Posts Tagged ‘Spain’

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I think I may be in trouble in San Francisco

February 28th, 2010

gay village in Madrid

I did this little interview for a magazine in Mexico.  I complemented Madrid for its vitality and nightlife, something that San Francisco is definitely declining in.  Oy.  Oh well, I told the truth as far as I see it, and as my friend Natacha said, “you are a bit of both cities now.”

Una encuesta publicada por el diario mexicano “Excelsior” sitúa a Madrid, y más concretamente a Chueca, como el mejor destino para el colectivo gay a nivel internacional.

Si hasta ahora San Francisco era considerada la ciudad preferida por los homosexuales, ahora es Madrid quien le quita el puesto a la ciudad americana y se pone por delante de otras como Barcelona, Berlín o Sydney.

El propio director del Centro de la Comunidad Lesbiana, Gay, Bisexual y Transexual de San Francisco, Thom Lynch, reconoce que Madrid le ha quitado el puesto a San Francisco porque es una ciudad muy abierta y muy plural, sin olvidar que la población de San Francisco tiende a envejecer. “El barrio gay, Chueca, ofrece de todo, de la discoteca a café y terrazas, pasando por restaurantes y cines. Los derechos de los homosexuales son mayores que los que tenemos en Estados Unidos”, agrega Lynch.

Así, Chueca sigue siendo uno de los mayores reclamos turísticos de Madrid.

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Posted in Queer Entertainment, Spain v USA, World Community, night life

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Still, one of the most remarkable speeches ever given

February 4th, 2010

This speech by Premier Zapatero in the Spanish Cortes is one of the most remarkable speeches I have ever heard by a straight politician in a legal setting. This was the day same-sex marriage was legalized in Spain. I remember years later having dinner with many of the leaders of the LGBT movement in Spain and one of them said to me:

He said he would do it, and he did it.  That’s why we love him

Always pretty remarkable when that happens.

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Posted in Gay Marriage, Spain v USA, World Community, friends and allies, politics, world news

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A little night music

January 17th, 2010

I haven’t had much to say lately. At least not much very cheerful. But I’ve been feeling something creative coming up, so who knows. In the meantime, here’s some great music from the wonderful Alejandro Sanz and Shakira singing live in Santiago de Compestela.

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Posted in Talented People, World Community

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Two sides of the same coin

January 12th, 2010

Though with great differences, Ellen DeGeneres and Jesús Vázquez portray societies that are slowly changing towards a better coexistence and respect. It is true that there is still a lot to be done but we have advanced and we must value this advancement. Gays and lesbians have conquered rights unjustly denied for years, an achievement that must extend from the big cities to rural areas where homosexuality is still penalized. This is a challenge for those organizations that work towards equality and diversity and that is why to link popular faces to the work of activists because celebrities can trespass frontiers and smooth a not always easy journey.

For Ellen, being a lesbian is part of her personality, not of her job. However, her marriage to actress Portia de Rossi shook the most conservative sectors of American society. After Ellen came out as a lesbian, televangelist Jerry Falwell referred to her in a sermon as “Ellen DeGenerate”, a remark that was vastly publicized in the US. DeGeneres responded by saying: “Really, he called me that? Ellen DeGenerate? I’ve been getting that since the fourth grade. I guess I’m happy I could give him work.”

With seven Emmys and uncountable honorary awards, Ellen is the most visible face of the LGBT movement and overall a North American icon.

On the other hand, Jesús Vázquez married his boyfriend of 5 years, Roberto Cortés, in 2005 and they did so in Spain that had just passed a LGBT marriage law. Without a doubt, his example has been key in achieving normalization. Jesús was basically the first celebrity to openly talk about his husband on national TV from his program “Allá Tú”, something that greatly contributed to LGBT visibility.

Both Ellen DeGeneres and Jesús Vázquez bravely opened doors and are still brave in societies were homophobia hasn’t been eradicated, exposing themselves to the public eye and facing sometimes not so subtle criticism from society and even from the LGBT community.

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Posted in LGBT Leadership, Queer Entertainment, Spain v USA, Talented People, World Community

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Noche Viejo en Madrid 2010. At the Puerto del Sol. Lots of grapes to eat

January 5th, 2010

I have to admit I missed Madrid for the holidays this year. Wigs and all.

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Posted in World Community, friends and allies, living in Spain, special events

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Paco, Paco, Paco Beyonce?

September 14th, 2009

Let me start by saying that I think Beyonce was really classy last night in response to Kanye’s bizarre behavior. What was up with that?

So, I like Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) a lot.  It was a very big hit in Spain too.  But the joke is Spain is that perhaps it is not as original as you might think.  A song from 1969 by Encarnita Polo called Paco, Paco, Paco has a frightfully similar sound.  So all of a sudden that song became a huge hit last year in Spain.  At the office where I worked, the staff kept singing Paco all the time!

A video wiz updated the Beyonce video with the song and the fit is amazing.  No people are not really saying it is stolen, just that it works so well with the video. What do you think?

