Leading opponent of same-sex marriage in Colombia outed as a gay man

"We do not see [gays] as being a family or married or an integral part of the social fabric but as needing clinical, psychiatric, medical and spiritual care, if possible, to help acknowledge their condition so that they can reverse it and recover their gender identity" - Javier Suarez Pascagaza, Director of the Husband and Wife Foundation to HSB News, October 6, 2013.

"I don't think God created homosexuals. That would be an evil God" - Javier Suarez Pascagaza, Director of the Husband and Wife Foundation to Kien y Ke, October 28, 2013.

• LEADER OF COLOMBIAN ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO BLOCK MARRIAGE RIGHTS FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES AND BAN THEM FROM ADOPTING CHILDREN IS A GAY MAN, SAY FORMER JESUIT SEMINARY SCHOOL CLASSMATES
• DESPITE HAVING FILED LAWSUITS CHALLENGING DECISIONS BY A NUMBER OF CIVIL COURT JUDGES WHO HAVE GRANTED MARRIAGE LICENSES TO FOUR SAME-SEX COUPLES SINCE JULY, THOSE MARRIAGES STILL ARE LEGALLY VALID; A COURT HAD ANNULLED TWO OF THEM BASED ON MR. SUÁREZ' LAWSUITS BUT A HIGHER COURT DETERMINED HE HAD NO LEGAL STANDING AND VACATED THE LOWER COURT'S DECISION.

The see-saw battle to win marriage equality in Colombia has taken a number of surprising turns but this one takes the cake.

Meet Javier Suárez Pascagaza, director of the Husband and Wife Foundation. Nobody had heard of Mr. Suárez or his "foundation" until he surfaced in July and declared he would legally challenge any civil court judge that dare grant a same-sex couple a marriage license.

The story so far: In 2011, the Colombian constitutional court gave the country's legislature an ultimatum: Grant same-sex couples the same rights as married couples by the summer of 2013 - whether they called it marriage or something else - or else all same-sex couples would automatically earn the right to get marriage licenses.

A marriage equality bill was introduced in Congress but it was quickly voted down and the court's deadline came to pass without the legislature addressing the core issue.

As the deadline approached, the country's powerful Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez and the director of the agency that oversaw all notaries came up with a ploy to block same-sex marriages: They invented a contract called a "solemn union" and directed all notary officers to use it anytime a same-sex couple approached them and asked for a marriage license.  The Inspector General's office also sent private memos to all notaries ordering them to keep track of every same-sex couple who asked for a marriage license and report it back to his office.

Marriage equality advocates saw through the strategy and took a different route: They urged same-sex couples to avoid heading to the notaries and instead they advised them to go before a civil court judge.  A notary officer had full discretion in denying a marriage license without having to explain the decision while a civil court judge had to explain their decision in writing and a negative decision could potentially be appealed.

Gonzalo Rincón and Carlos Hernando Rivera

The strategy worked.

On July 24th, a civil court judge declared Gonzalo Rincón and Carlos Hernando Rivera united in matrimony although she stopped short of calling it a marriage.

Then on September 20th, a different civil court judge granted Julio Albeiro Cantor Borbón and William Alberto Castro Franco a marriage contract.

On September 25th another civil court judge granted a marriage license to Claudia Zea and Elizabeth Castillo in what became front page news ("Marriage equality is a fact" declared El Espectador).

And, finally, on October 4th, Adriana González y Marcela Rojas were also granted a marriage license.

The rise of the Husband and Wife Foundation: These four victories also saw the sudden emergence of a brand new organization called the Husband and Wife Foundation and its director Javier Suárez Pascagaza.

After news of the first marriage emerged, Suárez announced himself as the head of the brand new foundation and vowed to take these judges to court and, at least initially, he was successful in getting a court to invalidate two of the four marriages.

Thankfully, legal advocates for the LGBT-rights organization Colombia Diversa challenged that ruling in higher court and won. Mr. Suárez was found not to have legal standing to launch the lawsuit which means that as of today all four marriages remain with legal standing.

In the meantime a Noticias UNO investigation of the foundation revealed that only two people were listed as officers - Mr. Suárez and his military brother Carlos Suárez Pascagaza - and its mission was to "promote the moral, ethic and religious morals of the family" despite many public assurances that the organization was not a religious institution. The investigation also also revealed closer ties to the Inspector General's office than Mr. Suárez had previously admitted (see full Spanish language video below)

Of all these charges, Mr. Suárez has expressed particular vehemence about allegations his foundation is in any way influenced by religion and has threatened to sue anyone who claims otherwise.

But in interviews he has repeatedly used the language of the religious right against gays: That gays cannot marry because they cannot procreate, that they need psychiatric attention to reverse their identity and that there is no way God created gays and lesbians because if that was the case God would be an evil entity.

Religion was also front and center at an October 8th rally in the town of Gachetá which drew more than 100 church-affiliated town members and was led by Mr. Suárez.

Participants, among them priests and nuns, carried signs reading "God created a man and a woman," "No more gay marriages in Gachetá" and "Catholic Gachetá deserves respect" and congregated outside the offices of Judge Julio Gonzalez who had granted a marriage license to Claudia Zea and Elisabeth Castillo just days before.

Judge Gonzalez took to Twitter the next day to denounce the attempt at intimidation.

gacheta se alza contra los matrimonios igualitarios protestas públicas protagonizadas por párrocos e iglesias evangélicas @ColombiaDiversa
— julio Gonzalez H (@dedth33) October 9, 2013

"Gachetá rises against marriage equality, public protests with priests and evangelical churches as protagonists," he wrote.

