Party for the Rights

Bromosexuales dentro del armario

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:32:00 +0000

Escribe el magistrado De Domingo Martínez en La Opinión de Murcia acerca de fútbol y conceptos vertidos, según él, en la radiofonía de la madrugada post-clásico:

…volví a escuchar la radio, y descubrí un nuevo concepto que ignoraba, el de 'bromosexual', que los comentaristas lo aplicaban presuntamente a tres jugadores del Madrid.

Luego “divaga” y concluye que:

Se trata de un subgrupo de los homosexuales. Es un varón abiertamente gay, tomado frecuentemente por heterosexual entre la gente de su entorno. Es decir, aquella persona del sexo masculino que tiene rasgos y comportamiento de heterosexual, y que sin embargo es gay. O lo que es igual, que aún no ha salido del armario. Cosa que me parece muy bien, pues hasta ahí podíamos llegar.

Y aquí es donde hay algo que chirría. Perdone su señoría, pero un varón abiertamente gay ha tenido que, sí o sí, salir del armario. Y no, no es una persona del sexo masculino que tiene “rasgos y comportamiento de heterosexual”. No hay “rasgos y comportamiento de heterosexual”, queridos míos, ni tampoco hay “rasgos y comportamiento de homosexual”. Es decir, más allá del comportamiento sexual que tan queda definido por los prefijos “hetero-“ (diferente) u “homo-“ (igual). El resto son falacias, poses y máscaras. Osos hay (habemos) que disfrutamos sin fin con un buen partido de fútbol en el bar, regado con cerveza (particularmente yo, Estrella de Galicia, y este post no está patrocinado, aviso), y respetables padres de familia que se mueven con más plumas que las que en su día guardó el Baúl de la Piquer. En Chueca.com van a definir la “bromosexualidad” con un “¿Se puede ser abiertamente homosexual y pasar por hetero?”

Y claro que sí, en ese sentido somos muchos “bromosexuales” los que andamos por el mundo, entre otras cosas porque no solemos llevar sombra de ojos arco-iris, ni al salir del armario firmamos un compromiso que nos obligue a ponernos un pin que diga “Soy Gay” en la solapa, ni a anteponer la palabra “homosexual” a nuestro nombre: “Hola, ¿qué tal estás? Encantado de conocerte, me llamo Andrea” “Igualmente, yo soy Juan y soy gay”.

Otro asunto, que personalmente me preocupa mucho más, es el de en qué términos y en qué radio andaban “los comentaristas” hablando de bromosexuales del Madrid. Aunque, sabiendo que el mayor misterio de las retransmisiones deportivas es que el comentarista de televisión casi siempre se limita a describir lo que vemos, mientras que el comentarista de radio anuncia todo lo anunciable y se despreocupa de lo que ocurre en el terreno de juego hasta que suena el “gooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllll”… y es que, algún comentarista de según que radio, puede llamarte “cabrón hijoputa” como apelativo cariñoso. Donde no hay modales, qué vas a esperar.

Y sí, suena raro ver así un post en español en el blog este después de tanto tiempo, pero ya avisé hace unas semanas que lo mismo me ponía a hacer lo que me diera la gana un poco. Saludos.

Astronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:24:00 +0000

Homophobos is the name of the moon eternally orbiting planet Religion.

Etiquetas de Technorati: Religion,Quotes

Informed Comment: The Great Reagan Pyramid Scheme Comes Crashing Down

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Says Juan Cole in his Informed Comment:

The Republican Party that Nixon invented melded the moneyed classes of the Northeast with the white evangelicals of the South. This odd couple went on to simultaneously steal from and oppress the rest of us. The moneyed classes were happy to let the New Puritans impose their stringent morality, since they could always just buy any licentiousness they wanted, regardless of the law. And the New Puritans were so consumed with cultural issues such as homosexuality, abortion, school prayer and (yes) fighting school desegregation that they were happy to let the northeastern Money Men waltz off with a lion's share of the country's resources, consigning most Americans to stagnant wages and increasing debt. The Reagan revolution consolidated this alliance and brought some conservative Catholic workers into it. These domestic policies at home were complemented by wars and belligerence abroad, which further took the eye of the public off the epochal bank robbery being conducted by the American neo-Medicis, and which were a useful way of throwing billions in government tax revenue to the military-industrial complex, which in turn funded the think tanks and reelection campaigns of the right wing politicians. The Reagan fascination with private armies and funding anti-communist death squads contributed mightily to the creation of al-Qaeda, blowback from which fuelled even bigger Pentagon budgets, spiralling upward and feeding on itself. Terrorism is much better than Communism as a bogey man, since you can just intimate that there are a handful of dangerous people out there somewhere, and force the public to pay over $1 trillion to combat them. In fact, of course, less US interventionism abroad would create less blowback, and genuine threats are better addressed through good police work by multilingual FBI agents than by a $700 billion Pentagon budget. As a result of the Second Gilded Age and its serf-like subservience to big capital, most corporations in the US don't pay any income taxes, despite doing $2.5 trillion annually in business. The Reagan Revolution included the stupid idea that you can cut taxes, starve government, abolish regulation of securities, banks, & etc., and still grow the economy. The irony is that capitalist markets need to be regulated to avoid periodically becoming chaotic (as in 'chaos theory,') but the people who most benefit from regulation are most zealous in attempting to abolish or blunt it. What those policies did was create the preconditions for a long-term bubble or set of bubbles that benefited (for a while) the wealthiest 3 million Americans and harmed everyone else. The average wage of the average worker is lower now than in 1973 and has been lower or flat for the past 35 years. That's the condition of the 300 million or so Americans. In the meantime, the top 1 percent has multiplied its wealth many times over and now takes home 20% of the national income, owning some 45 percent of the privately held wealth in the US. The Right keeps promising us growth, but it turns out that "growth" is mainly for them, i.e. for the 3 million (and indeed mainly for about 100,000 within the 3 million). Those 3 million are a new aristocracy, lords of the economy, who reward each other with tens of millions in bonuses for ceremonial reasons that have nothing to do with the jobs they actually perform. Bush has been trying to make them a hereditary aristocracy by getting rid of the estate tax. That is why banks are refusing the government bailout if it restricts the salaries of the top officers-- you don't mess with the feudal lord's prerogatives. The enormous wealth of a thin sliver or people at the top of US society allows them to buy members of congress and to write the legislation that regulates their industries. Congress capitulates to this 'regulatory capture' because its members have to buy hugely expensive television ads to remain competitive in elections. So they fundraise from the rich, and the rich have expectations (as Keating did of McCain). These problems could be fixed with a graduated income tax and a closing of tax loopholes ( after we get out of the recession or crash or whatever this is); by legislation criminalizing regulatory capture; by requiring mass media to run political ads for free as a public service (the public owns the airwaves); and by much shortening the election season (please).

Maybe it's time for Americans to start thinking that the Religious Right, all those New Puritans, are only after power to seek their own agenda, not a gay agenda but their own rising of Armageddon, in their own words, making The Rapture come. And, serious as they are, they're on the way to bomb the earth.

Informed Comment: The Great Reagan Pyramid Scheme Comes Crashing Down

Globalize This!

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:56:00 +0000

Do you think it's worth of opening your feed reader to awake at words like these: "Uganda's controversial ethics and integrity minister who last month called for the wearing of miniskirts to be made illegal said Saturday he believed civilization was being threatened by gays."?

Wait a minute, apart of the miniskirt thingy, where else have one heard about homosexuality being such a civilization threat? Oh, yes, of course!

This guy James Nsaba Buturo went on adding misconceptions over misconceptions such as that of "globalization of homosexuality". Well, signor James, sorry to disappoint you, but there's no such a thing. What happens is that we're living in the 21st century, dear. There's been homosexuality in Uganda for ages. The problem now, for people like you especially, is that globalization in its best aspects such as the Internet, with its quick spread of news, gossips and MySpaces or Facebooks make easier for Ugandan homosexuals to connect and know they're the a rare species of monster you want them to believe they are. Information is the key, and they can surf the web to find out that they are just normal people, that there are places in this world where people with their same feelings are treated with respect, like human beings. And the same happens with homosexuals worldwide: Ugandans, Kuwaitis, Pakistanis, Indians, Saudis, Moroccans and Americans.

But of course, narrow minded people will always rise up to demand a stupid solution to a problem that only exists in their minds. Hey, forbid miniskirts because there are weak minded people and it can cause accidents. It's not the miniskirt, stupid: it's the weakness of your mind. And you're the real accident.

Wall Street and Testosterone.

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:50:00 +0000

If yesterday the solution to financial crisis seemed to be placing a ban on all ungodly behaviors and manners of the world, and instead of a bailout Wall Street needed more Bibles, today we woke up with the announcement that higher levels of testosterone lead to riskier investments. Once again, science proves to divorce from religion.

Forget the Bailout, or How to Really Deal with Financial Crisis.

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Via Gay News Blog, this week's tidbit of hilarious humor: Reputed Financial Advisor Michael Heath proposes the following measures to deal with financial crisis:

Heath goes on to list policy changes that would make God “crack a smile,” including: End abortion rights and defund non-profit groups supporting it, amend state constitutions to ban gay marriage and eliminate domestic partnerships and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, and end discrimination against private religious schools and homeschools.

Definitely, why spend so many billions and zillions when you've got the solution at hand? Open the bible instead of touching the interest rate.

Abdellah Taïa interviewed

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Today's online number of Publico presents an interview with Abdellah Taïa, Moroccan writer born in Sale in 1973, and the first one in coming out of the closet via Tel Quel magazine in January 2006. Abdellah has been pictured in Tel Quel's front page. Over his picture there was an only word: "Homosexual".

The interview, in Spanish language, describes briefly his coming out process, his family feelings and an overview of Morocco in regards to homosexuality. Some excerpts:

What about your family?

