While current Mexican president Felipe Calderón might have his hands full with the failing state he'll undeniably leave behind, he also leaves a homophobic legacy as the man who ordered his general attorney to challenge Mexico City's marriage equality law before the Mexican Constitutional Court --- and failed to get the Court to overturn the historic law.
Yesterday, at a government sponsored breast cancer awareness event, Calderón inadvertently stoked up his homophobic legacy by making a throw away comment that was quickly picked up online and turned into a widely shared Twitter hashtag.
At the event, President Calderón wore a pink ribbon.
Halfway through his speech, he made note of the ribbon and made sure the audience knew that the color pink symbolized breast cancer awareness and nothing else.
"No vaya a pensar otra cosa", he said with a sheepish smile (or "Don't go thinking it means something else" in English).
Picking up on those exact words, people on Twitter started using the #NoVayaApensarOtraCosa hashtag to make fun of Calderón's snide dismissal of all things pink and it quickly found traction and started spreading online.
By tonight it became clear that the Calderón camp knew it had a problem on their hands and that the "pink ribbon" issue threatened to overwhelm political discourse in the next few days.
In short, Calderón himself was acknowledging that the comment he made a day earlier had homophobic connotations.
As a Mexican friend wrote to me, the faux-pas wasn't necessarily something to lose sleep over, considering the hardships facing the Mexican government. But the easy way in which the Mexican president seemed to engage in homophobic sentiment was not something that should have been easily dismissed either.
Photo: Vital shows the love she has for her girlfriend. The two got engaged on May 10, 2010.
Imagine loving someone so much you want to let her know by tattooing a message of love on yourself. Imagine wanting to spend your lifetime with that person and celebrating it by becoming engaged, hoping against hope that some day you'll be able to marry her.
Then imagine someone who has never even met you tell you that your relationship is "unnatural". That it is similar to bestiality. That it means that you have rejected Jesus. That you may very well go to Hell. Worst, imagine that person is in political office and has spent years trying his darnest to keep you from getting married.
I don't exactly remember when and why I started following Vital on Twitter. I just know that she comes off as savvy, funny, rough-around-the-edges and immensely protective of the love she has for her partner. But I do remember being on Twitter sometime in mid-May when I saw Vital send out a very specific Tweet.
I mention this now because, as of late, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz has been ratcheting up the allegations that he is being victimized and using Vital's tweet as a prime example. Case in point: On Wednesday, New York Daily News political reporter Celeste Katz brought it up in her online blog as follows (italics mine)
Diaz said he and his family have received death threats due to his vocal stance on keeping gay marriage unlawful in New York State. They were reported to the FBI and Albany police, he said. "We are in America; we are supposed to agree to disagree and respect each other's positions," the senator said. On May 10, tweets by opponents of Diaz's May 15 rally included one in which the sender expressed the desire to sexually assault Diaz's daughter.
"Sexually assault Diaz's daughter". Hm, is someone really on the look-out for Diaz' daughter? Does someone want to sexually assault her? Does it merit an investigation by the FBI or the Albany police?
While the tweet in question might be vulgar and is certainly open to interpretation, it never mentions the word assault or rape, nor does it portray intent. In other words, it doesn't say "I am going to do [this and that]...".
Here is the uncensored version: "Is it wrong that I wanna track down Ruben Diaz daughter and fuck the shit out of her on tape, then show it to him?"
Shocking. Yes. Unfortunate, yes. A threat. I differ with Diaz on that one. In any case, I thought I would reach out to Vital and talk to her about that specific tweet because I firmly believe she is unfairly being targeted. Here is our exchange:
Blabbeando: Hey Vital, thanks for allowing me to interview you. Let's start with that now infamous Tweet you sent on May 10th. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when you posted that tweet and if you meant as a threat to the Senator or anyone in his family?
Vital: Well when this tweet was posted, I was extremely upset about all the statements he was making against the gay community. As a woman in a relationship with another woman, everyday presents several obstacles to overcome. We have people pointing and staring at us out in the street, as well as people pre-judging our character based on stereotypes alone. The statement I said was not in anyway intended to be directed to Rev. Ruben Diaz. It was more a question to my Twitter followers.
I guess subconsciously I was really wondering what would Rev. Ruben Diaz do if it was his daughter that was engaging in sexual relations with another woman? Would he accept it? How about if she was attacked verbally by an outsider and her character was being questioned because of her sexual orientation?
And, to answer the last part of your question, as I previously said, that tweet was not specifically sent to Rev. Ruben Diaz. I did not send it to him to his Twitter account, his e-mail or his home addressl. I posted it on my Twitter timeline, for my followers. Sen. Diaz was not one of my followers and it is a misfortune that he did see it and thus took it as a personal threat.