A local newspaper caught up to Mr. Suárez during the religious rally and he happily confirmed he wanted to send a strong message to other judges considering granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Mr. Suárez, outed: As it turns out, for a man who seemingly appeared out of thin air last July Mr. Suárez has a past.

In an interview published today in El Espectador, a former classmate of Mr. Suárez alleges that the man who now leads the Husband and Wife Foundation was kicked out from their Jesuit school for being gay.

Raúl Quintana, who also identifies as a gay man, says that it was clear to everyone at school that Mr. Suárez was gay and that he once heard him openly express his attraction to another man. Quintana alleges that he was open about his sexual identity and that the priests at the school were OK with it but that what bothered them and led to Mr. Suárez being kicked out was that he was being dishonest about it.

Asked about why he chose to come forward now, Quintano says:

"I can't stand the hypocrisy that almost always exists behind acts of homophobia. One day I read that a foundation had been created against marriage rights for gays and when I saw the name of Javier Suárez I did not associate it with that of my former classmate... Pascagaza, we used to call him by his last name because we thought it was funny. It left me cold so I decided to call Colombia Diversa and expose the double morality. Suárez has the least authority to point his finger at us."

For corroboration of some of these facts, El Espectador also interviewed John Jairo Jácome, a reporter for La Opinión in Cucuta who says he was also one of Mr. Suárez' classmates at the Jesuit school.

Mr. Jácome says that most students knew which of the other students and priests were gay. "Who was I to judge [Mr. Suárez] for the mere fact he was part of a group I did not belong in, since I am straight."

He says that as long as students and priests remained chaste, the Jesuit school was actually pretty welcoming of people who identified as gay and he argues that in leading the fight against gay rights Mr. Suárez is actually turning his back on the tolerant teachings of the Jesuit school.

Mr. Jácome after he left the school and Mr. Suárez was let go he heard from others that Mr. Suárez traveled to the United States to work with a church interested in expanding their role in Latin America.

"You have to know that he comes from a very poor family," Mr. Jácome says, "Someone must be funding him because you need money to lead a foundation and launch lawsuits."

UPDATE: W Radio interviewed Mr. Suárez on Nov. 11th, 2013 and asked him about the allegations. In the audio, Mr. Suárez confirms he once sought to become a priest but abandoned that route, he made it clear he had agreed to the interview as long as he was not asked questions about his personal life, said that blaming someone as being gay was a common ploy by LGBT rights activists but ultimately did not disclose whether he was gay or not (full 20 minute Spanish-language audio here).

He also indicated he was considering filing lawsuits against anyone who was spreading "false" information about him. Interestingly he focused on the fact people were alleging his organization was religious rather than the allegation he might be gay.

VIDEO: Noticias UNO exposes the religious and political ties of the Husband and Wife Foundation and its director Javier Suárez (in Spanish).

World Premiere: "Aplaudida" from La Gagis

Lady Gaga, for all of her undeniable talent, has always provided ample fodder for humorists and parodists and I don't think there is anyone better at that than artfully trashy Mexican performer La Gagis.  Here we present you with the U.S. premiere of "Aplaudida" which, of course, parodies the Gaga single "Applause".

La Gagis' parody video for Lady Gaga's "Judas" has earned more than half a million views.

To reach La Gagis:

• Twitter here
• YouTube here

ARTISTEADAPOP!

In a first for Colombia, two same-sex couples are granted marriage licenses

Claudia Zea and Elizabeth Castillo were united in civil marriage on Wednesday in a low-key ceremony that remained secret until now
(Photo used by permission courtesy of Paola Zuluaga)

MAJOR UPDATE #1 (Oct. 3, 2013): A judge in Colombia has struck down the first of two same-sex marriages performed in Colombia last week. The move comes after a one man anti-gay organization filed a constitutional challenge against the judge who officiated the first wedding as Colombia Reports reports ("Colombia judge annuls country's first marriage").  And while  Claudia Zea and Elizabeth Castillo remain married, foes of marriage equality have also filed constitutional challenges against their marriage and vowed to challenge every other judge that decides to grant a marriage license to any same-sex couple.

MAJOR UPDATE #2 (Nov. 10, 2013): Since writing this post, lower courts annulled two of four same-sex marriages that have taken place since July. On appeal, though, those annulments were declared invalid as the person who challenged them in court was declared not to have legal standing by a higher court - which means all four same-sex marriages still have legal standing. 

In addition, the person who challenged the judges who granted these marriage licenses though a phantom homophobic organization called the Husband and Wife Foundation was outed as a gay man himself by two former classmates at a Jesuit seminary school ("Leading opponent of same-sex marriages in Colombia outed as a gay man").

CORRECTION: An original version of this post contained the following phrase: "Argentina and Uruguay already allow marriages for same-sex couples and some regions in Mexico and Brazil do the same".  After comments on this post and checking with LGBT advocates based in Brazil I have changed that phrase to read "Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay already allow marriages for same-sex couples as well as Mexico City. Several Mexican states have also seen same-sex couples get marriage licenses through court rulings." Particular thanks for the assistance of Bruno Bimbi, author of the definite tome on how Argentina became the first country in Latin America to pass a marriage equality law ("Marriage Equality"). He currently lives in Brazil and is an expert on the region.

If watching marriage equality advance throughout the United States has been moving and inspirational, the same can be said of Latin America as countries like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay already allow marriages for same-sex couples as well as Mexico City. Several Mexican states have also seen same-sex couples get marriage licenses through court rulings.

Now you can add Colombia to that list.

In a surprising statement released on Wednesday, Colombian attorney and long-time LGBT-rights advocate Germán Humerto Rincón Perfetti announced that a .civil court judge had declared Julio Albeiro Cantor Borbón and William Alberto Castro Franco "united in civil matrimony" in a ceremony that took place on September 20th.