So even worse, it became a youtube sensation in Spain. Here, on a nightly talk show called Buenafuente is one of the stars of a version of the youtube video. The host is yelling out compliments to the dancer’s body in jest.

As they say in Spain, joder!

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Posted in Queer Entertainment, Spain v USA, surprises, world news

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Sergio Lara, nuevo Mister Gay Europa 2009

August 27th, 2009
IMG_0077

El Mister Gay Spain y yo

How did I miss this news!?  Sergio ha ganado!  Enhorabuena. I was back stage in Madrid when Sergio won Mr Gay Spain.  Here is a terrible picture of the two of us.  He is adorable.  And Spain has won two years in a row.  Here’s some news about the contest and winner for you Spanish speakers from my friend Natacha Nazar:

El pasado 22 de agosto, Sergio Lara, valenciano de 26 años, residente en Barcelona consiguió el titulo de Mister Gay Europa 2009. España se alzó por segundo año consecutivo con el titulo de dicho certamen internacional de belleza.

Oslo ha sido la ciudad anfitriona este año del certamen en el que, durante cuatro días, veintitrés candidatos procedentes de todo el continente han dado lo mejor de sí en las diferentes pruebas de la competición.

El certamen ha contado con el apoyo total de las principales instituciones de la ciudad de Oslo, prueba de ello, es el apoyo que el propio alcalde de la ciudad, demostró al inaugurar oficialmente la competición, en un acto en el que se colocó una bandera gigantesca en una de las fachadas del hotel donde todos los delegados se hospedaban.

Ya desde el primer día, Sergio Lara, Mister Gay España 2009, cautivó al jurado con su interpretación a la guitarra de una “malagueña” que, en palabras de los organizadores, resultó “sencilla, intimista a la vez que pasional y con verdadero encanto”.

Tras haber ganado el desfile en bañador de la firma barcelonesa ES Collection consiguió una de las diez plazas en la Gran Final. Sergio también destacó en el resto de pruebas como la competición de supervivencia.

Sin embargo, fue la entrevista personal con el jurado donde Sergio demostró su naturalidad, sencillez y compromiso. Su carrera en psicología y su labor en un centro de asesoramiento a homosexuales sobre VIH y Sífilis le demostró la necesidad de educar e informar a los jóvenes, como también luchar para que en países como Rusia y Palestina deje de ser imposible pasear de la mano con su pareja o, en algunos casos, sea incluso un crimen.

La Gala Final del certamen tuvo lugar en el teatro Scentrum Scene donde Sergio deslumbró al público asistente presentando en exclusiva la nueva colección de Frankie Morello para Unikum Madrid con complementos de Men to Men. Junto a los finalistas de Irlanda e Islandia, Sergio fue coronado Mr. Gay Europa 2009.

En febrero de 2010 Sergio competirá en el certamen Mister Gay World, para alzarse con dicho titulo.

Más información en www.mrgaypride.es

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Posted in Queer Entertainment, Relaxing!, Talented People, friends and allies, living in Spain, special events, world news

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The original of Todos es de color: H/T Carlitos

August 24th, 2009

Thanks to one of the readers in the comments, we see the original version of the Alejandro Sanz song I put up the other day. The singers are Lole and Manuel. Gracias muchisimas Carlos. La version perfecta.

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Posted in Talented People, world news

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One more note before bedtime (oh, ambien, where are you)?

August 22nd, 2009

This video is from a great night time soup for young adults (and many gay men and lesbians) in Madrid call Physics and Chemistry.  They have a wonderfully complicated and emotional love story going on between two very sweet boys and it just reminds me of the feelings and the strength of those feelings when I was young.  The video is in Spanish, but the language crosses barriers.  I think you’ll get what is going on. The title of the clip is “estoy acojonado, voy a dejar a Ruth.” which means literally that I’ve put the wind up, and I’m going to leave Ruth. More accurately, I’m really doing it, it’s set in motion, I’m leaving Ruth. Unsaid, is “for you.” Ahhh.

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Posted in LGBT Rights, Queer Entertainment, Spain v USA, Talented People, friends and allies

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Spanish Unemployment Drops, Consumer Confidence Rises

June 3rd, 2009
Unemployment lines in Spain

Unemployment lines in Spain

All the Spanish dailies are covering the story that after 14 months of increases in the unemployment rate, the most recent numbers have dropped by more than 29,000 people. Most give credit to the government´s stimulus package, Plan E, about which, as I´ve mentioned before, signs are ubiquitious.

Additionally the rise in consumer confidence is a good sign for the Spanish economy and the government has used similar language to that in the Unites States, saying that there are “green shoots.” There is hope that the economy has hit the bottom. Spain has been among the hardest hit in Europe and absolutely the hardest hit of the major European economies. The opposition party, the Popular Party, has said that the green shoots represent only the marijuana that the government is smoking.

All this comes just days before the European Council Elections.

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Posted in expat, living in Spain, neighborhoods, restaurants

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