JMG reader Ray tips us to this hilarious 2006 bit from the London Gay Men's Chorus, which I've somehow missed all these years.
Reposted from Joe
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Via AmericaBlogGay:
"[W]hile Secretary Clinton wants to do the right thing and make a noble statement about people being beaten and tortured for their sexual choices, she invariably and unwittingly propagates many contradictions and posits a familiar strand of American cultural imperialism." -- Jim Downs writing in the Huffington Post about Sec. Clinton's UN address on gay and trans rights
Far be it for me to lead the charge on defending the Obama administration's record on gay rights. But give me a break.
Yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shocked the world by devoting a 30+ minute speech at the United Nations in Geneva exclusively to gay and trans human rights (video and text of the speech). I'm pretty sure it's the first time anyone has ever given such a speech at the UN, and it's certainly the first time an American has, let alone our Secretary of State.
A lot of us were pretty surprised, and pleased, by the speech. But soon I heard from friends who didn't think Hillary's speech was that big a deal. They said they were tired of "words" from the Obama administration, and wanted "action." And generally that's a fair point: A lot of us fell hard for candidate Obama's promise during the 2008 campaign to be a "fierce advocate" for our civil rights, and for at least the first two years of his presidency, his advocacy seemed a lot less fierce than his rhetoric. So it's completely understandable that people want action this time around. I do too.
But in international diplomacy, versus domestic US politics, words often are action (and I don't mean that in a bad way). I think back to a few months ago when Dan Choi and others were beaten by the Moscow police for simply celebrating gay pride in that city. A number of us demanded that the State Department speak out against the violence, and finally a statement was issued by deputy spokesman Mark Toner. I was a bit annoyed that it was only a deputy spokesman until a Washington reporter friend reminded me that Toner is the guy who does the State Department briefings on TV. When he speaks, it carries serious weight. We didn't need to put economic sanctions on the Russians. The public shaming by a senior State Department official was more than enough to get Moscow's attention.
It's the reason why when a summit doesn't go so well, both countries usually issue an odd statement that sounds positive, and talks about them having a "spirited" discussion - which is diplomatic code for "they yelled at each other." When diplomats go public on an issue, and speak forcefully and directly, and no longer hedge their words, it's a big deal. What Hillary did yesterday was a big deal. Do we want to see follow through, absolutely. But that doesn't diminish a remarkable and historic first step.
Though you wouldn't know it was a big deal if you read the recent op ed by Jim Downs in the Huffington Post. Downs thinks Hillary's words are just words, and he also accuses her, repeatedly, of using sloppy language that actually empowers the gay-haters at home and abroad.
If anything, I thought that not only was Downs' article a bit sloppy (substantively), but it gives serious fodder to the worst of the gay and trans haters in Africa and beyond.
Let me walk you through Downs' concerns about the Clinton speech.
1. "If Clinton truly remains committed to gay issues, is an address in Geneva the place to voice such a concern?"
Well, yeah, if her speech is about the human rights of gay and trans people in countries outside of the United States. Where else should she be giving it?
2. Downs gets upset with Clinton for saying being gay isn't an exclusively western thing.
Here's what Hillary said:
"Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors." She then went on to state that "Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality."
That was one of the worst parts of her speech? Actually, it was quite possibly the best part of her entire speech. And she's right. And it's an important point to make, especially in Africa where many of the homophobes believe that the whole "gay thing" was imported from the west, like a virus. Homosexuality didn't exist in Africa; the theory goes, until the evil lascivious (white) westerners brought it with them along with their colonialism.
Yeah, right.
Well, Downs appears to agree with them. "Actually, being gay is a Western invention," he writes. That's bad enough, but the paragraph that follows will be a boon to any African homophobe who wants to justify the claim that local gays (and trans) Africans aren't "real" Africans fighting for "actual" civil and human rights. You can read Downs' entire paragraph for yourself. He explains how the entire notion of "homosexuality" and a gay "identity" was born in the west a century ago. Yeah, that's helpful. What he means, of course, is that the word "homosexual" didn't exist until about a hundred years ago, and that people who had a same-sex sexual orientation didn't hang out together on Grindr and go to gay bars and gay film festivals until recently.