They thought I couldn't be a good Muslim, but they didn't reject me totally. They feared about me, my personal safety. My younger brother couldn't go out to the street. [...] When I came back home, my mother cooked a lot for me. It was so tender, but also a way of not speaking about my sexual condition. Morocco is in the stage of denial of homosexuality: we don't want to name it since naming it means recognize its existence.

Homosexuality is present in Moroccan popular culture.

Sure; those men in women disguise in Jmaa el Fnaa (Marrakech) and nothing happens; there's been a wide tolerance, traditionally. Privately, Moroccans are a very free people. The problem is society's control. [...] Even the Islamist party will tell you "You can be homosexual, but you can't show it". There's no problem as long as you hide, however, there'll be some point in which you'll be socially compelled to get married.

Are you optimistic about Morocco's future?

Sometimes I am: nowadays, newspapers are criticizing the King, but there's an economical impasse. For many Moroccans, there's a daily struggle to find food for today. You can't achieve sexual freedom when you live in such conditions.

For those of you able to read Spanish, here's the link to the full text.

I now pronounce you husband and SUV

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:14:00 +0000

We bears (and gays) have been hearing fundamentalist Christians arguing against gay marriage for a while. One of the reasons they usually point out is that "marriage can only take place between a man and a woman" and if we allow other genres to marry, such would lead to a weird what's next, as in "humans marrying their pets" et al. Another feature of born again Christians, like president George W. Bush, is their abhorrence of alcoholic beverages.

Well, I have eventually found the proof that they are really right in their appreciations. See what a combination of liquor and free marriage can lead to:

Couching on Bears.

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Yes, we're somehow back after some months of silence, there's gonna be major changes in this blog and there'll be people who'll take the most part of such changes, but before publishing the introductory post, I couldn't help wonder thru this picture of Mrs. Palin. I'm frankly worried not only because of the awful decorative taste she's showing (who would really want such a crab in the lounging room? and what's most important, is that really a crab or does it come from Area 51?) but, mostly, because of the love for bears Sarah shows.

I can't deny, as a gay man and as a pocket bear, that one of my sexual fantasies is having a Bear Couch. And since I didn't get the context of the picture I can't be sure whether she's in love with bears or she just loves to hunt them and make them couch her. Any of the cute bears I know (and I know a few, believe me), would surely cuddle the lady for a while, but I'm not sure we'd love to be shot and made couches in order to have people's asses upon ourselves. We surely choose carefully whose ass we get under.

And y'all, twinks, jocks and all the rest of the Gay Nation, beware. If we bears are intended to turn into couches, what use will you have at the eyes of Mrs. Palin?

Everybody knew

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:34:00 +0000

No breaking news that Michael Stipe came out a few days ago. REM, and Michael, are one of the greatest, and everybody's celebrating this coming out, and cheering, and everybody's full of superb intentions and against homophobia and all that. And REM's new album, Accelerate, is coming out very soon too. Also Alejandro Amenabar came out shortly before the release of his movie The Sea Inside. Then the press talks about Michael and adds to the album promotion which adds to the coming out etc. We knew you were gay, Michael, and we all know that homophobia is a crime, and we all know that knives cut. It's only we still don't know how to take their edges off, seen?

Gaytanamo

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:42:00 +0000

Sally Kern (left picture), an Oklahoma State Rep., warned her constituents that gays are taking over and have become more dangerous to the American way of life than terrorists. The lawmaker made the remarks in a speech to a small gathering but did not know they were being recorded.

On Monday, Kern said her comments were edited and taken out of context. Kern said they were directed at wealthy, politically active homosexuals who are contributing money to gay and lesbian candidates for public office in Oklahoma and other states.

“I was talking about an agenda. I was not talking about individuals,” said Kern, the wife of a Baptist minister. “They have the right to choose that lifestyle. They do not have the right to force it down our throat."

I'm not sure that anybody would want to force anything down Sally's throat, apart of her Baptist minister husband (but that would also be against the Biblical mandate of procreation, therefore a sin), but I'm deeply sorry to hear that Mrs. Kern didn't follow up her own advice and try advocating some sort of Gaytanamo, one where homosexuals could be kept for years without any other charge than being presumed enemies to the American Way of Life.

In any case, Sally Kern spoke about a "Gay Agenda" which is not clear to exist, according to Randy Thomas, VP of Exodus International, quoted at Ex-Gay Watch to have said that "I do not believe there is an American-wide gay conspiracy that is played up in by Coral Ridge and some other conservative Christian organizations to generate fear."

In the meantime, while homosexuals are being accused of destroying kids, in the Philippines province of Bulacan, five people were nailed to wooden crosses, including a 15-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl. This wasn't the result of mob angriness, but a mixture of religious Catholic devotion and tourism attraction, taking place in the archipelago since decades, with the blessings of the Catholic hierarchy of course, who never forbid any of such bloody displays.

It's unclear whether a world where homosexuals be kept inside Gaytanamos and teens nailed to wood crosses would be better than the one we live right now.

