It gets better for queer Latinos - sometimes

In the wake of a recent increase in reported suicides by young queer folk in the United States, gay journalist Dan Savage had a little idea back in September: What if people could upload short videos on YouTube and speak from personal experience telling younger folk who might be going through rough waters or be considering suicide that their lives mattered and to stick it through the hard times?

Using his nationally syndicated sex-advice column and highly visited blog, Savage launched a YouTube channel he called The "It Gets Better" Project and invited people to post their videos there.

The response has been overwhelming. In just one month, the site has posted more than 2,000 videos which have garnered more than 10 million views.  Just yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted her own take.  Accordingly, there has been the need to create a stand alone site called, not surprisingly, "It Gets Better" which allows you to submit videos and also provides links to The Trevor Project for kids who might be feeling bullied and overwhelmed and might be thinking of taking their lives.



That's the background.  What I wanted to highlight is that a friend of mine, Emmanuel Garcia, has been taking a look at the videos and been compiling a list of those submitted by Latino folk ("Latin@s: It Gets Better / Se Pone Mejor").

I have posted a couple of the videos featured by Emmanuel. If you have leads on any other "It Gets Better" videos submitted for the project not listed on Emmanuel's blog, please go to the link above and leave a reply message on his post indicating which videos he might have missed.

Argentina: "And now I pronounce you..."

There are some great images and videos coming my way today from the marriage ceremonies between same-sex couples that have been taking place in Argentina.  From the most recent wedding that took place in Rosario just a couple of hours ago to the first wedding between a gay couple after the marriage equality bill was signed into law which took place yesterday morning, here they are in descending order time-wise...

Rosario, this afternoon: Martín Peretti Scioli y Oscar Marvich were among several couples who took to the courts over the last few years to ask for the right to get marriage.  In their case, a court ruled against them in 2008 but this time they were back with two hundred of their closest friends in what was described as massive scene.   



After the vows, the couple danced a waltz in front of their guests and cut a wedding cake.  The above images were captured during the ceremony by Pablo Czentorycky, who tweeted them at @pablitocz. The video came my way later.



Santa Cruz, this morning: Claudia Baéz and Cristina Medina received their appointment for the civil court for 7:30 in the morning earlier today.  The women became the first lesbians to marry since passage of the law as well as the first couple from the southern Argentinean region of Patagonia.

They had thought about holding a ceremony outdoors, possibly with the imposing beauty of the southernmost point's glaciers as background, but the quick turn around between the marriage license petition and the date for the wedding forced them to arrange a low-key affair.  Jornada says the couples' witnesses included both of the brides' mothers, a close friend of Cristina's and Claudia's son.

The video above shows the absolute joyfulness of their vows and love for each other despite it's low resolution.



Mendoza, a little bit past midnight: Eight days ago, when Giorgio Nocentino and Jaime Zapata visited their local civil court and petitioned for a marriage license, little did they know that they would be granted what was then the first place in line to get married as a gay couple in the entire country.  That date was today, July 31st, although no specific time was indicated at the time.

Briefly, for a few days, the couple became media darlings despite being a bit camera shy. In that respect, it didn't help that both
men were born in Chile and naturalized citizens of Argentina, which drew additional international media attention, including heavy coverage from the Chilean press.  Initially they expressed shock at the attention and said they weren't seeking to be famous nor did they want to become activists.  They said they simply loved each other but, most of all, they wanted to make sure that after 23 years of being together they could finally gain some security as partners.

As the week went along, though, you could see them warm up to being part of history and, when two couples beat them yesterday to the title of first couple to marry, you could sense their disappointment. Up until last night, before their wedding, they were still arguing that theirs was the first legal marriage between two people of the same sex (there has been a muted debate in media as to whether yesterday's weddings were, indeed, valid, as most had reported that couples could only start getting married today, on the 31st).

As you can tell by the video, most of that was forgotten and the ceremony was pure emotion. An employee of the court decided to surprise the men by singing a song before the vows were taken.  The men look as if they cannot believe whet is happening as they make the vows and sign the civil marriage registry.  And that brief shot of the two men overcome by emotion as they look over the crowd and the crowd just stands there and applauds is just amazing.

They also expressed being at peace with being first or second or third to marry. "To be first or second doesn't correspond to a particular preference," Zapata said, "we are just happy about this transcendental achievement".



Buenos Aires, yesterday, 9am: In some ways Alejandro Vanelli and Ernesto Larresse were the ones who began the marriage ball rolling when they requested a marriage licence from a civil court on June 13th, 2007, and were denied the right.  By then, Buenos Aires was known as the one city in Latin America that had approved a limited civil union law but the couple wanted nothing less than marriage.

