Hispanic Asia/Oceania

The Asia and Oceania continents have been affected by Hispanic culture to a lesser degree than on others yet it has still shaped the modern lgbt community and identity, most noticeably in the Philippines.

First of all, a quick look at the areas where the Spanish and Portuguese empires reached across the continent, many of which were small settlements not easily shown on the map above.

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas established that new territories discovered to the west of a line of longitude down the Atlantic were Spanish, and new lands to the east were Portuguese (except for Brazil, which I explained last time). Therefore, there was only one direction the Portuguese could go.

The quest for trade routes to the Indies was the main reason for Columbus going across the Atlantic in the first place. So it’s ironic that the Portuguese, going the long way round Africa, got there first. They were also the first to establish a European settlement in India, and followed this up by taking control of vital sea routes out of the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean. Several more settlements were made in India and into south east Asia. They didn’t expand their empire into large colonies as Spain had done in the Americas. The native Indian kingdoms were very strong and powerful. The spice trade ensured that the Portuguese were the first to profit from the traffic in luxury goods.

The Spanish pursued it’s westward quest for the Indies and voyaged across the Pacific from Mexico to establish a colony in the Philippines (named after their king) in 1565.

When the Spanish and Portuguese arrived in Asia and Oceania they encountered more of the gender and sexual variations that they had discovered in Africa and the Americas. When the Europeans arrived they considered all sexual “deviation” as un-Christian, and rather than try to understand it they tried to suppress it.

In both Asia and Oceania there were societies which contained men who dressed and behaved as women, are treated as women, and who identified with the female gender. Each nation has it’s own name for these men, though they are often referred to today by the collective name of Third Gender. Most of these societies had no problem accepting the sexual and gender differences. These Third Genders had sex, and were often married to, heterosexual men. The heterosexual husbands never thought of themselves as anything but straight and may have had female wives as well.

The European colonists, as has been seen on other continents, were unsuccessful in eliminating same-sex activity and desire among indigenous cultures, and often their own beliefs influenced attitudes among the indigenous people. An example of this can be seen in the Third Gender community in the Philippines.

The Philippines was home to a thriving Third Gender community. They were often shamans or ceremonial/ritual participants who, as such, were held in high regard and respect in their communities. They had many different terms, but the Spanish called them “bakla”, a derogatory term originating from the name of a species of bamboo.

Even though the Philippine tradition of the bakla continued, the Christian morality of sodomy began to become associated with them. Over time the bakla stopped being respected and accepted and began to acquire the demonised and persecuted status as the sodomites of Europe. Even the bakla themselves began to loose their pride in being who they were and how they lived.

In the 21^st century the bakla and other Third Gender communities across Asia and the Pacific have started to regain much of their pre-colonial status in their societies. Where once no distinction was made, Third Genders are keen to differentiate themselves from the European concept of a gay man and homosexuality. In nations in Asia and Oceania there is much anti-gay legislation, yet the traditional Third Gender culture is generally accepted (though often, still, with overtones of European prejudice).

That concludes my brief mini-series for Hispanic Heritage Month. In my articles it has been seen how the Iberian colonists have spread to all continents taking their European Christian ideas of same-sex activity with them. They have tried to suppress the many diverse same-sex roles and identities they encountered, which managed to survive through imperial rule. My articles have also shown that, even though the western concept of homosexuality prevails around the world, indigenous same-sex identities are reclaiming their special place alongside their national Hispanic heritage.

Coming Out in the World

Today it’s the turn of the UK to celebrate National Coming Out Day, and here is my list of notable non-Americans who have come out in the past year.

First of al a couple of omissions from yesterday.