Then today the leading national newspaper El Espectador announced in its front page that Elizabeth Castillo and Claudia Zea had joined them on Wednesday when a second civil court judge also granted them a marriage license. "I join you in a legitimate civil matrimony with all the prerogatives and rights that civil law grants you and the same obligations imposed by civil law," said the judge before the couple signed their marriage license.

The uphill battle for marriage equality in Colombia has been years in the making and fraught with setbacks and false starts.  Several same-sex civil union bills were introduced during the last decade without advancing legislatively. But a 2011 Constitutional Court ruling ordering Congress to find a way to grant same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples kicked the ball into motion. The Court left legislators wiggle-room in what to call the same-sex partnership measure and avoided mentioning the word "marriage" but it also said that if Congress had failed to act by the summer of 2013 same-sex couples would then automatically be eligible to apply for civil matrimony.

Congress did take up a marriage equality bill this April but a majority of legislators voted it down and, as the deadline set the Constitutional Court approached, the director if the agency that oversees notary officers throughout the country instructed them not to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples and offer, instead, a trumped up norm called a "solemn union".

Marriage equality advocates led by Marcela Sanchéz of the LGBT-rights organization Colombia Diversa saw through the ploy and advised same-sex couples to avoid notary offices and instead head to the civil courts.  The reason? Notary officers had been instructed to decline marriage license requests on the spot whereas a civil court judge would have to put in writing their arguments for or against granting a marriage license to a gay couple.

In fact, on July 24th a civil court judge stopped just short of granting a first marriage license while declaring Gonzalo Ruiz Giraldo and Carlos Hernando Rivera Ramírez legal spouses (their spousal union document reads "estado civil: casados" or "civil status: spouses."  After the private ceremony, that particular judge spoke to media and made clear that she had not given them a marriage license.

There have been dozens of same-sex couples that have gone to notaries and officiated their "solemn unions" but the argument from Colombia Diversa is that a "solemn union" is a figure that has never existed and still does not exist in the nation's legal family code.

Colombia Diversa argues that the only existing norm recognizing the same marriage rights as those granted to heterosexual couples is marriage and, in light of the Colombian Congress's failure to act, same sex couples automatically have the right to marry.

But the Colombian government in the form of its Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez has fought the Constitutional Court and its ruling every step of the way and has used his office to go after gay couples demanding that all notary officers alert him if any gay couple requests a marriage license.

Ordoñez has been so aggressive in challenging these rulings that the Constitutional Court itself has publicly admonished him twice and argued his office has no standing in these matters.

Yesterday the Inspector General's office announced that it would fight to stop these marriages using a fast track appeal legal form called a "tutela".

Lawyer Mauricio Albarracín argues that for a "tutela" to proceed the applicant has to prove these marriages violate a person's rights which Albarracín says will be impossible for Ordoñez to prove.

The issue will probably head back to the upper courts in the future but as of this week Julio Albeiro Cantor Borbon is married to William Alberto Castro Franco and Claudia Zea is married to Elizabeth Castillo.

Marriage equality has come to Colombia.

UPDATE (Sept. 30, 2013): Out lesbian Bogotá councilmember Angélica Lozano just twitted a photo of herself filing a claim against Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez before the district attorney's office. It reads "Legally denouncing the Inspector General for abuse of authority and arbitrary and unjust acts against gays".

Denunciado penalmente el procurador por abuso de autoridad, actos arbitrarios e injustos contra homosexuales pic.twitter.com/v2iyZBJUPh
— Angélica Lozano (@AngelicaLozanoC) September 30, 2013

NYC mayoral candidates break bread with Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage

NYS Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. reveals long-shot Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado donated $4,000 for buses carrying New Yorkers to anti-gay rally in Washington, DC.

In a crowded political race it's not surprising to see candidates look for every opportunity to sell their message and in New York City that means finding ways to reach an incredibly diverse population not only in terms of ethnicity but also religion.

Of course, that sometimes means alliances with religious leaders and attending church services and events with large congregations.

In past years New York State Senator and Pastor Ruben Diaz, Sr. has shown the ability to bring large numbers of people to rallies against marriage equality here in New York as well as Washington, DC. So does that mean that his demonstrated power to influence a segment of the community is too rich an opportunity to pass up for a politician if Diaz invites you to an event?

You might expect candidates to think twice about saying yes to a man who has been the leading voice against LGBT rights in New York State, who has compared homosexuality to bestiality, who proudly claims there is no separation church and state and sees eventual passage of marriage equality throughout the United States and a sign of the end of days. Oh, and a man who laughs uproariously at "birther" jokes made about Barack Obama when made in his presence. 

OK, I'll give you this. Perhaps if Diaz himself pushed you to run as a mayoral candidate - as Diaz did with long-shot Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado - you might feel obliged to attend.

But what if most mayoral candidates had no issue whatsoever in accepting the invite?

Well, that's what happened on April 13th when Diaz invited all mayoral candidates to a banquet celebrating the 25th year anniversary of Hispanic Ministers of New York Organization - the same organization that pulled together all those anti-marriage equality rallies - and actually got all but two of the leading mayoral candidates to attend.

Even better, for most of the ceremony Diaz had Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage sit to his right as a guest of honor.

Just a couple of weeks earlier Diaz had worked with the ministers' organization and NOM to send more than thirty buses full of people to protest against marriage equality outside the Supreme Court during the DOMA and Prop 8 debate.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer leading a chant of "Si Se Puede!"