Blabbeando: That day, Senator Diaz posted your Tweet on his Senate page as an example of a "vicious threat" against him and included your Twitter handle as well as that of one of your followers who re-twitted it. I know you had no idea how public your comment had become because I was the first one to alert you and, when I did, you told me you had no idea your messages could be seen by anyone else on Twitter but the people who followed your timeline. What was your initial reaction when you found out it had gone public? What do you think about it now, almost a month later?
Vital: WOW, I could never forget that day when you called me and told me about it. I was mortified. I was afraid and mostly I was embarrassed. Why? Because he made it seem like that one comment represents the whole LGBTQ community, when in fact it DOESN'T. That comment was nothing premeditated and was quickly said with out a thought. Unlike the statements Rev Ruben Diaz has made not worrying whose feelings were hurt or whose character he defamed. Now, a month later, I've definitely learned my lesson and, in fact, I have become very choosey with what I do say via Twitter.
Blabbeando: I know you were aware that Senator Diaz was organizing a rally against marriage equality in the Bronx and that you wanted to join some of us who went there to counter his opposition to our rights. But I also know that you couldn't make it for a very special reason. Can you tell more about the reason that you weren't able to join us?
Vital: Yes - I wanted to make that rally so bad! But I was launching the first ever event for a group I run that same weekend and I couldn't change the dates. My partner and I stayed out in the streets for 24 hours and went homeless as an effort to raise money for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer New York City youth. It began on May 14th at 2pm and ended May 15th at 2pm. We were exhausted, soaked and dirty; however, it was a very humbling experience and I'm happy to have done it to raise awareness and money for a special homeless shelter!
Blabbeando: Your Tweet went out more than three weeks ago and yet, Senator Diaz continues to bring it up as an example of the threats he allegedly has been getting. Some national right-wing anti-gay organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage are just now picking up on it and are parroting whatever Senator Diaz is telling them about it. Should you be portrayed as the very face of intolerance and violence that the Senator and his allies are trying to pump up in an effort to portray themselves as victims?
Vital: I undoubtedly regret wording that Tweet as I did, and I obviously did not mean what I said, however, I wanted to put into perspective how Rev. Ruben Diaz would feel if his own child was involved in a homosexual act. I in no way meant that as a threat, but I did speak out of emotions rather than use my common sense- so for that I do apologize.
As for whether I should be the very face of intolerance? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I do not believe in violence, I believe that reason does not yell, and I believe that peaceful agreements go further than anything else. In any LGBTQ events that I have been a part of, it has been peaceful marches, as I stated prior, the homeless project, making and selling T-Shirts in an effort to raise money for homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth, so as you can see none of these are representative of "the face of intolerance and violence." In fact I am the complete opposite of what they are trying to portray, I am one to support and spread love to everyone, indiscriminately.
Blabbeando: Thanks so much, Vital, for letting me engage you in this conversation.
Last week, I spent time translating an interview Diaz did with Juan Manuel Benitez, host of "Pura Politica" on New York 1 Noticias in which the Senator said he was at a loss in understanding why he was the focus of so much resentment from the gay community. During one particular exchange, Benitez kept insisting that it shouldn't be surprising that if the Senator had made his opposition to LGBT rights the number one issue of his political career, members of the LGBT community might feel hurt by his comments and actions. The way Benitez put it to Diaz was "You can't throw a stone and then hide your hands".
Does this justify the language and tone that some use against Diaz? Not at all, but it is understandable. I just wish sometimes that people could hold their breath for a second before posting something and realize that their words can be used to Diaz' advantage.
In this specific case, I wanted to write about Vital because I knew she was speaking in anger and that she never meant her tweet as a threat. I also appreciate that she was willing to talk to me about it because it provides an example of how our rightful anger at Diaz, if expressed badly, can have consequences.
And if anyone from the FBI or the Albany police is reading this, you are welcome! I've done the groundwork for you on this one. Case closed.
"Guess who this is?" asks Colombia's SoHo magazine on it's fold-out triptych cover for it's February edition. The cover images were unveiled today in advance of the magazine hitting the streets next week but they are already raising all sort of ruckus on Twitter where the relatred hashtag #laisaensoho has shot up to the number 1 spot on the trending topics for Colombia today.
A second cover shot, which unveils the woman behind the mystery but is racier than the one above, below the fold...
Ohmygod. A few minutes ago when I turned on my computer I fired up my TweetDeck and immediately noticed the Tweet above. It's Ricky Martinsending a Twitter message to my friend Pedro Julio Serrano which reads "@PJ_Serrano: kid thanks to you for all you do for Puerto Rico and for the community. Strength and always push forward".