Alejandro, a renown showbiz talent manager, and Ernesto, an well-known actor didn't care if it hurt their careers. They joined efforts by the Argentinean LGBT Federation (FALGBT) to push for marriage equality at a time when many said it would be impossible and did, indeed, push forward. They even participated in several of the organizations marriage equality media campaign ads, including this one, and helped FALGBT to gain incredible support from respected actors, musicians and performers.

"What we liked the most was to begin, together, another one of the marvelous adventures we have had in our lives," Alejandro told La Nacion, "In this case, it was to work jointly with young people, without support, without lobby, common, simple folk, who sought equal rights."

So pardon them if the video of their marriage ceremony not only looks like a celebration of their love but also a media event or one big photo op: That was exactly the point.

The couple, guided by the FALGBT and its president Maria Rachid, knew the exact place and backdrop they wanted: The ceremony was held at the exact same civil court where the couple had been denied the right to marry three years ago.

It was also, to their knowledge, the first time a gay couple would be getting married after passage of the law - except...

Santiago de Estereo, yesterday morning, 7:30 am: José Luis David Navarro and Miguel Ángel Calefato also went to their local civil court last week and, to their huge surprise, got the winning ticket, as it were.  A civil court in the northern locality of Santiago de Estero scheduled their marriage ceremony for July 30th at 7:30 am, making them the first gay couple who were able to marry in the country after passage of the law.

Described as an unassuming and discrete couple, they didn't make a fuss about their marriage ceremony and only invited close friends and family.  Only a few local newspaper reporters got wind of the wedding and captured pictures of the ceremony but no television cameras showed up.  By the time word traveled that a gay couple had gotten married in Santiago de Estereo, some national and international media had already reported Vanelli and Lerresse as being the first couple to marry, including CNN International.

The couple does plan to take full advantage of a honeymoon trip paid by the Mexico City government which announced they would cover all costs for the first couple who got married in Argentina.  Mexico City was the first municipality in Latin America to pass a marriage equality law last year and authorities wanted to offer a good-will gesture to unite that Mexican milestone with the Argentinean one.

Tierra del Fuego, December 29, 2009:  And so, those above were the first five same-sex couples who got married in Argentina after President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed the marriage equality bill into law.  That does not mean that they were the first Argentinean couples to be allowed to marry.

As we have written previously, that honor will always remain with José Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre (above) who also went to the courts to ask for permission to get married and were also denied. Except, with the help of the FALGBT, they appealed those decisions and ultimately got the go-ahead in November of 2009.  As HIV prevention activists and HIV positive themselves, the couple made plans to marry on December 1st, World AIDS Day, as a symbolic act but they were thwarted when a Buenos Aires court put a stay on the nuptials.

It was through the FALGBT that the couple found a willing civil servant in the southernmost area of the Americas, Tierra del Fuego, when the couple shocked the world with the announcement that they had gotten married on December 29th, 2009.

Recently, the couple attended the World AIDS Conference in Vienna and, on their way back, they stopped in Italy where they celebrated their long-delayed honeymoon.  Back in Buenos Aires as of this weekend, Alex spent some time this afternoon sending some "honeymoon photos" he took at the Vatican, some more profane and hilarious than others, including the "safe" ones I've chosen to post above and below.  In the signs they are holding above, the text says "Alex and José in our honeymoon" in the first one and "Adam and Eve" on one side and "...also Adam and Steve!" on the other.

A sign in a third photo, posted below, reads "Latin America: The same rights with the same names/ The same love".  Alex sent these through his Twitter account. He can be reached at @AlexFreyre .

The others: Like Alex and José Maria, there are another 9 or 10 couples who won the right to marry through the courts before the national marriage equality law was signed into law.  Of those couples, most were able to find a court officer to marry them but most also faced court appeals which froze the status of their marriages.  Alex insists that now that marriage equality is the law of the country, all those marriages are now valid but I haven't seen any media discussion about their validity.  Then again, Alex was cool as a cucumber even as the marriage bill seemed doomed in the Senate just days before it voted and kept telling everyone who would listen that he was certain it would pass.  And now he insists he is 100% officially and legally married to José Maria at this very moment.  We'll take his word for it.

As for those words in the sign they are holding on that last photo, there is no way but to think back to that one amazing ad asking people to imagine what the day after the Senate vote - July 15th, 2010 - would be like if they approved the marriage equality bill...

