Monday, May 27, 2013

Ecuador: President Rafael Correa says he won't allow marriage or adoption rights for gays and will veto any gender identity laws


Ecuador and LGBT rights: Like much of Latin America during the past couple of decades, Ecuador has seen its share of advances in extpanding legal protections to the nation's LGBT population.

Language penalizing sexual contact between same-sex individuals was struck down from the penal code by the nation's Constitutional Tribunal in 1997.  A year later the country adopted a new constitution which became the first in the Americas to grant sexual orientation protected status.

Under president Rafael Correa who was elected to office in 2007, further changes to the penal code made hate speech a crime and set fines and prison sentences for "those who incite hate against any other person for reason of their sex, sexual orientation, or sexual identification."

In a set back, the 2008 constitution enshrined marriage as being that between a man and a woman and limited adoption rights to heterosexual couples but it also granted same-sex couples civil unions that offered some legal protections including inheritance rights. Correa had initially argued that there was no need to limit marriage in the constitution but caved in to pressure from evangelicals and fundamentalists who demanded the ban.  Gay couples have also had a tough time registering their civil unions.

In 2008, when Ecuadorian immigrant José Osvaldo Sucuzhañay was attacked and murdered on the streets of New York after he and his brother were mistaken for a gay couple, Correa said "Together we will fight to forever root out these abhorrent acts committed by certain maladjusted individuals, root them out from the face of the earth, from humanity: Xenophobia, homophobia and all kinds of discrimination, all kinds of violence."

2008 also saw journalists Maria Alejandra Torres and Marjorie Ortiz break a major story about Ecuadorian teens being sent to rehab centers to be "cured" of their homosexuality.  The scandal led to a 2011 international campaign to shut down the centers led by online petition sites All Out, Credo and Change.org and in 2012 the Correa government not only committed themselves to go after these centers but also named one of the women who led the fight against the centers as a member of the presidential cabinet: Carina Vance Mafla, the first openly lesbian woman to have been named to a presidential cabinet in Latin America.

An apology: Most recently and in the heat of his third re-election campaign, President Corréa lost his temper after a critic called him a "faggot" on a Facebook page and challenged the man to meet with him to let him show "who the real fag is." (VIDEO).

Members of LGBT-rights organizations were outraged and demanded an apology. They got two earnest apologies, one before the election (VIDEO) and one during his acceptance speech on the night he won a decisive vote for a third and final term (VIDEO). That was on February 17th of this year.

The reason for the second apology, Correa said, was because he didn't want the LGBT community to think he had apologized the first time for political gain.  He added "I offer my full respect, my efforts and my commitment to eliminate all types of discrimination in this country."

Considering Correa's considerable track record on LGBT issues, his seemingly heartfelt apologies for using a derogatory word and his public commitment to protect the Ecuadorian LGBT community you might think the next four years might bode well for said community barring, you know, a stunning turnaround. Well...

A stunning turnaround: The national debate the last few weeks have been consumed by a decision by Health Minister Carina Vance Mafla to approve the "morning after" pill. Conservative religious leaders are apoplectic about the decision and a group calling themselves "The 14 Million" swore millions of people would demonstrate against the government last Sunday (by most newspaper accounts only 2,500 showed up).

A day before the religious rallies President Correa used his weekly televised speech to "counter" the claims made by the so-called "14 Million" and in the process actually gave them much more than they probably expected.


Key points:
  • He denied his government was pushing for marriage equality and highlighted the constitutional ban he once called unnecessary saying that no other type of partnership could ever be considered a marriage except for that between a man and a woman.
  • He acknowledged there were current efforts in the national assembly to pass a gender identity law but mocked the legislator introducing the bill and promised to veto the bill if it ever reached his desk.
The shock and disappointment among leading Ecuadorian LGBT rights advocates was palpable on the social networks and many took to Twitter to demand an explanation from Correa on the eve of his inauguration.

Twitter wars: Silvia Buendía, who ran for political office during the last election, sent a tweet introducing Correa to a lesbian couple profiled in a newspaper article telling him "Dear President Correa, I present my friends Diana and Maribel, they love each other, they take care of each other, they are family"...
Pamela Troya who was recently profiled with her family in La Hora, angrily highlighted a key contradiction in the Presdent's statements from stands he had taken as recent as February. "President Correa, look at you statements from February 12th during the NEVER FORGET campaign", she wrote.

A screen capture image quoted statements Correa had made during a February 12th radio interview on the issue of a gender identity bill. "Choosing one's gender and name, I agree with that," Correa said, "that's liberty, each person in accordance to their sexual orientation should be able to choose their gender identity and register their name and their gender with the civil registry."

Using a marriage referendum as a threat: Pamela also tweeted "President Correa, you denigrate us and disrespect us when you use dogma and prejudice to govern."

This time it drew an angry response from President Correa himself. "No problem," Correa wrote, "I will set up a popular referendum during the next midterm elections and we will see if it's all about my dogmas and prejudices."

On Thursday, in an interview shot and aired a day before the inauguration of his third term Correa dug deeper in...


Key points:
  • "I am economically and socially progressive but very conservative when it comes to moral issues" Correa stated.
  • Correa argued that the gender identity law is actually a Trojan horse being used to impose "gay marriage" on Ecuador.
  • If Ecuador would follow worldwide trends and approve marriage equality, Correa argued, it would be akin to distributing drugs for free because drugs are also trendy (he then offered an immediate apology because, as he put it, drugs are illegal and homosexuality is not).
International LGBT reaction: That second interview got much more attention than his little seen initial statements a week ago. This time LGBT leaders from all of Latin America reacted.

The head of the largest LGBT-rights organization in Chile, Rolando Jiménez...
"In general, 'Progressive Latin America' is conservative and authoritarian. The Ecuadorian president confirms this when cultural change steps ahead of him."

Cuban blogger Francisco Rodríguez (better known as Paquito el de Cuba) sent several tweets including this one:
"President Correa," Francisco says, "having LGBT people in your presidential cabinet doesn't free you to take homophobic stands."

Spain's Miguel Angel Lopez, who used to publish one of the greatest LGBT-news publications in the world (ZERO) also made his views known...
"Rafael Correa embarrasses the left with his homophobia against marriage equality in Ecuador"

Colombian LGBT-rights activist Mauricio Albarracín who was instrumental in the advances in LGBT rights we have seen in Colombia...
"President Correa: To put up minority rights up to a referendum belongs to reactionary right wing governments."

Maria Rachid, who was the head of the Argentine LGBT Federation when the country became the first in Latin America to pass a marriage equality bill tweeted this:
"Rafael Correa,  I respect you on many issues but you are mistaken on this one. There are families whose rights are disrespected in Ecuador and you can fix it."

Alex Freyre, who can claim with his partner José Maria di Bello the title of the first gay couple to ever get married in Latin America chose to go the humorous route:
"If they let me talk to that cutie of Correa for five minutes I'll make sure he approves marriage equality by presidential decree."

Correa was not moved.

Kids should only be adopted by heterosexual couples: On Saturday, a day after his inauguration ceremony, he appeared on his weekly television show, reiterated his newly minted "socially conservative" positions and added a few more. He also demanded gratitude from the LGBT community....


