3:18 pm By Maegan La Mala · Chile|GLBT|Internet · Comments Off
29 Jan 2008
Here’s one I wish was a joke. Spain’s AmbienteG reports that a prominent gay web site in Chile, GayChile, is actually aligned with homophobic evangelical fundamentalists:
Gaychile has gone from being the premiere [LGBT] site in Chile dedicated to defending [the community's] rights to being reported for mistreatment of the gay community. It seems that its creator, Víctor Jorquera, maintains a close relationship with the Biblical Missionary Church of Paraguay, a religious group which claims to be independent of any doctrine. The influence of this institution has made Jorquera not only renounce his own sexuality but also make homophobic comments.
What did he say? Apparently, among other things, he said “From something as miserable and shameful as being gay, I became a son of God.”
As of today, GayChile.com is still online, with news updated just this morning. I wonder if Jorquera is still making money off the traffic of his “shameful” readers who don’t know he’s turned the site into a trap where he hopes to “convert” people from their “lifestyle”.
Via / AmbienteG
2:49 pm By Maegan La Mala · Family|GLBT|Puerto Rico · 3 Comments
24 Jan 2008
Opponents of rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Puerto Rico have pushed for a referendum to ban gay marriage on the island, and the government is letting it happen.
Puerto Rico’s governor said Wednesday he would not block a referendum to toughen a ban on same-sex marriage in the U.S. island territory even though he believes the proposed constitutional amendment is unnecessary and divisive.Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila told reporters he would sign the bill authorizing a May referendum if the measure gets the required two-thirds majority of votes in the island’s House of Representatives. It has already passed in the Senate.
The measure, Resolution 99, would establish that marriage is between two partners of the opposite sex.
It’s a sad day when Cuba is significantly more progressive on a human rights issue than Puerto Rico. What happened to this?
Via / USA Today
11:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Bolivia|Controversia|GLBT|society · 1 Comment
26 Dec 2007
There was much uproar in Bolivia late last month when it was announced that a new constitution was approved in that country. Among the amendments to the document was a stipulation that seemed to go unnoticed until now; one that writes discrimination into the constitution by defining marriage between a man and a woman.
The Bolivian LGBT community is outraged, while the Bolivian government defended itself saying they “haven’t received any requests” on the part of the gay community to include gay marriage as a right in the new constitution and alleges that such a proposal wouldn’t have gone anywhere since “Bolivian society is conservative”.
15 LGBT groups in Bolivia are fighting back with a document outlining their demands, among them the right to education and employment regardless of sexual orientation.
Via / Ambiente G and La Prensa (Bolivia)
Image via BoliviaGay.com
Uruguay took a massive step towards equality yesterday when it became the first Latin American country to legalize same sex civil unions.
The Congress passed legislation creating a civil union registry for same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples.The measure had previously passed the Chamber of Senators.
The new law was a manifesto commitment of the ruling leftist coalition of President Tabare Vasquez.
While gay marriage is still illegal in Uruguay, the move marks a step left in the traditionally Catholic country. And, of course, not everyone is pleased. PinkNews UK reports that a representative of the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference was quoted as saying “In no way can homosexual cohabitation be accepted because it does not meet the basic criteria defining marriage, it is therefore unacceptable to place it in suchlike equal level.”
Whatever. Congrats Uruguayos!
Via / PinkNews.co.uk
12:29 pm By Maegan La Mala · Argentina|GLBT|Lifestyle|society · Comments Off
20 Nov 2007
Putting its economic crisis of a few years ago behind it, Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, is donning a new chic face: the luxury gay destination in South America. While Brazil topped the list for gay travelers to el sur for many years, Argentina’s push toward attracting pink dollars (which go far in Buenos Aires) and the country’s progressive politics have gay tourists skipping Rio and flocking to San Telmo. The International Herald Tribune reports on a perfect example of gay-friendly luxury in Buenos Aires:
The first five-star gay hotel in Latin America opened Wednesday in the Argentine capital, an increasingly popular destination on the worldwide gay tourist circuit.The hotel, set near the historic San Telmo neighborhood, is the second of its kind developed by Spain’s Axel Corp., which opened a five-star, 66-room gay hotel in Barcelona in 2003.
