Univision promotes homophobia through sister network Telefutura

***START OF UPDATE (as of Oct. 14, 2011): Monica Trasandes from GLAAD reached out to me this afternoon and said that they brought up my concerns to the producers of "Noche de Perros". In response, the producers said they "get" why the clip might be considered offensive by some viewers and have made a decision to pull it off the air.

As for the English-language online version of the promo - as can be seen here - it turns out that a second person used basically to make the same joke as in the televised version happens to be openly gay and is one of the show's hosts.  The producers have told GLAAD that they are more than thrilled to include an openly gay person as a host.

That's great of the producers but does the fact that the person is gay change the fact that he is still being used as the punch joke? If they found the televised version to be problematic, it should be clear why the online version is problematic as well. They should pull it offline as well. END OF UPDATE***

Lately I have been watching a great telenovela from Colombia called "Correo de Inocentes".  It's airing on the Telefutura network which was launched by Spanish-language powerhouse network Univision to counter Telemundo.

On the Univision corporate site, they describe Telefutura as a "leader in cutting-edge content" and highlight the fact that it often beats Telemundo in their ratings - though not during prime time.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the following clip ran during the commercials as I watched the telenovela...

Sigh! But wait! There is more!

The same Univision corporate site has an English-language promo reel aimed at drawing advertisers for the show and it pulls a similar joke using a different actor.

Promoting homophobia on television and lesbophobia to draw English-language advertisers? I have a feeling GLAAD will be knocking on Univision's door pretty soon.

The Tim Dax Interview

And now for something different.  Last month was this blog's 6th year anniversary.  Over the course of those years I have written about a number of different topics and, for reasons that should become clear as you read this post, I'd been trying to set up an interview with actor Tim Dax for quite a while.  Finally, on September 2nd, I was able to reach Tim at the Los Angeles home he shares with his fiancee Andrea Giacomi.  

It's a wide-ranging interview. I hope you enjoy it. As we begin, I've already introduced myself and given Tim a run-down of the questions I'd like to ask. And then it's on... 

Blabbeando: I know a few things about your work but my readers don’t. You are living in Los Angeles and involved in a few current projects. What are they.

Tim Dax: Well, I’m Tim Dax and thank you Andrés for reaching out. So, yeah, Tim Dax, Los Angeles, my one-year anniversary coming up pretty soon after living in New York City for fifteen years. I’m pursuing my acting career and I’m just beating the pavement, man, pounding the ground, doing what I gotta do out here to make it happen - and step by step things are happening. It’s all good.

What am I working on? I've been attending a few auditions, I’ve got a couple of movie scripts that are being written for me as the lead, I completed my first feature in which I starred in called “Mr. Bricks”. It’s being released on Troma this fall. I’ve got my second feature with the same creators of “Mr. Bricks” called “Slaughter Daughter”. That’s in post-production now so that should be coming out. It’s rolling, man…

Blabbeando: And you are doing some video work as well, I believe you appeared - briefly - in Steven Tyler’s video for “Feels So Good” which debuted on American Idol this past season…

Tim Dax: Well, as an actor you have to take everything and at the very beginning it’s a lot of free work and you do anything and everything and I don’t believe in restricting myself so I take advantage of these opportunities when it comes to being an actor. That’s a music video, that’s theater, that’s acting in a haunted house if need be. Anything and everything to get to the bigger picture, the bigger goal, which is movie acting.  I see a very successful future as a movie actor and I can see eventually getting into creating, writing – I do a little bit of writing now – and directing film as well. I see a huge happy future in Hollywood. No Doubt.

Blabbeando: As you know, I've actually have written about you before and it just happens to be the most popular blog post I have ever written in the six years since I launched Blabbeando...

Tim Dax: Awesome!

Blabbeando: In that post I described how we met in June of 2005 and the particular commotion you caused on that day. It happened to be right in the middle of Manhattan's annual LGBT pride march...

Tim Dax: Yes! Gay pride, be pride, have pride, be proud!

Blabbeando: …and there you were as a straight guy and I don’t even know if you had ever marched in a pride parade before…

Tim Dax: I had not. It was my first…

Blabbeando: …and so what were your thoughts earlier that morning and did you actually plan what you were about to do?

Tim Dax: Well, first I want to address the issue of the word ‘straight’ or the word ‘gay’, those are labels and when anybody asks me if I’m gay: “Hell yeah, I’m gay. Fucking shit, man, life is good! I love being fucking gay. Shit! I’m queer. Look at me, man! I. Am. Queer. This is a real queer look on my face right now.”  So whatever. Gay, straight, whatever.

Blabbeando: And do you remember that morning?

Tim Dax: Yes! Yes I do! Gay pride 2005. I remember it was hot! It was hot and humid. I was sweating my ass off. That morning I didn’t know I was going to walk in a parade until the last minute. I had an idea that I would, I thought I might, and then the morning came and a friend called and they said they were meeting and I said: “OK, what the hell am I going to wear?" - I am an exhibitionist, to start, so it’s gotta be minimal - "OK, shorts? Aaaah, so expected, shorts, I don’t have any cool ones anyway. What else, what else, what else.” Well I got this hat – a stocking cap kinda thing – and I said “OK, I could put this on, and then I could keep it on with a cock-ring, and there you go! That’s my costume! OK, that’s it!’”

And I thought that up maybe an hour before I walked out the door. And I walked up to 52^nd Street and I already had the sock on and I was good to go! Just dropped my pants and…

Blabbeando: You were marching with a specific contingent or was that accidental…

Tim Dax: Well, I was hanging out with The Eagle truck because I have some friends of that persuasion [laughs] and they invited me to walk with the whole journey.