The Spanish Larry Craig

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Though "Larry Craig" wouldn't define well this Spanish politician and Tax Office clerk. Javier Rodrigo de Santos, formerly vice major in Palma de Mallorca, spent the amount of 50,804 Euro in gay relax services, disguised as "Public Relations Consulting" from the public budget of Palma Townhall. It couldn't be otherwise, the man is known to have refused to celebrate homosexual marriages while in office (objecting to those because of moral issues), though celebrated the Pope's visit to Valencia in 2006 and stands as an ultra Catholic. Ethics and morals, of course. Full information, in Spanish, in El Pais.

And elections in Spain...

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:42:00 +0000

As most of you have already read in the news, Spain's election has been won by the Socialists. Headlines such as "Pro-gay Zapatero defeats conservatives" and the like appeared in most gay media. However, the Socialist party is not pro-gay, just pro-equality. My two cents (of Euro).

Everyday life best argument for gay marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:39:00 +0000

A really interesting analysis on the SF Gate by C W Nevius, on how homosexual marriage will become accepted as normal. Here's the full text, which I mostly agree with.

When defenders of the "sacred union of marriage" held a news conference last Tuesday after oral arguments on same-sex marriage at the state Supreme Court, they weren't facing a friendly crowd.

A small group of activists tried to drown out the comments with songs, chants and heckling. I'm sure they thought they were carrying the banner of freedom, standing up for principle and advancing the cause.

They're wrong.

At the end of the day, when the change comes to allow same-sex marriage - and it's coming, don't kid yourself - it won't be because of protests. It will be because people in this state, and across the country, are talking to gay and lesbian co-workers and neighbors, meeting same-sex couples and their kids at Little League games, and working at companies with domestic-partner health plans.

"It is the normal interaction in everyday life," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who is leading San Francisco's legal effort along with attorneys for 23 same-sex couples. "It is the guy at the water cooler at work, seeing them with their kids - that's what drives it home for people."

It is that familiarity driving the change in perception. Polls tell us that those born before 1940 are probably a lost cause. But those in their 40s, for example, have seen a dramatic uptick in support for same-sex marriage. And the real sea change is among the teens and twentysomethings who seem to wonder what the fuss is all about.

When our son told us he was gay, he was in high school (he's a junior in college now). I remember hugging him and saying, "Don't worry. It will be fine." What he didn't hear was my inner voice adding, "I hope."

I worried about him having a miserable time at school, harassed by narrow-minded kids and forced to withdraw into a shell. It wasn't without rough moments, of course, but overall, his problems seemed minor.

He played high school sports, was active in school events and ran for student body president. During the election, a Neanderthal jock anonymously posted an incredibly offensive and obscene comment on an Internet site. My wife and daughter saw it and so did much of the student body. Here we go, I thought.

But his friends rallied around him. They took on the jock, identified him and told him to offer an apology. When he did, my son's group quickly accepted it and moved on. He won that election.

Frankly, with a few blips, that's how it has gone. Having a gay son has been a lot less of a big deal than I ever dreamed. And among his fellow students and contemporaries, it seems to be a big shrug.

As Herrera says, the youth mind-set represents an undercurrent of change that is sometimes overlooked.

"If you look at the poll numbers in 2000 for Proposition 22 (reaffirming a 1974 law that said marriage was between a man and a woman) the support was 61 percent," he said. "But those numbers have changed dramatically. And when you look at the younger demographic, it is totally different."

A California Field Poll conducted in March found that those born in the 1970s and '80s support same-sex marriage by 51 and 58 percent, respectively.

The change in values seems to leave the same-sex opponents struggling to find a rational objection to the question posed by one of the justices: "What are the adverse consequences that could occur?"

Randy Thompson, president of the California Coalition for Children and Families, could only offer that banning same-sex marriage would "be a role model for the next generation. What dream do you want children to have, to grow up and marry a nice girl?"

Yep, that's the dream. I suppose many never guessed it would be a girl's dream, too.

The news conferences went on too long for both groups. At the end, a gentleman who represented the group Stand With Children stood at the podium, talking away as TV crews packed up their cameras and microphones.

No one was listening. He was talking to himself - with one exception.

One of the gay and lesbian activists stayed and heckled him. As the crowd dispersed, the two bickered back and forth. It's funny, because while they are arguing, real change is taking place all around them.

HIV and gay in Tunisia: A twin taboo

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:34:00 +0000

By Sonia Ounissi

TUNIS, March 7 (Reuters Life!) - Homosexual men living with HIV/AIDS In the Arab world face a twin taboo, but Karim doesn't look like someone burdened by stigma. Smiling and self-assured, the healthy looking Tunisian says his peace of mind comes from accepting what he cannot change, living in the moment and taking care to present a normal face to the world. The 34-year-old draws the menace from his infection by seeing it as his offspring. "Personally, I accept the illness. I consider the virus my little baby. Together, we make up the same person," he said.

