g_b I am sorry I am not gay

[Sanjay Lulla]

Hi Guys
Wanted to share this message I received on one of my social networks, Its kind 
of sweet I guess. I have a lot of friends who are not gay and when I came out 
of them there was always an apprehension that the relevation would effect the 
freindship but this is beyond my comprhension. Of course I made friends with 
him :)
hi, My name ias Hassan from Maldives.while surfing in at the xyz.com I saw your 
profile and got interested to talk to.so how are you doing? Im sorry im not ia 
gay or something like that. do not get offend regards hassan.
 
Regards
Sanjay N Lulla


  

g_b Gays and democracy-Times Of India

[gay_bombay moderator]

Gays and democracy
25 Aug 2008,  hrs IST, Jug SuraiyaEven that darkest of dark clouds — the
AIDS pandemic looming over India — could have a silver lining: identifying
male same-sex relationships as a signi-ficant factor in the spread of the
disease, 
healthminister
Anbumani Ramadoss has proposed that homosexuality be legalised. The
health minister's initiative — a welcome respite from his obsession with the
evils of smoking — ought to be widely welcomed, and not just by the gay
community.

The statute of the Indian Penal Code which makes homosexuality a crime is a
fossilised relic of Victorian Britain.

Indeed, same-sex relationships have long been not just decriminalised but
de-stigmatised in Britain and other societies which deem themselves to be
liberal democracies. Far from being freak shows, gay marriages and gay
rights parades have become a commonplace in several parts of the world.
Homophobia has been relegated to the same jurassic park of prejudice as has
racism.

In India, the law in this, as in so many other matters, lags woefully behind
the reality of changing social mores. Same-sex relationships have been
reflected with sensitivity by Indian film-makers and Mumbai has long had an
openly published, and widely circulated, magazine specifically aimed at the
gay community.

Welcome as it is, health minister Ramadoss's intervention on behalf of gays
is a case of too little, too late. The health minister seems to be concerned
largely with male-with-male sex as a potential spreader of the HIV virus;
his remarks, as reported, do not take into account lesbian relationships.
Moreover, as health minister, he has addressed only the epidemiological
aspect of a complex issue which goes far beyond the purely physical or
pathological realm. Homosexuals are indeed a high-risk AIDS group. This is
partly, if not largely, owing to a hostile legal and policing apparatus
which turns same-sex relationships into dangerous liaisons, furtively brief
encounters, often commercial and often precluding precautionary health
safeguards.

Homosexuality — for both genders — does need to be sanitised. Not just
physically but equally, if not more importantly, it needs to be sanitised of
the legal and social taints that have been inflicted on it.

The removal of legal and social sanctions against homosexuality has positive
ramifications that go beyond concerns of public health and which strengthen
the foundations of a democratic polity. Gays — like anti-globalisation
activists, vegans, poets, and others who belong to often misunderstood and
misrepresented minorities — are good for democracy. Perhaps it's not just a
coincidence that the universal symbol for gayness is a rainbow. Which is
also a metaphor frequently used to describe a multi-hued, pluralistic
society founded on the conviction that freedom of choice is the cornerstone
of democracy.

In a truly democratic dispensation, sexual preference should be treated as
an elective option as valid and legitimate as the choice of one's political
affiliations, dietary habits and religious beliefs (or lack of them).
Homosexuality seen not as a health hazard, or a genetically transmitted
disease, or a hormonal or behavioural aberration but as nothing more, or
less, than a lifestyle choice.

Ramadoss has, laudably, taken the first step in what we can only hope will
turn out to be a journey of emancipation, of coming out of the closet.

For gays, of course. But, equally, also for the so-called 'straight'
majority who would be enabled to free itself from the confines of ingrained
sexual prejudice and enter into a space of social discourse and interaction
made larger, and more colourful, with the inclusion of the gay rainbow.

So hug a gay today. Because you believe in gay rights. Or because you
believe in democracy. Or, best of all, if you believe that the two should be
part and parcel of each other.



-- 
www.gaybombay.in
www.gaybombay.info

g_b Trekking to Everest Base camp

[Joshile .]