25 July             Sarah Hoffman, soccer player

9 Oct.              Abby Wambach, soccer player and Olympic gold medallist (married to Sarah Hoffman, above)

Here is the Rest of the World list

1 Mar.              Richard Wilson, actor

3 Mar.              Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews (on admission of abuse)

12 Mar.            Christopher Maloney, “X-Factor” contestant

5 Apr.               Daniela Mercury, Brazilian singer

7 May               Amina Fonua, Tongan Olympic swimmer

3 June             Sebastián Ligarde, Mexican soap star

4 June             Liz Barker, Baroness Barker, Liberal Democrat life peer

12 June           Dominik Koll, Austrian Olympic swimmer

30 June           Daniel Kawczynski, UK Conservative MP

6 July               Michelle Hardwick, British soap actor

2 Aug.              Sarah Outen, round-the-world adventurer

3 Aug.              Ben Wishaw, actor (Q in “Skyfall”)

14 Aug.            Anton Krasovsky, presenter on Russian television

22 Aug.            Belle Brockhoff, Australian snowboarder

28 Aug.            Casey Dellacque, Australian Olympic tennis player

31 Aug.            Anastasia Bucsis, Canadian Olympic speed skater

2 Sept.             Kate Walsh and Helen Richardson, British Olympic hockey players

13 Sept.           Masha Best, Chair of the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights

Before I leave the subject of coming out I’d like to comment on the subject. I came out twice. The first time was to family, friends and work colleagues. This is how the majority of us come out, and that’s how the majority continue to live. They are out to the people who matter in their lives, however many or few that may be. Rather than say they are out “privately” I prefer to say they are out “personally”.

But then I came out again, this time “publicly” by presenting myself to the rest of the world as a gay man and lgbt historian by founding the Nottinghamshire’s Rainbow Heritage project, and creating guided tours of lgbt Nottingham.

Earlier this month I wrote about Professor Peter Coles. In that article I commented that there were very few out physicists. Professor Coles read my article and said that, on the contrary, he knew of many. I suspect everyone can list many friends, colleagues and acquaintances who are openly lgbt, but how many of them are out publicly and have stated they are to the rest of the world? There’s a difference between those who are out personally and those who are out publicly. Many of the people on both of my lists have said they were out personally before coming out publicly.

For me, by coming out publicly I accept that I will be labelled – that’s how society works. I accept that I am no longer a tour guide and historian who is gay, but am a gay tour guide and historian. I am comfortable with, and feel empowered by, my choice.

But that’s me. It really makes no real difference if you prefer to be out personally or out publicly. It’s about what makes YOU comfortable. Whichever way people choose, it must be THEIR choice and not that of others (disregarding cases when abuse or legal action brings it to light).

Celebrate being out in whatever way that makes you feel empowered.

Coming Out in the USA

To celebrate National Coming Out Day I’ve compiled 2 lists of notable people who have come out publicly since last year. The UK and the USA celebrate this day separately – the USA today and the UK tomorrow. As it happens, the list is quite long so it gives me the opportunity to split it into 2. Today’s list comprises those Americans who have come out, and tomorrow’s list will feature those from the rest of the world.

This list gives the date when the person officially came out publicly.