Dressed in jeans and a V-neck pullover, Karim sounds matter-of-act about his condition, but acknowledges that it wasn't always so easy. Karim first learned he had HIV when he returned to his native country from France in 2005. He was infected during an eight-year relationship with a French man. "First, I thought I had flu. But my health kept worsening and analysis showed I had AIDS. A person who was so important to me had infected me," he said.

"I WAS FURIOUS"

"At the beginning, I was furious. I hated everything. But afterwards, I thought that it's better to be hopeful than crying." He decided to face up to the illness, sensing that a positive mental attitude would translate into stronger physical health. Also, he is on anti-retroviral medication. "I'm quite good. My health situation is stable. HIV-positives who can't move or even walk are people who refuse the fact that they're infected with HIV. They suffer because they're in very low spirits and not because of the virus." "I have a principle in my life which says we must make the most of life while we still have its advantages. So, I still enjoy my life. I consider AIDS a flu." He lives with his Tunisian boyfriend, who is uninfected. They have protected sex. "I was sincere. I told him the truth and he accepted. His attitude really moved me," said Karim.

"ENJOY THE MOMENT"

Unlike most Tunisians, Karim refuses to draw up plans for his future, even in the short-term, as he doesn't know when AIDS will bring his life to an end. "I can't do long-term projects. I can't even plan for the summer holidays. I think just about what I can do in the next week and enjoy the moment." HIV/AIDS is a common topic of conversation widely discussed in many Western countries. But it is still an invisible disease in north Africa and many other parts of the world. Karim, one of 1,428 Tunisians who live with HIV, has learnt to keep his status a tightly guarded secret in a society where fear, prejudice and ignorance about the disease prevail.

Seventy new cases are declared per year in the North African country, according to official figures.

HIV-positive people who become known as such are shunned by society. "To live in Tunisia, people infected with HIV have to lie and never say they suffer from AIDS," he said. "I told my boss, because he's French. If I told a Tunisian about that he'd have a cardiac arrest", said Karim.

"I hate the Tunisian way of thinking. They present themselves as open-mind people and cultured. But it's just a mask," he said. "In reality, they still think they can be infected via the air."

(Reuters, reporting by Sonia Ounissi, editing by William Maclean and Paul Casciato)

‘Gay is OK’ in Afghanistan

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:30:00 +0000

When American and British marines started returning from the war in Afghanistan in early 2002, they brought along with them curious stories about Afghanistan’s peasants who put on make-up and consistently followed them around or even sexually abused them. This was a very shocking experience for the soldiers.

- They were more terrifying than the al-Qaeda. One bloke who had painted toenails was offering to paint ours. They go about hand in hand, mincing around the village – a terrified marine, James Fletcher, told the Scotsman upon returning from Afghanistan.

- We were pretty shocked. We discovered from the Afghan soldiers we had with us that a lot of men in this country have the same philosophy as ancient Greeks: ‘a woman for babies, a man for pleasure’ – Fletcher continued recounting his experience.

For every Pashtun there is an Ashna

After the fall of the repressive Taliban regime in which homosexuality, sodomy and generally any kind of relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman were punishable by death, Afghans have finally become free to enjoy homosexual relationships that have been an integral part of their culture for several centuries.

In the city of Kandahar, which is considered the gay capital of Southern Asia, there is an ancient custom among the ethnic Pashtun people. An adult man picks a young boy, a teenager, called an “ashna” and gives him money and presents in turn for sexual favours. This Pashtun tradition is even represented in their poetry, in odes written about the beauty of young “ashnas”. This is a tradition that is present in all facets of society, practiced by the rich and poor alike. The parents of young boys who are sex slaves are usually aware of their sons’ relations with their “sugar daddies”. And although their parents keep this a secret from others, they do not contest the custom. Especially if the Pashtun is rich.

You can see some Afghanistan male couples HERE.

Traditional dancing in women’s clothing

Such a form of prostitution has been quite widespread in recent years due to poverty among teenagers and the strict rules that forbid any contact among singles of the opposite sex. American Fox writes that in 1994 two Afghanistan officers got into a fight over a boy they both took a liking to. The government even had to pass a law forbidding Afghan soldiers from living with their “ashnas”. After the Taliban regime, the Afghanistan Supreme Court ruled homosexuality illegal and sodomy punishable by death. But in reality, nobody will lose their life because of homosexual relations. Rather, they will be given long-term prison sentences or just get away with a fine, which is a very lenient punishment in this Islamic country.

The British wrote about gay love in Kabul as far as a century and a half back, which is proof that homosexuality was pretty widespread even back then. Some gay tourist guides claim that there used to be stores in Kandahar which held pets that were considered gay symbols, quails, for example. There are even customs in which, during wedding ceremonies, entertainers dress up in women’s clothing and dance traditional dances. The local population says that birds fly above the city using only one wing. They use other wing to cover their derrieres. Taliban leader Mullah Omar curried favour with Taliban officers by offering them young boys.