Blabbeando: So, yeah, for the rest of the day you marched down 5th Avenue totally nude except for a sock…

Tim Dax: Yeah! A hat which doubled as a sock that covered my cock [realizing what he just said rhymes, he chuckles].

Blabbeando: You also carried a leather flag in a particular place of your body. Whose idea was that?

Tim Dax: The flag? The flag started a few blocks down. I don’t remember exactly how it ended up there. I actually might have been the one who put it there. It probably was me. But what else do you do with a flag when you gotta march, like, two miles, dude? So I had to pose! I had to have my hands free! So what a better way to display it! It was up the crack of my ass!

Blabbeando: I think that's hen I first spotted you. You were walking down, taking your time and posing and people seemed shocked at first but then applauded. And then, right in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, there were all these fundamentalist religious folk bunched all up in a police pen. They held all these signs saying the usual, “God hates fags”, “Fags cause AIDS"...

Tim Dax: Insanity! Confused unhappy people.

Blabbeando: It was funny because it was just about everybody. The fundamentalist Muslims, the Christians, the Orthodox Jews…

Tim Dax: Yeah, there were a few different haters in there [laughs] but it’s all good. We just went there, we showed them that we have good times no matter what, haters. I mean, that was 2005, I mean 6 years ago? And my attitude probably would be a little bit different now. I might not have thrown them the finger. I might just actually have thrown them the peace sign. But I go with the flow and at the moment that’s what it said and I think I did it with a smile, so that balanced it out… and my ass! And my ass-cheeks. Blabbeando: I remember the disgust in their faces and you just standing there.  I have marched in many pride marches and that remains one of my favorite pride march memories.

Tim Dax: Dude, it was brilliant. That whole event for me was brilliant.  That was my first gay pride march. I had been to the parade in Washington a couple of times but never marched.  And it’s been my last, unfortunately, not to say that it will be my last. For sure, when the time is right, I want to be in New York City and certainly take part in it again on a grander scale. Because at that time maybe I’ll have a few movies out there and everybody’s gonna know Tim Dax so I’m gonna have a special Tim Dax float where everybody can come on and chill out and have a good time. Hell yeah!

Blabbeando: Now, I don’t know if at that time you were working on “Rough Gods” or if it came a little later…

Tim Dax: Later. I worked for thirteen years in the interior design industry in New York City and 2008 was about the time that “Rough Gods” came into my life and that was after I left that thirteen-year job to pursue an acting career. I had just finished my facial tattoo which had taken about two years. It had been done for a few months when I met Michael Alago. It was completely by chance and he asked if I wanted to be photographed. As an actor, you do anything and everything to get your face out so I said ‘Of course!’

Michael was one of the first photographers to take a picture of me after I left that serious job I had for so long and he was my influence and my inspiration to do a lot of things in those beginning stages of experiencing a new challenge of a career; trying to model and get acting gigs and all that stuff.

Blabbeando: Did you feel you were diving head first into a brand new life experience in terms of modeling and acting and all that stuff.

Tim Dax: Oh God, completely! Scary! When you leave a 9 to 5 after thirteen years that gave you a good salary and try to follow a dream? ‘HAHAHA!’ And to do what? You wanna be an actor looking like that? ‘HAHAHA!’ You’re gonna be a model? ‘HAHAHA! Nobody’s gonna ever hire you! You’ve painted yourself into a corner, man! HAHAHA!’

And then, of course, my heart tells me ‘No, they’re wrong, they’re wrong’ because what I’ve got is unique and when I show everybody how I use it they will see and it will become big and popular and in demand and I have a good message behind all so that will all be heard. So, yes, going back to it, [I was] scared shitless.

Blabbeando: So how much attention did it "Rough Gods" bring you? Did you experience…

Tim Dax: Tons! First of all, on a daily level, it’s funny because I have people from time to time who might say ‘Hey! Aren’t you one of those --- aren’t you a ‘Rough God’?” “Yes, yes!” Out of the blue, crazy. Everybody remembers.

On a deeper level, on a bigger level, all of my acting headshots, all my good ones are all Michael Alago, they are all “Rough Gods” and those are the only ones I use because Michael captures ‘a man’s man’ and he’s just got an eye for it and it’s brilliant and he does it unlike anyone else I’ve worked with. He’s got it like that.

Blabbeando: What about your tattoos? When I first saw you, you had a few. I think you had some facial work, not as much as you do today…

Tim Dax: I might have had my chin started at that time…

Blabbeando: Yeah. Have you relied on one specific tattoo artist for your tattoos all this time or have different people worked on them? And, at this point, are you done or are there plans for more tattoo work.

Tim Dax: As far as my tattoos, I’ve used about, maybe four people so far. Maybe five. But they are never by chance. Tattoos are a very spiritual thing if your heart is in the right place when you get them. And there are no chance meetings, for me, anyway, with that stuff. And each artist that has done work on me has done very unique and very special work and served a purpose for that period of time. I’ve had good relationships with all of them. 

One guy did my entire head. I would never start something with someone with the intentions to maybe not finishing with them. I follow through and I like relationships. I wish I could have had one tattoo artist for all of my body but for whatever reason each person is meant to be in our lives for a certain amount of time and sometimes we part ways but I like consistency and I am loyal so therefore I like having solid relationships that last forever. But this is reality and that’s not always possible.

I am finished for the moment but there are some plans for some snakes on my hands that’ll look WICKED. And then some snakes on my feet, which will look WICKED. And then from there I don’t know. They all come to me as visions and they stay with me and when the time is right I’ll find the right person and I’ll have the money to pay for it and everything will work out because that’s the way my life goes [laughs].

Blabbeando: And it has evolved into a sorta ‘Gladiator’ type of look. Was it intentional?