Key points:
  • "No other government has done more for the GLBTI community than mine," says Correa.
  • The LGBT community would never ask as much from a right wing government and is upset because they have an "all or nothing" strategy just like indigenous people.
  • Correa says LGBT groups hurt themselves and hurt the government by not acknowledging how much the he has done for them and should show gratefulness instead (he also says their rebellion threatens the stability of the country by opening the door to sponsoring future conservative governments).
  • Correa admits he once supported the gender identity bill (without mentioning he gave his full support just two months ago) and says he changed his mind when he suddenly realized it was a ploy to get to same-sex marriages (yeah, right).
  • He parrots the "14 Million" claim that family can only be that of "A man, a woman and a child" and that he opposes adoption rights for same-sex couples because adopted children should be raised by a "traditional" family.
The official Twitter account for the Presidency of Ecuador highlighted the president's statements.
"'I am not in favor of gay marriage' empathizes President Correa."

Gender identity law: The most heartbreaking reality in all of this is that a gender identity law Correa supported just two months ago lies in the balance and has now been trashed by the president.

Trans rights activist Diane Rodriguez has been calling Correa on this since he started this anti-LGBT crusade sending him a message on Twitter and asking him for a meeting...
Diane is the leading advocate for a gender identity law and has participated in several PSA's calling such a law...


She also ran for a local political office and as she stood on the voting line last year she tweeted about the humiliation she felt when she was forced by election officials to stand in the men's line despite asking to be allowed to vote on the women's line. It had nothing to do with marriage equality but perfectly illustrated why Ecuador needs a gender identity law.

Since all this broke, LGBT advocates have asked Correa to explain why he has turned his back on LGBT rights. Some have asked why he would even treat a presidential cabinet member as a second hand citizen.

So far Carina Vance has remained silent but Raul Vallejo  - a former education minister and current Ecuadorian ambassador to Colombia expressed his disappointment:
"Marriage should be an institution that allows 2 people to legally protect their plan for life, regardless of prejudice or sexual orientation," he stated.

Final point: Let's be clear here. Correa has tried to use his televised speeches to denigrate and blame the LGBT community for these series of homophobic statements but before his response to the "14 Million" movement he entirely supported the gender identity law and there was no active movement for marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ecuador.

Correa's statements are purely a president caving in to the fundamentalist religious leaders who drew only 2,500 to their rallies.

UPDATE: After asking for a meeting with the president, Diane was invited to the post-inauguration ceremony on May 27th, 2013 and shared this photo on Twitter. I asked her if she had a chance to speak to the president and she said she only had a chance to ask to speak to him on a later occasion and that Correa expressed a willingness to schedule a meeting.


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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Colombia: A mother's love

Dr. Maria Lucia Cuellar and her gay son Arturo San Juan grace the front page of today's Colombian newspaper El Espectador after she became an online sensation for comments she made defending her sons right to marry on the Senate floor on Thursday (photo courtesy of Manuel M. Sanabria)
I wish I could have better news about the marriage equality battle in my country of birth, Colombia. On Thursday the Senate was supposed to vote on a marriage equality bill but the vote was postponed until Tuesday, April 23rd, following hours of debate.

Unfortunately the outcome seems predetermined as a coalition of conservative senators led by the "La U" political party have indicated they have enough votes to sink the bill.

J. Lester Feder has full details over at BuzzFeed ("Colombian marriage bill appears likely to fail").

The upshot is that Congress is acting on orders from the Constitutional Court which gave Congress an ultimatum to pass legislation granting same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples before June 20th of this year. If Congress fails to act same-sex couples could potentially register their partnership in a notary and get all the rights of a married heterosexual couple whether or not it is called a "marriage".  From BuzzFeed:
The first test will be with the notaries, who are empowered by the court's 2011 ruling to start solemnizing same-sex unions on June 20. LGBT activists will demand that these be recognized as full marriages, and then they will have to go to court to establish that this truly is what the court intended in 2011. This will be a battle, since the superintendent of notaries Jorge Enrique Vélez has already declared that they will not. The conflict nonetheless would open another opportunity for the court to weigh in, and the institution has a long history of expanding LGBT rights over the objections of conservative politicians and religious leaders.
The sudden decision to postpone a vote on Thursday came after opponents of the marriage equality bill tried to block testimony from people defending marriage equality and then found themselves in the embarrassing position of trying to pull one of their experts off the floor when his statements became too embarrassing even for them.

Among the arguments made by self-described theologian Mario Cely Quintero:
  • "It has been proven that when two men have the same cerebral structure they are incapable of loving each other... and are always seeking to replace the affection they never received as a child by seeking orgasmic discharges."
  • "Demographers have proven that in Northern Europe, in Canada, in the United States in the zones of San Francisco and Los Angeles where there are the highest number of homosexuals that when you allow a direct process of legalization of homophilia - be it by law or the Constitution - heterosexual families begin rapidly disintegrating. You can look it up through Norwegian demographer Kathrine Hillman (sp?) who proved this in countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland."
  • "What will they ask for next! The organized homosexual movement - the gays - will they ask as is being done by NAMBLA in the United States for the legalization of love between an old man and a child?  We will then hear calls for Colombian society to lower the consensual age to 10 or 8 years of age."
  • "Have you thought about the medical consequences of homosexuality? It's been demonstrated that homosexuality lowers longevity... there is a lot of illness as a result of anal cancer and AIDS and a number of other diseases which endanger society, our adolescents and our youth."
This from one of only two "experts" allowed by the Senate President to speak against marriage equality on the floor of the Senate.  No wonder Mr. Quintero was publicly asked to refrain from making such insulting statements and pulled off the floor suddenly marking an end to the debate.

Compared to that vitriolic hatefulness, the highlight of the day was a presentation by one two persons allowed to speak in support of marriage equality, psychologist Martha Lucia Cuellar.

In a video that has now gone viral Dr. Cuellar forcefully defends the right to marry for same-sex couples in light of the discrimination she has seen her son suffer (full translated transcript of her speech at the bottom of this post):


The speech and the viral nature of the Senate video posted last week on YouTube has made Dr. Cuellar an overnight star in Colombia with her son Arturo San Juan taking to twitter to joke about it.
"I can't stand my mother being more famous than I am," he writes,"nevertheless her Twitter handle is @martulanga, for her followers"
Understandably, her Twitter follow count has gone from 300 on Thursday to 1,500 at the moment. After being flooded with thank you messages, Dr. Cuellar thanked everyone who wrote to her in gratitude.
"Thank you. Thank you all for all your beautiful messages," she writes, "The LGBT community deserves being defended because society owes them."
News that there were enough votes to sink the bill came before the Senate debate on Thursday and I expect that's where Dr. Cuellar's simmering but respectful anger during her speech comes from. But it's difficult to believe any Senator who votes against marriage equality on Tuesday won't remember her searing words or feel no small degree of shame when casting that vote.

On Tuesday every Senator will decide whether to stand for a man who claims gays are deviants bent on destroying every single heterosexual marriage on earth and who exist only for the purpose of spreading anal cancer while trying to find their next orgasmic discharge.

Or they will decide to stand for a mother and her love for her gay son.

A side note: A few stars from the Colombian entertainment industry have come out for marriage equality but not, as far as I know, those who are international super stars including Shakira and Juanes (please correct me on that if I am wrong).