3 Jan.              Ke$ha, singer-songwriter

6 Jan.              Matt Dallas, actor

27 Apr.             Tuc Watkins, actor (widely regarded as being gay before he came out)

30 Apr.             Jason Collins,  the first out male basketball player still competing

8 May               Kevin Grayson, soccer player

3 June             Charice Pempengco, singer and “Glee” star

5 June             Kristin Beck, former US Navy Seal and Purple Heart recipient

12 June           Jenny Owen Youngs, folk musician and singer

27 June           Greg Rikaart, actor (“The Young and the Restless”)

27 June           Sharmee Zoll-Norman, basketball player

2 Aug.              Raven-Symoné, singer, former child actor (“The Cosby Show”)

7 Aug.              Troye Sivan, actor (young Wolverine, “X-Men Origins”)

7 Aug.              Ron Snyder, leader of Young Democrats in America

14 Aug.            Darren Young, wrestler

20 Aug.            Lucas Cruickshank, Nickelodeon actor

16 Aug.            Jennifer Pritzker, billionaire heir

20 Aug.            Wentworth Miller, actor and screenwriter

29 Aug.            Bobby Stygert, Broadway actor-singer

30 Aug.            Meleana Shim, soap actor

20 Sept.           Heath Adam Ackley, theology professor (fired from his post)

27 Sept.           Michelle Rodriguez, actor

Simeon Solomon Appeal Update

Today is the 173^rd anniversary of the birth of Simeon Solomon. Earlier this year I publicised the appeal being made by Frank Vigon to raise money to erect a headstone on Simeon’s grave.

This summer I went down to London on a couple of day trips with my brother. Unfortunately we had so much to so that I was unable to visit Simeon’s grave. I have plans to visit London next year, so it’ll be high on the list of things to do.

Frank Vigon gave an update of the appeal in the latest edition of the Re-Raphaelite Society newsletter. By August he had raised £1,850. As well as myself and many individual members of the lgbt, art and Jewish communities, Frank has received support from a wide variety of groups – the Oscar Wilde Society, the Mass Gallery, Ben Uri, and the Pre-Raphaelite Society itself..

Once a headstone has been placed the life of Simeon Solomon could well drift back into memories so some people have suggested to Frank that there should be some sort of living legacy established in his memory. One idea suggested has been a scholarship or grant to an art student. The money would be available to a student of any race, creed or sexual preference. But I would like to suggest that it should also extend to the art itself in an exploration and expression of race, creed or sexual preference (either individually or in combination).

Frank also gives talks on Simeon around the UK, such as this one last June.

If you want to know more about Simeon Solomon, Frank Vigon’s appeal, or make a donation go to http://www.simeonsolomon.com

Over the Rainbow

The first of this month’s meteorological articles deals with the weather phenomenon that the lgbt community has adopted as its emblem – the rainbow.

Many civilisations have specific gods and deities attributed to the rainbow. The Norse and Greeks thought of the rainbow as an actual mystical structure linking this world with the next as well. Even in those ancient times there was no consensus across cultures on which colours were contained in the rainbow or how many there were. Homer, the Greek poet, believed the rainbow had only one colour – purple. Aristotle, however, contradicts himself. In “De Sensu” he writes of the rainbow as having 7 colours, while in his “Meteorologica” he wrote of only 3 – red, green and purple/blue.

Both 3 and 7 were equally believed in the Middle Ages to be the number of colours. The 3-colour rainbow can be seen as a means of representing the Holy Trinity and was popular in Christian iconography, helped by it’s place in the story of Noah and the Flood. The 7-colour rainbow was favoured by alchemists and mystics, and this may be the reason why Sir Isaac Newton named 7 colours in his spectrum (Newton was interested in alchemy). Other authorities have put other numbers on the colours throughout the medieval period and across the globe.

The rainbow became linked to the lgbt community through 2 separate routes.

The first of these came with the iconic song from “The Wizard of Oz”. There is such a lot of meteorological  symbolism in the film, from the initial hurricane over Kansas to the climactic hot-air balloon ride, that it seems strange to think that the song “Over the Rainbow” was almost NOT in the film. The producers claimed it slowed the story down. But that’s a story for another time.

The song, the film, and its star Judy Garland who played the character of Dorothy, quickly became accepted by the growing lgbt community in the 1960s, and the term “a friend of Dorothy” has now entered the dictionaries to signify a gay man. A different origin has been suggested for the phrase, however. It is also possible that “being a friend of Dorothy” referred to being among the many gay friends and acquaintances of the American humorist Dorothy Parker.

The rainbow, on the other hand, may indeed have become a gay emblem solely through the song “Over the Rainbow”. With it’s cultural identity as a sign of hope it is easy to believe how early gay rights activists could see it as symbolic of hope for the future.

The second route by which the rainbow became a gay emblem is through the Rainbow Pride flag. I wrote an article on this flag on June 1st last year, but I’ll say more about it here.

