Gay Window on the World

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United States:
Bravo to Gay rights activist Cleve Jones for announcing the National March for Equality in Washington, D.C. scheduled for National Coming Out Day October 11, 2009. http://www.nationalequalitymarch.com We need to show up in force and demand full equal rights. Now is the time to book your flight and hotel. With months to spare there are plenty of deals to be had!

In other news from the U.S., President Obama gets a thumbs down from us for his decision to grant partial domestic-partner benefits to federal workers. Obama called the move "only one step" that would be followed by the granting of health care and other benefits, once Congress votes to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. The President gets limited points for this watered down version of his campaign pledge and should have found a way around DOMA to enact full benefits immediately.

Credit for the President, should however, be given where credit is due. According to Gay and Lesbian Leadership Smart Brief, (sign up at http://www.smartbrief.com/lgbt/)
married, same-sex couples have received approval from the Obama administration to apply for passports using their spouse's last name. The issue was cited in a federal lawsuit filed by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders that seeks to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.

South America:
Last month Xiomara Duran, a 27-year old transwoman, was killed by six gunshots fired by an unknown individual on Avenida Libertador in Caracas. This is the fourth murder to affect the Caracas transgender community in the last six months. In the past 10 months, two transpeople were shot to death and another transperson was stabbed to death in Caracas.

Middle East:
Reports of torture in Iraq persist. Among them, gay men are being entrapped. Their persecutors then bring them to undisclosed locations, seal their anuses shut with super-glue and then force them to ingest laxatives.

In Turkey, a prominent 28 year old transgender activist, Ebru Sokan, was stabbed to death in her Istanbul home on June 15, 2009.

Cambodia:
We’ve previously covered the Gay Pride Festival held in Phnom Penh this past May. but wanted to share that the organizers have reported that the event has inspired new activism in the region. The five-day event raised awareness of the LGBT community and advanced efforts in education, organizing, health initiatives, the arts and social networking. Plans for next year’s festival are already underway.

No More Crumbs

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by Ed Decker

A few weeks prior to the 2008 Presidential elections, I had dinner with our gay cousins in Manhattan’s Chelsea district. Without warning, the dinner conversation took a heated turn and I found myself struggling to convince our hosts that Obama was a better choice for America than McCain. Surprisingly, our queer relatives were not having it. Gays that weren’t for Obama? Had I entered the twilight zone?

I was dumfounded by their unyielding position that the Democratic Party had disappointed the gay community time and time again. At least the Republicans don’t lie about hating us, our cousins contended, you know where they stand. With the Democrats, they continued with vigor, they’ll lie to you to get your vote and then all you end up with is crumbs. Empty promises of equality for our community that never truly materialize. Look at the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell gays in the military policy.

I mean what the hell? Yet year after election year, we are mesmerized by the possibility of real leadership from the “liberal” Democrats and all that ever materializes is betrayal. The LGBT community pours money into their campaign coffers and all we get back is crumbs, we tell you, crumbs!

I stared at them speechless. One of them continues with great passion, `You are making a play. You have the power to make a difference. You must do something. It is up to you to help change our course'. At this point, tears accompanied his pleas.

It was difficult to understand how our queer cousins or any gay person for that matter could not see that the LGBT community was certainly better off with a liberal vs conservative in the White House. I conceded that sure, we may be taking small steps, but at least we are making progress right? They were not moved by this well tread point of view. Truth be told, I am no longer either.

The rage our cousins feel now burns in my belly. They are right. It is time that equality in this country disavow its heterosexual prerequisite. We have to stop settling for less. Even as some parts of the country acknowledge our unions, the 1996Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage between a man and a woman, is still the law of the land.

So this inch by inch, city by city, state by state, approach to LGBT equality battle needs to change. There is a bigger picture here. Our “pro-gay”allies need to truly step up. This includes President Obama publicly acknowledging that the LGBT community is an integral part of this country and that discrimination, in any form, will not be tolerated. Plain and simple. No more crumbs.

Combating Homophobia in California’s Heartland

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Photos: Outspoken actor Jesus Fuentes meets students after the show; Outspoken actors onstage at Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA. NCTC YouthAware Tour May 2009.

