Solstice Bells and Wedding Bells

Wow. Yesterday, Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage by a vote of 39-20 in the local assembly.

Unfortunately, President Calderon can't just let it be.

The conservative National Action Party of President Felipe Calderon has vowed to challenge the gay marriage law in the courts. However, homosexuality is increasingly accepted in Mexico, with gay couples openly holding hands in parts of the capital and the annual gay pride parade drawing tens of thousands.

The bill calls for changing the definition of marriage in the city's civil code. Marriage is currently defined as the union of a man and a woman. The new definition will be "the free uniting of two people."

As always, the Catholic Church is strongly opposed.

"They have given Mexicans the most bitter Christmas," said Armando Martinez, the president of the College of Catholic Attorneys. "They are permitting adoption (by gay couples) and in one stroke of the pen have erased the term 'mother' and 'father."'

What a crock of shit. Heterosexual couples who choose to have children are still mother and father. All they did was create an environment of equality and justice for people who aren't "mother and father."

Anyhoo, don't get me started on a rant this morning!

Despite some setbacks in Maine, New York and New Jersey recently, the world is still moving right along.

Only seven countries allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Argentina's capital became the first Latin American city to legalize same-sex civil unions in 2002 for gay and lesbian couples. Four other Argentine cities later did the same, and as did Mexico City in 2007 and some Mexican and Brazilian states. Uruguay alone has legalized civil unions nationwide.

Someday the list this short will simply be countries where same-sex marriage remains illegal. And I often wonder, when that day comes, if the USA still be on it.

Don't laugh. Look at the list of countries where capital punishment is still practiced with a vengeance.

I'm NOT the LEAST Bit Gay...

I just love having sex with gay guys.

That seems to be the prevailing attitude among many men in Mexico.

“I have never felt that I am homosexual because I have never let them make love to me,” said Eduardo, reflecting an oft-heard sentiment in Mexico and using language that suggested the possibility of other partners. “It’s the opposite. I penetrate. I have never liked it being done to me.” Still, he did not want to be identified further because of fear he might be stigmatized as a homosexual.

Oh, I'm glad we got that cleared up. As long as you just fuck men or let them suck you, then you're still completely 100% straight.

I'm not bashing Mexicans in denial. This is obviously common in any culture where machismo is ingrained which unfortunately includes most of the world. But it will be nice when we, as a group of humans, can move beyond this mentality. Above all else, it equates homosexuals as lesser beings who can still serve the purpose of allowing a straight macho man to empty his load into us for pleasure while he remains in a higher social strata.

Very convenient.

My favorite character from the New York Times article is the 69-year-old married man who is having an affair with a younger transwoman.

He arranges his visits to Yessica on one of two cellphones he carries to keep his life in order: one is for his wife, who lets out occasional homophobic comments and who he says would leave him in a minute if she discovered what was going on; the other is for his occasional lover, who is physically male but feels trapped inside a body that is not his own.

[...]

As for his sexual orientation, the older man with the secret life declared, “I’m not the least bit gay.”

His wife might disagree.

Returning Migrants Hope to Reshape Mexico

From the Austin American-Statesman.

Some migrant laborers returning to Mexico are deciding to run for political office in an attempt to bring about long-overdue change.

"I want to create jobs so that other young people don't have to migrate," said Benítez, who works for Luvianos' city government and peppers his conversation with references to Austin's flea markets and Riverside Drive restaurants.

In isolated pockets throughout Mexico, especially in far-flung rural areas, groups of migrants are entering the political arena. For many returning migrants, the lessons they learned in places such as Austin are guiding their forays into politics. Before they left Mexico for the United States, many of them were the poorest, and often the least educated, residents of their towns and villages. They are returning with dollars, ideas and little patience for the old way of doing things.

I wish them luck. And quickly. At the rate things are going to hell in a handbasket here, a safe and progressive Mexico would lure a few million gringos. In fact, make the whole country more like Austin and I'll get packed in 15 minutes.