I was trying to get a screen capture when my cell phone rang. It was Pedro Julio who almost couldn't contain himself from the excitement. "I swear the hair on my arms is still standing up", he told me.
He said that he'd noticed Ricky Martin had added him to his Twitter feed and could hardly believe it. So he sent the singer a message telling him how proud he was of him and, in response, Ricky posted the message.
Twitter had been the singer's only public outlet for his thoughts until last Thursday. It was then that he walked onstage at the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards for his first public appearance since he came out and received a warm and extended standing ovation from music stars and fans alike. He used the occasion, and the media attention, to once again denounce the anti-immigrant Arizona law.
As for his life as a gay man, Martin has been mum. Tabloids keep discussing an array of possible ulterior reasons for his coming out as well as who his past and current lovers might be. Smartly. Martin has kept them all guessing. That doesn't mean he has been silent on LGBT issues in the past.
Ricky Martin and Jorge Steven López Mercado: Think back to November, five months before Martin came out, and you might remember the extraordinary reaction elicited by the brutal murderJorge Steven López Mercado, a young man whose body was found dismembered and burned by the side of a road in Puerto Rico.
Outrage over his murder elicited protests and vigils demanding justice not only in Puerto Rico but in cities like New York and Chicago. There was also reaction from some of Puerto Rico's leading music artists, including Calle 13 and Olga Tañon.
And Ricky Martin, three months before coming out, wrote the following on his official website:
The murders of James Byrd, Matthew Shepard, Jorge Steven Lopez, Marcelo Lucero, Luis Ramirez and countless others who were victims of violent "hate crimes" should be completely unacceptable to every human being; because we're all human beings. It's up to us to change the paradigm. I hear the world "tolerance" thrown around in the media when it comes to cases like the ones I mentioned above. One of the meanings of tolerance is "the capacity to endure pain or hardship." Another is "the act of allowing something." To me, those don't seem to encompass acceptance, by any definition. So how about this? Instead of saying "we need to tolerate diversity" why not say, "we need to accept diversity."
Accepting diversity is the first and most important step we can take towards eliminating hate crimes and uniting humanity.
If we ACCEPT, humanity unites. If humanity unites, equal human rights will become a reality. And if equal human rights become a reality, peace will be within our reach.
At the time I remember being moved and surprised by Ricky Martin's statement. Since he came out, I have often wondered if the murder of Jorge Steven had any role in his later resolve to come out.
Ricky Martin and Pedro Julio Serrano: The reaction to the murder of Jorge Steven was extraordinary, as it should have been, but it took an enraged community, the love of his mother, community organizations who were willing to lead and, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, people who pulled together quick demonstrations thousands of miles away. It also took the extraordinary leadership of long-time Puerto Rican LGBT rights advocate Pedro Julio Serrano, who currently works at the New York City office of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
From the moment Pedro Julio heard the horrific news, he sprung to action. Using his media skills and his prominence in Puerto Rican media when it comes to LGBT issues in the island, he began to urge authorities to investigate whether the murder was a hate crime and to challenge local political and religious leaders to speak up against the horrific crime. Once in contact with Jorge Steven's family, he provided support and channeled the LGBT community's outpouring of emotion and love towards them. He also helped them, and Jorge Steven's mother in particular, to navigate the family's response to media at such a trying time.
It was Pedro Julio's long-time friendship with Miss Universe 2001 Denise Quiñones which drew René Perez of Calle 13 and herself to the anti-hate crime rallies in San Juan. And, once they got involved, the support that came from other Puerto Rican stars like Olga Tañon. And then, Ricky Martin's statement on acceptance versus tolerance.
And then Ricky Martin came out to the glee of certain Puerto Rican media personalities who did not waste one moment before repeatedly using the word "pato" [fag] live on television and radio to describe the singer.
It was a full-front assault on the homophobic attacks perpetrated against Ricky Martin on Puerto Rican media after he came out. The result? A full-fledged apology to Pedro Julio from the hosts and producers of the offending show, 'Super Xclusivo," and their vow never to use homophobic language again on the island's top rated gossip show.
As it all went down, I often wondered if Ricky Martin was paying attention to Pedro Julio's efforts to fight the homophobic comments that his coming out had elicited on Spanish-language media and, if he was, whether he approved or saw it as a side-show.
Now we have the answer. It's the first public message Ricky Martin has sent out related to LGBT issues after he told the world he was gay and I am so happy that it happens to be a salute to the amazing work of my friend Pedro Julio Serrano.