Present at the April 13th banquet were NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Bronx Assemblymembers Marcos Crespo and Luis Sepulveda, NYS Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox and, of course, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. - the Senator's son - who came out for marriage equality during the same week his father was riling against it in Washington.

Also among attendees were U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer promoting immigration reform, Republican mayoral candidates Joe Lhota and John Catsimatidis, independent mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión and Democratic mayoral candidates John Liu, Bill Thompson and Erick Salgado.

That's a whopping six of the leading eight mayoral candidates with Christine Quinn and Bill De Blasio being the only ones not to show up (Full diclosure: I have publicly backed Quinn for mayor but have supported Bill Thompson in past elections and might have considered backing John Liu if it wasn't for some unanswered questions about his former and current fundraising teams).

Of course, attending an event like this rarely speaks for a candidate's view on certain issues. In fact every mayoral candidate who attended the event except for Salgado supports marriage equality but I am often asked why Diaz remains in power after all these years of demagoguing against the LGBT community and, unfortunately, here is the answer: He gets a pass by those in power who should know better.

NOM expenditures: As for Brian Brown, the event invite did not mention he would be in attendance but I find it hard to believe that people like Schumer were in any way unaware of the pro and anti-marriage equality rallies in DC just days earlier and knew exactly who NOM was as he sat next to Brian. To mayoral candidates who might not have known who he was it would not be a shocker that someone like him would be a guest of honor at the event fully knowing of Diaz's views about gays and lesbians.

The event did break some news: In a Spanish-language speech Diaz made at the end of the ceremony after most if not all of the mayoral candidates had left.  As famously guarded as NOM is about the money they spend, Diaz revealed that NOM had spent $60,000 dollars on 30 buses used to transport hundreds of people to Washington, DC, for an anti-marriage equality rally outside the Supreme Court in March.

Diaz also said that NOM had brought a check for $25,000 to the banquet as a donation to the several radio stations used by the Hispanic Ministers of New York Organization to spread their anti-marriage equality message.

Another surprise: Diaz's mayoral candidate Erick Salgado also donated $4,000 for two additional buses to the anti-gay rallies in DC.

Direct quote from Diaz:

I wanted to let you know that for the march we did to Washington, thirty buses two out of 32 buses were paid by Erick Salgado - and thirty of them, the ones we ran from here, were paid by Brian Brown. All those buses. Each bus cost $2,000 and multiply thirty buses by two and you have $60,000 spent on the "Vigil on Wheels to Washington"

Diaz also said that all the previous rallies had been funded by NOM.

I took the liberty of posting an edited clip of the two hour event.  Click on it to open it in a separate window and it will be easier to read my translated annotations. It must be said that by the time Brian spoke at the end most if not all of the mayoral candidates had left. Here is a link to a full version of the clip including speeches by each of the mayoral candidates who attended.

Turn on 'annotations' to read subtitles.

And the first same-sex couple to marry in Uruguay is...

CORRECTION: An original version of this post contained the following phrase "Uruguay is the second Latin American nation to adopt a national marriage equality law following Argentina." Taking under consideration reader comments and after discussing the issue with marriage equality advocates based in Brazil, the phrase now reads "Uruguay is the third Latin American nation to adopt a national marriage equality law following Argentina and Brazil.

Same-sex couples in Uruguay began to marry yesterday after a required 90-day waiting period from the day president José Mujica signed a marriage equality bill into law.

But none of those couples earned the title of "first to marry". That's because on August 5th, the first day on which couples were able to apply for a license, a Civil Court judge headed to a hospital and granted a marriage license "in-extremis" to a man dying of cancer and his partner who sat by his bedside.

The name of the couple might never be known since they requested to remain anonymous.

Add caption

On August 19th, the state also recognized the marriage of Omar Salsamendi y Federico Macerattini (pictured  to the right) by recognizing their marriage a year earlier in Argentina.

Rodrigo Borda and Sergio Miranda, the first couple to apply for marriage in Montevideo on the 6th, hoped theirs would be the first marriage as the law went into effect yesterday and invited media to wait for them outside the private civil court ceremony at 11:30am.

International news agencies called them the first and AFP posted a video of the happy couple after the civil ceremony in which Miranda states “While in Russia they incite violence and hunt us down and kill us like the Nazi regime, in Uruguay we can get married, we can celebrate love. So I’m very happy to live in a country like Uruguay and not like Russia. That’s all I have to say.”

Uruguayan press, though, report that Rubén López and Mario Bonilla, together for 21 years, were married earlier yesterday morning in the city of Mercedes. It was also the first time that they were able to register as the joint parents of Camilo whom they adopted 17 years ago.  Screen cap of the couple with their son at the emotional wedding ceremony above, video below.

Of course, of the 20 or so couples who applied for a marriage license on Aug. 5th, no one knows if other couples married earlier than they did and kept their ceremonies private.

Uruguay is the third Latin American nation to adopt a national marriage equality law following Argentina and Brazil.

UPDATE: Over at Reddit, a user posted this photo of the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay. Supposedly it's in celebration of the marriage equality law going into effect :)

REACTIONS:

• Same-sex couples begin marrying in Uruguay (The Advocate)

Mexican Bishop Raúl Vera: You'd have to be mentally ill to see gays as perverse or depraved

A lot has been said about Pope Francis' recent of the cuff comments on gays ("Who am I to judge?") and hundreds of religious leaders world wide have been asked to share their thoughts but I was still surprised to see this interview with Saltillo Bishop Raúl Vera posted by Terra Mexico yesterday ("Homophobia is a mental illness: Saltillo bishop").

The Bishop has some funky theories on what determines whether someone is born gay (he chalks it up to hormonal differences) but speaks forcefully against religious based homophobia and calls homophobes the perverse ones.


