g_b Friendship and Fun
Anybody from Spanco-Respondeaz (Mahape) LOoking for Friendship and Fun... Cool and handsome straight-acting dude here.. contact (maile me urgently) at raj_rock...@yahoo.com Regards,
g_b Being Gay, Muslim and Indonesian
The Jakarta Globe September 24, 2009 Being Gay, Muslim and Indonesian by Heri Diani Despite living under the same roof for years, Fachri (not his real name) thought his father had no clue that he was gay. But around five years ago, when he borrowed his father's Koran to research a project, he was surprised to find certain verses underlined in pencil. They were about God's wrath toward people who committed acts of sexual deviance during the time of Prophet Luth (or Lot), the Islamic equivalent of the Sodom and Gomorrah text in the Bible. Growing up in a religious family that adheres to Islamic teachings, it was not the first time Fachri had come across the verses. It was sort of touching, he said, how his father seemed to want to know him better, although he wished it was not through the religious text he despised. The text was one of the reasons why I decided to renounce my religion. I have lost faith in any kind of religion because it excludes us, condemns us, said the 31-year-old advertising executive. It creates an absolute border, whereas a human being is a complex thing. Why should I embrace religion when it doesn't accept us? Why should I adhere to Islam, or any religion for that matter, when there is no space for me? In Indonesia, where religion plays a dominant role in society and where 90 percent of the population is Muslim, homosexuality is not punishable by law but condemnation of homosexuality has been voiced by many religious leaders, not only Islamic. Aceh, which adheres to Islamic Shariah law, recently issued a controversial bylaw mandating adulterers to be stoned to death and homosexuality and premarital sex to be punished by 100 lashes of a rattan cane. In the remainder of the secular country, society in general is conservative, which means that being gay risks at least mockery and losing face with family and friends. Although gay-bashing is a rare extreme here, gay people continue to experience bias and prejudice. Facing condemnation from religious leaders, Fachri chose to renounce his faith. But many other gay people embrace their profoundly held religious beliefs regardless of what the teachings say about their sexuality. Adhe Oktav said that being a lesbian did not prevent her from praying five times a day, fasting and carrying out her obligations as a Muslim. I was raised with religious values and continue to adhere to them now. It's my way of being grateful to God, she said. It is my personal relationship with God, regardless what people say. I never asked to be born, let alone be a lesbian. I don't see myself as committing a sin regarding my sexual preference. Even if I am, let God be the judge of that. Dody (not his real name) said the condemnation of homosexuality was caused by a too literal reading of Islamic lessons. I believe that religious teaching should be seen in context. I don't think that homosexuality is a sin, he said. I think God created gay people with a purpose - it's not a disease or a sin. Like everything in nature, there is always an anomaly. But not all gay people are like Adhe and Dody, who embrace their sexuality and their religion together. Many of them willingly embrace their religion, but the perception of homosexuality as a sin causes a confusion of guilt and conflict between society, their families and themselves. Farid, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, said that a part of his religiosity was compensation for him being gay, which he sees as a sin. I still carry out my obligations according to Islamic teachings, and it's up to God whether He will accept them or not. I pray that He will, he said. He believes his sexuality is a disease. I would like to get married to a woman and have kids someday, but at the moment I'm still not able to do that, he said, adding that he still dates men and is sexually active, and feels extremely remorseful about that. I pray to God that someday He'll cure me and make me straight, he said, sighing. The seemingly taboo mix of religion and sexuality makes some gay people, like openly gay columnist Samuel Mulia, 46, opt for celibacy. He believes that homosexuality itself is not condemned, but that it is the sexual act that is disapproved of by God. Samuel said he used to resent religion, but then he lost a kidney to disease, which made him start to think about God and religion. He became a born-again Christian. I began to think that God loves me, regardless of my sexuality. I then started to go to church and study the Bible, and came to the conclusion that it's not the sexuality that is sinful, but the sexual intercourse. So five years ago, I decided to practice celibacy, said Samuel, whose urban culture commentary appears every Sunday in Kompas newspaper. While his Facebook status updates are full of sexual innuendo, Samuel said it is only a social experiment to gauge people's reactions. I used to be very promiscuous but I've been celibate for five years and I've never been
g_b Many gays opting for sex change: Doctors
Many gays opting for sex change: Doctors September 24th, 2009 - 2:31 pm ICT by IANS http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/many-gays-opting-for-sex-change-d octors_100251685.html By Prashant K. Nanda New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Even as gay activism grows in India and some slowly find the courage to come out of the closet, many from the community - especially the well educated and well heeled in the cities - are opting for expensive sex change procedures, say doctors. You may ask why, but it is a fact that gays are going for a gender makeover these days. I have done several cases in Delhi and Kolkata, Ashutosh Misra, a senior reconstructive surgeon here, told IANS. Between a gay couple, generally the feminine partner is changing her gender and becoming female. Though I have seen gays of many age groups, those in the 25-30 age group are the ones mostly going for it, Misra said. He said such clients were well educated and economically established. They have good education and are capable of affording their own medical expenses. The doctor, who has been associated with several leading hospitals like Fortis and Rockland, said he has been getting at least two such cases every month. The whole process of gender change of such couples takes around one years time. First, a psychiatrist