Oh. Look. A new Tweet from Ricky Martin showing off one of his videos. And he's buck-naked. Actually, the Tweet says that it was directed by Dago Gonzalez and used during his last tour so it's not necessarily new. As for those tattoos that start to appear over his skin, they say stuff like: Cambia tu vida (change your life), perdona (forgive), descúbrete (find yourself), conócete (know yoursef), questiona (question things), acepta (accept), se dueño de ti (be your owner), desafíate (challenge yourself), ama (love someone), la paz nace en ti (peace is born within you) and vivir es nacer paso a paso (to live is to be born step by step). Whew! Just how many platitudes fit on a man's body! Anyway, watch the video below.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) has released a statement on Ricky Martin's coming out. It's a statement from Jarret T. Barrios, the agency's Executive Director:
When someone like Ricky Martin comes out, hundreds of millions of people now have a cultural connection with an artist, a celebrity and, perhaps most importantly, a father who happens to be gay; His decision to model this kind of openness and honesty can lead to greater acceptance for countless gay people in U.S., in Latin America and worldwide.
Yay!
In the meantime, I did take a gentle swipe at GLAAD's language usage policies when it came to Ricky Martin describing himself as "homosexual" in my previous post. That's because I have long held that the usage of the word "homosexual" is common-place in Latin America: When people use it, they don't intend it to have a negative connotation.
The word "homosexual" is certainly there in the Spanish-language version of his coming out statement and was probably left intact when someone translated it for the English-language statement to Spanish. They probably didn't know that it wasn't kosher to leave it there (I must confess I sometimes translate 'homosexual' to 'gay' when I do translations from Spanish language articles just as I translate 'travesti' to 'transgender').
But, as the news broke on Twitterlandia - and elsewhere - I was struck by a certainly understandable divide.
There were those in the United States who only knew the singer for his "Living La Vida Loca" cross-over attempts and his vagueness about his sexuality over the years. For the most part, today, they were dismissive and quick to say that it was too late for him to come out. Not a comprehensive survey here by any means, but they included openly gay US Representative Jared Polis, and bloggers like DListed and AmericaBlogGay,
On the other hand, there were those of us Latinos who knew that Ricky Martin had never defined himself by his cross-over attempts or had lost any stature in Latin America just because he had failed to sustain his cross-over moment in the United States. Those of us who knew about his longstanding efforts to eradicate child abuse throughout the world (click on: The Ricky Martin Foundation). Those of us who, like everyone else, suspected he was gay but didn't think he would ever come out. Those of us who thought that he would nevertheless make a huge impact if he ever did. Particularly among queer youth who looked up to him and were struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.
So, let me go against the grain and congratulate Ricky Martin for coming out today. I, too, would have liked it to have happened sooner, but I do not feel I can properly express just how huge this is when it comes to Latin America.
For proof of the immediate impact, you might want to go to the outpouring of support from fellow stars that followed Ricky's coming out announcement on Twitter.
Those include:
Mexican singer Christian Chavez, who might as well be called the first Latino super-star to come out. On his Twitter account he wrote "Ricky Martin, I am so proud of you. Wow! United, things will change! With liberty! With love! Out with face masks! Let's love each other as we are."
Colombian singer Juaneswho Tweeted "all my respect and love for you Ricky, you are a gentleman"
Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montanerwho Tweeted "the Ricky Martin of yesterday is the same Ricky Martin of always. And he is my friend!"
Mexican singer - and longtime ally Gloria Trevi -who Tweeted "Ricky Martin, illuminated and with a sincere heart."
Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, long rumored to be gay himself, who Tweeted "a strong embrace and all my friendship for Ricky Martin. You are loved and respected. So good that you are at peace with yourself. Kiss your babies" (you might know Alejandro from this Shakira video).
Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria, who just Tweeted "You are inspiring and beautiful, I love you so much!"
And just by those, tonight, you will have an inkling of just how many barriers Ricky Martin broke tonight. Yes, it might have come late in his career. Yes, you might make light of it if you want. But, in some ways, the earth moved today in Latin America when it comes to LGBT rights.
NOTE: This post replaces and expands on an item I wrote at the end of 2009. I'm replacing the post because it was a bit rushed and because, much to my surprise, it's suddenly become the most discussed topic in Mexico during the past few days.
The video: It all started with a televised segment from a Mexican morning show called "Matutino Express" which aired on December 18th.
In it, lead host Esteban Arce welcomes sex columnist Elsy Reyes to the show for what he says will be a discussion on the difference between 'sexual orientation' and 'sexual preference'.