First, duh. Second, so?
No, I am going to quote his entire paragraph. You need to read it for yourself to fully appreciate the damage being done here.
Actually, being gay is a Western invention. Homosexuality has a long history that begins in the West. Cultures throughout the world may have had people who have over time engaged in same-sex sex but that's different from the historical categorization of "being gay." People only started "being gay" about a century ago. Prior to that, men may have had sex with men, and women may have had sex with women, but that was not being gay--that was sex and sometimes love. Gay is an identity that came into fashion at the turn of the twentieth century in the West. Today, there is not a single definition for "being gay" even in the United States, let alone throughout the world. In the United States, what it means to be gay in New York City is very different from what it means to be gay in Pierre, South Dakota. Same-sex sex is different from "being gay." Take, for example, in the United States the notion of being on the "down low," refers to men who live "heterosexual lives," but also have sex with men. They don't call themselves "gay," neither do the thousands of men who visit porn and internet hookup sites, who are looking for sex with "straight jocks."
This is all to say that while Clinton wants to do the right thing and make a noble statement about people being beaten and tortured for their sexual choices, she invariably and unwittingly propagates many contradictions and posits a familiar strand of American cultural imperialism.
This isn't a college queer studies course. Hillary was absolutely correct. Gay people have existed in the historical record since possibly as early as 9000 BC. Why in a million years would anyone want to say otherwise, especially knowing that this notion of "being gay is a Western invention" is exactly the kind of argument African legislators and dictators are using to justify the incarceration, torture and murder of their own gay and trans people?
There is nothing wrong with what Secretary Clinton told the UN. She's right. Gay people are everywhere. And we've been everywhere throughout recorded history. It doesn't matter if America's notion of being "gay" is different from Native Americans which is different from Fijians which is different from Ancient Greeks, which is different from what people thought about us in the 1700s. (Hell, we can't even agree on what to call our own community in the US nowadays.) It doesn't matter. If you have a same-sex sexual orientation you're "gay" - it's simply the word we use in America today, get over it - and in far too many parts of the world, if anyone finds out you're "gay," you're screwed. They don't really haggle over the linguistics of it all.
And I'm not even going to touch the "American cultural imperialism" crap. She was staking out the most pro-gay position ever promoted by an American administration in the most public way ever. And she was trying to help some poor gay kids in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and Nigeria not get hanged, or worse, for being gay. Under Downs' definition, all human rights must be cultural imperialism, since per se one country is telling another how to live. And as I recall, that in fact is the definition the Soviets and the Communist Chinese prefer(red), for obvious reasons.
Downs goes on to criticize the Obama administration for lecturing the world when it doesn't entirely have its own pro-gay house in order. And it's a fair point. And I've made it myself on many an issue. And in fact, the kind of anti-gay legislation being talked about in Africa today is the kind of thing the Republicans and their religious right cronies have either proposed previously, or would love to propose if they could get away with it - so America isn't lily white here. But I'm just not convinced that President Obama refusing to come clean on gay marriage (and we all know he's fine with it, or he wouldn't have filled out that two questionnaires in 1996 say he was) means that the US shouldn't use its considerable power to try to quite literally save the lives of gay and trans human beings across the globe. How exactly is that a bad thing?
3. Downs concludes by blaming Hillary for Rick Perry's absurd condemnation of the UN speech.
Perry claimed, among other things, that the US was trying to foist the "gay lifestyle" on the world, and that Obama was seeking "special rights" for gays internationally. (Yes, the special right not to have your head chopped off in Saudi Arabia.) Downs somehow argues that Hillary's supposedly "incorrect" comments about gays living everywhere gave Rick Perry license to attack us.
Clinton's speech attempted to raise awareness for gay people abroad, but it summarily fueled a fire on gay people at home.
Oh just go away.
