Miss Universe 2010 backs marriage equality for same-sex couples

What a day! First Fidel Castro owns up to the persecution of gays in Cuba while the island was under his command, and then this monumental story...

OK, I am kidding but this is sorta newsworthy.

While watching Miss Universe a few days ago (yup, I watched the actual pageant when it was broadcast back on August 22nd), it quickly became obvious that Miss Mexico - Jimena Navarrete - would take the crown this year.

And yet, when she answered her Top 5 finalist question on the effect of unsupervised internet use by minors and she said that it was important to teach kids "values" as taught "in the family" I cringed a little bit.  Not that it's bad to teach kids family values, but I wondered if she was simply parroting the "family value" rhetoric of the religious right in Mexico and elsewhere.

That, apparently, is not the case.

Interviewed yesterday on Mexican radio, here is what she said:

Salvador Camarena (W Radio): I want to ask you about a topic that has been very controversial and it's the topic of marriage between people of the same gender. Do you agree with this type of relationships...

Jimena Navarrete: Look, I believe that every person in this world has the right to profess the beliefs they have and I am in agreement. We have to respect what each human being decides to do with their lives, you know? Clearly, there are limitations, of course, also, as there are with heterosexual couples, right? Better said, there are limitations for any of the two - if they are heterosexual or homosexual - but I believe we have to learn to be respectful because they are people who are the same as us. There is no difference. And I don't believe it's just to discriminate somebody based on the gender they prefer, right? Based on the partner they choose to select, if it's a man or a woman. The truth is that I am absolutely against discrimination and, well, what can I say. I have many friends who are homosexual and I adore them. And they are equal folk: There is no reason we should want to set them aside, there is no reason why we shouldn't let them enjoy what they want to enjoy with their partner.

I've posted a link to the audio clip, in Spanish, below. The remarks on marriage start at the 4:50 minute mark...

Viva Miss Mexico! Viva Miss Universe 2010

Dominican Republic: Ashley Schneider takes the crown

A follow up to a story from last year...

On the early, early morning of December 28th, 22 year-old Ashley Schneider was crowned Miss Rainbow International Gay 2008 at an annual beauty pageant ceremony which took place at the Tailú Bar bar in the Dominican Republic city of Santiago.

José Izquierdo, the Governor of the Province of Santiago, had threatened to shut down the event until he was reminded that the site was a private space and that he did not have any jurisdiction over the event. It still didn't stop him or others from expressing their displeasure with the event.

I know what you are thinking: It's a drag show! At a gay bar!! What's the big deal? Well, this is the Dominican Republic where things like these become national news. Which is exactly what happened here.

On November 27th the local assembly approved by majority vote a statement of censure against the beauty contest saying that it "attempted against the moral and good customs of the Santiago society" (El Caribe).

The censure echoed statements that the Reverend Ezequiel Molina made on the Dagastan television show the night before the event (La Información). "The beauty contest among homosexuals and marriages between persons of the same gender constitute an aberration, an attempt against the Christian and moral values and an affront to the family," he said.

Reverend Molina also riled against 'carnal union' between members of the same sex and against adoption rights for gays although it is unclear whether any weddings or adoptions took place at the Tailú Bar on the night the event took place. For some reason I have a feeling the reverend pulled out his laundry list of objections against the gays having been given a media platform.

Security at the event was strict. Cameras were banned and attendees were searched for weapons and asked for ID. Organizers feared that the local authorities might use any excuse to shut down and possibly even send in underage attendees to give them cause for a search but the event went on smoothly.

A few people interested in watching the contest walked away from the door criticizing the $20 to $35 dollar ticket price as being too high and others walked away when they saw the dozens of television cameras shooting footage of people entering the bar (Clave Digital).

The owners of the club as well as a number of VIP guests called for the recognition of LGBT rights in the Dominican Republic and said that the event should have never have been the center of such media attention and controversy. They also said that they hoped that the outcome had shown that it was not something that challenged the morals of society nor something that was done in poor taste.

Clave Digital has a multimedia page with lots of photos here.

Below, an eliminatory event that took place a month before the Crowning (loooove the bachata techno mix they used):


...and coverage from the local Telemundo station made available on YouTube by hottie reporter Fausto Cruz after the new Queen was announced.

Colombia: A question for Miss Antioquia

From Monday's Miss Colombia Beauty Pageant in Cartagena during the Q&A segment...

Host:
Do you believe that a woman is the compliment of a man?

Miss Antioquia:
Good night to everyone
I believe that a man himself compliments a man
Woman with woman
Man with man
And also, woman to man, in the same manner, in the opposite sense
And we exist to give each other care
[audience members start to giggle]
To give ourselves love
And...
A woman is the compliment of a man
In a very beautiful sense
Because love is given
And also provides care
Eh... the world is evolving
And each time we give more love to the men who... in the case of Colombia... used to be machistas once upon a time...
[audience applauds]

I could not have said it better myself! At the end of the night, Miss Antioquia emerged as the 3rd runner up. She was robbed!