I was particularly disappointed earlier this month when Sofia Vergara visited the Colombian city of Barranquilla and a reporter asked her whether she supported the marriage equality bill.

Vergara, star of one of the most gay-friendly shows on U.S. television ("Modern Family") seems caught between a rock and a hard place and, if you pay close attention to the clip below, she manages to escape the interview without actually saying if she supports marriage equality.


From the clip:
Well, the truth is that it's a very delicate thing. I don't like... Everyone has their own opinion and the beautiful thing about this world is that each person can have their own opinion.  I believe people should truly do what makes them happy and if that's what makes a couple happy then, God willing, they'll be able to find happiness... I believe that - inevitably - this IS modern life. It's what's happening around the world today and I think it's absurd to try to hide it or to continue doing things the same way we have always done. I think we should keep our minds open and be tolerant of everything.
It's a nifty hat trick and she has used before. When she was asked last year about Obama's "evolution" on the subject she said "It's important to accept everyone and not to judge anybody" which sounds just as non-committal about marriage equality as the statements she made in Colombia.

It's confounding.

In 2010 Vergara shot a Spanish language PSA inviting people to become members of GLAAD and, speaking to The Advocate in 2011 about the ad she said the following:
Most of us are raised in a very Catholic environment, and the macho figure is very strong in our culture, so it’s still more taboo and a million times more dramatic to come out. Many gay friends have told me how hard it was for them to be open in the Latin community. Nothing’s going to change from one day to the other, so it’s a matter of doing things little by little. 
Perhaps that's what is holding off Vergara from saying the words "I support marriage equality in Colombia." She still thinks it's a step too far and that our rights should wait.

If that's the case, that's bullshit. The time for Vergara and stars like Shakira and Juanes to stand firm on the side of equality is right now.

---  FULL TRANSLATED TRANSCRIPT  ---

Dr. Martha Lucia Cuéllar's statements before the Colombian Senate on Thursday, April 18th, 2013.

Thank you and good afternoon.

My name is Martha Lucia Cuéllar de San Juan. Happily married for thirty-five years, openly heterosexual, in love with my husband Carlos Arturo San Juan, profoundly devout - profoundly devout - and I have a gay son.

And twelve years ago, dear viewers and Senators, I stood here in this same building demanding equal rights for my son as his mother.  At the time he'd been with his partner for three years, more or less, and I was here because of the pain I felt as a mother when I witnessed several instances of discrimination in a different number of settings.

And here I was thinking that since society is so dynamic and those who draft legislation should know better, with all due respect, Senators, today after twelve years we still continue to think as if we lived in the 19th Century.

Those rights achived by the LGBT community have been earned without your support - Without your support! - So I wanted to let you know that my son spent a little more than eleven years together in a relationship with this man. Unfortunately, his partner died. They were an exemplary couple. They promised they would take care of each other. They promised each other solidarity. They promised each other a life together.

And I wanted to say - and it is my understanding as a psychologist - to people from the LGBT community including those watching us from the stands: You are not ill! You are not crazy! And you are not criminals! It has to do with dignity.

Or perhaps - and I apologize to the person who spoke beforehand, Dr. Henao - is dignity attached to one's genitals?  I am sorry to tell you that dignity lies here [points at her head] and here [points at her heart] and my son is being denied rights and they are being denied in this setting.

And I am sorry to tell Dr. Henao that it's an affront for him to say "How dare the Constitutional Court change the constitution" when the Constitutional Court IS the body that protects the constitution and frames the manner in which we conduct ourselves.

And I also wanted to tell you: That person died. My son's partner died. And he died two and a half years ago. And to this date his partner's life insurance company has yet to recognize [my son's] rights because he is gay and because there had never been anyone in this country  willing to claim life insurance rights as a gay person.

It turns out if they'd ever been recognized as a married couple he would have automatically been granted those rights. So I do not understand what it is that you fear so much. Where are your ghosts. What ghosts are you battling against. The fact is they exist. They are real. They have a life in common. The are out in the streets. We see them every day.

The only thing that WILL happen if you don't agree they have the same marriage rights is that you'll be cutting off their rights. You are clearly cutting off their rights.  And whether it's with you - and I am trying show you uttermost respect despite the anger I feel as a mother - with or without you this will go on. This will go on because the LGBT community will not budge. And I, as a mother, won't either. And how many mothers and how many fathers will follow suit.

I wanted to share this and it's apparent that all of you - and pardon the expression because I love them dearly and I couldn't live without my hairdresser - all of you appear to believe that if someone is from the LGBT community they can only be hairdressers. Excuse me. My son is a mathematician, he has a master's degree and he is finishing a PhD in Mathematics. That's not something done by an unworthy person. It shows a man who is absolutely and totally responsible for his actions.

I wanted to say that it might be better for all of us to get with the times and what society asks of us. Because I think it's terrible that my father - who passed away - and my mother - who is still alive and will soon be 80 years of age - were able to understand my son and his partner and the LGBT community while there are still those who are thirty or forty years of age who behave as if they were one hundred and five.

Things have changed. The model has been broken. And it's broken because - even if we do not want to recognize other family models - we have gotten to the point where I personally I have three friends who are married to their husbands who have decided not to have children. So... are they unworthy?

I also wanted to say that if you are associating belonging to the LGBT community with someone who is depraved you are mistaken. And I invite you to take a look at the data from Bienestar Familiar to see who the real rapists are: Parents, brothers, friends, cousins, those who are the closet and identify as heterosexual. So let's start from the fact that we have to break up the paradigm because we either break up the paradigm or the paradigm will break you.

So from this moment on - with all due respect but with all the force I have - this will change with or without your support.

And I wanted to tell you as someone who is a professor that the new generations - and I have taught at the Sabana U., the Piloto U., the San Toto U., the Military Academy, online universities, I have been a professor at the Todeo U. for the past thirteen years - the new generations are demanding more. You better wake up because the new generations will demand their due. You know how? By voting.

Thank you so much.

Related: 
  • A group of LGBT advocates from Pereira, Colombia has set up an amazing Facebook page on which they are posting a number of videos by people who support marriage equality in Colombia. Appropriately the page is titled "150 Voices from Pereira in Favor of Marriage Equality".
  • On Twitter, Colombian LGBT advocates and allies have been using the hashtag #MatrimonioIgualitarioYa (marriage equality now) to organize. You can follow it here, particularly when debate on the marriage equality bill resumes on Tuesday.
  • The Spanish-language cover page story from Sunday's El Espectador titled "Mom of the gays" can be read here.
  • Apparently as the marriage equality debate riles France this week, French superstars are just as hesitant to get involved in the marriage equality battle as Colombian superstars.
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Monday, April 01, 2013

Musica: Alex Anwandter's "Tormenta" (VIDEO)


Another one of the many sublime tracks from Chilean singer Alex Anwandter's 2011 album "Rebeldes" has finally gotten a video treatment.

The lyrics for "Tormenta" ["Storm"] tells of a lover who sees the end of a romantic relationship coming and wonders whether his partner is aware their relationship is all but over.

This is a storm
This is the end of our confusion
The rare occasion
I wanna know if you see
Each action I take for you...

I wanna know if you see and feel
What is about to hit us

The video is something different. It shows a number of couples of all sexual persuasions lustfully making out while Anwandter sings alone from a boat in the middle of a lake (the video has been tagged as NSFW although you probably can see more sexually explicit material on any of MTV's reality shows).