At first, things seem to run smoothly as Reyes begins to define both terms. But, just as she begins to talk about the fact that homosexuality is not considered to be an illness, he stops her at the 1:23 minute mark of the video and asks "So, is it normal to be a homosexual?" Watch:
Reyes initially sidesteps the question and tries to be gracious about her host's grilling. But Arce wants a direct response from her. "There are things that are normal: Being a man or being a woman" he says,"To be a homosexual is normal?"
When Reyes finally says that many studies show that being gay is an orientation and, as such, it is normal, Arce cuts her off again by saying "no, no, no". He states that Reyes and others might consider homosexuality to be an orientation but asks, for a fourth time, "is it normal?".
Reyes attempts to answer once again but it's clear that Arce is not getting what he wants to hear from her. So he simply interrupts her once again and indicates where his thoughts are going. He says that "what is natural" is for a man and a woman to come together and procreate. He then asks if anything that deviates from sexual relations between a man and a woman is "natural" or "normal".
In vain, Reyes says that sexual relations are not only limited to procreation. Arce's response? "It's not what you believe - it's what it is."
When Reyes says that she is sharing knowledge from the many studies she has read and not relying on her beliefs, Arce responds "What studies! You don't need to be a genius to know that there's a female and there's a male!"
And the hits keep coming!
Arce jokes that "eating cheetos and masturbating in the afternoon" is a sexual preference but isn't necessarily "normal".
When Reyes brings up studies that show that homosexual behavior have been observed among other animal species, he says that male dogs who engage in sex with other male dogs have been deprived of sex for a long time and are "letting themselves go" and that their behavior is considered to be "animal dementia".
He also says that younger people are susceptible to "letting themselves go" and turning gay even "if they look to you like men". "There is a lot of degeneration and a lot of drugs", he explains, as if homosexuality could also be the result of using illegal drugs.
By the end of the segment, Arce doesn't seem to care that he is speaking over the expert they invited to the show and, as she urges tolerance, he keeps repeating that she shouldn't be giving the wrong information to people.
Finally, he states that sexual relations not meant for procreation and not between a man and a woman are not a normal or part of nature. He dismisses Reyes as she is still trying to make a point with an "OK, thank you, let's leave", and that is the end of things.
Initial reaction: The original YouTube video was posted on December 19th, a day after it was broadcast, by someone with the handle of MikeParkRevolutions. I first saw it through a Google Alert but I didn't initially post it because it was hard to identify the actual broadcast date and location. I recognized Arce from a Telemundo gossip show called "Cotorreando" so I erroneously assumed that it was from the United States and I was so incensed by it that I actually forwarded it to GLAAD on December 24th.
In the meantime, I uploaded it to my YouTube page and began to translate it for posting on this blog. With additional research, I found out that Esteban Arce had left Telemundo in 2007 and now worked for Televisa in Mexico. I finally posted the video and a brief note on my blog on December 29th. The women at Macha Mexicopicked up on it on the 30th. Mexican newspaper Milenio had also picked up on it back on December 21st but the newsbrief drew little notice at the time. And I think that was it... until the new year.
On Monday, January 4th, my contacts at GLAAD, alerted me that they had sent the link I gave them to NotieSe and other LGBT media in Mexico. They also alerted me that Mexican LGBT news web-portal Anodis had just published an article about it ("People point out television host's homophobia"). Later that day, El Financiero picked up on a press release sent out by folks involved with Anodis demanding an apology from Esteban Arce ("Esteban Arce's homophobic comments are questioned").
And then, Twitter: That afternoon I started noticing that my Tweeter feed had begun to show links information related to the incident. That was the first time that I noticed the Twitter hashtag #EstebanArceFueraDelAire (#EstebanArceLeaveTheAir) being used to ask Televisa to fire Arce. I found out that the President of Televisa's Board of Directors, Emilio Azcarranga, was also on Twitter (@eazcarraga) and I started urging interested Tweeters to send complaints directly to him.
On Tuesday, January 5th, Mexican mainstream media picked up the Twitter revolt. El Gráfico, a subsidiary of one of the largest Mexican newspapers, El Universo, carried the headline "Twitter lashes out against Esteban Arce" on its print edition (they also posted the video I uploaded on YouTube on its online edition).
Sex columnist Elsy Reyes, who also has a Twitter account (@elsyreyes) posted a link to her version of what happened during the taping of the show on her blog ("Clearing up what happened on Matutino Express and sending thanks"). She said that she had been astounded by the amount of attention that her seven minutes on the show had drawn and apologized to the LGBT community for not having been able to defend herself better and for not having been able to express her views completely. She also noted the "pejorative" and "homophobic" comments made by Esteban Arce but stopped short of calling him a homophobe. She said that she was still unsure whether he had meant his comments to be homophobic.