Any time anyone does anything pro-gay you'd better believe the religious right is going to strike back. But that's hardly a justification for not doing anything at all. They're going to hate us, and beat on us, regardless of whether we fight for our rights. So we might as well.
Look, my record on holding the Obama administration accountable on gay civil rights is well established. And I'm hardly someone with a solid record of genuflecting at the altar of Hillary (we quite vocally came out swinging for Obama during the primaries (though post-election I've liked Hillary a lot)). But to take what was a historic move by the United States on behalf of gay and trans people worldwide, and then twist it into something that both indicts Secretary Clinton and empowers the worst of the haters in Africa and beyond, is an abomination.
I want marriage too. And it's far past time the President issued an executive order on ENDA with regards to federal contractors. But sometimes the guy actually does do good stuff. And this was one of those times.
Via JMG: NIGERIA: Worsened Anti-Gay Bill Seen As Slap At Obama's Intl'l Rights Push
In what is seen as a reaction to yesterday's move by the Obama administration, today Nigeria's House introduced a version of the bill passed last week by that nation's Senate. One lawmaker vowed to make the bill even worse that it already is. Box Turtle Bulletin tips us to this report: A spokesman for the House of Representatives and a cabinet minister in Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer were defiant in the face of Western criticism over the measure. “We have a culture. We have religious beliefs and we have a tradition. We are black people. We are not white,” said Zakari Mohammed, who is also a lawmaker. He said same-sex marriage “is alien to our culture and we can never give it a chance. So if (Western nations) will hold their aid to us, to hell with them.” Information Minister Labaran Maku said “we reserve the right to make our laws without apologies to other countries.” Mohammed vowed lawmakers would proscribe even tougher penalties than those proposed so far. He said “to hell with the super powers if they are for gay marriages.”In addition to criminalizing taking part in or witnessing a same sex marriage, the revised bill creates the following crimes:.
“Any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisation, or directly or indirectly make public show of same sex amorous relationship” is now subject to ten years imprisonment. The same penalty applies to anyone who “supports the registration, operation and sustenance of gay clubs, societies, organisations, processions or meetings in Nigeria.”Follow Box Turtle Bulletin for their excellent in-depth reporting on the worsening state of LGBT rights across much of Africa.
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 8, 2011
Absolute Freedom?
Traditional Buddhist texts focus on achieving perfect enlightenment and then living in an absolutely free, pure state after that. But there aren't very many beings at this time that we can refer to in that fashion, even the great, respected, or beloved teachers like the Dalai Lama or Venerable Maha Ghosananda, the Gandhi of Cambodia. These contemporary masters say, “I'm still struggling with this or that, or these are things that I still work on in my practice,” rather than speak from that place of absolute freedom. And so in our times, even our elders and masters raise the question of, “How are we learning to live the dharma, to embody it in an ongoing way in our lives and not just focus on the teaching at the archetypal or absolute level?” |
- Jack Kornfield,"The Sure Heart's Release"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Via UFOP: Debate sobre diversidade reúne a comunidade acadêmica no ICSA
Na noite da terça-feira, 06 de dezembro, cerca de 200 pessoas, entre professores, alunos, técnicos e convidados, reuniram-se no Instituto de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (ICSA) da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP) para participação no debate “Sim à diversidade”. O evento teve como principal objetivo a conscientização sobre a luta contra o preconceito, a discriminação e a violência, e o combate à homofobia e ao sexismo.
O debate contou com a presença do psicólogo e mestrando pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Leonardo Tolentino, que estuda a relação entre Educa&cce! dil;ão e projetos de combate à homofobia em escolas. Tolentino é um dos fundadores do Grupo Universitário em Defesa da Diversidade Sexual (GUDDS!), Coordenador do Projeto Educação sem Homofobia em Santa Luzia, e Pesquisador do Núcleo de Direitos Humanos e Cidadania LGBT (Nuh/UFMG) e do Núcleo de Psicologia Política (NPP/UFMG).