The Central Valley is traditionally a conservative section of California, so presenting a program that deals with homophobia or sexual orientation has been a bit of a struggle. Not because the students aren’t willing and ready to discuss such topics, but because of the prevalence of fear and resistance from administrators and parents about presenting these issues during school hours.

After two years of back and forth emails, phone calls, weak excuses and dead ends, it all came down to just knowing the right person at the right school. On Wednesday May 13th 2009, The New Conservatory Theatre Center YouthAware Educational touring program performed for the first time in the Central Valley at Rivera Middle School in Merced, California. Two performances of Outspoken, by Prince Gomolvilas, a play that deals with diversity and stereotyping around several issues including race, religion, body type and yes, sexual orientation, were presented to 600 7th and 8th grade students.

The mission of Outspoken and YouthAware’s plays has always been to open up a conversation about diversity in a safe and engaging format and to educate about California laws that prevent physical or verbal harassment around actual or perceived sexual orientation, or any issue of diversity, in schools.

The real story that came out of our experience at Rivera was what a non-issue all the controversy and fear from some parents and administrators in Merced and surrounding districts really is. With support from staff and the diverse student body at Rivera, it was an ideal setting to get students engaged in recognizing that pre-conceived judgments, labels and stereotypes only serve to build walls and create conflict and bullying among peers. Students were able to identify easily that even using a seemingly non-confrontational, but commonly and casually uttered slur like “That’s so gay!”, where gay is equal to “stupid” or “abnormal”, is not acceptable in creating a campus environment that is safe and accepting for all.

Rights of Passage begins with the young. I am sure we can all recall countless formative opportunities in our own journeys toward adulthood. Our visit to Rivera Middle School in Merced, California was one such life affirming opportunity. Along with some extremely wise, courageous educators in the Central Valley our fearless YouthAware performance troupe set the tone that diversity is something better to celebrate than divide. Rivera students learned that making an effort to understand their peers rather than label them or put them down would create a better day to day experience for all.

A special thanks to the unwavering underwriting of this program by the James Irvine Foundation. Thanks as well to NCTC Youth Programs Associate Stephanie Temple and her old high school friend, Brian Ferguson, who is the principal at Rivera Middle School. They helped us open the door to combating homophobia in California’s heartland. Additional Central Valley tours are planned for the fall. To book a tour contact us at: http://www.nctcsf.org/YouthAware.html.

Lesson 9-- Teaching Youth Not to Hate

One egg stands alone, courtesy of www.bilgrimage.blogspot.com


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For the past year we’ve been in conversation with people around the globe about LGBT human rights progress. The stories we have uncovered have been both shocking and revelatory. But this week, it is local Bay Area shenanigans that have really pushed our buttons. This is the first in a short series of postings to come about Rights of Passage right here in our home state.

Just 20 minutes east of San Francisco there is a town called Alameda. It is here that school officials had high hopes a new elementary school curriculum would teach respect and help reduce bullying related to gay and lesbian individuals and families. So they decided at long last to do the right thing. They created lesson plans that talked about teasing and explained the different definitions of family - even throwing in the true story of Roy and Silo, two same-sex penguins in New York who recently hatched an abandoned egg.

Then all hell broke loose. It centered around "Lesson 9," during which the 5th graders would learn about hurtful name-calling and stereotypes related to gays and lesbians as well as important contributions made by those of various sexual orientations. Hundreds of people showed up when the policy came before the school board for adoption. Parents opposed to the lesson plans have joined ranks with conservative family-rights groups to kill the idea before it hits classrooms. They argue that parents, not the school, should be imparting those lessons - even the one about the penguins.

Here’s our Lesson #9: It is high time we accept human nature and understand that varied sexual identities exist on the planet. It always has and always will. Perpetual denial of this fact is ludicrous and dangerous. We’ve seen time and time again that it leads to shame, secrecy, violence and even death. Is this what we want for our children? No.