Here is Bishop Vera on a mother who worried her son was hanging out with a bunch of "degenerate gays':

One mother came to me and said that she was being watchful of her son because he was hanging out with "those degenerate gays" and I said "so blame yourself for it because that's the way your son developed in your womb and he didn't develop into a degenerate or a perverse person. He was born with a certain constitution you are trying to ignore. Calm down, you are the mother of that child and he began to be who he now is inside your womb. So the first one I'd kick out would be you because you are the perverse one who is first in line." That's what I said.

And on homophobes:

Why would I immediately think a gay or lesbian person is perverse or depraved the moment they approach me? That's how people who are homophobic react. It's a mental illness in which you see gays as depraved and promiscuous.  You have to be sick in the head for that.

He also tells the reporter people have to stop bashing gays with the words of the Bible and that they should read the passages they use to condemn gays within a historical context to realize the Bible does not condemn homosexuality.

In December, the Associated Press profiled Bishop Vera and described his human rights work in a Mexican region known for the high rates of violence ("Mexico bishop inspires, infuriates with activism").

Yesterday's interview is not the first time Bishop has supported LGBT issues. The AP says that he backed a same-sex civil unions law in the region and was called to the Vatican two years ago to explain an outreach program he organized for gay youth.

He has also received death threats for his outspokenness.

UPDATES:  Over at Reddit, there has been some back and forth on whether Bishop Vera was insensitive in calling homophobia a "mental illness" from people who feel it unfairly groups people diagnosed with mental illness with people who hate gays.  I do not think the Bishop meant to disparage people diagnosed with mental illness but it did bring to mind a comment made by Mexican human rights advocate Ricardo Hernandez Forcada on Twitter:

Si fuera enfermedad, requeriría terapia y la homofobia no sería responsabilidad del sujeto http://t.co/f21maTG4ri
— Ricardo Hndz Forcada (@richforcada) August 20, 2013

"If it were an illness," Ricardo said, "it would require therapy and the subject would not be held responsible for his homophobia."

He later added "Homophobia is not an illness, it's a prejudice."

In the meantime, the influential and ultra-homophobic U.S.-based ACI Prensa who had a role in questioning the Bishop in year's past for his advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community is at it again in light of these new comments wondering whether the Vatican should even leave him in his post.  This time they take issue with the Bishop's comments that homosexuality might develop in a woman's womb.

REACTIONS:

• Mexican Bishop calls homophobia a "mental illness" (New Ways Ministry)

Boxer Orlando Cruz dedicates upcoming title fight to Emile Griffith

I was saddened this week to hear of the passing of boxing legend Emile Griffith.  I saw the documentary of his life "Ring of Fire" when it aired on the USA Network in 2005 and I remembered being moved to tears by the story of a man who had to keep his true self under wraps for the sport he loved (the full documentary is posted below).

From a 2005 Bob Herbert OpEd in the New York Times ("The Haunting of Emile Griffith"):

An extraordinary new documentary, "Ring of Fire," by the filmmaker Dan Klores and his co-director Ron Berger, tells the story of Emile Griffith and this fight that has never stopped haunting him. The film makes it clear that you can't explore that tragic fight and its aftermath without talking about Mr. Griffith's feelings about his own sexuality, which is the other torment he's had to haul around all these years.

One of the things I thought after watching the film was how far we haven't come in 43 years.

The fight on March 24, 1962, was the third between Griffith and Paret. They had split the first two bouts. Over that period Paret had repeatedly taunted Griffith, who had been a hat designer in the Manhattan garment district and was known to frequent gay clubs. At weigh-ins Paret would mock Griffith, and he called him a "maricón," a Spanish word guaranteed to infuriate.

It still infuriates. At lunch, Mr. Griffith's smile faded as he recalled the taunts he took from Paret. "I got tired," he said, "of people calling me faggot."

He said again, as he has many times, that he was sorry Paret had died. But he added: "He called me a name. ... So I did what I had to do"...

I asked Mr. Griffith if he was gay, and he told me no. But he looked as if he wanted to say more. He told me he had struggled his entire life with his sexuality, and agonized over what he could say about it. He said he knew it was impossible in the early 1960's for an athlete in an ultramacho sport like boxing to say, "Oh, yeah, I'm gay."

But after all these years, he wanted to tell the truth. He'd had relations, he said, with men and women. He no longer wanted to hide. He hoped to ride this year in New York's Gay Pride Parade.

He said he hadn't meant to kill Benny Paret, "but what he said touched something inside."

My mind, of course, turned to the story I broke less than a year ago: That of Puerto Rican featherweight professional boxer Orlando "El Fenomeno" Cruz and his decision to come out as a gay man while still active in the sport.

Some wondered if the sport and its fans were ready for a gay boxer and whether Cruz had only set himself up for the pressure of possibly being a target in what at times has been a virulently homophobic sport.

Cruz, instead, embraced his identity like few have done in other sports proudly wearing a the colors of a rainbow flag on his kilt during one fight and dedicating both victories since he came out to the LGBT community.

The pride he has shown in himself in the ring and out of the ring - perhaps improbably - seems to only have won him the respect of the public and so far I do not know of any currently active professional boxer who has brought up the issue of his sexual identity in a derogatory way. If anything, both of his defeated opponents took pains to tell the press that it didn't matter to them whatsoever.

Next up for Cruz on October 12th is a shot at the vacant WBO featherweight title as an underdog to Mexican boxer Orlando "Siri" Salido.  It was just announced that HBO sports will broadcats the fight as a pay per view undercard which would bring Cruz greater exposure --- if he wins.