He was wrong on one account: Someone had taken advantage of the moment to open a Twitter account under Esteban Arce's name and was responding as if he were the real deal. One prominent reporter actually fell for it and interviewed the fake Arce for a national newspaper. Azcarranga wanted to tell people that the account was a fake but, unbeknownst to him, Arce did and still does have a Twitter account (@estarc62).
By Wednesday, January 6th it seemed as if every other press media in Mexico had picked up on the story. The YouTube video I posted had gone to the #1 position on YouTube's "Most Watched" list and thousands of people were logging in to watch each day. On Wednesday, the government also stepped in: The National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) announced that it was considering whether to act upon several complaints received about the broadcast and said that they would soon determine if there were merits to those who said Arce's comments had been discriminatory ("CONAPRED opens complaint against Esteban Arce based on homophobia"). As for Esteban Arce, aside from a couple of Tweets on the issue, he remained silent.
His apology came on the morning of Thursday, January 7th, when the first live edition of "Matutino Express" of 2010 aired live. Watch:
That's right. The only apology Esteban Arce made when he went back on air was to Elsy Reyes for having interrupted her. Using carefully edited clips from the previous show, Arce denies he is a homophobe and paints himself as the victim of intolerance. No mention of him having argued that sex between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation as the sole "natural" and "nornal" human behavior in this world, no mention of masturbating while eating cheetos, no mention of teens "letting themselves go" into homosexuality, no mention of his repeated attempts to silence Reyes when she brings up academic research on the topic of homosexuality, and, most laughably, an argument that he in no way had meant that gays suffered "animal dementia" when he claimed that dogs who had homosexual behaviors usually were diagnosed which such an illness (he might not have said that gays suffered "animal dementia" but he certainly was making a direct comparison).
Arce also riles against "social networks", including Twitter, and says that the attention given to his statements are the result of people with "bad faith" uploading the segment online. To be expected, and as they did during the controversial segment, the other co-anchors back him up on everything and only speak up to say he is being victimized.
Note the absence of Reyes or anyone who might speak for the LGBT community to give their point of view (Reyes has said that, even though she was a weekly guest on the show, she has yet to receive an invite to come back).
On Friday, January 8th, CONAPRED served official notice to Arce that there were 18 complaints against him before the agency. If found guilty of promoting discrimination, Arce could face a year to three in prison unless he publicly apologizes for his statements on his show ("CONAPRED notifies Esteban Arce about complaints").
Comments on YouTube: Since MikeParkRevolutions posted the original YouTube video on December 19, it has amassed nearly 147,000 views and 5,106 comments. My translated version of the video has gathered another 62,000 and 790 comments since December 27th. My translated video of Esteban Arce's "apology" has drawn 56,000 views and 272 comments since January 7th and also reached #1 on YouTube's "Most Viewed" list in Mexico and #2 on the US "News & Politics" list (see top image).
Comments left on the videos I have uploaded range from those who are furious at Arce to those who back him unconditionally. What's striking is that a lot of those who back Arce and ask that gays "tolerate" his comments actually make the case for those of us who were troubled by his comments. One extreme example of this is the following comment:
I am in agreement that people should not be homophobic, but don't let gays mix with society. Send them to an island and burn them or something like that. I don't want my daughter to grow up with the idea that it's normal since they are even condemned in the Bible...
Or, more insidiously...
Well, he's right! It's not normal!I don't have anything against homosexuals. What's more, I have a lot of friends like that... and the majority are the best! But let's be realist. You need an ovum and sperm to create life. Period. He's not insulting anyone. Just saying what is the truth.
Arce is a wolf in sheep's clothing. By vilifying gays using the same language that fundamentalist religions use against that without actually saying that we are evil sinners, he can claim that he's just spreading simple facts and not being homophobic, giving an example to others of how they can actually justify their own homophobia in the language of freedom of speech and tolerance.
Overreaction? As media coverage of the clip in question grew during the week and coverage began to appear everywhere, complaints about media overkill also began to surface.
Some say that the outsize attention being given to Esteban Arce is actually promoting a show that had poor ratings and turninng him into a larger personality trhan he ever was. Others say that media have latched to the issue as a way to keep people entertained instead of focusing attention on issues such as increasing poverty and violence. Others say that to go after Arce and not go after religious and political figures who are just as homophobic but have more power is counter-productive.
Indeed, when Mexico City granted marriage rights to same sex couples two or three days after the "Matutino Express" segment aired on Televisa, Cardinal Norberto Rivera said the law was "perverse" and "immoral" and warned about the declining civilization. CONAPRED and other public interest groups have responded and asked them to measure their reactions and be more respectful of the LGBT community, but the reaction to their homophobic statements certainly hasn't reached the level it reached with Arce.