Tim Dax: It’s funny that I say that it wasn’t intentional, it just came out that way, and that’s kinda the truth. I didn’t start out to say “I want to be a WARRIOR” or “I wanna look like a GLADIATOR”, no.

I started with my forearms. That was supposed to be just like a two-inch band on my wrists and it turned into my full forearms. And then from there, I just started popping ideas, just coming to me. Visions of the other designs and they all just laid out, ordained organically, one after the other. And this is what they look like.

So it wasn’t preconceived, it just came out that way. My head even. My head started as a Mohawk, which I did not like the way it looked. So, what else do you do? I just kept making it bigger. For a year and a half, I just kept making it bigger and it slowly crept down my face one hour at a time.

Blabbeando: Because it does make you a striking figure. It also might pigeonhole you into a specific type of character-actor of or model. But from the stuff I’ve seen about you, I know you have a range. You are pretty goofy sometimes. You can do comedy, horror.

Tim Dax: hell yeah! You know what? It’ll be ‘quote-unquote’ pigeonholing at first.  All they see at first is a tattoo and they say “Oh, my God! What are you gonna do with it!” And then all of a sudden when they give themselves a minute to see what’s beyond the tattoo, what comes from the person who is wearing the tattoo, which is dramatic, which is intellectual, which is comedic at times, which is whatever it wants to be, there’ll be great value in that. 

And then thing will be made for a guy like me. Why can’t there be a sitcom where there’s now gay people, have a sitcom with a gay couple and the tattooed-head guy who is the neighbor, who is a gardener, I don’t know!

It’s possible! We have a black president right now. Hello! 20 years ago who was even thinking that was possible, huh? Anything is possible.  If he can be the president, then why can’t I be a leading man in Hollywood. Of course I can.

Blabbeando: Finally, any regrets leaving New York City? And what awaits you in the future.

Tim Dax: My future is home-base L.A. because I believe the rest of my future has to do with making movies, making entertainment, and it all starts in Hollywood. So here is home base. No regrets. I absolutely adore it here, love it here, this is where I’m meant to be right now. I own an apartment in New York City, down in Chelsea, so that’s gonna be the retreat back eventually so I can be ‘Bi’…’-coastal’.

Blabbeando: [Laughs] Alright, Tim, so thank you so much for the interview and good luck in Hollywood.

Tim Dax: Thank you so much, Andrés. God bless.

All things Tim Dax:

• Tim Dax website here
• Tim Dax on Twitter here
• Tim Dax on YouTube here
• Tim Dax on Facebook here

Related:

• Tim Dax: "There is no pinnacle, we keep rising up" (Couch Cutter, April 11, 2011)

Big Brother Argentina: Trans man Alejandro has been voted out of the house

An update, if you have been following this blog...

After surviving for three months inside the video-monitored "Big Brother" house, luck ran out Sunday for transgender man Alejandro Iglesias as viewers voted to expel him from the Argentinean version of the reality show.

Alejandro, who was only identified as a "mystery guest" before the show was aired, shocked viewers when it was revealed he was a female-to-male transgender man seeking a chance to win the U$10,000 dollar reward which could help him cover the costs of gender reassignment-surgery ("Alejandro Iglesias shocks the viewers of 'Big Brother 2011'").

Of course, this sort of stunt casting is nothing new when it comes to reality shows.  They always seem to drop a gay here, a lesbian there, and sometimes someone who is bisexual or transgender.  I assume they expect drama will ensue once their sexual identity is revealed.

What was amazing, in this case, was that - at least initially - Alejandro quickly became the viewers' favorite to win the game since he came off as sincere and down-to-earth compared to the other 18 players: A mix of showboat male assholes and big-boobed vedettes looking to make it in showbiz.

It didn't take long for Alejandro to 'come out' to the other housemates and the reaction was surprisingly great ("Alejandro tells his 'Big Brother' housemates he is a trans man").  Alejandro also bonded with a fierce ally, Luz, who also came out as a lesbian.  She later would sacrifice her stay in the house by giving immunity to Alejandro.

Turns out the one person who reacted the worst about the revelation was... a gay guy.

Emiliano Boscatto (the curly-locks guy in the image above) received some media attention in 2008 when he was elected "Mr. Gay Cordoba". And yet, in the house he tried to keep his sexual identity hidden for as long as he could.  Whether he used it as a strategy to rattle Alejandro out of the house or whether he was letting his transphobia fly, Boscatto initially insisted Alejandro was a lesbian and told him he simply was incapable of believing he was a transgender man - ultimately flipping around and questioning whether Alejandro was actually born a man and using the transgender story to move ahead in the game.

Two weeks later, Boscatto was the one who got the boot from the house.

But this is Argentina's "Gran Hermano" where contestants who get booted out apparently can be voted back in (what's the point in that?) And so, Aleandro, who outlasted Boscatto and the person considered to be the best player in the house, Cristian U., saw both of them come back.  And, on Sunday, viewers voted him out instead of voting Boscatto out for a second time (you can watch the moment he gets booted out in this clip - the image above is a photo capture of the clip).

A day after getting booted out, Alejandro sat down with a talk show host to talk about his experience in the house.  He is shown clips of the confrontations between Boscatto and him for the first time and is asked for a reaction.  I have translated the clip as follows (turn 'annotations' on).

To Boscatto's credit, he did try to make an alliance with Alejandro once he returned to the house. Alejanadro also didn't help himself by spending some of the last days in the house moping around and being miserable, particularly after Luz left.  He also proved to be a bad strategist and so picky about his tastes that the producers made fun of all the things he kept requesting from the outside - from music by Pimpinela, to foot odor deodorants, to a particular brand of menthol cigarettes.