There are echoes, of course, between Griffith's story and Cruz's story and I wondered if the younger boxer was aware about Griffith's legacy and if it had any impact on his life.

The answer came today in statements Cruz made to Puerto Rico's El Vocero.

Emile was an extremely talented boxer and I will be dedicating my October 12th fight with "Siri" Salido in his honor.

As a boxer he had some great years but those times were not the same as today.  Imagine if being black was seen as bad, if being gay was something that could not even be said out loud. Now that I think about it, Griffith did good, those were times of greater discrimination.

Those times were different. Before we couldn't get married or adopt kids. But now things have changed. I have a lot of respect for Emile and I understand why he might not have been as open. We are living in a more stable time while rejection was predominant during his time.

We feel very sad about his passing and I hope to win the fight in his honor.

I couldn't think of a more fitting tribute to Emile Griffith's life.

Related: 

• Gay boxer Orlando Cruz pauses to remember Emile Griffith (Los Angeles Times)
• Emile Griffith led a tortured life (USA Today)
• Emile Griffith dies at age 75 (The Guardian)

Full documentary: "Emile Griffith: Ring of Fire"

Originally aired on the USA Network in 2005.

Dominican Republic: Cardinal uses the word "faggot" to refer to US ambassador nominee

A row has erupted in the Dominican Republic over President Barack Obama's nomination of top campaign fundraiser James "Wally" Brewster as a nominee for US ambassador to the Caribbean island.

Religious and conservative leaders have exploded in ire at the fact that the nominee is an out gay man and have raised the specter of the United States imposing their morals - including same-sex marriage - on the Caribbean island (never mind that the Dominican Republic is one of the few countries which specifically bans same-sex marriage in their constitution).

Major US media have taken notice and reported at length. From yesterday's Miami Herald ("Gay nominee for US ambassador criticized, praised in Dominican Republic"):

Top members of the evangelical and Catholic churches, including the powerful Catholic cardinal, criticized Obama for a choice they say is out of touch with the country’s cultural reality.

Monsignor Pablo Cedano, auxiliary Catholic bishop of Santo Domingo, said the appointment of Brewster showed “a lack of sensitivity, of respect by the United States.”

Brewster’s position on gay rights “is far from our cultural reality,” he said, adding that if he comes, “he’s going to suffer,” due to the cultural differences, “and he’ll have to leave.”

Church leaders often comment on, and influence, social matters here, where 88 percent of the population identifies as Catholic. The conservative hand of the Church has been seen in the 2010 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and in pushing through a controversial ban on abortions.

Gay rights advocates, who applauded the appointment, say they are often harassed and threatened.

“The Church doesn’t accept us,” said Francisco Ulerio at a gay rights parade Sunday in downtown Santo Domingo.

Ulerio, who said he is Catholic, dressed as a Catholic cardinal to protest the comments made about Brewster. “They are very conservative,’’ he said. “They don’t have respect for us.” 

From Buzzfeed ("Gay ambassador nominee sparks controversy in the Dominican Republic"):

LGBT leaders accused Catholic leaders of having a “double standard” for attacking Brewster’s appointment while protecting a priest accused of raping 12 girls.

The attacks have also been denounced by a United Nations official in the country. Valerie Julliand, who represents the United Nations Development Program, said that religious opposition “has no basis” and officials should not be “judged for their sexual preferences, but rather their abilities.”

After initially keeping mum on the controversy, an official of the Medina administration said it would be “indelicate” to reject Brewster if he is confirmed. Indeed, said Cesar Pina, a legal adviser to the Medina administration, the Dominican Republic signed off on the nomination before it was publicly announced.

The U.S. embassy ultimately felt it had to weigh in to defend Brewster’s appointment. A spokesman for the embassy, Daniel Foote, said on Friday, “Brewster arrives as an ambassador, he’s not coming here as an activist for the gay community.”

In the past you probably would have only heard from religious and conservative leaders on the issue. What is remarkable is the push back the homophobic criticisms from the church and conservative leaders are getting not only from gays and lesbians but also the community in general.

While President Danilo Medina has not publicly spoken about the issue, members of his administration are defending the nomination which would not have happened in previous administrations.

One Catholic priest, Jesús Maria Tejada, is also buckling the religious powers that be stating that Brewster should be judged on his merits and not on his sexual identity.

Also, an informal online survey ran this weekend by HOY, a leading newspaper, had 60% of readers disagreeing with the criticism coming from the church.

It might be that people are getting tired of the church expressing outrage over what they consider immoral issues while turning a blind eye to immoral acts within the church.  Earlier this month in a case that has captured the attention of all Dominicans officials called on a Polish priest to return to the island and face charges he sexually abused up to fourteen children.

Or perhaps they are tired of the naked vitriolic homophobia of Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez whose declining decades-old power has had a stranglehold on Dominican politics when it comes to LGBT rights.

Speaking to reporters this past weekend, as J. Lester Feder notes at Buzzfeed, the Cardinal addressed the issue by rejecting the nomination and used the word "maricones" (faggots) to refer to Brewster as he was filmed. Feder found this video from Telenoticias 11 and I have taken the liberty of adding English-language subtitles.

After rejecting Brewster's nomination because he disagrees with his "opinions and preferences", the Cardinal is asked to comment on a seemingly unrelated topic: A Haitian boycott of poultry and eggs imported from the Dominican Republic. His reaction?

"We go from maricones and lesbians to this?"

It is not the first time the Cardinal has used the word "maricones" (which translates as "faggots") to describe gays.

When discussing proposed changes to the national sexual education curriculum in 2007 Cardinal Lopez told reporters he was opposed to promoting condoms as a prevention tool because the Catholic church was "opposed to promiscuity among heterosexuals and maricones."