This might be in part because people expect such comments to come from the likes of Cardinal Rivera. He has made similar comments in the past and will make similar comments in the future. In other words, his words probably didn't surprise anyone, and even people who rejected his statements might have seen them as par for the course.
But, with Arce, that was not the case. Arce is supposed to be a somewhat neutral television show host and watching him become visibly upset that his fundamentalist religious views are being challenged by a guest and try to stop her by interrupting her at every chance is akin to watching a kid cover his ears and say "Nanananananana" when he doesn't want to hear something. And, as he found out, more than a few people thought his behavior more than reprehensible and decided to pass it along to others.
It's also true that he has gained notoriety, but for all the wrong reasons. It's his one television appearance that will probably forever define his career.
But what many are missing here is that Televisa and Arce might not have ever felt the need to respond or explain themselves if it wasn't for Tweeter and the same social networks that Arce described as lacking any "seriousness". It also puts other people on Mexican television on notice that similar homophobic shenanigans won't be taken down without a response.
As for those comments, perhaps my favorite thing has been this parody of a "Peanuts"cartoon strip, which uses Arce's comments to great effect...
[Source: Blog del Mono Hernández] Panel 1 -Voice coming from TV Set: "Eating cheetos and masturbating in the afternoon is a preference but it's not normal"; Panel 2 - Voice coming from TV Set: "When you put a dog in, they let themselves go, and that's considered to be 'animal dementia'"; Panel 3 - Snoopy: "The more I hear demented animals on TV, the more I care for you..."
Reggaeton-Cumbiamberos-Bachata-Electro-Pop-Rockeros Calle 13 recently began to Twitter at Calle13Oficial. Currently they are touring Spain and lead singer El Residente was generous enough to stop for a moment last night and post this hotel room pic.
Aw!
They are one of my favorite bands out there, even if they might be a bit unpolitically correct, and have always had a social conscience behind their lyrics, which makes them sound didactic and boring but...
In gossip years, this is old news by now, even if the article hasn't even been published yet or posted online - and even if rumors of Ricky Martin being gay go back to the last century.
As of now, it's just a Twitter sensation by the mere fact of TVaquí Puerto Rico sending a 'tweet' to Perez Hilton asking him to cover their upcoming 'exclusive':
Original June 15th Twitpic of magazine cover and Perez Hilton request here.
TVAquí follow-up saying they 'made news' by the mere fact of being mention on Perez here.
And they did. The gossip sites went into overdrive. All because the Twitter message said "Ricky Martin talked to our editor Saudy Rivera and accepted his heart could belong to male or a female...more in our next issue" [The magazine cover says more or less the same thing, in Spanish: Ricky Martin acepta la posibilidad de que su corazón tenga 'dueño o dueña'].
Take that with a grain of salt, though. Ricky Martin was probably answering a question that he must have been asked a million times in the last decade and perhaps inadvertently slipped. He has, at times, denied that he is gay and spoken about his relationships with women. At other times he has been more circumspect, telling reporters that his private life is none of their business and that he would rather not say a thing out of respect for his family.
But, seriously, if Ricky Martin wanted to come out, would he really do it in TVaqí? The same magazine that has another headline on the lower right corner of the same cover that says "Travesti Félix Chevremont had his first homosexual encounter at 13 years of age"?
Or the same magazine that runs an online poll asking readers "What do you think about Ricky's sexuality?" and breaks the options down as "He's all man", "He could be bisexual", "He could be homosexual" or "He has as put me in doubt?"
You mean that if Ricky Martin is gay or bisexual he is less of a man because of it? Or that people could doubt his manliness if he was?
Yup, that's TVaquí for ya! Using a supposed 'gay scoop' to draw readers and sending it around to gay sites to have them increase their traffic - at the same time the 'editors' call us less than men. UGH.
There is been a marked slow-down of blog posts on Blabbeando as of late. It might be related to certain life changing developments that have taken place in the past few months (don't worry, my health is OK), the feeling that one is on a blogging treadmill where - if you don't write everything. right now. at this. very. moment. - you lose momentum. Or the selective attention span of those who might check on the blog from time to time.
Or perhaps it has to do with the natural life-cycle of a blog. Several of my favorite blogs over the last few years have slowed down as well, including Bejata (who expressed a similar sentiment back in September) and The Republic of T (who also expressed similar feelings on June 10th), just to think of two.