But, this being a reality show and all, I was struck by the guts it took for this 26 year old guy to go on Argentina's top rated reality show and open up like that to millions of viewers.  He might have gone in saying he needed the money for his upcoming surgery, but - as this clip shows - he was also very aware of the potential positive impact his participation would have on others going through the same things he has gone through.

"Truthfully," he tells the talk show host, "I didn't care much about what was happening inside the house. It was all about the repercussions it might have outside... That's the only thing that mattered to me. [My participation] wasn't in vain... even if it's a single person who gives me thanks..."

Asked about what he would like to see in the future, Alejandro says "To have the [gender identity] law pass, that it won't be as hard to get to where I am, that it won't take as much time. Because persons like me might be fighting the same battle and when they see there's so much left do do, they become depressed, they shut down, they don't want to know anything else...".

Alejandro says that he received authorization for a gender-reassignment surgery last year after four years of dealing with tests and paperwork.  He expects the surgery to take place as planned.

As for Argentina, there IS a gender identity bill that has been making its way to the legislature which would guarantee the right to a legal name and gender change on official documents.

Major FCC complaint launched against homophobic Spanish-language TV talk show

TAKE ACTION: To support this effort, please click here and sign!

In July of last year, I wrote about the outrageous homophobia, transphobia and misogyny that ran rampant on a daytime Spanish-language television show called "José Luis Sin Censura" (Appropriately, I titled the post "Sickening").

I wasn't the first or the last one to notice. In my case, an anonymous reader sent me a number of clips from the show which I translated and posted on YouTube. Jeremy Hooper at GoodAsYou had also written about the show a month earlier than I did. And the guys at Queerty also followed up on my post.

Most importantly, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) also released a call to action which means the show's producers were put on notice.

Eight months later, though, and they continue to pull the same offensive stuff...

The result? Today, it was just announced that GLAAD is joining forces with the National Hispanic Media Coalition to launch an FCC complaint against Liberman Broadcasting who own the show.  An excerpt from the press release:

Los Angeles, CA, February 28, 2011 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) today filed a joint complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. and KRCA, a broadcast television station serving the Los Angeles area. The complaint is in response to a string of broadcasts of the Spanish-language television talk show "José Luis Sin Censura," which often contains indecent, profane, and obscene material, offensive language, nudity, and on-air verbal and physical attacks against women as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The organizations also launched an online action with the Women's Media Center (WMC) where concerned community members and allies can send e-mails to the FCC supporting the complaint or file their own complaints based on episodes they have witnessed.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios and NHMC President Alex Nogales will discuss the FCC complaint during an online press conference on February 28, 2011 at 1PM EST / 10AM PST. To access the streaming footage, please visit www.glaad.org/jlsc.

In over twenty episodes that aired between June 18 and December 7, 2010, the program contained images and language of the nature that is never displayed or is bleeped out of pre-taped English-language programs of the same nature, including the words "pinche" ("f*cking" in English) and "culero" ("assf*cker"), anti-gay language, including epithets such as "maricón," "joto" and "puñal" (or "f*ggot"), and anti-Latino slurs, such as "mojado" ("wetback"). The program frequently featured blatant nudity and female guests have been shown in violent fights. Hypersexualized images of women's bodies while stripping for male guests and audience members also make up routine offerings. Guests and audience members were often incited to engage in verbal and even physical attacks, especially against people perceived to be LGBT. Many episodes showed the audience standing and shouting anti-gay epithets and profanity at guests.

The Woman's Media Center, founded in 1995 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem "to positively impact the visibility of women in the media, amplify women's voices on key issues in the national dialogue, fight sexism and bias against women in the media, and increase professional opportunities for women across all forms of media" is also supporting the action.

The organizations have also created an easy way to join them and take action. To do so, please click here and sign your name!

Some will say that the show, for those who do not understand Spanish, looks like a Spanish language version of "The Jerry Springer Show" and a lot of it certainly seems staged. But Jerry Springer nor his show's producers would ever have allowed and encouraged audience members to shout "faggot" at a host as someone beat him up as one of these clips show.

Spanish language media often gets an easy pass when it comes to this type of obscene content on television that clearly violates FCC regulations because they are low on the FCC's radar. Please take some time to click on the action link and make sure that the producers of "José Luis Sin Censura" know that this sort of homophobic content won't be tolerated.

Related:

• "José Luis Sin Censura" webiste here
• "José Luis Sin Censura" Facebook page here

Reactions (you might want to check reader's comments on these blogs as well):

• GLAAD filing FCC complaint against "José Luis Sin Censura" (AfterElton)
• At last! A call against 'José Luis Sin Censura (Mi Blog Es Tu Blog)
• GLAAD files FCC complaint against anti-gay Spanish language show (Rod2.0)
• GLAAD, National Hispanic Coalition file FCC complaint over homophobic Spanish-language show'José Luis Sin Censura' (Towleroad)
  GLAAD files FCC complaint against anti-gay Spanisg language TV show (Joe.My.God.)
• Will this mean talk show heed GLAAD's warning about calling everyone a 'maricón'? (Queerty) 
• While GLAAD goes after one homophobic Spanish TV personality, another goes unchecked (ngBLOG) 
• Homophobia in Spanish-language media: GLAAD files FCC complaint against TV show "José Luis Sin Censura" (Carlos in DC)

Glee in Cuba

Camilo García, who works in the Sexual Diversity arm of the Cuban National Sexual Education Center (CENESEX), took to his blog yesterday to share his surprise that a state-sponsored Cuban television channel was showing weekly episodes from the first season of the U.S. television hit "Glee".  A translated edited version of García's post follows ("'Glee', a lesson in respect towards human diversity", Feb. 9, 2011).