Premiere: Angelo Garcia rushes out demo tracks on YouTube

It certainly seems to have been a tumultuous week for ex-Menudo boyband member and now out gay man Angelo Garcia.

On Sunday, popular blogger Matthew Rettenmund posted an item from the June 8th issue of Spanish language gossip magazine TV Novelas on his Boy Culture blog in which Garcia spoke openly about being a gay man.   He also posted an update featuring photos Garcia sent to him in which he appeared posing with his boyfriend.

The post was quickly picked up by several blogs, including Blabbeando, and then got tremendous play in Brazilian mainstream media (don't ask).  It was only later in the week that Spanish language media such as Univision, People en Español and MTVtr3s picked it up and it's only now spreading throughout Latin America.

If Ricky Martin's coming out received what amounted to indifferent shrugs in the United States, the reaction to Garcia have mostly been associated to his pumped up physique and not his music. After all, he never really had the musical cross-over that Ricky Martin enjoyed in the United States during his "Living La Vida Loca" days.

But most reactions, including mine, have also focused on the fact that he is the second Menudo member to come out.

Actually, according to Garcia, that's erroneous: He says he came out two months before Ricky Martin did.

"Let me clear something up with all my friends and Fans," he wrote yesterday in a Facebook Fan Page post, "Ricky Martin might have been the most Famous Menudo to ever come out but I was the FIRST! I am getting a lot of attention about this now because of Ricky's Revelation so having 2 Menudo boys be GAY I guess is NEWS WORTHY but I spoke publicaly (sic) about my Sexuality 2 months before he came out. It is funny how the press TWISTS the TRUTH".

If that sounds snooty, petty or a stab at attention-grabbing, he explains in another post why he felt he needed to make the statement. "I did not expect all this media attention and I am not looking for attention or trying to ride coat tails or steal other's THUNDER! I am TIRED of The RUDE IGNORANT comments and RUDE Emails people are sending. I Love myself just the way I am. Like Christina aguilera says 'AND IF ...YOU DONT LIKE IT F*** YOU!'"

And he is right. Some replies on message boards and online articles have been vicious and more than a few have accused him of trying to ride the Ricky Martin's coattail to fame.

As I wrote in my previous post, I did find a previous interview in which Garcia openly discussed his sexual orientation, and in which he also discussed his experiences as a male stripper at Manhattan's now gone Gaiety Theater in Times Square.  But it wasn't clear to me if the interview had been conducted in April when he did an erotic photo shoot for Paragon Men - 2 months before Ricky Martin came out - or after Ricky had come out. In any case, the interview went unnoticed and it's only now that media is focusing on Garcia.

In those interviews, Garcia also mentioned he was working in new solo material. He'd previously released a solo album titled "Cool" but that was in 2006. I checked out some of the tracks out there and found some promise but was not impressed overall.  I also thought he was bluffing a bit when he said he was working on new material. Apparently, I was also wrong.

Last night on YouTube, Garcia released two demo tracks he is working on for his upcoming English-language release "Scandalous". I imagine he wants to take advantage of the attention he has been getting this week and who could blame him? It's also probably a way to try to turn attention away from his Menudo past as well as put a spotlight on his music.  But is it good?

In interviews, Garcia has described himself as a gay male version "Lady Gaga" but in the cover art and in the song stylings he actually reminds me more of Adam Lambert.  Both songs obviously needs some additional production work but I think they show great potential and build up on the promise he showed in his past solo work. 

First up, the better of the two demos, "The Morning After"...



And then, "Fallin 4 U".  Funny, one of the lines in the song says "I wanna explain it to the world that you are my favorite girl"... I guess if gay actors can play straight, gay singers can play straight too? Or will the lyrics be changed once the album is released?



What do you think?

Related:

• Angelo's Facebook Fan page here
• Angelo's MySpace page here
• Angelo's Twitter feed  here 

Previously:

• Puerto Rican singer Lisa M. comes out (April 23, 2010)
• Ricky Martin: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man" (March 29, 2010)
• Dominican singer Rita Indiana comes out (March 23, 2010) 

Ricky Martin gets naked

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.

Previously:

• Why Ricky Martin Matters (March 30, 2010)
• The coming out of Ricky Martin: Reactions (March 29, 2010)
• Ricky Martin: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man" (March 29, 2010)
• What Ricky Martin actually said to TV Aqui (June 22, 2009)
• Ricky Martin is possibly gay, possibly bisexual (June 21, 2010)

Slappy Happy

OMG! So one of my nephews in Colombia alerted me to a YouTube video taken on Memorial Day weekend at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival near Seattle, WA. There are simply no words. Enjoy!