Hi,
Bored with the din and bustle of the city, planning for two  week’s trekking 
tour to Everest Base camp  on 1st week of  Sep, If this excites you, let me 
know. 
I am looking for 18-28 years macho gay guy who can be my partmer in this 
journey who loves mountain especially Himalayas. 
Please don't reply through this group, mail me directly to  [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Aakash


  

Re: g_b Love can be found in the strangest of places

[nirbokj]

Do you know about the Friends of Dorothy "mixer" at THE ZIA DINER  ? 
 
 This coming Friday, August 29th, 6 to  8 PM.  Cash  Bar, complementary Hor's 
D'Ovres.
 
 It  Promises to be a great time.
 
Gordon



**It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel 
deal here.  
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv000547)

g_b A win for Australia - and for gay athletes everywhere .

[gay_bombay moderator]

A win for Australia - and for gay athletes everywhere

   - * Ryan Heath *
   - August 25, 2008

IS THE sexuality of newly crowned Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham
newsworthy? That is a question newsrooms and media consumers have had to ask
themselves since the 20-year tumbled into our hearts at the weekend. Haven't
we moved past worried about homosexuality as a public threat? What has being
gay got to do with back somersaults and twists from a 10-metre high
platform?

The answers to those questions are irrelevant. Mitcham's sexuality is news
so long as he remains the only openly gay man on the Australian team, and
quite possibly, the only one among the nearly 7000 men competing in Beijing.

Consider that. Mitcham is hardly the first gay man - closeted or open - to
win an Olympic medal. Millions will still remember Greg Louganis' diving
heroics over three Olympics from 1976 to 1988. But can you name another
openly gay Australian sportsperson? The answer, probably, is no.

Mitcham's sexuality does not need to be related to his athletic heroism - it
is simply an interesting subject in its own right.

Many disagree, such as former US Judo star Lauren Meece. Having come out
after her Sydney Olympic appearance, Meece wrote in a gay publication this
week , that gay activists should "shut up" and "let gay athletes deal with
gay issues off of the podium".

Shutting up is part of the problem. The reason we can't name many gay sports
stars isn't because the media are bored with them. Nor is it because gay
people can't compete at the highest level: the outsports.com website reports
that six of the 11 openly homosexual athletes at the 2008 Games have won
medals . It's because there are hardly any coming out stories to report.

There are many unverifiable claims about the ratio of heterosexuals to
homosexuals in the general community. That is another debate. But it is
surely unrealistic to think that just 0.1% of Olympic athletes are gay.
Somewhere along the way, several hundred gay athletes went into hiding.

Mitcham's dignified public appearances with his partner, Lachlan, encourage
us to ask where and why the others went missing. One reason you are more
likely to hear about homosexual liaisons in books published long after a
sports career is over, is that sponsors and management like to keep it that
way.

There is continuing homophobia in sports arenas and in belief that toxic
corporate effects follow homosexuality like a bad smell. The evidence is
littered everywhere. The 1998 suicide of gay UK football star Justin Fashanu
and Ian's Thorpe's manager contemplating defamation action when two artists
portrayed him near the word "gay" in 2004 are just two examples.

The men aren't real men and the women aren't pretty and feminine is what the
stereotypes boil down to.

More than one person has let out a muffled laugh when they hear I am a
member of a gay swimming team. It is precisely those instinctive prejudices
that hundreds of thousands of gay athletes at junior, masters or Olympic
level are up against.

But the truth is that I swim much faster in my late 20s than I ever did as a
competitive swimmer in my teens, doing five times the training workload.
That is at least partly because I am able to focus on the lap or race at
hand, instead of being consumed with the self-doubt and worry that comes
with being in the closet.

International movements to encourage gay men and women into social and
competitive sports have been a resounding success over the last 30 years,
most notably through the Gay Games.

One wonders how many Olympic medals and happy lives Australia has sacrificed
because sports - so central to Australian life - are often unwelcoming
toward openly gay men and women.

As Mitcham hugged Jessica Halloran, the journalist who sensitively broke the
news of his sexuality earlier this year, in the moments after his triumph,
it was clear how far he had come from the depressed teenager who quit his
sport two years earlier. "Just being a happier person really radiates into
other areas of your life," Mitcham told reporters.