It's beautifully shot but it doesn't quite capture the delicate mood and heartbreak of the lyrics.

It's also a curious release as Anwandter and fellow Chilean singer Gepe just released a joint project under the monicker Alex & Daniel last month titled, appropriately, "Alex & Daniel".

Still, Anwandter just finished a solo mini-tour that took him to several cities in Mexico and Los Angeles and is expected to hit other cities in the United States later this year delving into his back catalog and recent work with Gepe. He is an electrifying performer so check his website for updates and see him if he visits your city.

In October Time magazine named him as one of ten artists poised for U.S. stardom. I had the pleasure of interviewing him last year ("The Alex Anwandter Interview").

If you want to find out more about Alex, check the following links:
  • Alex Anwandter's official website here
  • Alex Anwandter on ITunes page here
  • Alex Anwandter's official SoundCloud page here
  • Alex Anwandter's official Twitter account here
October 2012: Alex Anwandter during the "Tormenta" video shoot in Puerto Rico (via Anwandter's Twitter account)
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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Video: Key moments from Orlando "El Fenómeno" Cruz's victory

Pardon me the amateurish edits on this clip but I wanted to share three key moments from Friday night's boxing match between Orlando "El Fénomeno" Cruz and Alan "The Bomber" Martinez.


That's not the way a gay boxer is supposed to act: The first key moment happened during the second round and it is one of those things that people in gender study classes love to deconstruct in 300-page analytical books.

For Cruz I assume it was simply an attempt to unnerve his opponent.

If you blink you might miss it but at the 6 second mark you'll see that Cruz is standing behind his opponent when he swiftly reaches out and slaps his butt.  The crowd went wild even if I doubt Martinez noticed it.

The referee, in the meantime, walks over to Cruz and admonishes him for the gesture.

The moment packs power because this is not what boxing fans expect a gay man to do.  To stand over his opponent and own him with a simple gesture.

Telemundo sportscaster Jessi Lozada seems at a loss for words at first but then says Cruz shouldn't have done it:
That could be a double-edged sword because it could bother and make his opponent that much more furious. If there comes a point at which he can hurt him he won't have mercy. It has an opposite effect: He's just pouring gasoline on a fire and there is no need for it.
Standing tall: That, of course, did not turn out to be what happened as Cruz dominated most rounds and emerged victorious by technical knock-out in the 6th round.

At the 46 second mark you can see the knock-out punch and at the 1 minute mark you will see how Cruz celebrates the victory as the referee calls it for him.

As his mother jumps for joy in the stands, Cruz climbs the ropes and salutes the crowd. He goes up a second time and makes sure the crowd takes notice of who he represents.

He points at the Puerto Rican flag on one side of his kilt-like trunks and then switches and points at the rainbow colored Puerto Rican flag.

And I have to say as a Latino gay man watching Cruz making sure the crowd knows exactly who he is at the point of victory is just incredibly moving. There are almost no words.

Family ties: The third moment comes at the 1:38 minute mark. In an October interview with the British newspaper The Guardian Cruz said that his relationship with his father since coming out had been somewhat strained.
My dad is more difficult because of the macho thing. Now, it's better. He supports me but… there is always a 'but'...
Cruz's grandmother had passed away four months before the fight and as he celebrated his victory the emotions seemed to catch up to him.  He tried to hide his tears by kneeling down and facing one of the ring's corners until a man in a blue shirt approached him and helped him to stand back up.

That man was Cruz's father.

Cruz would later dedicate the victory to his grandmother.

After the fight: It is well known that most showbiz and sports figures sometimes receive their share of outsized adulation from their fans -- including dating proposals.

After the fight on Friday Cruz emerged from the Kissimmee Civic Center ready to meet a couple of friends from Florida. As he made his way out a male fan approached him and handed him a gift.

It was a pair of "Papi" brand underwear.

His friends through it was hilarious and asked Cruz to pose with them (photo credit: Dagmar Andrades).

Orlando Cruz gets a memento from Friday night's fight in Kissimmee (Photo credit: Dagmar Andrades)

A Dominican fan reacts: One of the persons who saw my blog post about the fight was Gióniver Castillo Santana from the Dominican Republic.

In July of last year Gióniver was almost arrested during a pride rally in Santo Domingo for carrying a large flag he had designed to look like the Dominican flag except he changed its colors to those of the rainbow flag.  Officers deemed it disrespectful to the nation and organizers of the rally actually sided with the police.  Apparently there is a law in the Dominican Republic that makes changing any of the nation's emblems punishable by law.

Watching Cruz fight while proudly showing a Puerto Rican rainbow flag brought up mixed emotions for him. He posted a GIF on Facebook (see right) and said the following:
When I went out with that [rainbow colored Dominican] flag I knew there was a chance I could be arrested and that I would not get the help of the LGBT community, but even though I knew I was at risk it didn't really matter to me.  I take strong stands because it is my hope that when Dominicans read my words they'll want to change their ways.
He added:
What the LGBT community is missing is valor, they only think about partying. We have to train the LGBT community to act with valor so that a boy doesn't have to go out carrying a flag to give a little sense of protest to a pride rally that only serves for people to party.
Extra: A Spanish-language post fight interview with Orlando Cruz and his mother and telenovela actress Cynthia Olavarria. via Behind the Ring.


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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Boxer Orlando "El Fenómeno" Cruz wins second boxing match since coming out as a gay man

UPDATE: A follow-up post including video of the three key queer moments of the fight has been posted here. 

Orlando "El Fenomeno" Cruz next to his father after winning his 20th professional boxing match by TKO in the 6th round.
Puerto Rican featherweight boxer Orlando "The Phenomenon" Cruz (20-2-1, 10KO) defeated Mexican boxer Aalan "The Bomber" Martínez (14-2-1, 9KO) in a 6th round technical knock-out tonight that took place atthe Civic Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

Earlier today Cruz failed to make his weight by .4 ounces (weighing in at 126.4) which meant he lost the OMB's 126 lb. Latino Crown ranking but he still holds on to the number one ranking in the world which was officially announced today by the OMB.

After the fight he thanked a number of people including his trainers, his friends and "his LGBT community."  He also got emotional when mentioning his grandmother - who passed away last year - and dedicated the victory to her.

During the fight he wore a multicolor boxing kilt with Puerto Rican flags on both sides. One of the flags was red, white and blue, the other flag's stripes reflected the color of the rainbow as a sign of gay pride.

This is the second fight he wins after becoming the first active professional boxer to ever come out as a gay man back in October.

As in the last fight, his mother was at the side of the boxing ring shouting encouragement throughout the fight.  The venue was filled to capacity and attendees seemed to be overwhelmingly on Cruz's side throughout the fight.

After the fight he sent out a couple of messages on Twitter in Spanish:


My thanks to God for giving me the victory and for never abandoning my grandma and to her whom I felt next to me the entire time. I love you old lady.  

To my work team, Puerto Rico, the LGBT community, my people from Quintana and my family: Thanks for being there and being part of my life. I love you and carry you with me.
Pop star Ricky Martin soon replied with his own tweet:

Bro, I just watched your fight. Congratulations. I feel such huge Puerto Rican pride! Pa'lante. Truly amazing.
Reportedly Orlando now has his eye on fighting Mikey Garcia for the WBO featherweight world championship belt although nothing has been made official yet.