As I wrote then, those statements are par for the course for the Cardinal and follow other equally offensive statements he had made over the years:

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 this place - the historical center of Santo Domingo - to be converted into the patrimony of foreign and Dominican degenerates" (Associated Press, April 7, 2006).

On the U.S. Catholic church sexual abuse scandals, which he chalked up to the country's tolerant policies and American churches allowing "effeminate" men in the priesthood: "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 church" (Reuters, April 30, 2002). 

There are other more recent statements:

On gays and lesbians using a public park to gather on weekends and the violent measures that "moral" people will have to take if authorities do not put an end to it: "The more [authorities] wait to take action, the worse the solution will be, because the time will arrive in which the people will see themselves compelled to react in a manner that nobody wants" (Listin Diario, April 6, 2010).

If there is any justice Brewster will be sworn in and the Cardinal will face the consequences of his decades-long unremitting hate against the LGBT people of the Dominican Republic and be forced to resign.

But don't quite count on the U.S. Senate to stand for justice and against a cardinal who calls gays "faggots."

This is a Senate that withheld support for Puerto Rican lawyer Mari Carmen Aponte as ambassador of El Salvador for writing an opinion piece in a Salvadorian newspaper saluting the nation's efforts to protect its LGBT citizens in 2011.

Then again she would be later confirmed after then budding Senate star Marco Rubio withdrew his opposition and a few other Republicans gave way for her nomination.  So perhaps there is hope.

UPDATES: (July 3, 2013): Tom Smerado, a friend who lives in Canada, decided to express his concern by writing to the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. He has shared their response with me.

We can confirm that Mr. Brewster has already been accepted by the Dominican Republic as the next United States Ambassador to the country. Indeed, the standard procedure is for a Government to grant the agreement for a proposed Ambassadorship before the nominating country announces its decision.

The Dominican Republic is a democracy with a vibrant media and a wide diversity of opinions on every conceivable topic. However, it is the position of the Government of the Dominican Republic that a person’s sexual preference is strictly a personal matter and it looks forward to working constructively with Mr. Brewster in his official capacity once his nomination is approved by the US Senate.

Born in the Dominican Republic, New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat is supporting Brewster. "I think Ambassador Brewster understands the United States’ dynamics towards Latin America and the Caribbean," he told Dominican Today, "What’s most important is that Mr. Brewster is a highly capable official, I think he’ll be a good ambassador and his sexual orientation will not change his effectiveness as a diplomat."

Previously Espaillat had saluted the nomination through his Twitter account.

Congrats to Wally Brewster - a dedicated #LGBT activist and now the next U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic! http://t.co/ooP8DYy3R0
— Adriano Espaillat (@EspaillatNY) June 28, 2013

Here is additional coverage from CNN.

Related:

• Gay U.S. ambassador nominee to the Dominican Republic exposes cultural rift (Fox News Latino)
• Dominican cardinal greets news of gay U.S. ambassador with homosexual slur (The Daily Mail)
• How will openly gay U.S. ambassador fare in the Dominican Republic? (Hispanically Speaking)
• Dominican Republic says it's always been cool with gay ambassadors (Foreign Policy)
• NY State Senator Adriano Espaillat backs gay U.S. ambassador nominee (Dominican Today)
• Dominican cardinal who called U.S. ambassador a faggot is facing priest pedophile scandal in his own archdiose (AKSARBENT)

Reaction:

• Catholic cardinal calls openly gay ambassador nominee a "faggot" (The Raw Story)
• Cardinal uses slur to refer to gay ambassador nominee (The Advocate)
• Cardinal uses anti-gay slur against U.S. ambassador nominee (The Washington Blade)
• Catholic cardinal calls U.S. ambassador nominee a faggot (AMERICAblog)
• Dominican cardinal blasted for calling U.S. ambassador nominee a faggot (Truth Wins Out) 
• Cardinal calls potential U.S. ambassador a 'faggot' (The Bilerico Project) 
• Some Dominicans slam openly gay U.S. ambassador (Al Jazeera's The Stream)
• Diocese of Catholic cardinal who called Obama ambassador nominee 'faggot' has pedophilia scandal (The New Civil Rights Movement)
• Video (Monaga)
• Meme (The Backlot) 

U.S.-based anti-LGBT source conveniently makes no mention of the "faggot" comment:

• Obama admin. provokes outrage in Dominican Republic with homosexual activist ambassador appointee (LifeSite News)

Televised show jokes about using pesticide to exterminate "mariquitas" like Ricky Martin

Sometimes I am accused of being overtly sensitive about language which surprises me because I consider myself to be open to interpretation and context when it comes to usage of language that might be deemed homophobic. I also believe that tramping down on homophobic expressions or banning certain words does nothing to solve the underlying intent when someone uses such language.

This gets complicated when it comes to Latin America. Words that are considered to be homophobic slurs in one region might not hold the same connotation in another region. Take the word "playo" which is used in some areas of Central America to describe someone who is or appears to be gay in a derogatory way.

Outside the region people wouldn't even know what it means.

Or take the word "mariquita" which could be interpreted as the diminutive of "maricón" and akin to calling someone a "little faggot" except the word is also used as a noun for the insect known in the United States as a lady bug.

Both definitions enter into play in this clip aired on Panamanian national television in a comedy skit show called "La Cascara" ("The Banana Peel"). It's crass and not particularly funny and the punch line is particularly offensive.

In the skit two cartoon characters representing a narcissistic and self-involved wealthy Panamanian woman and her peasant caretaker find themselves transplanted to her vacation home in Miami where she introduces the caretaker to her Miami neighbors: Carlos and Ricky and their twins, a not so veiled reference to out pop star Ricky Martin and his family.