Contact with a woman is taboo; contact with a man is not

There are no organised gay associations in Afghanistan, but contrary to many Western countries, men can freely walk the streets holding hands. This was especially shocking for foreign troops who became fascinating for the Afghan men. Armed and ready to engage in conflicts with Al-Qaeda, the only conflicts the foreign troops had were with local men who only wanted to stroke their hair.

- It was hell. Every village we went into we got a group of men wearing make-up coming up, stroking our hair and cheeks and making kissing noises – 20-year-old Corporal Paul Richard uttered.

One can only speculate about the roots of sodomy and homosexuality in Afghanistan because the fact is that a long-standing tradition is always the result of various factors. Some claim that the main reason for this is the ban of any contact between men and women who are not married, while men constantly spend time together.

Most indigent boys do not even know what a woman’s body looks like until they are married. And marriage is a very expensive endeavour in Afghanistan – the dowry usually consists of several average Afghanistan salaries, which only a few can afford.

Taking into consideration the reports of Western marines, much is forbidden in Afghanistan. But it would not be surprising if in a few years’ time Kandahar throws its first gay parade.

[From Javno]

Ah, those Roman Catholics...

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:03:00 +0000

While the Pope himself praised the anti-homosexual policies undertaken in the United States, the Spanish Episcopal Conference elected a new head yesterday. During the last years, the main Catholic hierarchy body in Spain had been headed by bishop Blazquez of Bilbao, who held conciliatory views on most social aspects of life, including dialogue with non ultra-Catholic groups. However, bishops Rouco of Madrid and Cañizares of Toledo, known in the leftist blogosphere as "the Toños" seem to have succeeded in renewing (in this case re-olding) Catholic views in Spain. The most ultraconservative views both bishops represent have been raised up and now Archbishop Antonio Maria Rouco Varela holds the position of President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. Hopefully, Rouco will be celebrating his designation for a few days so that he won't immediately try to change the sign of the March 9th election in Spain, which he has already tried to influence during a mass demonstration in December 30th, 2007, with the Popular Party, allegedly the second political force in Spain, honeymooning with the Church. As the Financial Times puts it:

Instead of acting as a parliamentary opposition, the PP has tried to impugn constitutionally major initiatives of the Socialists, in an effort to paralyse government. Mariano Rajoy, its lacklustre leader, has failed to emerge from the shadow of José María Aznar, the former prime minister, and has colluded in a hysterical campaign by the Catholic hierarchy that calls into question the legitimacy of the government.

So, as we say around here, "el pescado está vendido". We'll see next monday if homosexuals can keep our rights here in Spain, or we'll have to seek for asylum in a much less Catholic place.

Comedy in theaters and Knesset. And the Peanut Butter Jar.

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:26:00 +0000

After some weeks of watching mostly drama and thriller movies, I was looking for a good comedy this weekend, just to relax from work, also from the political campaign in Spain (which has good points, for instance, as I'm following Spain's politicians I don't have time anymore to follow the candidates in the USA). The only movie I could find in theatres currently, a decent comedy (and I mean "decent" in the sense of "please don't play me another stupid American teen movie") was, of course, Juno. But this is Party for the Rights and Juno is not a comedy about homosexuality, eh? No problem, there's enough comedy worldwide. Would you believe, dear abominable readers, that YOU cause earthquakes "when putting your genitalia where they're not supposed to be put"? That's exactly the collegiate opinion of Schlomo Benizri, who declared in Israel's Knesset, this week, about the measures to be taken on Israel's readiness on earthquakes.

It must have been funny, a committee of lawmakers having experts stating about measures and all that blah blah, and then this guy comes up and says something like, "if you stop passing legislation on how to encourage homosexual activity in the state of Israel, which anyway brings about earthquakes", that's the best measure to be taken in order to prevent victims on earthquakes, and quakes themselves.

If one thinks carefully about the whole thing, it's obvious that religion, ultra-orthodox religion, is always behind such attacks. Those ultra-religious people, fanatics and fundamentalists, are quite similar to little children who aren't able to catch a good sleep without a good tale before switching the lights off. The problem, and I use "problem" here because they move towards creating a problem for us, the problem then, I say, is only that ultra-religious people do believe that their tale is true. Pastors, bishops and preachers in the USA oppose homosexual marriage saying "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". Funny slogan, but it's not Adam and Eve unless you defend Creationism (which is lately labeled as Intelligent Design, as if it was some sort of Italian couch or a masterpiece of Rem Koolhaas). There was no Adam and there was no Eve, there is the Theory of Evolution and that's science. And some people will still go dreaming of Peanut Butter Jars after being read the Bible Fairy Tale before going to sleep.

Ego sum ecclesia

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Mariano Rajoy, the Popular Party candidate, opened last midnight the election campaign in Cadiz, in what he deemed a homage to the Spanish Constitution of 1812. For those not much versed in Constitutional Law, just remind that the article 12th of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 established that the One and Only Religion to be practiced in Spain had to be the Roman Catholic. All others banned. But that was the 19th century, or is it today? Monsignor Rouco must have had several orgasms at Rajoy's words... Oops, bishops don't have orgasms, sorry. It's called "ecstatic ecstasy".