You can follow Orlando on Facebook (here) or on Twitter (here).

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Friday, March 15, 2013

Did Pope Francis back same-sex civil unions in Argentina?

If you have read any coverage of newly anointed Pope Francis this week and his views on LGBT issues you will no doubt be familiar with the following quotes (via GLAAD):
And yet, today the Associated Press reported the following:
According to the new pope's authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, [Jorge Mario] Bergoglio was politically wise enough to know the church couldn't win a straight-on fight against gay marriage, so he urged his bishops to lobby for gay civil unions instead. It wasn't until his proposal was shot down by the bishops' conference that he publicly declared what [Esteban] Paulon described as the "war of God" — and the church lost the issue altogether.
That was from the marriage equality fight in 2010 and it should be said that it was as a last stand against passage of the marriage equality law.

In an article published in Perfil on July 24 of 2010 an anonymous source claimed Bergoglio felt "used" in the run up to the marriage equality vote and hoped to eventually regain his progressive reputation by letting it be known he wasn't a homophobe.

The anonymous source also brings up Bergoglio's role in the passage of the 2002 same-sex civil union law that was approved by the Buenos Aires legislature.

An excerpt:
After the law was passed, the Jesuit once more sought refuge in the silence of prayer.  In the meantime, those who are near to him insist in presenting him as a progressive bishop, perhaps even from the "left", who had never used those terms when speaking about those issues.

"He doesn't have anything against gays nor transgender individuals and he never discriminated them during his duties as a pastor.  What prevails within him is christian charity," is the way a confident defends him.

And they add that Bergoglio felt trapped between two fires -- that of the government and that of his internal rival Héctor Aguer, the conservative archbishop of La Plata -- and he reacted as "a soldier of God."

Kirchner entered the game and she played to kill or be killed in the tradition of Saint Ignatius," say his closest friends.

In 2002 he has backed civil unions when they were passed by the Buenos Aires legislature and in April of that year he had proposed that the Church do the same on a national level.

What happened between April of 2002 and now, who is the real Bergoglio? It's a question that is often asked by the Government and within the church.
I have yet to find independent reports that Bergoglio did indeed back civil unions in Buenos Aires back in 2002.That law made Buenos Aires the first city in Latin America to adopt such laws.

UPDATE (3/18/13): Here is further indication Bergoglio would have backed civil unions for same-sex couples in exchange for scuttling the marriage equality law that Argentina adopted in July of 2010.

Just four months before the legislative vote, Bergoglio's spokesperson Federico Walls went on the record with Info News and said the following:

We do not seek to discriminate against unions between same-sex individuals. We don’t have a fanatic vision. What we are asking is that the laws be respected. We believe that we must propose more comprehensive civil union  bill than currently exists, but not marriage (H/t: Millenial).

My friend Mariano Lake writes to me from Argentina:
For Bergoglio, backing civil unions was a way to deny gays the right to marry and that's what the Argentine LGBT Federation fought for: The same rights with the same names. Bergoglio did not want us to be able to marry and a civil union was not a marriage.
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Rachel Maddow on Argentina's marriage equality law and the new Pope

It's rare to see a cable network devote more than a few minutes to Latin American LGBT issues particularly during prime-time hours so it was refreshing to see Rachel Maddow spend five minutes last night talking about how marriage equality became law in Argentina back in 2010.

The Rachel Maddow, March 14, 2013

The groundbreaking law has gained new relevance this week after Argentine Jesuit priest Jorge Mario Bergoglio was named as the new Pope and christened Pope Francis. He was also the leading opponent of the Argentine marriage equality law back on 2010 as Cardinal of Buenos Aires - - and ended up on the losing side of history.

While Maddow went on to discuss what this all means for the future of the Catholic church you should also take a look at this Michael K. Lavers story at The Washington Blade on how LGBT advocates in Argentina are receiving the news ("Argentine gay activist Esteban Paulón criticizes Pope Francis").

And here is a statement released yesterday by the organization Esteban Paulón leads: The Argentine LGBT Federation (FALGBT):
The appointment of a Pope who affirmed Marriage Equality was the Plan of the Devil, is a bad sign for LGBTI rights 

The Argentine LGBT Federation expresses its deep regret for the appointment of the Archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio, as the new Pope.
The election of Jorge Bergoglio as the new Pope marks a clear desire of the Vatican to radicalize its position against the recognition of diverse family structures.
Bergoglio was twice the President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference and led the campaigns against the laws of Marriage Equality (2010) and Gender Identity (2011/2012), obstructing the legislative advances obtained through the hard work of the FALGBT and the sexual diversity movement of Argentina.
During the campaign for Marriage Equality, Bergoglio called it "the plan of the devil" and led a crusade against it and called it “God’s War.”
During his public arguments against Marriage Equality in 2010, Bergoglio stated that “in the next few weeks the Argentine people will have to confront a situation whose result can gravely hurt the family: A same-sex marriage bill."
At stake, he claimed, was “the identity and the survival of the family: father, mother, and children. At stake is the life of so many children who will be deprived from the human development that God wanted by giving them a father and a mother. At stake is a direct rejection of the law of God, also engraved in our hearts."
In those same declarations Bergoglio expressed: “We remember what God himself said to his people in a moment of much anguish: ‘This war is not yours but God’s.’ May they assist, defend, and accompany him in God’s War.”
Currently, Pope Francis is an active militant against the right for secure, legal and free abortion, still awaiting debate in the Argentine Parliament despite the enormous social and parliamentary consensus that the ruling has.
Likewise, the performance of Bergoglio during the last military dictatorship is being investigated, especially regarding the theft of babies and disappearance of priests of liberation theology.
In that respect Esteban Paulón, president of the FALGBT, expressed: 
"While we have no expectations of change from the Vatican the choice of someone who promoted 'God's War' against marriage equality is disappointing. His radical position on this issue, on the gender identity law and on safe, legal and free abortion, keeps us from being optimistic."
Paulón added, “Perhaps the fact that Pope Francis has lived for the last two and a half years in a country where Marriage Equality is a reality and none of the catastrophes he predicted have come to pass might make him reconsider his negative stand on issues related to equality. At the very least, he will no longer be able to make arguments from a lack of knowledge as Argentina today is a more equal and peaceful country in which families have been strengthened and diversified thanks to the Marriage Equality and Gender Identity laws."
Finally, Paulón stated “beyond anyone's personal convictions, the Church continues to hold great sway on global public opinion and on the decisions made by other countries. It would be extremely positive if the Vatican, under Pope Francis, changed its ways and finally supported the United Nations Declaration Against the Penalization of Homosexuality by signing on to the statement."
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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Venezuelan interim president Nicolas Maduro: If I were gay I would proudly shout it to the entire world


A month before the Venezuelan electorate goes to the polls to choose their next president in the wake of Hugo Chávez' death the topic of homophobia in the campaign continues to be front page news.

On Monday Hugo Chavez' chosen successor and interim president Nicolás Maduro seemed to echo some homophobic statements from the past by calling himself a someone "who does like women" which some took as a swipe against opposition party candidate Henrique Capriles.