The Original (feat. Santo Gold singing "Unstoppable"):


The high definition take:


And the prelude:


Love. It!

UPDATE: The man. The mystery. The legend. Sasquatch Dancing Man has been identified as Collin Wynter from Calgary.

• 'Dancing Man' not shy about YouTube attention (CBC)

Peru: News cameras capture inhuman beating, undressing and humiliation of transgender street worker

In my previous work with individuals seeking political asylum in the United States based on their sexual orientation (and their fear of persecution should they be sent back home), I often would read articles and reports of violent beatings and abuse, particularly of transgender individuals, at the hands of authorities or entire communities.

Not that it's necessarily the first time that it's caught on video but when I was made aware of this news report from Perú's America Noticias I was shocked (see YouTube clip above).

Apparently, the news report was broadcast on Wednesday, January 28th, so this might have happened earlier in the week. It shows men belonging to two neighborhood watch groups in Tarapoto, Peru, capturing a transgender sex worker and a client for allegedly engaging in sexual acts out in the open. The report says that both were stripped, their hair shorn off, beaten and humiliated, although the report only seems to capture what happened to the transgender woman.

Most chillingly is one of the members of the group, Jutson Alvarado, brings up the recent stabbing of another transgender person in the streets of Tarapoto and seems in approval of that attack. "We definitely have agreed to eradicate this", he says on camera.

He might have referring to the recent stabbing of a transgender woman in the La Banda de Shilcayo neighborhood: A January 22nd article in Trome says that a hair stylist named Dayana Nicole, who once was crowned "Miss Gay Tarapoto", was near death after being stabbed 20 times. Police said that they were investigating whether Nicole might have been stabbed by a client who had sought her services as a prostitute or by a jealous lover in a "crime of passion".

Update: Several LGBT and human rights organizations in Peru have released a statement which reads as follows...

With profound indignation we have seen the images shown on the news broadcast of America TV showing the brutal and cowardly assault against Techi, the victim whose legal name is JP; a transvestite person who does sex work in the city of Tarapoto.

The assailants, members of the Puerto Azul and Señor de los Milagros neighborhood watch associations, considered that the beating and abuse to which they subjected JP was "deserved" and felt that their actions were "just", citing the need "to eradicate prostitution". Let's remind ourselves that, under Peruvian law, prostitution is not a crime.

It is worrisome that this group of persons pretend to grant themselves the right to judge and punish, a responsibility that only pertains to the State and that should only be exercised according to law, taking into account the difference between mistakes and crimes, as well as the proportion of the punishment.

However, the reality that is shown by the crude images is an absolute lack of respect for the dignity of a person whose only real "crime" is to live according to the gender identity felt as her own and that, if she performs sex work, it might be due to the fact that the marginalization and exclusion suffered by being different does not leave another option. In any case, given that prostitution is not a crime, those who exercise it are not criminals and should not be treated as such.

Although the neighborhood watches played an effective work during the fight against terrorism, we have abundant information that, in present circumstances, they can become an instrument which seeks to impose a certain narrow vision of the world, perpetuating prejudice and irrational hatred .

A person cannot be violated without impunity simply for being different, just because they do not comply with the idea of what a person or persons think is "good" or "bad".

The organizations and activists who defend the rights and dignity of transvestites, gays, lesbians and bisexuals demand:

• That those who violated Techi will be punished
• That the organizations that make up the State, municipalities, regional governments and central government, serve their duty - in a professional manner and according to law - to guarantee public order
• That the organizations that form the State, municipalities, regional governments and central government undertake campaigns against homophobia and in favor of those who are different

Lima, Peru, January 30, 2009

Signed by: Movimiento Homosexual de Lima (MHOL) - PROMSEX Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos - LTGB Legal - Asociación Civil Ángel Azul de Travestis, Transgéneros y Transexuales - Colectivo Uniones Perú - Grupo de Mujeres Diversas - Asociación Civil Amistad y Respeto - Comunidad Homosexual Esperanza Región Loreto (CHERL) - Grupo Puentes/Casa Abierta - Asociación Civil de Trabajadoras Sexuales Miluska Vida y Dignidad - Grupo Voluntades - Asociación Civil Diversidad San Martinense - Mesa de Concertación de San Martin

Pitchin' for Obama: A plea to my white women of OH, MI, NH, NM, VA and NV

One of the funniest YouTube videos of the campaign season (and very appropriate two days before the presidential election). Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you Boybama's "Battleground to Your Heart".