Gilbert Baker, the creator of the original Rainbow Pride flag, had no intention of designing something that would become a worldwide emblem. The flag was created specifically for one event, San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day parade on 25^th June 1978. It is only a series of unforeseen events that took it out of the city.

The murder of Harvey Milk the following November brought thousands of gay men and women onto the streets of San Francisco in protest and anger. Harvey was a key figure at the Freedom Day Parade and memories of that event were still vibrant in the minds of the lgbt community. Associating the rainbow flag with Harvey Milk was the turning point in it’s history and symbolism.

San Franciscans then took the flag across the USA in protests and freedom marches, and very soon it was seen flying in New York, Chicago and other cites across America that had large gay rights movements.

It was Harvey Milk who had suggested to Gilbert Baker that a distinctive emblem would be welcome to celebrate the Freedom Day parade. Harvey didn’t suspect that Gilbert would come up with a flag rather than a logo. It isn’t possible to say for sure if a traditional logo would have had the same impact in the wake of Harvey’s murder as the flag did. Would that logo have become a world-wide emblem? I believe not, but it has inspired so many thousands of lgbt logos for several decades.

I sometimes think that the lgbt community has come such a long way and developed it’s own diversity since the 1970s that a new flag should be created to reflect the progress we have made. But then I think of the persecutions and homophobia that still exists around the world, and I’m reminded of the simple yet powerful concept that combines the 2 rainbow flag roots/routes.

The centuries-old rainbow symbolism and the “Over the Rainbow” lyrics brings the message of hope and a better life. This joins the flag of identity, protest, activism and gay rights to produce an emblem of universal significance and a powerful presence that should be used for as long as there are lgbt rights to fight for.

Hispanic America

The Americas constitute the biggest concentration of Hispanic heritage of any continent, including Europe, due, of course, to the empire-building of Spain and Portugal from the moment Columbus returned from his voyages.

I won’t mention every Hispanic nation in the Americas because there’s too many of them. As with other European colonists the Spanish and Portuguese imposed their own sexual morals on their conquered territories which suppressed any indigenous sexual conventions that were different. Throughout the Americas there were examples of same-sex activity among men which the Europeans didn’t understand. From the Great Lakes down to Patagonia indigenous cultures practised same-sex under various circumstances, the most common being a show of power and dominance, either militarily or politically.

The conquerors saw no variation in the reason for same-sex activity. They saw it all as immoral and anti-Christian. To the indigenous cultures same-sex activity was not seen as immoral but helped to reinforce the masculinity and power of their leaders. This was not unknown in European cultures around the Mediterranean where the conquerors originated but the Christian morality dominated the Spanish and Portuguese fanaticism to convert the New World from paganism, as they saw it.

Fortunately, the American civilisations were strong enough to retain parts of their culture despite Christian suppression. This can be seen today in the lgbt culture. The colonial term “berdache” came to be used for native men who practised same-sex or exhibited feminine characteristics. It was a name used extensively well into the 20th century. It is not a popular term today as it was used to describe many different sexual practices and genders and each American culture now prefers their own self-chosen terms (e.g. the Native Americans use the term Two Spirit).

The Spanish Inquisition of the 15^th century extended to the Americas. In Europe it was the civil authorities, not the church, who executed men for “sodomy”. In the Americas the indigenous people also escaped Catholic punishment due to the belief that they were “incapable of reason” and not intelligent enough to know they had been doing something “wrong”. The priests converted these “perverted sodomites” and told them they would receive their punishment after death. European colonists, however, were still executed by the civil authorities. Despite this persecution same-sex activity by European colonists continued in secret, and in Brazil and Mexico City there are records of extended communities of colonial homosexuals who survived through the Inquisition.

Throughout the imperial centuries the indigenous people mingled and interbred with descendants of the conquerors. Today is it very difficult to find true full-blood indigenous Americans in the major population centres in many Hispanic countries.