In the past, members of Maduro's campaign have openly questioned Capriles' sexuality and Maduro himself called him a "faggot" during a Chávez campaign rally in March of 2012.  Days later Maduro went on television to deny his use of the expression had been in any way homophobic and to apologize if anyone was offended by it.

Calling themselves the "sexually diverse" which is also the term used by Maduro to refer to the LGBT community a couple of organizations associated with with the Chávez revolution came to Maduro's defense.  Luis Menenses of the Sexually Diverse Revolutionary Front of Zulia said that media had taken Maduro's most recent comments out of context and willingly left off the last part of his statement which they highlighted in capital letters: "I am someone who likes women, and here I have one. It's great how one feels when one kisses a woman OR THE PERSON ONE LOVES" [Video].

The Front argued that those last few words which were omitted in most reports proved that Maduro's comments on Monday were not a homophobic dig at Capriles and instead framed it as inclusive language that embraced forms of love other than heterosexual.

By then Capriles himself had gone on TV and blasted Maduro for his comments calling it homophobic exclusion "absolute fascism" and telling viewers to demand respect for all. "You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion," Capriles said [Video].

"If that's how you want to attack me, let it be," Capriles said, "but from here on I will always demand respect for all. You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion."

Last evening Maduro responded and denied he ever alluded in any way to Caprile's personal life during his comments on Monday.


[Full translated transcript after commentary]

Call it chutzpah. In denying he ever was alluding to Capriles' personal life On Monday he takes several opportunities in yesterday's response to express respect for Capriles "whatever he might be" - as in gay or straight.

In "respecting" Capriles, Maduro also never manages to use his opponent's name once during the five minute statement. Instead, at various times he calls him the "opposition candidate," "Candidate Mr. Loser," "a prissy man with an aristocratic last name" and "Prince of New York."

As Queerty posted today Maduro has previously joked that Capriles spends time in New York with a close friend and last week, as the site puts it "Jacqueline Faria, a senior official in Chavez’s PSUV party, tweeted that Capriles was in Manhattan because 'it’s easier to come out of the closet in New York than in Los Teques,' the capital city of Miranda, where Capriles was governor."

As he has done in the past, Maduro denies he is a homophobe. He explains:
When you live in a town you have to be respectful of the private lives of all human beings. And in terms of sexuality - what today is known as the concept of the sexually diverse - they are the same friends we have known all of our lives - male and female - from the time we were kids. Because we have always respected them.
Maduro also says that if he were gay he'd be proud of it:
If I were gay I'd take ownership of it with pride and shout it to the four winds and I would have no problem loving whoever I had to love with my heart.
He then adds another not so veiled dig at Capriles:
Because the worst homophobe is one who is gay and discriminates against his own. It's similar to a foreman in a slave-owner's farm. A black traitor who whips an African man's back. That's the worst homophobe: He who denies his identity and discriminates against his equals.
He also claims Chávez made a failed attempt to amend the constitution to include anti-discriminatory language:
We introduced a constitutional amendment to acknowledge their existence and the supreme respect the nation has towards our sexually diverse brothers and sisters - and our opponents and the right called for a vote against that amendment.
Maduro is right that there is a conservative right wing in Venezuela who would love to see Capriles win and would oppose any advance in the recognition of LGBT rights in Venezuela.  Neither Capriles on Monday nor Maduro yesterday mentioned any LGBT-friendly legislation they would support if either one wins the election. 

What Maduro fails to mention is that Chávez never made it a personal priority to push the constitutional amendment and that the key foe against it was not the right wing who did not really have the political power under Chávez to oppose it but the Catholic church and their legislative followers on the right and on the left.

Maduro did mention the Catholic church last night in a way that captured worldwide attention and it's a telling statement about whose allegiances Maduro might follow if elected president.
From Reuters:
We know that our commander ascended to the heights and is face-to-face with Christ. Something influenced the choice of a South American pope, someone new arrived at Christ's side and said to him: 'Well, it seems to us South America's time has come.'
That's right. In death, Chávez had a hand in the choice for a new pope.
Chávez, whose death has been increasingly mourned as that of a religious martyr, increasingly used religious rhetoric during his final campaign and as his death got nearer.

Maduro has embraced Chávez religious fervor as his own as he campaigns for the Venezuelan vote.  But the truth is that when it comes to LGBT rights in Venezuela there is no guarantee that Capriles wouldn't do the same if elected.

Here are Maduro's full comments on homophobia from last night:
I said certain things about my relationship with [my wife] Celia and they have begun to manipulate them. So the losing candidate from the tiny minority that is the embittered oligarchy showed up.
I agree with Gustavo Pereira: Our flag and our valor is love and our victory will come when love prevails over rancor and hate. When true peace prevails. Peace along with justice and equality. The type of peace in which we can come to love each other as one and in which she can love her and he can love him and others can love others.
So don't let them come and say I am homophobic, "erreteromophobic," "heterodophobic" or start to invent other nicknames. I did not delve into...
Camarades! The first thing I have to say is that when you live in a town you have to be respectful of the private lives of all human beings. And in terms of sexuality - what today is known as the concept of the sexually diverse - they are the same friends we have known all of our lives - male and female - from the time we were kids. Because we have always respected them.
So much so that we introduced a constitutional amendment to acknowledge their existence and the supreme respect the nation has towards our sexually diverse brothers and sisters - and our opponents and the right called for a vote against that amendment, for example.
So don't be so manipulative, members of the bourgeois media. We show absolute respect because each person has ownership of his or her life.
Second: I did not delve into the sexual life of the opposition candidate. I did not delve into the issue - it was him who assumed it was about him so he responded against me as if I'd said something about his life.
I respect him and I've said it for a long time as well. One time I used a certain word and I apologize for using that word. I have already apologized several times. You remember the term I used, no?
But what happens in Venezuela is that the when that word that escaped from my soul...
Because they want to present themselves as snobs who cannot stop... and I apologize to snobs who are patriotic and there are lots of them as well - but I am talking about pro-imperialist snobs... Please forgive me for that but let me welcome the male and female snobs who are patriotic and pro-Chavez - and we have a lot of them... a lot [laughs].
Now, this mister - who I've previously called a "prissy man with an aristocratic last name" and "Prince of New York" as he has yet to say how he managed to buy the five million dollar apartment he owns there and will never say it - he showed up full of rage towards me and said I was delving into his personal life.
I have never delved into it, I respect him. Whatever he is, I respect him. And we all must respect him. And I am being absolutely serious: We all have to respect him. But don't be such a manipulator! Don't be such a manipulator!
Each one of us takes... I take ownership of my life with pride and I respect each person who takes ownership of their life with pride. Be whatever it may be.
If I were - and please don't clap your hands and I am going to say this with all of my heart - if I were gay I'd take ownership of it with pride and shout it to the four winds and I would have no problem loving whomever I had to love with my heart.
Because the worst homophobe is one who is gay and discriminates against his own. It's similar to a foreman in a slave-owner's farm. A black traitor who whips an African man's back. That's the worst homophobe: He who denies his identity and discriminates against his equals.
We have respect for all. I have not delved into your life, candidate Mr. Loser. Now you'll face another full defeat and this one will be that much worse because what we will achieve on April 14th will be the greatest victory known to this country and we will do it in the name of Hugo Chávez. In his memory. For the example he gave. For his strength. For the greatness of the historical legacy he left us.
Well, compatriots. Look at this: This is how we govern. 
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Argentina: President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's blistering 2010 statement against the new Pope


A couple of days before Argentina became the first Latin American country to pass a nationwide marriage equality law in 2010 president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner broke her silence on the landmark bill and secured its passage by throwing hell full support behind it. It was an impassioned speech carried live on Argentine television from a diplomatic trip to China and a full-throttled response to increasingly rabid homophobic opposition by Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.