I particularly cracked up about the broken voice of the mom's son on the ice hockey ring.

My beef with the "No on Prop. 8" ad targeting Latino communities...

In my previous post I took a slight dig at the "No on Prop. 8" campaign ads targeting the Latino community in California. I wasn't going to comment further but then comes an article posted online yesterday at The Advocate on the inside game at the campaign ("In the belly of No on 8"):

The media revamp has included a new Spanish-language push, with ads running on Spanish-language media outlets featuring Ugly Betty stars America Ferrerra, Tony Pena, and Ana Ortiz. Getting the ads done was a challenge, considering the three actors were in New York and the campaign had less than a few days to write, produce, and distribute the ads.

“That spot seems to be touching people,” said one of [Patrick] Guerriero’s colleagues, a senior executive at a major media company who took a leave of absence to work full-time on the campaign. “Young Latinos were looking for a way to talk about this with their parents. They didn’t feel comfortable having that conversation in Spanish. This is definitely filling a need.”

I think it's great that the stars donated their time and were willing to be part of the campaign. Kudos to them. But here's what rubs me the wrong way.

1. They used the wrong "Ugly Betty" cast: "Ugly Betty" is an English-language version of an incredibly popular Spanish-language television soap opera. I am no pollster but I have a feeling that the Latino viewers who watch the English version are not the ones that need to be convinced to vote against Prop. 8. They already sit to watch the gayest show on network television to begin with and the fact that they understand English means they probably are more acculturated than recent US citizens which are probably the ones that need to be made at ease about opposing Prop. 8. The "No on 8" campaign might have done better by reaching out to the cast of Mexican version of "Ugly Betty" if they were looking for a bigger impact.

2. All Latinos are not the same: For some of us who watch the show from time to time, one of the most jarring thing is that the cast of the US show is the fact that we recognize that the actors all come from different ethnic backgrounds even if they are supposed to be from the same Queens family. America Ferrera, who plays Betty, was born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents; Ana Ortiz, who plays her sister Hilda is of Puerto Rican-Irish descent; and Tony Plana, who plays their father Ignacio, was born in Cuba - and it shows in the way the carry themselves. This is fine for a television show where you can look over these type of discrepancies but I'm not that certain that using the actors to carry the message to Latinos in California speaks to California Latinos specifically. As with the presdiential campaign, it looks as if the folks who decided to use the cast of the American version of "Ugly Betty" fell for the generalization that any Latino can sway another Latino and that's just not the case (it's that mythical political Latino block that has been so elusive this year). Ferrera, who made her career in California, looks and feels authentically Californian which actually really counts when it comes to the Latino community in California.

3. Accents: In the Spanish version, below, Tony Plana is the only one of the three actors who speaks Spanish without an Americanized accent. Not that America or Ana do bad at all (actually, they do great) but you still notice it. But, again, I have a feeling that the movable Spanish speaking masses might be more movable if it came from spokespeople who did not have an Americanized accent when they spoke Spanish.

4. La familia: OK, I acknowledge this is a personal pet peeve but how come every time someone says 'We gotta reach Latinos' the immediate reaction is 'familia'? "For Latinos family is important" says the video. Hm, yes? Same as with other cultures? To be fair, this Latino familia trope is not limited to Anglos seeking Latino authenticity. Latino organizations do it too. But, personally it drives me up a wall. It brings up trite hacienda images of abuelita rocking in her rocking chair as her grandson makes a call on an AT&T phone or of Jimmy Smits in the trite (and cancelled) "Cane". But that's just me. Perhaps swayable Latino Californians truly really think about family above all but methinks a lot of them don't necessarily have the wealthy extended hacienda-type families of "Cane". I'm just sayin'.

Which brings us back to quote from The Advocate. Statements that the campaign only sought to create a Spanish language campaign late in the game (as they "revamped" the message) and assurances that it "seems" to be touching people betray the fact that they should have known for a long time that minority communities should have been included in the game plan long before now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Perhaps I'm being one of those angry politically correct Latinos who only think about la raza! (Hm, not really?). And perhaps I read waaaay too much stuff into little things. But come Tuesday (and I truly hope that Prop. 8 is defeated and for some reason I think it will) it speaks to the divide between state and national LGBT organizing strategies and LGBT communities of color.

Spanish language version of the ad below:

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

Gotta love this guy!

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

Homophobia in soccer, Part 70: Dalsasso and his cybercheating

Gustavo Dalsasso (right), the 30 year old goalie of Chile's Everton soccer team, has admitted that a video making the rounds on YouTube does indeed show him having cybersex on a chat room with who he thought were two Argentinian girls (surprisingly for YouTube I think I see some nudity in the video so instead of embedding it here I'll just give you the link here).

