know" have probably also noticed that I've been staying away from the ENDA fight - as big as pissing match as it's become (if you have to ask, Google the words "transgender" and "ENDA" and hit the 'News' button or - better yet! - simply click here).

Well, staying away no longer! Since this whole shindig began I was a bit frustrated that the Latino LGBT leadership in the US didn't have a voice in this but, then again, I figured it was up to the younger generations to stand up if they wanted a say. Ultimately - as Al Pacino said in The Godfather, Part 3 - "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

Last week, in the wake of the fight that erupted after the Washington Blade revealed that Congressman Barney Frank (a personal hero) had introduced a transgender-less ENDA bill (arguing that there weren't enough votes for a trans-inclusive bill and that it was better to go with an allegedly winnable trans-less bill), my good friend Gloria Nieto from California (Miss Wild Thing, if you're nasty) reached out to me and asked if we should do something. I said yes but quickly became embroiled in work deadlines.

But yesterday came word that the bill would be marked up for a House vote today and - heck! - why not act?

So taking inspiration from another personal hero (Steven Goldstein from Garden State Equality in New Jersey and a letter he sent sent to NJ legislators) I quickly drafted a letter to California Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez, at Gloria's suggestion, and within a couple of hours gathered an impressive list of co-signers. Here is the letter we sent last night:

AN URGENT LETTER TO CONGRESSWOMAN LINDA T. SANCHEZ

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Dear Congresswoman Sanchez:

The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, on which you serve, is scheduled to vote within the next two days on H.R. 3685, the version of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) that excludes gender identity protection.

As leaders of the Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout the United States we respectfully ask you to vote against approval and – instead - insist on a committee vote in favor of H.R. 2015, the version of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act ( of this version of ENDAENDA) that includes gender identity protections which would make employment discrimination against transgender people illegal.

You might be aware that these bills have drawn a tremendous response from various local and national LGBT organizations and leaders - as well as non-gay allies – who overwhelmingly recognize that stripping away gender identity language from ENDA would leave the transgender community without protections against discrimination.

And, as often is the case in the Latino community, the heated dialogue that has ensued might be considered by some as something that might pertain to the LGBT community but might not be of concern to Latinos living in the United States.

Those of us who have signed this letter, believe nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the last few decades, the LGBT movement in the United States certainly has made tremendous strides towards being recognized as equal citizens and yet, what is little known is that the Latino LGBT community and our Latino straight allies have been an integral part of this civil rights movement.

During the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, seen now as the launch of the modern gay rights movement, Sylvia Rivera emerged as one of the key figures standing up to discrimination during those fateful nights, along with other Latina women who happened to be transgender.

And, while it is unarguable that the general environment for gays and lesbians has greatly improved since the Stonewall Riots, thanks in no small part to Sylvia and other Latino transgender heroes, the same cannot be said for transgender people who are probably almost as vulnerable today as they were then.

Some in the gay community have argued that the ‘T’ as in “transgender” is not part of the gay community but, if you really think about it, when people discriminate against a person based on their perceptions of who we are as gays and lesbians, their discrimination is often based on their perception of gender roles and not only sexual orientation.

This is particularly true of the Latino community which often confuses the issues of gender with sexual orientation as if they were interchangeable. Spanish language newspapers and television news often refer to transgender individuals as gays and gay Latinos are often asked what their gender role is in bed – whether a gay man is a “woman” in bed or a lesbian woman is “a man” – which speaks to how these issues are sometimes seen in the general Latino community.

Furthermore, for those of us who are transgender, have transgender friends and/or work with transgender communities, we are direct witnesses to how vulnerable the community is to being discriminated particularly in gaining employment.

For these and many other reasons, we know that it would be unconscionable to pass an ENDA bill that leaves the transgender community – and the Latino transgender community in particular – behind.

On behalf of the Latino LGBT leaders listed below in alphabetical order, we look forward to hearing from you. If you need additional information or would like to ask questions about this statement, please contact me at *****.

Sincerely, Gloria Nieto

Signees:

* Noel Alicea, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York, NY
* Marta Donayre, Love Sees No Borders, Sunnyvale, CA
* Andrés Duque, Mano a Mano, New York, NY
* Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, ALLGO statewide people of color organization, Austin, TX
* Nila Marrone, LATINO PFLAG - NYC, PFLAG for Families of Color and Allies in NYC (PFLAG is an acronym for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
* Lisbeth Melendez, political consultant, Washington, DC
* Gloria Nieto, former member of the Democratic National Committee, San Francisco, CA
* Pedro Julio Serrano, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Washington, DC
* Herb Sosa, Unity Coalition/Coalicion Unida, Miami, FL

* NOTE: Affiliations appear for identification purposes only, signatures do not imply that those affiliations endorse this letter unless otherwise indicated.

So that was the letter. And, today, a committee vote did indeed come and I am happy to say that, while the trans-less bill was sent out of committee for a full House vote, Congresswoman Sanchez was one of four Democrat Congresspersons to state that they were against stripping trans protections from ENDA (a Latina woman at that!). Incidentally, Brooklyn representative Yvette Clarke, an African-American woman, was also one of those four.

Sanchez released the following press release this afternoon:

FROM THE OFFICE OF LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ
Representing California’s 39th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 18, 2007

LINDA SÁNCHEZ votes against narrow version of EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT

Congresswoman calls for inclusion of gender identity protections

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement when casting her vote today in the House Committee on Education and Labor against H.R. 3685, a narrow version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that excludes protections based on gender identity. Congresswoman Sánchez is an original cosponsor of H.R. 2015, the original version of ENDA that was introduced earlier this year and prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Congresswoman Sánchez joined three other Democrats in opposing H.R.3685 for similar reasons. The bill won approval by the Committee and is expected on the House floor next week. Congresswoman Sánchez is actively working to rally support for an anticipated amendment by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) to add gender identity protections into the legislation.

“I am pleased that last month, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on H.R. 2015, the original version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that was introduced earlier this year. I am a proud original cosponsor of that bill, which would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I am disappointed that we're not marking up that bill today. Instead, we have a narrower, less inclusive version of the bill, which does not include gender identity.

“In the opening statement I submitted at last month's hearing, I said I was proud that as a member of this Committee, I was able to help make our employment laws consistent with our values.

“Unfortunately, this bill does not go far enough to enshrine American values into law because it fails to include protections to those who arguably need it most: transgender people, as well as those who don't conform to gender stereotypes. These are the most vulnerable people we sought to protect in H.R. 2015, the fully inclusive ENDA.

“I believe I am correct to say that it is an American value that it is unacceptable to deny someone a job, a raise, or a promotion for arbitrary factors beyond their job performance. And that is a value that holds true regardless of the worker’s real or perceived gender identity."

Still, the transgender-less bill now moves ahead to a House vote. Representative Tammy Baldwin says that she will introduce and amendment that would restore the gender identity provision that was removed a couple of weeks ago but it's unclear if this will be successful.

Is brown Jesus better than chocolate Jesus?

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

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

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

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

Related:

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

Previously on Blabbeando:

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