Transcript:
To begin with, I am a bit surprised about the tone, the tenor, and the content the dialogue has taken.  The truth is that it's worrisome to listen to expressions such as 'God's Battle', 'The Work of the Devil', things which actually bring us back to the times of the Inquisition, to Medieval Times, it seems to me. Particularly coming from those who should promote peace, tolerance, diversity and dialogue. Or at least that's what they've always said in their statements. And all of a sudden [we have] this aggressive language, this dismissive language invoking 'natural law' arguments.
To bring it back to our own history, when the civil code was approved, Vélez Sársfield has taken 'marriage' from Canon law. That's why they could only get married through the church! There was no possibility for people to get married in a civil registry in Argentina.
When immigration began - there are many people who are not Catholic, who are not affiliated with any religion, or are anarchists, or Communists, or are Jewish or Muslim - and it turns out that the only way they could get married was through Catholic rites.
And so, a reform to the civil code was proposed, which was incorporated in 1,888 through which 'civil marriages' were created.
I sincerely believe what's being presented before the current norm is something that the community already has. I believe it's fair - it's fair - to recognize this right for the minorities. And I believe it would be a terrible distortion of democracy if the majorities - the actions of those majorities - denied rights to those minorities.
But what worries me the most is the tone in which these issues are being discussed, invoking questions such as the Devil, or the war.
I heard someone talk about 'God's War'! As if we were still in the time of the Crusades! I can just imagine Roland going to conquer the Holy Sepulcher! The truth is I don't believe this is good...It's not good because it establishes, as a society, a place which I don't think any of us wants to have. 
We are all willing to debate, discuss, dissent, but do it within a rational frame, without stigmatizing others because they think differently, and, fundamentally, also without violating the constitution.
But in reality I don't think it's a question that should be taken lightly. We are talking about whether we are going to be a society which recognizes the rights of minorities. This is the axis. Or if we are going to require that when someone signs official paperwork, instead of writing an ID, they should write "gay" or "lesbian" so some public official can say "Yes, I will see you", "I won't see you", "You have the right to in vitro fertilization", "No, you don't have the rights".
Bergoglio is not mentioned by name but he had just made the statements that the fight against same-sex marriage was "God's battle" and that those fighting for it were doing the "work of the Devil".

Bergoglio became Pope Francis today. He has chosen to downplay his opposition to the recognition of LGBT rights since he lost the marriage equality battle in 2010 which means that he might have learned a lesson from the experience. Or it might mean that the Vatican hopes that they will be able to hold the line and perhaps roll back significative advances that have taken place in Latin America when it comes to LGBT rights.

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Monday, March 11, 2013

Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles: To discriminate against gays is absolute fascism


As the Venezuelan election heats up in the wake of Hugo Chavez' death ugly recriminations have flown back and forth between those who support chosen interim president Nicolás Maduro and opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.

Some of Capriles' supporters have taken to denigrating Maduro for his former life as a poor bus driver exposing existing classist bias while some of Maduro's supporters have revived recent allegations that Capriles is gay and attacked him for his Jewish heritage even though Capriles calls himself a Catholic man.

From Reuters tonight:
Capriles, a descendant of Polish Jews on his mother's side, was a victim of racist and homophobic slurs from Chavez supporters last year. Maduro appeared to allude to his rival's sexuality during Monday's rally.
"I do have a wife, you know? I do like women!" he told the crowd with his wife Cilia Flores at his side, who has served as attorney general but is stepping down to join her husband's campaign.
Though single, Capriles has had various high-profile girlfriends in the past. He scoffs at the personal insults, saying they illustrate the government's aggressive mindset. 
Following those remarks by Maduro this morning a number of LGBT Venezuelans spent the day on social media like Twitter urging Capriles to publicly denounce Maduro's homophobia. Tonight he did just that.


Capriles:
I'd like to send a respectful and considerate message in rejection to the homophobic remarks made by Nicolás [Maduro] today. It's not the first time. I believe in a society without exclusion and that's the way I express it to the country. A society where no one feels excluded based on the way they think, their race, their creed, their sexual orientation. People should go out and reject it.
That's fascism. Absolute fascism. From the extreme right.
If that's how you want to attack me, let it be. But from here on I will always demand respect for all Venezuelans. Because the society that we want to build in Venezuela is a society without exclusion.
You cannot talk of inclusion if there is exclusion. There should be overwhelming rejection of something like that.
It's not the first time that Maduro has called Capriles' sexuality into question. In April of 2012 when Capriles was running against Chávez the then Vice President used the word "faggot" to describe the opposition.

Maduro back in 2012:
That's the ilk of these stuck-up faggot fascists who pretend they can win the elections as they face the Venezuelan public. But they have yet to overcome our community's lineage as liberators and they will never do.
The outrage was such that Maduro appeared on television a few days later with a semi-apology.


Maduro:
Some have tried to manipulate it. What I said at that moment was in the heat of remembering all the passion generated when you recall how all these stuck-up fascists believed they had all power in their hands and went out on a fascist hunt to capture, imprison and kill the people. And how they dared do something that not even Pinochet and his dictatorship dared to do: Attack the Cuban Embassy. In the heat of all that I used some expressions such as 'stuck-up' - and I went further than that.
We all respect the militant sexual diversity community that is active within the Venezuelan United Socialist Party, our organization. Tomorrow, the Great Patriotic Pole will establish the national team and the national organization for sexual diversity. Even in the Foreign Ministry - where I work - they always have known that we respect them and that we have done our work without treating them any different.
In any case, and let me say this to you, if it's the product of a genuine sentiment or a product of whatever it is, if someone from the sexual diversity community felt bothered or discriminated against, I apologize. I am sorry. There is room, within that expression, for someone to have felt somehow offended by an expression that had a different connotation...  There is no reason why I should delve into anyone's sexual condition. That of our adversaries, the opposition's candidate, their leadership or anyone.  Each person is free to do what they want with their lives to achieve happiness. I would never ever get involved with Capriles Randoski or his condition whatever it may be. It's not up to me to define it. That's why I am offering an apology to whomever felt offended or attacked.
That apology would probably carried more weight if supporters of Chávez had not systematically used the same word to describe Capriles at campaign events.  This one goes back to 2010 (lower volume on your computer).


Pablo de Miranda of the United Socialist Party:
We are here to tell the truth to your followers. You are a man without shame, a traitor, a fascist, a cunning thief and a homosexual. And we are saying this because we have proof that even when you opted for a lady named [...] you declared yourself gay to that lady. We have her name, we are giving it to you so you know exactly the kind of governor we have in this state.
No mincing words in that one.

In fourteen years of Chávez rule, the advancement of LGBT rights in Venezulea came to a standstill. Unlike Maduro he never - to my knowledge - expressed a single derogatory word about members of the LGBT community but he also never lifted a single finger to back LGBT-friendly legislation.