Dalsasso, who is married and has children, tells Chile's La Cuarta that he's just embarrassed by the incident in an interview posted yesterday.

"It was a private moment," Dalsasso said, "with a girl who turned out to be another person and who brought me much trouble with my wife."

The goalie says that he'd tried to do something about the video but that his lawyers said he couldn't do a thing about it and that the embarrassment of being caught at an indiscretion had only strengthened his commitment to his wife.

Dalassos' sister was the first one to call from the United States to tell him that she had seen the video on YouTube a month ago and that it already had 1,200 hits (it's up to 5,200 last time I checked). He says that he'd just come out of taking a shower and had logged on to a chatroom from Spain but denies he was even masturbating.

His teammates at first ribbed him about it and being so stupid as to be caught in what he calls his "1st cybernetic cheating."

"Everyone shit in their pants laughing because, on top of it, it appeared on a page that says maricones.cl," he said, "Afterwards they put themselves in my place, because it affects my image."

"Is it true," the reporter asks, "that if a bar of soap falls in the locker room nobody picks it up?"

"Ha ha ha, that's a myth," Dalsasso responds, "I don't think I'm the only horny-balled player in Chilean soccer, those that go out with models" adding later "It's a mistake made by 90% of the masculine population; They were supposed to be two Argentinian girls but I had the bad luck of falling into the hands of a female, or a male, because it could be a gay."

Maricon, of course, is the Spanish word for 'faggot' and, if you jump to maricones.cl you'll find that it's gay website described as "more alternative" and "more freaky" than all others which in this case apparently meant duping an unsuspecting soccer player.

For someone whose privacy has been violated in such a way and despite some of the latent homophobia expressed in the article, sometimes goaded on by La Cuarta's own reporter, Dalsasso seems pretty good natured about it.

Where it gets really ugly is on the messages left below the YouTube video mostly from soccer fans calling Dalsasso a fag and worse. Ah! Soccer certainly brings the best in people sometimes, no?

The other big news: All eyes on California tomorrow

Tomorrow the California State Supreme Court will hand down its decision on whether same-sex couples in California should be allowed to get married. As a former community adviser member of the Civil Marriage Collaborative, I had the privilege of watching local organizations set up the groundwork for the events that have led to the big day.

On April 15th, Ryan J. Davis posted an entry on The Huffington Post naming anonymous sources from the California Court System indicating that the Court would grant full marriage rights. Speculation which was quickly questioned (if probably less read) by notable New York University Law School professor Arthur Leonard over on his blog.

Speculation or not, let's hope the Court rules in favor of equal rights for all.

Musica: Love Complete & The Living Tree

Weird, I am still digging them big time. So pick up The Epochs eponymously titled album here and enjoy these two videos from the album.

First up is "Love Complete," which I might have already featured a while back:


And then it's the closing track, "The Living Tree," an album highlight that on first listen doesn't sound like much but deeply borrows into you over repeated listens. Just a beautiful, beautiful lullaby:


For more on The Epochs, check their site here.

How sick is this? YouTube goes REALLY viral

Imagine you are a porn flick producer and need to make your product be noticed. You get a bright idea ("Damn! YouTube vids can go viral in no time if you got the right idea").

Unfortunately, YouTube does not allow pornography. What to do?

Well, maybe you don't need to actually show scenes from the movie. Maybe you just cover your face with a bandana and start reading the names of girls under contract for the films and - what the heck - claim that you've intentionally infected them with HIV!

Brilliant!

Except Australian media caught up with him ("Trashman's AIDS Talk Just Trash," The Sydney Morning Herald, April 23, 2008).

Related:

• Jasmyne Cannick: Strange Behavior - The 'I Got AIDS From That N**** List'

Previously on Blabbeando:

• Cocodorm goes after black and lesbian bloggers (May 9, 2007)
• Of ghetto boys, HIV and gay porn websites (May 3, 2006)

24 horas con un heterosexual

Sorry to those of you who do not understand Spanish. For the rest, hope you enjoy.

My New York: Wanna be in a Langhorne Slim video?

Troubadour Langhorne Smith (left courtesy of Crackerfarm Photography) will be performing "Restless" live tonight on the David Letterman Show in advance of the launch of his self-titled debut which will be out on April 29th, 2008.

But big news, shoppers! You too can be a video star! The band is shooting a video for "Rebel Side of Heaven" this Monday from 2:30pm to 6:00pm in a Lower East Side location and they'd like a live crowd feel for the shoot. And - here's the thing - they want YOU to be there.