Mitcham is right to want to be known for being a great Australian athlete
rather than a gay one. His ambition would be much easier to realise if
sports communities did more to reflect their grassroots membership and
audiences.

"I'm happy with myself the way I am," our new star says. Cheers to that.

*Ryan Heath is a writer and Gay Games medallist in swimming.*




-- 
www.gaybombay.in
www.gaybombay.info

g_b GB Sunday Meet on 31 Aug. 2008 at Mc Donalds, Bandra

[GayBombay Events]

The GayBombay Sunday Meet on 31 August 2008 at Mc Donalds, Bandra
~~~

Time: 5:30PM - 6:00PM (Note the change in timings)
(We may after 6:00 move to another venue close by for an informal chat)

~~~

Venue: Mc Donalds, Linking Road, Bandra.



On the occasion of GayBombay's 10th Anniversary this Sunday Meet is dedicated 
to reminicing the decade gone past. We shall rekindle memories of events and 
people.


Directions:
At Bandra or Khar Station, on the WEST side, take a rickshaw to Linking Road. 
Mc Donalds is a popular restaurent 
~~~
Note :
1. Ensure that you get to Mc Donalds before 6:)0 pm - the evening
carries over to another gay-friendly place close by.

2. You have to be above the age of 18 to attend this event.

4. GB as a support group, has created this comfort/safe space for
gays, many of whom may be "newbies" (those still coming to terms with
their sexuality and who have mustered courage to come for such a
meeting for the first time). So we request you to be sensitive to the
comfort levels of others attending the meeting and behave and dress
accordingly.

5. To identify the group look out for someone wearing a BLACK cap.

This event is organised by: http://www.gaybombay.org
Right of admission reserved.

g_b GayBombay 10th Anniversary Celebrations - Schedule

[GayBombay Events]

GayBombay turns 10 this September. A decade in which GayBombay's events just 
not increased in size and number but they also evolved imparting greater value 
and substance to every individual who participated. 
 
GayBombay has to its credit the first ever Parents Meet and this has become an 
annual feature in our calendar. During this decade GayBombay introduced Special 
Sunday Meets to discuss issues confronted my gay men like Depression, Living 
with HIV-AIDS, Living Single and Yet Being Happy, Safe Sex. On the lighter side 
Cooking Meets, Brunches, Picnics, Play and Movie Outings are also organised 
frequently. We celebrate festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Makar Sankranti, Holi, 
Navratri, Diwali and Ramzan - Iftaar. 
 
The biggest achievement for GayBombay is to hold all these events in a 
non-sexual space. We have proved that gay men are not sex maniacs and sex is 
not on their minds 24 x 7. Another feather in GayBombay's cap is its ability to 
unerringly organise self-sustaining events throughout these 10 years. This has 
been possible due to the unswerving commitment of the organisers and supporters 
of GayBombay.
 
Like every year GayBombay shall celebrate its anniversary month with a bouquet 
of events these are listed below.
 
Sat; 30 August: GayBombay 10th Anniversary Party 2008 at Liquid Lounge, 
Chowpatty

Sun; 31 August: Traditional Sunday Meet - Reminiscing The Decade, Mc Donalds, 
Bandra.

Sun; 07 September: GayBombay Film Festival of Gay Films, National College 
Auditorium, Bandra.

Sat; 13 September: GayBombay Cooking Meet at Campus Restaurant, Mulund.

Sun; 21 September: GayBombay Parents Meet, at Zouk, Andheri (East)

Sun; 28 September: GayBombay Brunch with Speed Dating

Sun; 05 October: GayBombay Picnic.

Further details shall be announced here soon. 
See you at the events 


All these events are organised by www.gaybombay.org
Right of admission reserved
For more information email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

Re: g_b Nigah holds fest to celebrate third sex in Delh .we are all free- Aditya

[Aditya Bondyopadhyay]

Hey Elisabeth,
your mails are always a pleasure..!!
I will have to give a go bye to the invite for dinner and will have to miss
the Malpuas. I am in Delhi, not Kolkata.
:-(
Best, Aditya B

2008/8/24 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

>Now Aditya Dear -
>
> I do not think there is probably anything wrong with what this fine person
> was thinking...we are all free to have our thoughts..
>
> Either our eminent moderator has posted something out of context..
>
> Or possibly the writer is not adept in expressing him/her/tri self in a
> written format..
>