The "joke" hinges on the woman explaining to the caretaker that Miami is "inundated" with "mariquitas" (little fags) which the caretaker interprets as there being infested with lady bugs.  The show thinks it's hilarious to paint the caretaker as a dim idiot who inadvertently calls Ricky Martin a faggot to his face while explaining why he is spraying pesticide in Martin's face.

It's not the first time that the show has skirted bad taste and homophobia. In a different skit God asks a "good angel" to recommend ways to promote goodness and love between couples while "Lucifer" tries to trick the "good angel" into having God accept gays as being good and loving which is ultimately rejected.

I wouldn't have gotten wind of the show if it wasn't for Agustín Clément - a playwright and entertainer who is one of the few out personalities in Panamanian showbiz.

Agustín has often fought what sometimes seems a lonely battle against homophobia in Panamanian media and has been trying to draw attention to "La Cascara" and its homophobia for months with limited response.

He does have allies in the Panamanian LGBT advocacy organizations but their calls against homophobia are often just as easily dismissed.

Unlike the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in the United States, there are no media watchdogs in the Latin American region able to support anti-homophobia efforts such as Agustín's.  GLAAD does have a Spanish-language media department but it's limited to the Spanish-language shows and publications produced and aired in the United States media market.

What Agustín has gotten in return for his advocacy is a public war of words with the producers and comedians involved with "La Cascara" and attacks from people who are fans of the popular show on Twitter and Facebook.

I found this clip to be particularly offensive so I offered to bring it to wider attention by adding translated subtitles and making people aware of what passes as comedy on this particular show.

If you have any ideas of how to support Agustín's efforts you can reach him through Twitter at @agusclement. Currently he is a morning anchor of the "Despierta Ya!" show on Bésame 91.3FM and produces and directs children's plays.

Reaction:

• Meme (The Backlot)

Related: 

• Opinion: Can baseball's Yunel Escobar blame "maricón" statement on cultural differences? (Fox News Latino)

Image of the day: "I do"

What could summarize today's Supreme Court rulings on DOMA and Prop 8 better than this shot?

NYPD Officer Thomas Verni proposed to his partner Joe Moran on the streets of the West Village earlier today. Joe said yes.

Verni is the New York City Police Department's LGBT community liaison. Moran is the tech director for Cindy Lauper's True Colors Fund.

- Photo courtesy of Tom Verni and Joe Moran.

Reactions

• A round-up of reactions to yesterday's Supreme Court decisions (Equality on Trial)
• In the heat of the DOMA defeat, a proposal (Towleroad)
• 24,000+ likes at Freedom to Marry's Facebook page as of June 27, 2013 (Freedom to Marry)
• 4,000+ likes at Have a Gay Day's Facebook page as of June 27, 2013 (Have a Gay Day)

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"...

Querido @mashirafael le presento a mis amigas Diana y Maribel extra.ec/ediciones/2013… se aman, se cuidan, son una familia
— Silvia Buendía (@silvitabuendia) May 18, 2013

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.

@mashirafael mire sus declaraciones del 12 feb en campaña PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR @noticiaslgbt @ecuatorianosglb @sentiido twitter.com/pametroya/stat…
— Pamela Troya (@pametroya) May 20, 2013

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...

En general, el "Progresismo Latinoamericano" es conservador y autoritario Presidente de Ecuador lo confirma cuando cambio cultural lo supera
— Rolando Jiménez(@rjimenez_perez) May 25, 2013

"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:

Presidente Correa @mashirafael: Tener en gabinete a personas LGBT no le exime de postura homofóbica @presidencia_ec #Cuba #CubavsHomofobia
— Francisco Rodríguez (@paquitoeldecuba) May 23, 2013

"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...

#Correa @mashirafael avergüenza a la izquierda con su #homofobia contra el #matrimonioigualitario en #Ecuador #LGBTIQ bit.ly/16XdLph
— #rebeliónYA (@migue_a_lopez) May 24, 2013

"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...

@mashirafael Presidente Correa. Hacer referendo para decidir derechos de minorías es propio de derecha reaccionaria @pametroya @marcosruizq
— Mauricio Albarracin (@malbarracin) May 23, 2013

"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:

@mashirafael Lo respeto x muchas cosas, se equivoca en esto. Hay familias cuyos derechos no se respetan en Ecuador, usted puede repararlo.
— María Rachid (@mariarachid) May 25, 2013

"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:

Si conversamos 5 minutos con el bombón de Correa, aprueba el matrimonio igualitario por decreto.
— Alex Freyre (@AlexFreyre) May 24, 2013

"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.

No estoy de acuerdo con el matrimonio gay, enfatiza el Presidente #Correa #RCLogrosyDesafíos #Quito
— Presidencia Ecuador (@Presidencia_Ec) May 23, 2013

"'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...

Carta a #RafaelCorrea sobre reformas a la ley del #registrocivil por parte de #DianeRodriguez dianerodriguez.net/2013/05/21/car… @noticiaslgbt
— DIANE RODRIGUEZ (@DianeRodriguezZ) May 21, 2013

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:

El matrimonio debería ser institución q permita a 2 personas, sin perjuicio d su orientación sexual, proteger legalmente 1 proyecto d vida.
— Raúl Vallejo (@banano59) May 23, 2013

"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.

RELATED:

• @MashiRafael, Ecuadorian President, Proposes Popular Poll to Determine Fate of Same-Sex Marriage (War Diaries)

REACTIONS: 

• Ecuador's Rafael Correa opposes transgender bill (On Top Magazine)