Capriles has an uphill battle to emerge victorious when the special presidential election takes place thirty days from now. If he does, his statements tonight mean that he will have the responsibility of proving he means what he says by enacting pro-LGBT legislation soon after he takes the presidency.  If not, Maduro has to prove that he truly means to represent all Venezuelans and not just those who support him.

On March 5th - after Chávez death was announced and before the recent homophobic skirmishes - Maduro said that the "sexually diverse" would be guaranteed protections under a future socialist government.


Maduro:
We will continue to offer guarantees on all levels. From the highest ranks of the political-military leadership of the country to all levels of the popular movement: Community councils, communes, urban committees, water resource committees, electric resource committees, grassroots farming organizations, all grassroots community organizations, the Great Patriotic Pole [political party], the social labor movements, women's rights movements, young people, the sexually-diverse, professionals, technical engineers.
The entire nation has constructed the Great Patriotic Pole. From the [political] revolutionary parties - all of them - the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and their militants and leaders throughout the nation, the Communist Party of Venezuela, the People's Electorate Movement, the UPB, the Tupamaro, Podemos, PPT. All compatriots, all activated, as one man and one woman. As a single patriotic fist. United in Chávez. United in the liberator's dream. United in the construction of a nation of all and for all
UPDATE (3/12/13): Since writing this post on March 11th, several Venezuelan LGBT and HIV prevention organizations including AXA: Activistas por el Arcoiris, Alianza Lambda de Venezuela, ACCSI VIH/Sida and Union Afirmativa have strongly condemned Maduro's words and applauded Capriles for his statements. For the most part these are organizations who were also strongly critical of the Chávez government and what they saw as inaction on LGBT issues.

Throughout the years the Chávez government did count with strong support from a few LGBT organizations including Movimiento Gay Revolucionario de Venezuela and the Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia.

Frente released a statement dated March 12th defending Maduro:
To all LGBT, feminist, Afro-decedent, indigenous and disability rights activists, women, men, children, everyone:

The Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia responds to all the media trash being lobbed against Nicolás Maduro for statements made yesterday March 11th in Caracas during his registration as a presidential candidate.

His statements were not at all homophobic and here is what he said textually: A mi si me Gustan las Mujeres, que Rico es Besar a una Mujer o al ser que UNO AMA ["I am someone who likes women, it feels great to kiss a woman or the person ONE LOVES"].

That is a reference to the sexually diverse community. The Frente will vote in favor of Maduro based on our loyalty to Chávez.

In addition, his statements on Tuesday, March 5th of 2013 [ed. - see the last video posted above] were very clear: "The sexually diverse are important for the construction of the nation" as Maduro said on the National Channel in front of the civil-military leadership, the presidential Cabinet and the 20 Bolivarian Governors of Venezuela.

Thanks to the Bolivarian Government as led by Commandant Hugo Chávez - to which Maduro has belonged for a long time and continues to belong - they have given an opening the sexually diverse in all social and political areas.

There have been articles within laws and statements against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity submitted before the United Nations and the Organization of American States signed and ratified by Venezuela as a country that guarantees the human rights of the sexually diverse.

In the Nation's Plan, Objective 2.2 says "To build an equal and just society".

Objective 5.3.3.2 says "To put special emphasis on gender relations. Based on this, to support the creation of work groups constituted by women with the goal of reflecting on their family and work life and produce strategies of resistance and liberation, since they suffer the brunt of the dominant culture where the woman is relegated to a secondary role and often suffer explicit forms of violence. The same applies to sexually diverse groups (homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons) forced to live in repressive and humiliating conditions where the only path is the frivolity offered by the capitalist world".

The Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia will work to bring Nicolás Maduro to the presidency by providing more than 5,000 votes of the sexually diverse just from Zulia alone.

Signed: Luis Menenses in representation of the Frente Sexo-Diverso Revolucionario de Zulia. Until victory always, we will live on and we will win victory. "Chávez lives, the fight continues".
I'm also reminded that when it comes homophobic expressions, the left doesn't have the ground covered. A right-wing newspaper editor from Spain alleged that Chávez himself was gay in an OpEd that hardly hid his homophobic intention. Chávez's response? He said he was too macho to be gay.
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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Rev. Louis Farrakhan: Protect Central America's remaining anti-gay sodomy statute

Sodomy laws banning sexual activity between two consenting adults of the same-gender have mostly disappeared from the entire American continent and the two countries that still enshrine such discriminatory laws in their books could very well scrap them this year.

The South American nation of Guyana is reported to be considering abolishing the law altogether (although there has been little movement since those reports emerged last summer) and Belize will face the issue in May when the Central American nation's Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the law.

Although those who defend the laws argue that they are meant to protect local customs and morals these shameful laws can actually be traced back to British colonial rule.  But the notion that homosexuality is foreign to their cultures and that powerful imperialist nations are trying to impose their immorality by pressuring to repeal these laws has resonance with large swaths of the population.

Which brings us to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

The fiery American preacher is not exactly known for being gay-friendly and in May he riled against Barack Obama after the president came out in favor of same-sex marriage calling him "the first president that sanctioned what the scriptures forbid."

Last week found Farrakhan visiting Belize at the invitation of some of the same religious leaders who are calling for the Supreme Court to let the current sodomy law remain standing. Conservative Christian television network Plus TV captured his response.


His comment:
How many of you see same-sex marriage and are falling for the pressure that's being put on government to sanction something that God don't sanction. America is attaching aid to you rewriting your constitution, rewriting your laws and because you become a whore for money and forsaken the principles and yet you put your hand on the Bible when you take your oath of office. For what?
Caleb Orozco
Let's be clear here: Although local LGBT advocates would like their relationships to be legally recognized, same sex marriage is not at play when the Belize Supreme Court takes up the issue of the sodomy laws in May. He also falsely alleges that aid from the United States will be cut unless laws are changed to accommodate gays and lesbians.

What Farrakhan is doing is urging legislators to keep a law that punishes and jails gay Belize citizens for who they are. Nothing less, nothing more.

 Caleb Orozco, the most visible openly gay advocate in Belize, says it will be an uphill battle to get the Supreme Court to strike down the sodomy laws but he has hope that they will rule on the right side of history.  The organization he leads, the United Belize Advocacy Movement, was the entity that brought a challenge to the nation's sodomy statute before the Supreme Court back in 2010.

His visibility has brought some risk. In February of 2012 he was assaulted and hit with a beer bottle. United Nations rapporteurs Frank La Rue and Margaret Sekaggya stepped in back in August after local authorities seemed to dismiss the attack and asked the Belize government to explain their apparent inaction.

To my knowledge, Orozco will be the only openly gay person to be allowed to present arguments against the Belize sodomy statutes when the Supreme Court holds their hearings in May.

Orozco has said that it will be an uphill battle for the Court to strike down the laws but that he still has hope that it will rule on the right side of history.

In this video from 2012, Orozco and other members of the United Belize Advocacy Movement, talk about the reason they launched a "dignity rights" campaign.


It begs the question: Who is Farrakhan standing for? The politically powerful right wing churches that invited him to visit Belize? Or the disenfranchised and legally unrecognized LGBT community in Belize whose own government would rather deny they exist.

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