Media coverage: how are we seen?

[jnov]

perhaps not "how are we seen" but how do we see?

Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International, talks about why -- though we want to know more about the world than ever -- the US media is actually showing less. Eye-opening stats and graphs.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/248

[BayCityJohn]

Gay Rally Held In Havana

HAVANA - Cuba's gay community celebrated unprecedented openness - and political alliances - with a government-backed campaign against homophobia Saturday.

The meeting at a convention center in Havana's Vedado district may have been the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever on the communist-run island. President Raul Castro's daughter Mariela, who has promoted the rights of sexual minorities, presided.

"This is a very important moment for us, the men and women of Cuba, because for the first time we can gather in this way and speak profoundly and with scientific basis about these topics," said Castro, director of Cuba's Center for Sexual Education.

Mariela Castro joined government leaders and hundreds of activists at the one-day conference for the International Day Against Homophobia that featured shows, lectures, panel discussions and book presentations. A station also offered blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

Cuban state television gave prime-time play Friday to "Brokeback Mountain," which tells the story of two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.


http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/18/na-gay-rally-held-in-havana/?news-nationworld

[fritzkep]

Given that country's history, I am truly amazed to hear this news.

[jack]

Given that country's history, I am truly amazed to hear this news.

what specific about this country's history makes this so amazing to you, fritz?  is it just impressions from our media, or other cubans.  nothing in defense of the castro regime, or even battista's, but this seems to be well within a communist country's capacity and a generally easy going populace . 

[michaelflanagansf]

what specific about this country's history makes this so amazing to you, fritz?  is it just impressions from our media, or other cubans.  nothing in defense of the castro regime, or even battista's, but this seems to be well within a communist country's capacity and a generally easy going populace . 

Here is a good article which may outline the sorts of things Fritz was referring to:

http://www.pinktriangle.org.uk/glh/213/cuba.html

And you can also check out this wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Cuba

It's also difficult to find reference to this online, but the treatment of lesbians and gays was mentioned as early as 1972 by Karla Jay and Allen Young in the book 'Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation' in the section 'Cuba: As Gay As The Sun.'  I became aware of this conflict in the early 70s due to the writings of Jay and Young about their experiences with the Venceremos Brigade.

[fritzkep]

Most socialist countries continued antigay legislation well after the times of their revolutions, dismissing homosexuals as an example of capitalist decadence.

For example, there was a slight letup in Russia after 1917, but suppression of gays came right back under Stalin with a vengeance. Eastern Europe formed its governments in the image of Stalin.

And Cuba was officially quite antigay until the end of Fidel's reign. Cuba continued a streak of suppression common to many countries of Hispanic heritage, in which the penetrator was at least tolerated, but the penatratee was ridiculed and persecuted.

mod: I see by Michael's links that there was some letup after 1992, 33 years after the revolution. But nothing like what Raúl is permitting.

[BayCityJohn]

I wonder if this is a US Govt. sponsored event:

Upcoming Events
May 20, 2008
U.S. Embassy Literature Series presents: Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx will read from her works.
Annie Proulx is often described as a chronicler of American provincial life. She started out as a journalist before publishing her first book "Heart Songs and Other Stories" in 1988. She received all major literary prizes in the U.S. for her novels and short story collections, among them: The PEN/Faulkner Award, 1992, for "Postcards", the National Book Critics Circle Award, National Book Award, Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and Irish Times International Fiction Prize, all 1993, and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, 1994, all for "The Shipping News"; the Dos Passos Prize for Literature, 1996, for "Accordion Crimes"; the National Magazine award, 1998, and O. Henry Prize, both for "Brokeback Mountain"; the award for fiction, New Yorker, 2000, for "Close Range: Wyoming Stories"; the Best Foreign Language Novels of 2002/Best American Novel Award, Chinese Publishing Association and Peoples’ Literature Publishing House, 2002, for "That Old Ace in the Hole". Annie Proulx is author of the short story Brokeback Mountain which, in its 2006 film version, received four Golden Globe awards and three Oscars.  more (pdf)
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Eva Boesenberg, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Language: Reading and discussion in English
Reservation: (030) 200 57 10 00
Tickets: € 5.-/reduced € 4.-

Where: Akademie der Künste, Plenarsaal, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
When: 20:00

http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/upcoming_events.html

[michaelflanagansf]

mod: I see by Michael's links that there was some letup after 1992, 33 years after the revolution. But nothing like what Raúl is permitting.

Fritz, it is my opinion that part of the reason there was a letup in 1992 is that they were a bit concerned about the level of AIDS activism throughout the world and that they would face even more public criticism regarding their policy of quarantine for people with AIDS.  As a lifelong leftist I was extraordinarily disenchanted with the Cuban government at this time:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE4D9143BF935A35751C0A96F948260

[jack]

while there was persecution in cuba, and the concept of "machismo" certainly dominates the hispanic cultures, cubans themselves, while publicly reviling homosexuality, had at least a taste for their maricons.  in battistas day there was police persecution, but no more than there was in upstate ny at the time, and the maricons figured heavily in the booming entertainment industry,  probably contributing to the idea of imperialist decadence (besides it was easier to imprison the maricons than the gang bosses.)

let me be clear that in no way do i think cuba has been a beacon of sexual libertarianism. but the move in this direction has been as steady, if hampered by the old castro's, as it has been in the rest of the southern hemisohere.  cuba will likely sanction same sex unions of some kind before many red states in the US INCLUDING florida.  (this may have happened already, my reading on this is not up to date.

in short, i am pleased, amazed, but not floored.

[fritzkep]

Oh, that's quite true. I fully expect Cuba to legalize same-sex marriage before Florida does.

[BayCityJohn]

Oh, that's quite true. I fully expect Cuba to legalize same-sex marriage before Florida does.

I expect the Vatican to legalize same-sex marriage before Florida.

[fritzkep]

          

[michaelflanagansf]

Oh, that's quite true. I fully expect Cuba to legalize same-sex marriage before Florida does.

I expect the Vatican to legalize same-sex marriage before Florida.

Maybe Msgr. Georg Gänswein could put in a good word for us! 

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article1293228.ece

[BayCityJohn]

I used to wear Nehru shirts back in them earlier days.

[michaelflanagansf]

I used to wear Nehru shirts back in them earlier days.

Was there media coverage of it?