Conversion therapy revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:04:00 +0000

Via Ex-gay watch, the Winnipeg Sun tells the story of an ex-gay minister eventually convicted of sexual assault on one of his patients. Copying from Ex-gay Watch...

A young man is found by family to be sexually attracted to men and coerced through a fear of hell to seek “therapy” to go straight. This is the story that led a young Canadian man to seek out the help of Terrance Lewis, a minister and (former) counselor at Providence College and Seminary.

The man said Lewis started a program of “touch therapy,” which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.
“He said I was to tell no one about it because no one would understand,” the man testified.
During “touch therapy” sessions in Lewis’ car, Lewis asked him to masturbate, the man said. Lewis also admitted to fantasizing about him, the man said.

Many ex-gay therapists have practiced what they call “touch therapy,” including Richard Cohen, who extends this from touching to hugging or even cuddling on the couch. Dr. Chris Austin carried touch too far and was convicted of sexual assault, as was Terrance Lewis in the story above. While certainly not all ex-gay therapists go to this extreme, starting with the premise that sexual orientation should, or even can, be changed has led to unorthodox and at times, illegal “therapy.”

A-ha! So, the much hyped therapies to become ex-gay are only intended to become a closeted gay guy with your personal therapist, eh? Five to seven sessions of touch therapy weekly and you will be able to live a perfectly normal non-gay life. Reminds me to assaults on choirboys, which wouldn't be judged by courts because, in many cases, wouldn't be understood, or be just a matter of the divine, ethics, and moral. Religion, you know. Religion which wants to keep The Only Truth, The Key to Proper Sexual Life, The Authorized Science Guidelines, and The Door to Eternal Salvation. Were I to engage in such conversion therapies, at least I'd choose two or three hot therapists. Ex-gay ministries can call at my door with Jensen Atwood as touch therapist.

Spain pre-election promises, promises, promises...

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:38:00 +0000

With most eyes focused on the American campaign, I've just following, like most Spaniards, the moves of our pre-elections season. Eventually, the Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy disclosed some amount of the changes to bring about on society: contract agreements for immigrants to "behave like Spaniards" and "fulfill the existing laws" (I had never guessed that any person coming to Spain, tourist or permanent settler, had not the obligation to respect and fulfill our laws, and that Spanish behavior might mean they will have to shout and scream in bars for most of the Saturday evening, drive fast and half drunk, and learn how to throw papers and all sorts of other rubbish out of the wastecans when walking the streets); of course, on homosexuality the Party is starting to appear more the wolf they are than the sheep: the first (notice: the first) proposal is to ban homosexual marriages from adoption. It's just a first step, I'm afraid, later on it'll come the banning of homosexual marriage too. But the implications are broader: if homosexual couples can't adopt, it must be because they are not able to raise children correctly, and hence... what will we do when a lesbian couple give birth to a baby? Of course, call the social services and find a suitable home. Preferably traditional, catholic, and conservative.

On other parts of the world, Romania's Senate is trying to amend the Romanian Civil Code on marriage to explicitly forbid same-sex marriages, though that's a move which could bring about some sort of admonition from the European Union. When joining the EU in 2007, Romania had to "recognise same-sex couples registered in other member states". A couple of cases brought before the European High Court could oblige lawmakers to rewrite their homophobic moves.

And just two interesting links to finish: Patrick Chapman makes a brief but interesting critic to the NARTH Journey into Straight, showing that studies of ex-gay organizations are not always trustable, while Ziggy on High posts The Gay Agenda according to the US ultraconservatives.

Social change in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:39:00 +0000

EDGE Los Angeles publishes an interesting article about how Spanish society has evolved since Francisco Franco's death in 1975. Though I might not agree with some of the views of Cotarelo, it's clear that we're living in a much open place than we were under the omnipresent wings of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. However, back in 2004 when, after March 11th Atocha Train Bombings elections were held in March 14th, it was not "centrist votes" which were crucial for the Socialist party to get into power, but the mobilization of the leftist votes. This section of voters seem to be on a sort of laissez faire when it comes to polls, and mobilize only when some sort of political disaster — as could be, for instance, giving power to a party which would fulfill all the Roman Catholic Hierarchy demands — is foreseen. That is what happened in 2004, and if things go like they are going right now, with bishops interfering in the political campaign, it's quite likely that the progressive, leftist electors will vote en masse again.

