Excerpt: Can we fight for the rights of those whose lives and experiences don’t fit our exoticizing paradigms, whose professions are not morally redeeming?
Category: On Books and Publishing
Book reviews and author interviews, as well essays on the state of publishing.
“The Limits of the Third: The Hijra of India and the Conditions of Castration.”
Mediations, vol. 20 (Fall 1996)
http://www.mediationsjournal.org/
This article can only be accessed through a subscription to the journal or through a library that subscribes to it.
Approximately 15 people gathered outside Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark, for International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO, first marked in 2005) May 17. Following comments by Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network (GLN) and Arsham Parsi of IRQO (Iranian Queer Organization), they marched down Clark Street to Gerber/Hart library, 1127 W. Granville, and a reception for the latter speaker.
Thayer said that IDAHO’s focus this year was “the repression of LGBT people in Moscow.” According to him, the government has ordered a “preemptive suppression of the impending Russian Pride in Moscow on May 31.” He spoke about the need for “solidarity among LGBTs in all countries.” Parsi said: “I’m honored to be here in solidarity with queer people in Russia…All governments and citizens of the globe should respect human rights with actions, not just words.”
Despite the presence of Parsi and flyers about Moscow Pride, the march also included statements about same-sex marriage, as marchers chanted “Obama, Obama, let Mama marry Mama!” and “Moscow Pride: Da! Fascism: Nyet!”
Although the specific political issues in Iran, a country with a vastly different geopolitical history than Russia, did not seem clear to all marchers, they seemed to be focused on a larger issue. When asked how he saw the issues facing gay Iranians in the larger context of Iranian politics, a GLN member said, “I don’t know. I can’t really address that. The people there are not given equal rights.”
At Gerber/Hart, Parsi offered specifics about Iran. According to him, “[i]n Iran, homosexuality is punishable by law,” and it’s difficult to prove that Iranian queers are persecuted for their sexuality because “court materials make no mention of their sexual orientation at all.” The same, according to him, is true for feminists who are arrested for “supposedly breaking the peace, not for being women.” He said that Western activists have to act “very carefully and cautiously” in supporting Iranian victims of homophobia.
Parsi responded to questions, including one from an audience member who said that an Iranian acquaintance had told him in 1973 about the pervasive corruption in Iran, and asked if it was the same now. Parsi remarked that he was born in 1980, and that “98 percent of the money goes to 2 percent of the people in Iran.” In response to a question about whether a possible change in government might mean more human rights in Iran, Parsi asked, “Are gay and human rights perfect in the United States?” He also addressed the issue of war against Iran: “People don’t become democratic with military attacks.”
Originally published in Windy City Times, 21 May, 2008
The passage of Proposition 8 in California came about because of efforts by Christian fundamentalists and the Mormon Church. As a result, there has been a great deal of discussion about the relationship between the gay and lesbian community and religion. Most accounts tend to separate the two; it’s often forgotten that a significant number of gays and lesbians are also people of faith.
The Catholic Church faces a great deal of controversy in the wake of Pope Benedict’s stated opposition to homosexuality and his declaration that same-sex marriages are “pseudo-matrimony.” On November 11, The New Ways Ministry organized “An Evening of Dialogue: Same-Sex Marriage and Catholicism.” Held at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congreation in Evanston, the event examined the theological underpinnings behind the Church’s doctrines, and the disparity between those and the lived experiences and lives of laypersons.
The evening was moderated by Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, and Matthew Myers, its associate director. As explained by Myers, the issues of sexuality and same-sex marriage are fused as one within the Church; attitudes towards one strongly determine attitudes towards the other.
The two-hour discussion was clearly designed for Catholics who possessed an understanding of church doctrine and the Bible. Attendees were not there to dispute their faith but to challenge and understand church doctrines.
The audience had different opinions on marriage. One woman made it clear that she was not keen on the institution, and neither was her female partner. On the other hand, a man believed that marriage was an important ritual to be recognized by the Church.
DeBernando and Myers discussed the major issues related to same-sex marriage, including the meaning of same-sex relationships and their effect on children. Official church statements say that children raised in same-sex partner households live in unstable conditions. DeBernardo pointed out that “according to the 2000 census, a quarter of same-sex couples are raising children” without any evidence of harm done to them.
DeBernardo said that for Catholics, the question was “not just about benefits but about the quality of relationships. Catholics who support same-sex relationships tend to be the Catholics who’re concerned for society; they have respect for lesbian and gay partnerships because of the inherent dignity of them. We want the goodness of relationships to be recognized so that all relationships can be made better.”
Originally published in Windy City Times, 26 November, 2008
“Dead Images, Live Transmissions: Greg Louganis and the Construction of AIDS on Television.”
Discourse: Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture, volume 22.1 (Winter 2000)
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/discourse/
Access to this article is available only through subscription to Muse or to the journal.