Andy Praschak    Commentary        San Juan Star      Oct. 7, 2004

A 1-DAY BOYCOTT TO DEMAND FAIR TREATMENT

As long as social injustice exists, its opponents will continue to think of creative and varied ways to fight it.

A not-for-profit organization in the United States, Boycott for Equality, has come up with an intriguing idea to fight the discrimination that gays and lesbians still face today.

Inspired by the success of modern day heroes like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chávez, Mahatma Gandhi and even the architects of the Boston Tea Party, Boycott for Equality is calling for a one-day boycott of the United States economy by gays and lesbians tomorrow, October 8. 

According to the organizers, participating in the Boycott for Equality is simple: Stay home from work, don't make any purchases and turn off your cell phone.

This thought provoking idea has received attention from such media outlets as the New York Post, The Washington Times,  National Public Radio, the Sacramento Bee, The Advocate and a host of local gay publications and web sites across the United States. 

Boycott for Equality estimates that 27 million lesbians and gays live in the United States (a figure which does not include bisexuals and transgendered Americans). They boost the national economy by about $500 billion each year, or $1.4 billion each day, according to a 2003 Witeck-Combs/Harris Interactive study.

"By pulling out of the economy for a day, we hope we can have a huge impact,"

according to Dale Duncan, a 40-year-old public-school music teacher in Atlanta and founder of Boycott for Equality.  "We want to say to people all over America that we are here and we contribute."

Duncan’s group asks us to imagine if the one-day boycott were successful and Broadway shut down for the day, or if brides could not find florists for their weddings, or if people could not get appointments to get their hair cut that day or to even imagine if police did not show up for their normal patrol tomorrow.

“Imagine the conversations in classrooms at schools across America if teachers and principals didn't show up to work.  Imagine the discussions in corporations if major corporate players don't show up. Imagine the power that gays and lesbians who, for personal reasons, have chosen to stay in the closet, will feel by quietly participating in this boycott,”  Boycott for Equality challenges.

Duncan was moved to action by President Bush’s recent public call for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, thereby codifying discrimination against the community as the law of the land.

According to Duncan that moment was profound for him and his partner.  "I remember it like it was yesterday. I couldn't speak. My partner couldn't speak. There was a profound sadness in the house. The president held a press conference specifically to say the Constitution should be rewritten to discriminate against us."

In addition, as part of the Republican get-out-the-conservative-vote effort this November, voters in 11 states will be asked to decide, in referendums, whether to approve a state ban on gay marriages.  According to the New York Times, it is expected that 10 of the states will pass the ban while only Oregon may actually reject it.

It is a flaw of our humanity that our capacity to inflict harm on others is elevated if we do not know our victim.  It is much easier to vote to discriminate against a gay or lesbian if you do not actually know a gay or lesbian.   And invisibility has always been one of the worst enemies of our community.

Boycott for Equality is attempting to make the gay and lesbian community more visible through its absence in the U.S. economy for one day.

Yet the effort is not without its critics, even in the gay and lesbian community.  Many predict that those who will actually suffer the most from the boycott will be gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses.

To this end, Boycott for Equality urges the lgbt community to go shopping the next day and support those who supported the boycott.

Duncan admitted that early on, his partner posed the potentially debilitating question “What if we fail?"

That’s a reasonable question that surely Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chávez, Mahatma Gandhi and even the architects of the Boston Tea Party must have all asked themselves when they hit upon their ideas for a boycott.

And like Rosa, Martin, Cesar, Mahatma and the American colonists,  Duncan responded “So what? We have to try.”'

Andy Praschak is a gay activist and founder of the Fundación de Derechos Humanos

Estudio de las Conductas de Riesgo Hacia el VIH/SIDA en la Población de Hombres que Tienen Sexo con Hombres (HSH)

Oferta de contrato temporero como entrevistador

ECO es una encuesta donde se recogerá información sobre las conductas de riesgos hacia el VIH/SIDA en la población de HSH.  Tiene una duración hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2004.  Durante esos meses estaremos visitando lugares como: Zamunda Inside, Tía María Liquor Store, Kenny’s, Juniors Bar, Ocean Park, Coloquios Café entre otros.  Las encuestas se realizan en periódos de 4 horas en diferentes horarios.   Si eres un hombre gay, homosexual, bisexual o hombre que tiene sexo con otro hombre y además tienes disponibilidad para trabajar horarios flexibles, nocturnos, feriados y fines de semana; eres dinámico; bilingüe; puedes trabajar bajo presión; tienes conocimiento básico de programas computadorizados; posees vehículo de motor propio y licencia de conducir o medio de trasladarte a los lugares de alcance envía tu Resume por Fax al (787) 793-7530 o al correo electrónico coai@....     

Para más información comunícate a Coaí, Inc. al (787)793-7550, (787)782-6685 ó (787)782-6585.

Este estudio esta auspiciado por Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Sistema de Vigilancia de VIH/SIDA, Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico y Coaí, Inc.

Muy pronto Taller Salud, Inc. recibirá Agenda Mujer 2005

Andy Praschak          Commentary          San Juan Star          Oct. 14, 2004

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE SUPERMAN IS DEAD

Well, actually, Superman will never die.  But Christopher Reeve, the man who came to be Superman to millions, is gone.