Bollywood stars on homosexuality

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:18:00 +0000

According to NewKerala.com, via Topix news, an increasing numbers of Indian movie stars are asserting their own position on changing the laws on homosexuality in India. Statements on the issue by some of the most renowned Bollywood stars are:

Lillete Dubey: Of course, the laws pertaining to homosexuality should be revised. They are archaic and inhuman. An individual's sexual preference is a completely private matter. It falls under the realm of the law when there's a public display of obscene behaviour. Any such conduct must be equally punishable for straight and gay persons. If gay behaviour offends publicly, the law has every right to react. Otherwise, we're the largest democracy and sexual freedom is our democratic right.
Celina Jaitley: My closest friends are gay and I wouldn't let anyone hurt them. The laws need drastic change. Homosexuality has existed since the invention of civilisation. Some of our greatest artistes today are gay. At this time of HIV and AIDS, gay rights should be our primary concern. In Britain, they've gay marriages. So why are we stuck with their obsolete laws? They left the country long back! Also science proves homosexuality is genetic.
Randeep Hooda: I've lots of gay friends, both male and female. As long as they respect my heterosexual space, I've no problems with their sexuality. As far as the gay party on Saturday night is concerned, if the partygoers were disrupting the neighbourhood's peace then they deserve to be pulled up. Alternative sexuality must not be an excuse for extra rights and privileges. If you want to be equal then fight it out in life just like any of us.
Manoj Bajpai: Yes, the law should be revised. All citizens have the right to decide how they live their lives.
Rohit Roy: I'm not very clear about gay rights and laws in India. But I must say this sort of raid gets us thinking about the priorities of the police. Shouldn't they crack down on elements dangerous to society rather than gays who just want to live in peace?
Nandana Sen: Yes, absolutely! The laws need a change. No one has the right to invade a peaceful private gathering. It's against our democratic principles to treat homosexuality as crime.
Tanushree Dutta: Oh my god! This is ridiculous. The laws need desperate change. Or maybe homosexuality is legal and the cops don't know about it?
Imtiaz Ali: Of course, the laws need to be revised. An act that is natural to some cannot be illegal in a free democracy.
Riya Sen: Everyone in a democracy should enjoy the freedom to do what he or she likes. I think it is uncivilised to question anyone's sexuality. Invasion of privacy is a bigger crime than any. Not just homosexuality, we need to open up our minds against all kinds of prejudice if we want to really go global.
Amrita Arora: Gays have just the same rights as straight people. I party with them and I find them sensitive and dependable. Why single them out to ridicule? High time people stop being judgemental about how others live their lives.
Vipul Shah: Yes, laws need revision. Nobody has the right to decide for others. It's every individual's birthright to decide his or her sexual preference. And nobody has the right to interfere. Unless they were behaving obscenely, the gay partygoers shouldn't have been raided.
Shefali Shah: I don't see why there should be laws against individuals based on their sexual preferences. It's a free world. People are entitled to make their own choices as long as their choices don't hurt anyone.
Samir Soni: I don't think the laws should vary according to sexual orientation. What is unlawful should remain so regardless of whether you are gay or straight.
Mahesh Bhatt: The state has no business to step into people's bedrooms and question their sexual preferences. It's a matter between two consenting adults.
Neil Nitin Mukesh: It's a sensitive subject that needs careful consideration.

Which reminds me to the fact that, in Spain, we lived our sexuality half in the closet and half openly, but it was only when Boris Izaguirre came out on full display of his queerness in Cronicas Marcianas, a late show which was followed by quite a number of Spaniards, when homosexuality happened to start to be viewed as something between curious and appealing... and that was the beginning of the so many changes we have witnessed in these last ten years.

Gay memorial in Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Because not only Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, gays too, this piece of news is most welcomed:

A multi-media memorial to the thousands of gay men who died in Nazi concentration camps should be ready in a matter of months.

Read the full article in Pink News.

It's February First

noreply@blogger.com (Juan L. Iglesias) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:50:00 +0000

And it seems I can be back to blogging after a (much needed) forced break. In the meantime, the world doesn't seem to have changed a lot in regards to homosexuality and our issues. Churches worldwide continue their crusade against abomination with no less strength than ever. My friend NG sent me a brief note saying that the bishop of Tenerife stepped back his former statements on homosexuality and altar boys; No, it's not true. Bishop keeps as lewd as ever, and you better not be around him if you're below 14 or he'll sue you for asking him for sexual favors. The rest of the Spanish Catholic hierarchy stepped into the political debate (we'll be on election next March 9th) by recommending to vote that party which "will never negotiate a peaceful ending to Basque terrorism, which will abolish abortion and divorce laws, and put an end to the abominable depravation of same sex marriage". Among other points, Archbishop of Madrid asked for Catechism to be re-introduced into the Spanish K12 curricula as compulsory subject, and he's expected to keep asking, as the political campaign go on, to re-introduce Catholic Religion as compulsory for Spaniards, as well as General Francisco Franco to be resuscitated from among the dead, or if such a miracle is not possible via the Vatican, at least to sanctify Franco, his generals, and all participants in the Holy Crusade that was 1936 Spanish Civil War. By March 1st, it's expected that Monsignor Rouco Varela be asking to reintroduce the Holy Inquisition, bonfires for witchcraft practitioners and for all those who can't prove to be Old Christians. By March 9th, it'll be likely that, at least in Spain, the earth to cease moving around the sun, and the latter start moving around the earth, which will become a flat planet.