“Like any other business, we have economic objectives,” general manager Nacho Rodriguez said. But “we’re also about fighting to help the normalization and acceptance of gays in society.”
11:55 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|GLBT|Spain|Venezuela · 2 Comments
11 Sep 2007
A Spanish journalist and member of Spain’s Royal Language Academy has written an editorial piece suggesting that, in light of rumors that Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is gay, he should come out of the closet.
Luis Maria Anson, ex-director of ABC newspaper and a well-known journalist titled his editorial — published in top Spanish newspaper El Mundo — “Chavez and homosexuality”. As entertaining of a read as that sounds, after reading it it’s clear that Anson is merely using the rumors he says are circulating in Venezuela about Chavez’s private life as an excuse to ridicule him in the form of what might be viewed as a serious editorial. Blogger Andrés Duque translates the whole editorial, the last paragraph of which makes Mr. Anson’s stance pretty clear:
2:15 pm By Maegan La Mala · GLBT|Marketing|mexico|travel · Comments Off
20 Aug 2007
As we’ve pointed out time and time again, Mexico City seems to be trying to win some kind of award for being the most liberal city in Latin America. And in fact, Mexico the country has won an award: gay Destination of the Year by the PlanetOut Travel Awards, which recognize gay-friendly tourist destinations. Past winners have included Barcelona and Buenos Aires.
According to Mexico City blog DFinitivo, the world’s largest city is going to begin actively courting the gay travel dollar, and the Secretary of Tourism for DF has joined the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association to prove it. Gay travelers will be welcomed with specialized maps outlining areas of interest for nightlife, cultural events and more.
Via / DFinitivo
12:40 pm By Maegan La Mala · Brazil|Controversia|GLBT|Justice|Sports · Comments Off
14 Aug 2007
A judge in Brazil thinks that gays shouldn’t be playing soccer. Apparently, they aren’t “manly” enough.
The whole thing started when a player for Sao Paulo, one Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbino, charged that the manager for rival team Palmeiras hinted that he was gay on television. Richarlyson went to the courts to plead a defamation case. All good up until there.
The judge for the case turned out to be a major homophobe and threw out the case. Writer and blogger William K. Wolfrum translated the rambling ruling in a recent blog entry:
“It’s not that a homosexual can’t play ball. If he wants, then play it. However, form his own team and start another federation. Schedule games with those that prefer to fight against themselves.”
12:55 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia|GLBT|Justice · Comments Off
18 Jun 2007
After Europe, Latin America is the region that appears to be making the biggest advances in the area of equal rights for gay people. This month gay pride is celebrated across the globe, and gay rights supporters in Colombia are celebrating the passage of a law that guarantees new rights to same sex couples in that country. Mexico’s La Jornada reports:
The Colombian congress approved a law which recognizes economic and inheritance rights of same sex partners, without making them subject to long legal and bureaucratic processes. The decision ratifies an earlier judgement in the Constitutional Court last February, when the court rejected an order that only recognized marital unions made up of male and female partners.
11:52 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|Chismes|GLBT · Comments Off
4 Jun 2007While gay rumors have surrounded him for years, unlike other celebs, pop tart Enrique Iglesias has always taken them with good humor. And apparently aware that a big part of his fan base are gay men, Enrique serenaded one of them at a recent concert in London. Says Towleroad:
Normally when he performs the track Hero he invites a girl up on stage to serenade her, but given his audience, things were a bit different this time. The crowd went wild as Iglesias asked a young man on stage and unabashedly gave him the treatment.
Awwwwww!
Via / Towleroad
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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