Even as the modern concept of an lgbt community has developed there developed also issues of racial identity. Across the USA the Hispanic community was treated with almost as much prejudice as the black or Native Americas communities. Yet all three have developed their own lgbt culture and identity and use a wide range of names to describe themselves (e.g. latino/a, chicana/o, which are also used outside the lgbt community).

The early gay rights movement in the USA during the 1950s and 60s contained several Hispanics who were influential in its development. These included José Sarria who died earlier this year. He was a San Francisco drag performer who was the first openly gay man to run for public office. José is as much a pioneer of modern drag entertainment as he was for the battle to allow open lgbt people to run for office.

The Hispanic heritage in the lgbt community in the Americas continues to be a major feature, with more Hispanic lgbt organisations than on any continent (that’s north and south America combined) outside the Iberian peninsula itself. Today there are many more lgbt Hispanic-Americans known around the world than any other on the continent. People from the past like Manuel Puig (Argentina, 1932-1990, author of “Kiss of the Spider Woman”) or the artist Frida Kahlo (Mexico, 1907-1954) join names of the present like Ricki Martin and Gigi Fernandez and José Sarria in bringing Hispanic lgbt heritage to the fore. The combination of a racial and lgbt heritage looks like a becoming a legacy for the future which we all can welcome.

Ology of the Month - Out of the Clouds

Even after this year’s gorgeous summer weather, autumn still has to be my favourite time of year. I love all the colours of the leaves and the feel of autumn. It’s the season of the Nottingham Goose Fair, Hallowe’en, Guy Fawkes Night and bonfires.

The change in the seasons gives me the inspiration for this month’s Ology – climatology. With it I’ll include meteorology and climate change, in fact anything to do with the weather.

But first, if you’re wondering what the photo is all about I’ll explain. This is the cover of a popular UK gay magazine. The gorgeous young man on the cover is, believe it or not, one the UK’s best known BBC television weather forecasters, Tomasz Schafenacker. No, he’s not gay (not that he’s admitting) and his appearance on the cover of “Attitude” magazine’s “Active” health supplement in January 2010 cause quite a stir in the British press and the BBC, even though he had pre-warned his employers, the Government’s Meteorological Office, about it. Whether this contributed to Tomasz being removed from tv forecasting later that year isn’t clear, but the press pointed out how inappropriately accident-prone he seemed to be. Tomasz once accidentally used the word “shite” instead of “site”, he called the Hebrides “nowheresville”, and gave the one finger gesture to a colleague on air believing the camera was turned off. So appearing topless on the cover and inside a gay magazine without informing the BBC can’t have helped. But I’m happy to report that the weather forecast has been butched up once again this summer with Tomasz’s return to the screens.

Back to the Ology of the Month. Meteorology is a very appropriate subject for the lgbt community to study because of that meteorological marvel we have taken as our emblem – the rainbow. A couple of articles this month will centre on rainbows, including a look at the most famous scientist to study them, Sir Isaac Newton.

The most notable use of the rainbow in lgbt culture is, of course, the Rainbow Pride flag. I wrote an article about the flag in June last year when I charted it’s origin and development. This month I’ll look at the rainbow itself and how it became an emblem in the lgbt community through several different routes.

Also this month I’ll be concluding my mini-series for Hispanic Heritage Month which began in the middle of September. I’ll also be listing notable people who have come out in the past year on National Coming Out Day.

There will be a bit of a gap between the first two Ology articles and the next because there’s a few articles that are associated with specific dates early in the month. As well as National Coming Out Day another date-related article will be an update (on the anniversary of his birth) on the progress to provide a fitting headstone for Simeon Solomon’s grave. This month’s full moon will also see the first of a new Star Gayzing mini-series.

Returning to the Ology later in the month I’ll look at the subject of climate change and the work of a gay astronomer, and the work of other climatologists and meteorologists.