If you are interested, send a quick e-mail to slimvideo@kemado.com so they can send full details by Friday.

Sneak Attack records has graciously provided access to the MP3 here so download and practice, practice, practice - and maybe you'll be seen mouthing the entire lyrics!

You can check out more Langhorne Slim at their MySpace page here.

Here's a video for "Be Set Free"

On immigration, a couple of out-of-the-box advocacy tools

As a long-time immigration rights advocate, some of the most indelible memories I have are the couple of times I visited immigration detention centers in New Jersey along with Will Coley. I have been to many an asylum court hearing acting as as translator but it was shocking to realize that local detention centers are run by independent contractors (much like Blackwater USA is contracted to do the dirty stuff in Iraq and Afghanistan) and that some people are held indefinitely and are rarely provided access to legal representation, translation services, or hearings.

I also have been at many a political asylum hearing (also as a translator), so when Will sent me a link to the YouTube video above, I certainly recognized some of the asylum court procedures that the video parodies (Will wrote the clip's script which was taped as a response to a YouTube contest launched by the Movement Vision Lab).

On the same vein, I also received info about a BreakthroughTV video game called "ICED - I Can End Deportation" in which "you can step inside the shoes of one out of five immigrant teens, each of a different ethnicity and immigration status," according to press materials.

Not sure how I feel about the immigration issue becoming an internet video game, even if it's for the right reasons (plus I am always weary about organizations reaching out to 'the kids' by using new technology), but you might as well give it a try and tell me how it goes! Haven't played the game yet so I am not sure if the game programmers did a good job or not. In any case you will be able to test it before I do and give us feedback.

It had to happen: Como se dice, como se llama (O-Bama, O-Bama)

It had to happen. From Amigos de Obama: "Como se dice? Como se llama?..." to a reggaeton swing...

Of note: Quiroz vs. Dromm? PLUS: Doug's question for the Republican presidential candidates

Been a while since I wrote about local politics but a post today by The Politicker's Azi Paybarah certainly caught my attention:

Are two openly gay candidates about to duke it out in my district in the next city council elections?

Danny Dromm who I met more than a decade ago when we both were on the founding board of the Queens Pride House - and is currently a Democratic District Leader - certainly has spent some time trying to build some support from the Queens Democratic establishment (including Queens Congressman Joseph Crowley) as well as some of the LGBT political leaders outside the borough (most recently Christopher Murray, Dan Tietz, Alan Fleishman and Gary Parker from Brooklyn's Lambda Independent Democrats tried to organize a fundraiser for Dromm though it was canceled due to a scheduling conflict).

It could also be said that Dromm has been nurtured by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (who I actually have loved in a platonic, politicky kind of way as far back as when she used to be Senator Tom Duane's Chief of Staff).

She certainly hasn't endorsed anyone at this early date but her name often pops up in invites supporting Dromm as Distric Leader (Danny and I actually were invited to have breakfast with Mayor Michael Bloomberg - along with other political leaders - to discuss civil marriage rights for same-sex couples at the City Council Speaker's suggestion back in March of 2006).

With the current term limits law Helen Sears, my current representative to the City Council, will be vacating her seat and leaving it wide open in the next elections which explains Dromm's intention to run for the seat.

But Azi's post today raises the intriguing possibility that another openly gay candidate might enter the race for the same seat and it happens to be - gulp! - none other than Helen Sears' former Chief of Staff - and Queens man-about-town - Alfonso Quiroz (pictured), who also has deep-rooted connections to the city-wide politirati and might draw some interesting endorsements and supporters should he decide to go for it (mind you, this is all tawdry rumor-mongering at this point in time but I certainly know who I'd back between the two of them).

Officially the Quiroz man has expressed interest in a District Leader post, NOT a city council seat. But the Politicker's analysis is - at the very least - intriguing.

Not that if he decides to run he'll be doing so in a vacuum along with Dromm. Other rumored potential candidates for the seat include Stuart Sears (son! of! Helen!), Eddie Giraldo (the former president of the Queens Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), Vasantrai M. Ghandi (Chair of the Queens Community Board 3) and perhaps Luis Rosero who has unsuccessfully sought political office in Queens before (UPDATE: A reader says that Eddie Giraldo might not be interested in running while Bryan Pu-Folkes, who has previously ran for the same seat might be back this time around as well).