Em sua fala, Tolentino apresentou elementos da discussão política sobre a homofobia, e diferenciou a violência contra homossexuais que acontece nas ruas, geralmente associada a mortes e violência física, daquela que acontece em instituições e espaços privados. O psicólogo destacou a importância do papel da Universidade na produção de conhecimento e na transformação do espaço: “Como instituição pública, ligada à esfera política, a Universi! dade deve abraçar a missão de trazer para discus! sã ;o o princípio da igualdade, fundamental para a democracia”.
Após a fala inicial de Tolentino, estudantes dos cursos de Serviço Social e Jornalismo tiveram a oportunidade de relatar pesquisas e projetos em torno do tema, e anunciaram o interesse na criação de um coletivo para promover o debate e a conscientização acerca das questões da homossexualidade e da diversidade na UFOP.
Também estavam presentes no ICSA o Pró-Reitor de Administração, André Lana, o Pró-reitor de Assuntos Comunitários e Estudantis, Rafael Magdalena e o Pró-Reitor Adjunto de Graduação, Adilson Pereira dos Santos, que reafirmaram o apoio de suas Pró-Reitorias ao movimento. O evento também contou com o apoio e a colaboração do Diretor do ICSA, José Arthur dos Santos Ferreira, e da Vice-diretora d o Instituto, Juç! ara Brittes, dos representantes dos colegiados do Instituto e de professores dos cursos de Serviço Social, Jornalismo, Administração, Economia, do Departamento de Educação e do Cead.
(Foto: Movimento Batalho pela Diversidade)
Lost Identities, LGBTQI People and the Baha'i Religion by Michael McCarron
The Past is a foreign country: they do things differently there
-L. P. Hartley
The Baha'i religion is a New Religious Movement (NRM) that developed out of Shi'a Islam, it began in the latter part of the 19th Century, when a man named Mirza Husayn-`Ali, Baha'u'llah, declared that he was the promised one of God, a world redeemer, that would usher in a era of peace and harmony. The Baha'is view Baha'u'llah as the messianic fulfillment not just of Islam but also of Judaism and Christianity, as well as other religious traditions such as Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism. Some of the basic principles of the Baha'is is that of the removal of all prejudice, the view that science and religion must be harmonized or religion is superstition, independent investigation of truth, equality among genders. With these principles one would anticipate that the Baha'i religion would be welcoming to LGBTQI people, however, this is not true. Openly LGBTQI people are either forced into a closet or have their administrative rights removed with some reporting outright excommunication. In the following I examine the LGBTQI issues in the Baha'i religion and why it is viewed so negatively. To understand a position we need to understand the society, culture and time-placeness of an particular cultural issue. The development of these beliefs is tied to the cultural heritage of the Middle East looking at Judaism, then Christianity, then Islam and finally in the modern Baha'i belief system we can gain appreciation for the time-placeness of specific viewpoints on LGBTQI people. Intrinsically aligned with the issue of sexuality is that of gender. The modern western view of binary gender identification is not a cultural universal, there are many genders in many different cultures, there is no one universal gender social construct. Even in Judeo-Christian-Islamicate culture there have been historically 3 gender identities, rather then the contemporary 2 gender identities.
Via JMG: Reasons To Hate PETA, Part 89
Last week when the Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act, included in that spending bill was an amendment overturning the military ban on sodomy. And since the ban on sodomy was in the same clause that banned fucking animals, the wingnuts are screaming that it's now legal to fuck goats in Obama's military. Yesterday when a reporter for the viciously anti-gay World Net Daily questioned White House press secretary Jay Carney about it, he rightfully laughed the asshat out of the room.
Enter PETA.
“In watching last night's news briefing, we were upset to note that you flippantly addressed the recently approved repeal of the military ban on bestiality,” the group wrote in the letter to Carney. “With respect, this is no laughing matter. Our office has been flooded with calls from Americans who are upset that this ban has been repealed—and for good reason. As we outlined in the attached letter sent yesterday to the secretary of defense, animal abuse does not affect animals only—it is also a matter of public safety, as people who abuse animals very often go on to abuse human beings.”PETA is demanding that the ban on bestiality be reinstated and apparently they have little concern over whether that move would also reinstate the ban on sodomy. The ban on both remains in the House version of the bill, which is headed for reconciliation with the Senate's version. If PETA makes enough noise, there's a good chance that the sodomy ban will remain. But please don't let the rights of gay American soldiers get in the way of stopping the national epidemic of horse-fucking!