It might be a phase, it might not. But here is an alternative: I first joined Friendster because... because... hm, I forget? Then I dug MySpace for the access it gave me to new music from my favorite artists - but I have long abandoned that page. I moved on to Facebook and invited nearly everyone I knew to join my page before I knew how pervasive Facebook was (I am sorry to those who endured my Friend Buying ways early in my Facebook experience).
Now I am Twittering. Just like Barbara Walters and Ophra!
I have had a Twitter account for a while but it took me a while to 'get it'. It took Michael Crawford of Bilerico to launch #SameSexSunday to make me realize the power of Twitter.
Now in full bloom, thanks to the way that it's allowing people in Iran to circumvent government crackdowns on media and communication in the aftermath of last week's election, I've joined those who have changed their online avatar colors to green in support of those who are challenging the official election returns (to access info just follow the #IranElection posts or follow Andrew Sullivan's amazing series of posts on his Daily Dish blog).
So take a look at Twitter and visit me there if you want by adding my Twitter feed. And if it takes you a while to 'get' Twitter please feel free to ask me about it to see if I can make it somewhat clearer for you. Will be blogging again soon. Just don't hold your breath.
Lord knows we have been waiting for a megazillion years for something new from neo-soul God Maxwell. Over on MySpace, when MySpace was hot, he kept promising that a new release was in the works but the years passed and... nothing.
Finally he posted a snipped from what he said would be his new single and, unfortunately, it was fairly disappointing (the video is out: "Pretty Wings").
Now comes word that Maxwell is about to release three albums over the next three years titled BLACKsummersnight, blackSUMMERSnight and blacksummersNIGHT. Yes, he's always had a way with words.
Also, Maxwell is on Twitter. And he's been trying his damnest as of late to prove that he is the 'real' Maxwell by uploading Twitterpics of himself misbehaving.
Which means him, rapper Nas, a big bottle of champagne, Cuban cigars, and three scantly clad girls partying like some cheap-ass rap video in Turks & Caicos Islands.
Me thinks the man is trying hard to fight back all the gay rumors that surfaced back in the day as well as more recent gossip that his new music had been pushed back from being released because the lyrics of some of the songs were explicitly homoerotic.
That might all be nothing more than online chatter. Not sure I care if Maxwell is gay, bi or whatever. I will say, though, that he remains an incredibly beautiful man. I just hope the new music is good. Just a suggestion: You don't need to pimp it up to prove yourself.
Here's Maxwell talking about his new project with the Associated Press:
Can I Flush Paper Towels Safely?
-
Knowing whether you can flush paper towels safely is crucial—discover the
hidden risks that could clog your plumbing and damage the environment.
The fake populist.
-
The following article was written by my friend, *Chauncey DeVega*, for *Salon
Magazine. *
"Donald Trump is not a real populist. That fact will not cha...
Aquí estamos y no nos vamos…
-
En primer término, expreso mi mayor solidaridad con todas las personas que
—en este momento y en el pasado— han perdido sus empleos por los cambios en
GFR ...
Great Sex Games For LBGT Acceptance
-
The following are some great sex games for everyone to enjoy, regardless of
their sexual preference. They can be used in a number of different ways and
t...
Schön Küche Renovieren Aus Alt Mach Neu
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cool gros einbaukuche weiss hochglanz einbauk c3 bcche from küche
renovieren aus alt mach neu Dieses ist erstaunlich, wie man Farbe aus einer
alten Tür e...
White Feminism Did Not Save Us
-
It is the morning after and my feed is full of angry posts about who is
responsible for this. I have a suggestion:
Back off from third party voters or eli...
Club Fonograma's Best Music Videos of 2015
-
*“Amor Fantasma”*
((The Plastics
Revolution))
10. Sefárdico
"One day, when you sober up, we can be the Coen Brothers or whoever you
want..." sighed by w...
Diversidad Capital: discriminación por edad
-
Esta semana en Diversidad Capital por Capital 21 hablamos sobre
discriminación por edad con: Ana Francis Mor. Humberto Álvarez. Victoria
Beltrán del Consej...
MIT Fellowship and Relocation
-
Very excited and grateful to begin a new chapter in my life. The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has awarded me one of ten Knight
Science Journalism ...
The Years Of Writing Dangerously
-
Thirteen years ago, as I was starting to experiment with this blogging
thing, I wrote the following: [T]he speed with which an idea in your head
reaches th...
Joining the Trans Advocacy Network
-
Post by Christopher Argyros, Pride Agenda Transgender Rights Organizer I’m
excited to announce that the Pride Agenda has joined the nationwide Trans
Advoca...
Chess, anyone?
-
Art by MUROB
From Wikipedia...
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It
specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early r...
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