Once again Cuban television surprises us with the broadcast of a series from the United States in which the respect towards diversity, including sexual diversity, is treated openly and through clear messages. We had already noted the airing of "Six Feet Under" a few months ago, but this time the TV series "El Coro" ("Glee") comes to us on a privileged day and time, in which everyone can see it: Saturdays at 5:45pm, on Cubavision...

...what draws our attention is how the series treats the case of Kurt, an extremely effeminate gay, who showcases the most divine of extravagant fashions and even reaches the tone of a soprano when singing.  With his 'bothersome' look (to those who are the most homophobic), he proudly confronts his way of being, and challenges the world with his amply demonstrated talents and virtues, even in the harsh game of football. His father, an apparently dumb mechanic, gives us a masterclass in sensitivity and humanity in defending his son against any discriminatory attempts based on his physical appearance, his mannerisms or his sexual orientation.

For all these lessons that reach the viewer in a fresh and entertaining way and which do so much good when exposed to society, let "Glee" be welcome on the Cuban screens.  Although it's a shame that it has to be a foreign series - and from the United States to top it all off - that brings clear and powerful messages in regards to diversity.  How much longer do we have to wait for these type of messages, but "made in Cuba?"

Cuban television has tackled LGBT issues in the past beginning with a government sponsored series in June of 2006 called "La Cara Oculta de la Luna" ("The Dark Side of the Moon").  The series was produced with the backing of the CENESEX and had an educational HIV prevention angle but a storyline involving the relationship of a gay man with another married bisexual man caught the country's imagination and led to as frank a depiction of man to man love as had been presented on Cuban television up until that time.

CENESEX, under the leadership of its director, Mariela Castro Espín, has also organized an annual cultural celebration in May in observance of the "International Day Against Homophobia" which has brought actors, directors, artists and performers to celebrate LGBT culture.

Last year, in its 3rd year, the event drew some international attention for showcasing Gus Van Sandt's "Milk" and Castro Espín's open invite to American actor Sean Penn to attend the film's showing.  Sean Penn said he was otherwise occupied at the time but promised to show up at a later date.

Castro Espín also happens to be the daughter of Raúl Castro, the current Cuban president.

NOTE: Most of Latin America catch subtitled episodes of "Glee" a few weeks after they air on U.S. television on multi-national cable networks that license the rights to rebroadcast the show outside the country.  A few unlucky viewers catch dubbed versions of "Glee" (instead of the subtitled versions).

I'm not sure if the version being aired in Cuba is a subtitled version or a dubbed version. The clip above is from Mexico's Azteca TV network.

Previously:

• Cuba goes both ways on gay rights (Jan. 22, 2011)
• Fidel Castro on persecution against gays in Cuba: "If someone is responsible. it's me" (Aug. 31, 2010)
• Mariela Castro says Cuba did not shut down first gay pride march (July 8, 2008)

Argentina: Alejandro tells his "Big Brother" housemates he is a trans man

• UPDATE: Trans man Alejandro is voted out of the "Big Brother" house (March 24, 2011)

This is turning into one of my favorite stories of the year and we are only halfway into January.

On December 16th I wrote about the shocking twist that greeted viewers of the new season of "Big Brother" in Argentina: One of the houseguests, whose identity was kept secret until the airing of the first show of the season, is a transgender man.

On the debut episode, producers shared Alejandro Iglesias' revealing casting tape with the viewers but other houseguests had yet to find out. Amazingly, Alejandro quickly became the viewers' favorite contestant, even if some media observers thought he'd be the first guest to be booted out of the show.

The main reason why some predicted Alejandro would be the first to go was that he initially came off as being shy and off-standish, particularly among the other male participants of of the house. But many of those other participants proved to be insufferable showoffs - which meant that two other houseguests were the first ones to be let go in the twenty or so days since the season began.

In the meantime, Alejandro has not been shy about sharing his true identity with others.

In the casting tape he said that the reason he wanted to join the show was to have the chance to win the prize money so he can afford to pay for an expensive gender-reassignment surgery. He also said he would not have a problem telling others about it as long as he came to trust others in the house.

In this video clip, which I've posted on YouTube, you can see Alejandro share his true identity with several people in the house, including his main confidante, Luz, who revealed early on that she was a lesbian.

Ariana, who was the second participant to get booted out of the show, says she had no idea Alejandro was a trans man.

Alejandro's participation in the Argentinean version of "Big Brother" is probably as visible a forum as there ever has been for trans issues in Latin America and I have a feeling that the positive impact will long outlive the negatives.

Related:

• Big Brother producers reveal transman identity of contestant (Joe.My.God.)
• Big Latin Brother (Stillettos and Sneakers)
• Trans in Argentina (Genderkid)
  

Previously:

• Argentina: Alejandro Iglesias shocks the viewers of "Big Brother 2011"
• Peru: Transgender advocates wash blood off Peruvian flag
• Ecuador: In a busy street, free 'makeovers' to make you look like the opposite gender
• Peru: News cameras capture inhuman beating, stripping and humiliation of transgender street worker
• Colombia: Court rules former paramilitary member can dress as a woman while imprisoned
• United States: Latino becomes first openly transgender person to serve as a DC legislative staff member
• Argentina: Court allows transgender woman to legally change name w/out requiring gender reassignment surgery
• Chile: Transgender character erased from Chilean version of Argentinean soap opera
• Colombia: Transgender TV diva

Sickening

Last week, some anonymous person sent me a number of low-quality clips from a television show called "José Luis Sin Censura".

The show, which thankfully I've never seen in my life, is apparently broadcast in some of the major US television Latino markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.