> I have all sorts of scenarios that I could layout to explain what I think
> someone was trying to say to others..
>
> I will give you one of my interpretations...but of course I am sure that I
> am either totally wrong or partially 'in error'..
>
> And this does not in anyway negate the fact that I am not totally in
> support of the ideas found in my interpretation of the jumbled prose..
>
> My Interpretation of "Nigah holds fest to celebrate third sex in Delh"
>
> First off I think Nigah is in Delhi...and that it is probably an
> organization of middle class youth fulminating about their inabilities of
> gaining access to a program that provides PhDs in Marxist Philosophy..
>
> Secondly, I do not think they are espousing hetero or homo or even
> traditional Indian eunuch family styles and substance...but are trying to
> promote a transient 'do as one pleases' TG-homo-countercultural lifestyle
> that has been developed in Europe and the Americas over the last 40 years..
>
> A lifestyle that appears to be very much appreciated by many of the boys in
> GayBombay...but without the tag of TG attached to it...you know GB is MSM
> not TG...no matter what position a person may find themself in in life..
>
> My Reservation
> It appears to me that for any idea to flourish it must be an integral part
> of a successful and strong community..
>
> Heteros, discrete homos and almost invisible hijra/eunuchs have been stable
> and often very successful members of Indian society for thousands of years..
>
> Outlandish TG-counterculturalists (third sex??? in the Nigah posting???)
> have always existed in small number...but very seldom except for those
> in transient individual styles...which unless that individual is a ruler or
> social leader have very little good or bad effect upon the overall social
> culture of Hindusthan..
>
> We all see weirdos on the street everyday...some well educated and living
> at home with mom and dad...and some sleeping in their own vomit on the
> roadside...but generally would you say are these people mentors or
> meteors??..
>
> Aditya...where are you tomorrow night??? Rupa is with me in Denver for my
> annual visit and we are providing a full fledged Bengali dinner to many
> 'Nigah'-Type TG friends at my home...ending of course with Rupa's
> inimitable Malpoa..
>
> Best..
>
> Elizabeth
>
> In a message dated 8/23/2008 11:29:57 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> 3rd Sex??? Well I am homosexual and all that rest, but 3rd sex..!!?? What
> utter poppycock...
> Please tell the author that I'm the 666th sex if anything at all!!!
> Best,
> Aditya B
>
> 2008/8/23 gay_bombay moderator <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>>
>> Nigah holds fest to celebrate third sex in Delhi
>> Third sex community has been trying to gain social acceptance in India.
>> There exist many organisations working for legalising their sexual
>> orientations. Nigah, one such group, has held a 10-day fest in Delhi to
>> celebrate queer identities.
>> *CJ: *Amy Mookerji ,  59 minutes ago   Views:*32*   Comments:*0*
>>  THE THIRD sex community (that of homosexuals, lesbians etc) seems to be
>> a courageous fraternity nowadays. Their empowerment goes back to the gay
>> liberation movement which started during the 1960s. Today, their strength is
>> no more miniscule. Their movement has become vocal and assertive in gaining
>> better treatment in the society.
>> They are referred to as 'queer communities'. Queerness is reflected in
>> their thinking, their perspective towards life and their introduction of
>> pseudo family system.
>>
>> There are organisations at present which have come together to work among
>> these queer communities giving them a platform to showcase their talents to
>> put forward their views and to make their queer bond stronger. 'Nigah' is
>> one such group of queers.
>>
>> Following the success of its inaugural festival in 2007, it is back with
>> the 'Nigah Queer Fest 2008' as Delhi's annual ten-day celebration of
>> queerness.
>>
>> Started around August 11, the date of the first queer protest in Delhi 16
>> years ago, the 2008 festival includes an international film festival, a
>> photo exhibition, interactive workshops and new publications. Collaborating
>> with Max Mueller, they organised the photo exhibition 'Queer families,
>> portraits and kinships' on August 12. This was organised with a motive to
>> surpass knowledge, cultural production and 

g_b Hello..I wonder if there are any friends in the Baltimore Area.

[Esteban]