Doug Robinson's YouTube question for the Republican presidential candidates: In the meantime, my friend Doug Robinson has submitted a YouTube video for tomorrow's Republican CNN/YouTube debate. I'm not sure it has been chosen for airplay but it IS worth airing - which is why I have posted it below as well.

A parade... and a message from Servicemembers United

From my last post, you might have correctly guessed that I spent Sunday afternoon watching the annual Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan. I've been to a multitude of parades over the years and even marched in some of them but this was the first time that I consciously made an effort to attend a Veterans Day Parade.

What brought me there was a number of unrelated stories that I had read as of late regarding four young men who served in the United States military - 25 year-old Army Specialist Alex R. Jimenez (pictured above), born in the Dominican Republic and missing in Iraq since his convoy was attacked on May 12th; 22 year-old Army Specialist Jonathan Rivadeneira, born in Colombia and killed by a roadside bombing in Iraq on September 14th; 22 year-old Army Sgt. Joe Nurre from California, killed by a roadside bomb back in 2005; and Marine Lance Corporal James Blake Miller - a/k/a "The Marlboro Marine" - whose weary, battle-fatigued face was plastered across the cover of a number of United States newspapers in a now-famous image (Miller has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and let go from the Marines).

Now, there is no real connection between these soldiers other than they were sent to fight in Iraq and that their stories caught my attention. They also might not be demographically representative of those who have been killed, wounded or have experienced PTSD as a result of their service for the United States in Iraq or Afghanistan. But...

Jimenez and Rivadeneira: I'd been thinking about writing about Specialists Jimenez and Rivadeneira and their relation to the borough were I live - Jimenez' mom lives in Queens and the disappearance of her son made the covers of the local newspapers and Rivadeneira actually grew up with his family in a building that is literally four blocks away from where I live - and the bizarre disconnect I feel exists between day-to-day life in the city and the fact that some of our own neighbors are serving and even sometimes dying overseas. I mean, Jimenez' mother is still waiting to hear about her son's whereabouts and the story has all but disappeared from the local news coverage or from the general consciousness of those who live in this city.

Actually, a friend beat me to it a few weeks ago, at least in the case of Specialist Rivadeneira. Transgender rights activist Pauline Park, who I have known for years and actually lives in the same building as the Rivadeneira family, wrote her reflections on Rivadeneira here.

Nurre: As for Joe Nurre, I don't really remember how I came upon the YouTube video below but I thought it was funny as heck!



And, wait! There's more! Here is Joe Nurre on "safety." And here he is on "Skoal" (thanks Laurie for the vids!).

It was actually while checking to see if there were more Joe Nurre dispatches from Iraq that I also found this YouToube video that shows a news report of a memorial ceremony that was held in his honor.

Miller: Finally there was Corporal Miller. There is a tremendously moving article that appeared this weekend in the Los Angeles Times on how an image of a cigarette smoking soldier that became an emblem of US patriotism and military might in 2002 now represents a more troubling reality for Miller - and conflicting emotions for Luis Sinco, the man who took the photograph (Miller actually talks about his war and post-war experience here and here while Sinco reminisces about the photo and his relationship with Miller as a journalist here).

In some ways, I guess I attended the parade thinking about them and the many other members of the military who are still at war. I might have been among those who opposed the war in Iraq as far back as when the current administration was purposefully marching head-first into it but that doesn't mean that those who have chosen to serve in the military deserve any less respect.

A message from Servicemembers United: In keeping with the general content of this blog, I have touched briefly on military-related stories in the past mostly when they've involved gay Latinos. None of the soldiers above are or were gay to my knowledge and not all of them are Latinos and I probably would have kept my thoughts on them to myself if it wasn't for a message I received this morning.

A frequent Blabbeando reader (and former Advocate magazine cover man) who noticed the Veterans Day post wrote to thank me and to see if I could spread word on an upcoming series of events in Washington, DC, calling for the end of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy.

The events, being carried out by Servicemembers United in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, the Log Cabin Republicans, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Liberty Education Forum, will take place from November 30th through December 2nd and include a ceremony at which one American flag will be placed on the Mall for each service member that has been discharged due to their sexual orientation.

For a full description of events during that weekend and for further information please check out the provisional Servicemembers United webiste here or contact info@servicemembersunited.org .

There are many Latinos serving in the wars and undoubtedly many who also are gay or lesbian. I actually know of a couple such acquaintances currently serving in Iraq and they should certainly be allowed to serve with honor, along with their colleagues. So, yeah, while the DADT policy wasn't necessarily on my mind on Sunday, I am more than happy to pass along the information.

Machochip delivers! Maximo! Al ataque!!

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

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

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

Related:

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