Think of a smuttier "The Jerry Springer Show" with no concern shown for FCC fines, particularly in their demeaning portrayal of gays, lesbians, women and transgender folk.

I have compiled the six or seven clips I was sent and uploaded them as a single clip on YouTube.  I believe the clips come from two separate shows...



Looking for additional info online, I was happy to see that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was already on the case.  An excerpt from their June 18th statement:

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) asks you to join calls for the reality talk show José Luis Sin Censura to immediately stop using defamatory terms and apologize to viewers. The terms “maricón” and “puñal,” which in English translate to “fa**ot” were chanted by audience members on the June 8 segment of the program. The same pattern occurred on the June 10 segment of the show, when audience members chanted “puto,” a word that also means “fa**ot” in many Spanish-speaking countries.
GLAAD reached out to executives of the company that produces José Luis Sin Censura to express our concerns, but the company has not responded.  The show is produced and distributed by Burbank, CA-based LBI, Liberman Broadcasting Inc. José Luis Sin Censura airs daily on Estrella TV in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Houston and other large Latino markets. By one estimate, Estrella TV reaches about 70% of the nation’s Latino households and millions of Latinos nationwide.
The show’s format pits guests against one another in combative situations. This often leads to violence, which audience members are encouraged to cheer and sends a message that violence against LGBT people is okay.

They urge people to take action NOW and express their outrage.

I was also glad and not surprised to see that the amazing Jeremy Hooper of Good As You was on the case as well. He's got additional damning footage of the show on his blog.

Fuck you, AIDS

The Summit International Awards, an international agency based in Portland which recognizes "companies and individuals that produce outstanding marketing, advertising, design and interactive communications" has just announced their 2010 roster of Summit Creative Awards winners and, among them, is two mentions for an HIV prevention campaign developed by the Coordinadora Gai Lesbiana de Catalunya (CGL) from Spain.

Dos Manzanas reports that the awards are seen as the Oscars of the advertising world. They also reached out to Antonio Guirado, Coordinator of the CGL, who said:

It is an unexpected honor to have received this double award, in competition with designs from 24 countries from the whole worlf and authors of great stature.  We dedicate this double award to all the volunteers who fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as those who have been taken by this illness.

The advertising agency who designed the print and video campaign is Barcelona's Suigeneris.  The video posted below begins with the words:

To you, who has fucked us during so many years, who CRUSH us all, young people, older people, women, men, heterosexuals and homosexuals.  To you, ABOMINABLE being... we say...

You'll probably get the rest...

NYC officials ask FCC to investigate homophobic remarks on Puerto Rican television

Six New York City officials, including all four current openly gay city councilmembers, have just released a letter expressing their full support for claims filed before the Federal Communications Commission asking the federal agency to look into homophobic language used on Puerto Rican television.  They are Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, and openly gay councilmembers Christine Quinn, Rosie Mendez, Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer.

The specific show at the center of the complaints is a variety show called "Super Xclusivo" and, while it is produced and aired in Puerto Rico for a Puerto Rican audience, it is also broadcast for thousands of viewers throughout the United States on WAPA America.

Immediately after Puerto Rican music idol Ricky Martin came out, Héctor Travieso, the host of the show who uses a puppet as a bantering partner, repeatedly used the word "pato" (fag) to refer to the singer.  When viewers, including Puerto Rican LGBT rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano, complained, he only upped the ante and defended his usage of the word arguing that there was nothing bad in calling someone a "pato".

The furor elicited by his comments, and by references he later made against Serrano's HIV status and sexuality (I will probably write a follow up post about those comments in the near future) has kept the confrontation between Travieso and Serrano in the island newspapers' front pages.

Travieso, who also was the host of a radio show, announced on Thursday that he would retire from that spot.  He also extended a semi-apology to Serrano and the LGBT community in an interview that ran yesterday on Primera Hora. No, he did not apologize for using the word "pato".  He only apologized for referring to the LGBT community as "gentuza" (which could be translated as 'riffraff', 'trashy people' or 'worthless people').

"I accept his apologies, but those apologies have to come accompanied by a change in his behavior," said Serrano to the paper, "He has to stop the homophobic conduct and stop making fun of the gay community."

To date, Travieso continues to host "Super Xclusivo" but Serrano says that since Thursday, when the show host withdrew from the radio show, he has also stopped using the word "pato" or done any homophobic skits on television.

This is not the first time that the four openly gay New York City councilmembers have stood up for the LGBT community in Puerto Rico. On January 9th, the four traveled, along with Serrano, to meet with and show support for the family of Jorge Steven López Mercado, the young gay man who was brutally murdered lat year.

An aside: In addition to the New York City officials, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has also been very active on this case putting out a statement on April 7th and launching an action alert on April 9, 2010.

And I have to say that, as caustic as he can be sometimes, blogger NG has followed the case as closely as any blogger out there.

Related: 

• Pedro Julio Serrano's Spanish-language blog here
• My past posts referring to the amazing work of Pedro Julio here

Here is the full text of the city official's letter to the FCC....

April 13, 2010

Hon. Julius Genachowski

Chairman

Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St. , SW
Washington , DC 20554

Dear Mr. Genachowski,

We are writing with respect to the ongoing use of troubling, anti-gay language on the Puerto Rican television show Super Xclusivo on WAPA América. Consumer complaints have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and we respectfully ask that you investigate these complaints thoroughly and swiftly.

Most recently, during the April 5, 6 and 7 segments of the show discussing the coming out of singer Ricky Martin, the term “pato” was used repeatedly in a defamatory and profane manner. After viewer complaints, the show’s hosts increased their use of the word. The use of such derogatory language helps to foster bigotry which can lead to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. It must be made clear that these pejorative terms are harmful and unacceptable and should not be on the airwaves.