Looking for good long lastin friends in Baltimore..Thanks!

Re: g_b Love can be found in the strangest of places

[nirbokj]

Thanks Gene.  Jay and I not only have a life together, but we have  been 
designing together since 1959!
 
How great to contact someone in Santa Fe thru an Indian Blog!
 
Gordon



**It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel 
deal here.  
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv000547)

Re: Fw: g_b olympics broze medal winner, indian boxer vijender.. cute guy:)

[Tintin Mumbai India]

And you know he is not shy to undress...
I mean, so many topless pix of Vijen... and so good body... our own india
made greek god...
I hope soon we get his more naughty pix...
Tintin.


On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 11:28 AM, nicky b <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>   He is hot!!!...
>
> Nick
>
> - Forwarded Message 
> From: gay_bombay moderator <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:37:26 PM
> Subject: g_b olympics broze medal winner, indian boxer vijender.. cute
> guy:)
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> www.gaybombay. in 
> www.gaybombay. info 
>
>  
>

g_b Re: Another Photo from the Olympic - German Volleyball team

[barry.daine]

--- In gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com, "Aditya Bondyopadhyay" 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Hi guys,
> Another one from the Olympics.
> Enjoy!
>
I don't see anything...no photos?

g_b looking for friendship.

[Barry Daine]

I am looking forward for friendship in members of this group. Plse forward your 
interest to my email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] thks.

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com 

g_b Going gay in Bollywood

[gay_bombay moderator]

  Sections Home
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Order


 Going gay in Bollywood
 MUMBAI: A lot of taboos are being broken in Bollywood today. Kissing on
screen is no longer frowned upon. Protagonists actually have grey shades.
Having liveـin relationships and preـmarital sex is no longer the preserve
of villains.
And now the Indian film industry is set to break another barrier.
For years the word gay was all but banned in the ohـsoـstraight world of
Bollywood, where heroes were always blueـblooded heterosexuals, with a harem
of girls at their feet while heroines had eyes only for the opposite sex.
It is perhaps a reflection of the way in which Indian society has become
more open that even Bollywood is now being inclusive.
The new Abhishek BachchanـJohn Abraham film Dostana shows the two
protagonists pretending to be gay, complete with a dance sequence in the
moonlight.
A few years ago in Kal Ho Naa Ho, Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan treated
the whole homosexuality element with some slapstick humor.
Deepa Mehta dealt with homosexuality in a bold manner in her film Fire, the
story of two women in middle class Delhi who are trapped in loveless
marriages and find love in each other. But the film was not without its
share of controversy, with protests dogging it throughout its short run at
the boxـoffice.
Madhur Bhandarkar also depicted homosexuality within the glamour industry in
his critically acclaimed Page 3.
There are more gay characters in Hindi movies than ever before. One day,
there might even be a Brokeback Mountain in Bollywood and it won''t cause a
furor in India. ـReuters


Last updated on Thursday 21/8/2008



-- 
www.gaybombay.in
www.gaybombay.info

g_b File - PLEASE NOTE-URGENT

[gay_bombay]

Hello All

Please remember and understand that any post you send to the mailing
list or as a reply to any mailing list message reaches everyone in the
mailing group who is subscribed to the list.so send only relevant
messages and only those messages that you intend to share with
everyone. if you want to reply to a personal email, please click on
that person's email, compose an email and then reply. dont hit the
reply button as the email then goes to all subscribers of the group.If you send 
a personal reply to someone looking for mate, by simply hitting the reply 
button, it shall not be carried. Naturally, the person to whom you wanted to 
reply shall not get your email. So, please be considerate and send the reply 
directly to the person by copying his email.

Regards

Moderator

g_b File - chat.doc

[gay_bombay]

File: chat.doc 
Description : Gay_Bombay Chat Room 

 


chat.doc
Description: MS-Word document