Read PETA's complete press release.
Via JMG: NYT Reports On Clinton Speech
The New York Times reports on yesterday's historic move by the Obama administration, which is says was months in the planning.
Mrs. Clinton anticipated the sensitivity of the issue for some more conservative countries, saying that “the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights” of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people “rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural and religious beliefs.” She argued that gay rights transcended national, political and even culture boundaries, casting them as universal rights like those adopted by 48 nations in the aftermath of World War II in what was called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mrs. Clinton’s aides so worried about the reaction of some countries at the Human Rights Council that they did not advertise the theme of her remarks before she delivered them. In the end, no representatives from the council’s 47 member nations walked out, and the audience gave her a standing ovation.Read the full story.
Via JMG: SCOTLAND: Activists Call For Public Opinions On Same-Sex Marriage
Activists from Scotland's Equality Federation are soliciting public opinions on marriage equality. Submissions will be reviewed by the government. Respondents do not have to be Scottish to express their opinion on the issue; the group can forward views from other countries in the UK and the world, which will then be looked at separately by the government. They say the decision taken by the government will have a important effect on how Scotland is perceived abroad, and overseas views should be taken into account. So far, the group has received around 15,000 messages through their website, but they are keen to boost the volume and diversity of responses in support of equal marriage rights.You can submit your message here.
Via JMG: Networks Ignore Obama Announcement
Igor Volsky notes that the major news networks made no mention of yesterday's landmark announcement by the Obama administration.Via JMG: CALIFORNIA: Hate Groups Now Pushing FIVE Anti-Gay Ballot Measures
Equality California last night sent out the above alert. It's apparent that hate groups have decided to simply overwhelm the good guys with a high number of attacks. It would likely cost tens of millions of dollars to defend against all five measures. We'll have to see if the other side has the financial backing to push them through.Via JMG: IOWA: Majority Of GOP Voters Support Same-Sex Marriage Or Civil Unions
JMG reader Matthew points out that buried way down in the latest New York Times poll we learn that 58% of Iowa's "likely GOP caucus goers" support either full marriage equality or civil unions. We'll wait here while the hate groups report that little nugget. Checks watch....Via JMG: Changes For SF's Castro Theater?
Roger Ebert just tweeted that San Francisco's magnificent and legendary Castro Theater is changing its focus away from movies. Others on Twitter report that some of the employees have already been let go. (The theater's online calendar still shows a full schedule through the end of December.) The blog that Ebert links to says that the venue will still host the occasional film festival, but that the building will be remodeled into a live music hall. I'll update this post when more is known.Via JMG: Rick Perry: I'm Not Ashamed To Admit That I'm A Christian Who Hates Gays
Three days in a row on the same theme. Rick Perry appears to be completely hanging his hat on anti-gay hate. Move over Frothy. Make room Crazy Eyes.
posted by Joe
posted by Joe
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 6, 2011
Our Life as a Koan
What is our life? And knowing what it is, how are we living it? How can we experience the life that we are living now as an infinite, literally limitless life, as the subtle mind of nirvana? For the irony is that we are all living such a life, we are all living this treasure, and we are also not quite living it either. In other words, our life is no other than the treasury of the true dharma eye and subtle mind of nirvana, and yet we see it as something other than this. We do not see that our life right here, right now, is nirvana. Maybe we think that nirvana is a place where there are no problems, no more delusions. Maybe we think nirvana is something very beautiful, something unattainable. We always think nirvana is something very different from our own life. But we must really understand that it is right here, right now. |
- Taizan Maezumi Roshi, "Appreciate Your Life"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)