While we respect freedom of speech, using anti-gay language in this context crosses the line and puts the public welfare at risk. New York and Puerto Rico have both been affected by a number of high-profile hate crimes in recent months. It is imperative to stand up against language that can contribute to bigotry.

Thank you for your work to ensure that our airwaves are free of hate speech.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn, Speaker
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez
Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member
Rosie Méndez, Council Member
Daniel Dromm, Council Member
Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member

Cristian Sancho in Romeo magazine

An update of sorts to yesterday's post about the gay storyline in the Argentinian television soap opera "Botineras". In the soap, 34 year old Cristian Sancho plays El "Flaco" Riveiro, a soccer star having a torrid extra-marital affair with one of his teammates.  From what I have read about the soap, when it began airing in November, it was a somewhat comedic take focused on the plight of a group of women in relationships with soccer players (an Argentinian version of the British hit "The Footballers' Wives", it sounds like). But, as the show has continued, it has taken a darker turn with a murder mystery thrown in and the storyline about the nascent relationship between the male soccer players.

As you read yesterday, Sancho has said that he is glad to have been given the opportunity to play El "Flaco" and calls it the role of a lifetime. Married to a woman, he also is not shy about a former underwear modeling career. And, last December, when "Botineras" was just starting, he wasn't shy either about posing for an Argentinian gay pin-up magazine called Romeo.

Interestingly, back in January an actual Argentinian soccer player - Jesús Datolo - was reprimanded by the Italian soccer team he played for - for posing for an edition of the same magazine.

In any case, I'm not sure the editors of Romeo had any idea that Sancho's character in "Botineras" was about to begin a gay affair but I am sure they were more than glad when he said 'yes' to posing for the magazine.

Here is a clip of the Romeo photo shoot. And, no, I don't know where to get an actual copy of the magazine...

Argentina: Soccer players in love

Back in March there was a bit of a media sensation in Argentina when an actor who plays a star soccer player in a television soap opera called "Botineras" kissed another actor playing the role of an up-and-coming player. The kiss shocked viewers because both characters had been established as being romantically involved with women (the first with a wife and the second with a girlfriend) and because it came at the end of a scene in which the soccer star was consoling the teammate over an unrelated plot line. Watch...



You can also watch the two immediate follow-up scenes here and here (it's worth it, if you have the time - English language subtitles courtesy of BlackAngel82).

The kiss made the rounds of local media and was welcomed by local LGBT rights organizations.  It has also made "Botineras" the top rated television soap opera in Argentina at the moment.

Cristian Sancho, the 34 year old actor who plays soccer idol El "Flaco" Riveiro (top man above, pun somewhat intended), is a former underwear male model and married to a woman in real life. He says it was the first time he had ever kissed a man but felt the pressure to make the scene as realistic as possible because he knew the LGBT community would complain about it otherwise.

In an interview published in Clarin on March 31st, he said he was proud of the role and the willingness of the producers to break the mold.

"What's good is there is no fear of taboos. Homosexuality in soccer is a topic that stems from years ago," he says, "there are tales of players that were as such and we all know certain myths."

Sancho says he believes that gay soccer players fear coming out because of what might happen to them professionally and the potential reaction of soccer fans with their ingrained machismo.

As to whether the character of El "Flaco" is gay or bisexual, Sancho has this to say:

He is [currently] in the bi-polarity of not knowing how to distinguish what he wants. What he loves the most in his life is his family and he could not be able to live without them.  He lives in a machista world, and, indeed, he is machista. He believes his wife should take care of him.  There is love for her, but a fraternal love. He sees her as a mother-figure.  When I developed the character, I began from the basis that he is a man. I did not go with the stereotype of an effeminate gay. I wanted to have respect for the gay community, which is very demanding when it comes down to it.

But wait! That's not all! Remember all the bru-ha-ha in December over the first ever gay sex scene on a US television soap opera? Well, you can watch that darkly-lit, candle-decorated, gauzy-lensed snooze-fest from "One Life to Live" by clicking here.

Now compare: Something must have happened on "Botineras" during the past month because Lalo, as played by Ezequiel Castaño, seems to have gotten over his initial rejection of the advances by El "Flaco".  Here is the first sex scene between the two of them as aired Friday night on Argentinian television. It might show way more flesh than any of the US soap operas might show but, even taking away the nudity, THIS is how a TV soap should handle a sex scene between two leading men [Original source: AG Magazine].



Extra points: A Twitter friend tells me that the music playing in this clip is from Sigur Rós. And, indeed, it is! ("All Right").  And any TV soap that uses Sigur Rós for a pivotal love scene must be the best. soap. ever!  I thought I'd let you know.


Just beautiful...

The Amazing Race - Latin America

It's no secret that one of my favorite shows on television is "The Amazing Race". From production values, to the challenges that it sets up for the contestants, to the often stunning images of countries around the word, producers seem to want to truly entertain and not just to titillate. Sure, contestants are pushed into stressful situations and drama often arises from inter-personal relations, but that is not the one and only focus of the show. It was no big surprise that the show won it's 6th Emmy in a row last night for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program".

The brand new US season begins a week from now on Sunday the 27th on CBS. And, as in past years, there will be a couple of gay contestants which happen to also be brothers: Meet Sam and Dan.

That's not a big surprise anymore. Nowadays every reality show seems to have a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender contestant. MTV's pioneering "The Real World", for example, often uses a contestant's queer sexual identity to create maximum drama. Sometimes it's all good in that it promotes visibility but, most times, in shows like "Tila Tequila", it just becomes exploitation.