School is where we learn about life. It is here that we all participate in a microcosm of the world. Staying home and just learning from our parents is not how cultures advance. The world is a much bigger place. School is where we experience new ideas, interact with varied cultures, form opinions, and evolve. There is no sense in pretending that coming of age will never happen and occurs in many individualized forms. It’s time we acknowledge this as a simple, non-threatening fact of life. Bigotry and hatred have no place in the formative years of youth. Period. End of lesson.

Next Posting: The YouthAware touring company at New Conservatory Theatre Center takes on California’s Central Valley with their new play OUTPSOKEN.

Interconnected

New Conservatory Theatre Center cast of Some Men by Terrence McNally, Directed by Ed Decker. West Coast Premiere May 29-July 12, 2009.


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It’s been weeks since our last posting and time for working on the play has all but vanished recently. Robert is preoccupied with organizing his program's participation in an upcoming International Public Health Conference in Washington, DC www.ghfp.net and Ed is directing a new play by Terrence McNally called Some Men at his theatre www.nctcsf.org. Both projects happen at the end of this month.

In between moaning about how the toils of our daily lives keep getting in the way of our Rights of Passage project we stumbled upon a rather obvious realization. It’s all interconnected. Ed is directing a play about eight decades of gay relationships in America and Robert is supporting the advancement of health and well being in developing countries around the globe. The work we do everyday is what inspired Rights of Passage to begin with and this work continues to inform our effort.

So enough of the feelings of guilt. Limited time or not there are bigger issues. Let’s take a quick look at some good news for LGBT human rights world-wide.


USA: Maine legalizes gay marriage. www.cnn.com

Cambodia: Phnom Penh Pride! May 12-17, 2009 - Supported in part by Rights of Passage www.phnompenhpride.blogspot.com/

Iran: Arad, a young gay Iranian man who fled to Turkey as been granted asylum and begins a new life in Canada. www.irqr.net

Serbia: A new anti-discrimination law is adopted. www.iglhrc.org

Even though there are simply not enough hours in the day to do it all, our commitment to Rights of Passage remains steadfast.

Triumph and Danger

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The world keeps spinning, doling out both good and bad news on the LGBT Human Rights front. Marriage equality takes major strides forward www.eqca.org in Iowa, Vermont and Washington, DC. Concurrently, gay men have once again been executed in the Middle East and a popular “gay friendly” gathering place for the community is set ablaze.

In Turkey, LGBT refugees huddle in closet size rooms called safe houses as they await word from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) www.unhcr.org regarding asylum in countries who will not persecute them for who they are. Since the asylum process may take months, organizations like the Iranian Queer Railroad www.irqr.net provide a lifeline of advocacy and resources to assist in the struggle. Simultaneously, half way around the world in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, local activists are hard at work organizing their second gay pride event. Two years ago, they managed a dance on a boat docked in the Tonle Sap river. Now they are gearing up for a week long celebration in May 2009 that will include performances, art exhibits, workshops, and another kick-ass dance party. Two years from now, perhaps even a parade through the center of town.

And so it goes around the globe. A few steps forward and a few steps back. Progress and resistance go hand in hand. This is the reality we, along with our brothers and sisters face in the day-to-day struggle for equality. The promise of both triumph and danger around every corner.

Photos: Marriage in Vermont and a gay execution in Iraq.

The Use of Sexual Assault to “Cure” Lesbians in South Africa

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It's called Corrective Rape. In a disturbing report that appeared recently in the NY Times entitled “Hate Crimes: the rise of corrective rape in South Africa,” the NGO Action Aid (www.actionaid.org) said:

In South Africa, no woman is safe from violence. The country’s war against its women continues unabated, with an estimated 500,000 rapes, hundreds of murders and countless beatings inflicted every year. For every 25 men accused of rape in South Africa, 24 walk free.

This shameful record has resulted in an increasingly brutal and oppressive culture of male violence, in which women are forced to conform or suffer the consequences.

As part of this oppression, the country is now witnessing a backlash of crimes targeted specifically at lesbian women, who are perceived as representing a direct threat to a male-dominated society.

… Support groups say that rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime targeted against gay women in townships across South Africa. One lesbian and gay support group says it is dealing with 10 new cases of lesbian women being targeted for “corrective” rape every week in Cape Town alone.