counsels both the partners and after that, if they decide to go ahead, we implant the breast first and the leave them to adjust with the new body part for a period of six months. Then the gender reconstruction takes place, Misra added. The cost of such a gender makeover is not less than Rs.250,000. He said out of 10 homosexuals who want to undergo a sex change - nine are those who want to become female. Eight or nine out of 10 such people want to become female, he said, adding that male to female change is less difficult and less expensive as compared to the other way round. Gautam, a gay activist in Delhi, said: Societys pressure is so much that some gay couples may be going for sex change to stay together. Though I dont know of a particular case, this could be the reason. He, however, added: There could also be some gender identity mismatch. Psychiatrists too say there is generally a gender identity disorder among some gays. Sameer Malhotra, a senior psychiatrist in Delhi, said: Many of these couples are committed but depressed about their image. Hence they go for this makeover. The gender identity disorder is a key factor. Some of them believe they have a male body but a female soul. They face depression over a period of time by thinking about the image of their self. This is one of the reasons behind cross-dressing too, he explained. Malhotra said sometimes such couples go for a makeover to live a normal life. I have got people of all age brackets. Members of this community who are as young as 16 and as old as 50 take medical help. Gay activism has been growing in India, forcing many to rethink social norms and the laws of the land. In July, the Delhi High Court gave a landmark judgement by decriminalising homosexuality. This means police can no longer intrude upon or arrest adult gays having consensual sex. Though some civil society members have moved the Supreme Court against the verdict, the court had refused to suspend the high court verdict so far. Gays across the country have been fighting to reduce the social stigma attached to them and organised several events to increase awareness about them. Colourful gay pride rallies for LGBTs (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) have been held with great success in cities like Delhi and Bangalore in the last couple of years. (Prashant K. Nanda can be contacted at prashan...@ians.in) mailto:prashan...@ians.in%29 Email: mailto:modera...@gaybombay.in modera...@gaybombay.in Web Sites: http://www.gaybombay.in/ www.gaybombay.in http://www.gaybombay.info/ www.gaybombay.info http://www.gayindia.org/ www.gayindia.org E Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay http://groups.google.com/group/Gaybombay http://groups.google.com/group/Gaybombay GB Internet Radio http://www.gaybombay.in/gbradio http://www.gaybombay.in/gbradio Gaybombay breaking news and annoucements http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/Gaybombay http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/Gaybombay Emergency Helpline number 9820565885 Orkut: http://www.orkut.co.in/Main%23Community.aspx?cmm=22091955 http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=22091955 Blogs: http://gaybombay.blogspot.com/ http://gaybombay.blogspot.com http://gaybombay.wordpress.com/ http://gaybombay.wordpress.com Twitter http://twitter.com/gaybombay http://twitter.com/gaybombay Facebook http://www.facebook.com/gaybombay facebook.com/gaybombay
g_b Re: Bombay Dost Sunday High 27 Sept '09: Film screenings in association with The Hub
On 9/23/09, Nitin Karani nitin.kar...@gmail.com wrote: As part of the concluding event of The Hub Taster week, Bombay Dost, in association with The Hub, will be screening 'Gulaabi Aaina' and '68 Pages', two award winning films that touch upon both queer and HIV / AIDS issues, on Sunday, 27 September 2009 at 5pm, at The Hub premises. The Hub is a collaborative space for people with ideas and passion for social change to work out of, meet, connect, learn and grow. * DOUBLE BILL OF QUEER FILMS* – *September 27th, 5.00 pm* The Hub, 4th floor, Candelar Building, 26 St.John Baptist Road, Bandra (W) Landmark: Behind Mount Mary Steps, Next to Smoking Joe's, Above Dilshad Salon *It is a FREE screening. All are welcome.* * * First Come First Seated basis. -- *Gulabi Aaina* (2003, 40 mins, Hindi with English subtitles) Directed by: Sridhar Rangayan Produced by Solaris Pictures India’s first film on transsexuals is a Bollywood entertainer spiced with Dance, Drama and Desire! Two transsexuals and a gay teenager seduce a handsome hunk using all their charms and some dance moves too. Who will the hunk bed? A comic romp which ends in tragedy, The Pink Mirror, for the first time peeps into the Indian homosexual closet and discovers some touching bonds and relationships. A huge festival hit, having screened at over 70 international festivals and won several top honors. *68 Pages* (2007, 92 mins, Hindi with English subtitles) Directed by: Sridhar Rangayan Produced by The Humsafar Trust in association with Solaris Pictures From the director of award winning queer films 'The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina)' and 'Yours Emotionally!' comes another hard hitting drama about marginalized people. Subverting the Bollywood film genre of song-dance and high drama, this film places characters ignored by Bollywood centerstage - a transsexual bar dancer, a prostitute, a gay couple - to tell their stories of pain and trauma, of happiness and hope, about being HIV+ and alienated. The film has screened at more than 10 festivals and won Silver Remi Award at Worldfest-Houston and Best Film Award (Care) at the Ahmedabad International Film Festival 2009. It has also screened at 18 cities across India. -- Sent from my mobile device Email: modera...@gaybombay.in Web Sites: www.gaybombay.in www.gaybombay.info www.gayindia.org E Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay http://groups.google.com/group/Gaybombay GB Radio www.gaybombay.in/gbradio Gaybombay breaking news and annoucements http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels/subscribe/Gaybombay Emergency Helpline number 9820565885 Orkut: http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=22091955 Blogs: http://gaybombay.blogspot.com http://gaybombay.wordpress.com Twitter http://twitter.com/gaybombay Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:gay_bombay-dig...@yahoogroups.com mailto:gay_bombay-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: gay_bombay-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