Not surprisingly other countries have copied the rule-book almost page by page. I can't begin to count the dozens, maybe hundreds. of gays that have gone through some season of "Big Brother - Mexico" or "Big Brother - Spain" (although I must say that it's interesting that in the current Spanish season, one of the contestants is a female to male transgender woman).

Which brings me to the first ever season of "The Amazing Race - Latin America". I was soooo looking forward to watch it. It would have been double the fun on Sunday nights: First, the US version followed by the Latin American version. I was so disappointed when I tuned in to Discovery in Spanish to find out that the show apparently will not be broadcast in the US. Boo! It would have been great to see contestants travel all over Central and Latin America as they completed each leg of the race.

And yes, having a gay contestant doesn't make or break a show, but what intrigued me the most was that one of the teams in the Latin American version is a gay couple from Bogotá, Colombia (Diego and Miguel Angel, pictured above).

AG Magazine, from Argentina, profiles them here, and discovered a promo for the show on YouTube. I hope the episodes run on Discovery in Spanish eventually.

UPDATE: Discovery Español is apparently streaming each week's show online at this link.

UPDATE 2: Seems that that's no longer the case. If you click on the link, a message appears saying that access to the video is not available for this region.

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

Chile: Actor detained for sex with minors, claims discrimination (UPDATED)

[UPDATE: Didier van den Hoven was released from detainment by police on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, pending an investigation. Accusations that the actor had sexual contact with a second minor were withdrawn - More information below]

A Belgian-born actor who resides in Colombia and has been a cast member in three of the most-watched Spanish-language television soap operas in the Unites States in the last few years ("La Tormenta," "Pasion de Gavilanes," and, most recently, "El Zorro"), was detained Friday in Chile on charges that he engaged in sexual relations with two underage males.

42 year old Didier van den Hove, who was on vacation in the southern city of Puerto Natales, was arrested at the Índigo Hotel - where he had arranged to meet the two teens - and was accused of "carnal access to a minor between 14 and 18 years of age" - which carries a prison sentence of up to three years.

In an interview with van den Hove's lawyer Hermann Klasen published today in El Magallanes, he says that the actor is at peace with the knowledge that his television career is over but hopes that he will still be able to act in the big screen ("'My career in television is finished', the actor confessed to his lawyer"). His main concern, the lawyer says, is the impact of the scandal on his 9 year old son.

Klasen also tells the paper that the actor considers that the charges and the media coverage has been exaggerated as much as there was consent between all parties and that homosexuality is not prohibited in Chile. The actor, his lawyer says, also feels offended that he was taken out of court in hand-cuffs and with a yellow jacket that read "Charged."

Klasen said that van den Hoven has denied any interest in child pornography and that he hopes to be set free after a court hearing being held this evening.

La Nacion reports today that both teens were 17 years of age and that van den Hoven considered one of them to be his boyfriend ("Detained actor of 'El Zorro' plays his luck in Natales").

La Nacion Dominicana also reports today that the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MoVILH), a national Chilean LGBT-rights organization, is backing van den Hoven ("Homosexual group protests detention of Colombian actor in Chile") pointing out that the national age of consent for heterosexual partners is 14 years of age while that of homosexual partners is 18 which MoVIHL says is discrimination.

In a Telemundo online chat from 2005, van den Hove was asked by fans if he was married and he replied that he had never married but did have a son.

Update (July 29, 2008): Today's El Magallanes reports that van den Hover was released from detention yesterday on his own recognizance and ordered to stay in Puerto Natales ("Belgian-Colombian actor regains liberty, but was left charged").

The actor was accused of having sexual relations with a minor under 18 years of age and of possessing "pornographic materials" depicting minors but only charged with the latter charge (no mention of previous reports that van den Hove had sexual relations with a second minor). He will have to remain in Chile for a period of two months while the fiscal office conducts an investigation.

The court stated that a computer had been confiscated from the accused and that they will be looking to see if it contains pornographic images involving minors or indications that the actor had paid for sex an accusation that the actor's lawyer completely denied.

van den Hove, when given an opportunity to respond to these charges told the court that "When we speak of underage pornographic material, we have to be very explicit on those points, there are many photos of myself as an adolescent and of my son, my brother, even photos of when I was a baby."

He also told the court that it was absolutely false that he had paid money for sex and that he was astounded by the accusation. "At no point am I denying my sexual condition,' he said, "but I would like you to be more explicit [on the charges]."

Outside the court, the actor standing next to his lawyer, told reporters that he had carried a six-month relationship with the minor and that they had met through a friend in common and said that he didn't consider that their relationship was a crime.

"To moralize about sexuality is such a complex subject," he said," "I have to laugh a little because we know nothing about the issue, science has not set the last word; If we speak about sexuality how much do we know to be able to legislate about it, what is good and what is bad? One thing is clear to me and this is that abuse is wrong. Laws about sexual crimes are very delicate."

In the meantime, in an article published yesterday in Diario Electronico de La Patagonia after the ruling ("MoVILH denounces the case of the actor before the UN"), an unnamed representative from MoVILH is quoted as saying that the law is the law and that charges will be imposed whether tey like it or not but that they are concerned that the court has also called for the two-month investigation based on mere suspicions that the relationship between the actor and the 17 year old indicates an interest in paedophilia. They also highlight that the court recognized that there was no other sexual contact between the actor and a second minor, as previous reports had specuilated.

MoVILH also reminded reporters of the 2000 wedding between Chilean tennis player Marcelo Ríos and Giuliana Sotela, noting that he had been 23 years of age while she had been 15 years of age.

"No one suspected in this case, and in so many others, that Ríos had any links to paedophilia or with underage pornographic material," MoVILH stated, "On the contrary, the union was celebrated nation wide."

They said that they would bring the discriminatory age of consent law before the United Nations tribunal.