Reeve developed a serious systemic infection from a pressure wound, a common complication for people living with paralysis, went into cardiac arrest, fell into a coma and died Sunday.

Reeve’s legacy will forever be a compelling story of irony.  Strikingly handsome and a commanding 6 feet 4 inches tall, his most memorable role as Superman not only cast him as an indestructible superhero but also as endearingly vulnerable not only to the charms of Margot Kidder but to the fight for social justice.

Although he starred in 150 plays and 39 movies, Christopher Reeves will always be remembered not only as a super hero who could fly but one who would effortlessly scoop up those in need and take them soaring in his arms.

The mother of all ironies came in 1995 when the dashing, larger-than-life figure was left paralyzed from the neck down by an equestrian accident.

More ironic still, was how the silver screen superhero used his condition to become a superhero in real life.

From the outset, Reeve’s challenges were daunting.  His first battle was enduring months of therapy to learn to breathe without a respirator.  In early interviews, he would gasp a few words --- half a thought --- and then struggle for his respirator before finishing his sentence.

Yet this Hollywood leading man seemed proud to be appearing in public, before the cameras, even though reliant on a respirator to take his next breath.  He had so much to say and he was determined to say it.

Reeve’s new challenges converted him into an advocate for several causes.  Confined to a wheel chair, yet with his “brain on straight,” as he said, Reeve personally lobbied Congress for better insurance protection against catastrophic injury.

Superman, now a quadriplegic, stated that someday he was going to walk again and you actually believed him.  If he could re-learn to breathe, you believed he would win the fight to learn to walk.

Yet, reminiscent of a more human Clark Kent persona, Reeve, was not without his vulnerabilities.  He admitted that in the early, dark days after his accident, he considered suicide as a way out.  But he won that battle, too.  Thoughts of his children carried him through that period.

He went on to become a leading advocate for increased stem cell research.  In 2001, on the eve of President Bush’s heartless, politically motivated decision to prohibit federal funding for increased embryonic stem cell research, Reeve spoke out movingly:

"That would be a big mistake because you could spend the next five years doing research on adult stem cells and find that they are not capable of doing what we know embryonic cells can do now," he said. "And five years of unnecessary research to try to create something that we already have would cause -- well, a lot of people are going to die while we wait."

Ironically, Reeve died fighting for federal funding for embryonic stem cell research,  even as we continue to debate whether to allow religion or science to decide whether we fund the very research that may lead to cures for not only spinal cord injuries but Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis and a host of other diseases.

Just days before he died, Reeve left a message on John Kerry’s answering machine, thanking him for giving the issue prominence in last week’s presidential debates.

Dr. John McDonald, one of Reeve’s physicians said,  "Before him there was really no hope. If you had a spinal cord injury like his there was not much that could be done, but he's changed all that, he's demonstrated that there is hope and that there are things that can be done."

Reeve once said, "I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery.”

“In my dreams,” he admitted, “I’ve always been walking.  In my dreams, I’m never in a wheel chair.”

In real life, every activist who, like Reeve, fights for the cause they believe in is a superhero.  Millions of kids dream of being like Superman.  Ironically, when these kids grow up, they can now dream of being more like Christopher Reeve.

¡1^er aniversario!

Fiesta Positiva

Para hombres Gay, bisexuales y Transgénero que sean VIH+

Tenemos una fiesta el domingo 24 de octubre

a las 6 PM en Xcape en su nuevo local

en la Calle De Diego en Santurce

 Ven, no te quedes en casa y festeja en un ambiente

seguro y confidencial. Baila, sonríe, conversa, conoce nuevas amistades, encuentrate con tus viejos amigos o a ese hombre tan especial.

Para info (787) 633-1300 / 642-8898 fiestapositiva@...

     ¡Gran Fiesta de Halloween!

Ven disfrazado y gana premios

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

Para difusión de inmediato  

¡Histórica Victoria por los Derechos de los Animales!

¡Delito Grave el que Maltrate un Animal!  

Contacto:                                         

Carla Cappalli                      (787) 594-4471                

La Sociedad para la Prevención de Crueldad a los Animales de Puerto Rico ( SPCA-PR ) se complace en anunciar que el Proyecto del Senado Num. 2702, para clasificar el maltrato a los animales como delito grave, fue aprobado y firmado ley por la Gobernadora Sila M. Calderón este pasado 22 de Septiembre de 2004.  La nueva Ley Num. 439, la cual enmienda la Ley Num. 67 de 31 de mayo de 1973 (Protección de Animales,) comenzó a regir inmediatamente luego de su aprobación.

El Proyecto del Senado Num. 2702 fue presentado por el Senador Eudaldo Báez Galib y trabajado en conjunto con la SPCA-PR, quien con la ayuda de cientos de individuos, logramos recopilar mas de 10,000 firmas de Puertorriqueños a favor del Proyecto.

Gracias a esta nueva ley, Puerto Rico podrá seguir evolucionando como una nación civilizada y compasiva.  Para combatir la violencia y el crimen en Puerto Rico es necesario empezar a tomar en serio el abuso a los animales. Los actos de crueldad contra los animales son un reflejo de una conducta antisocial. El Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (Federal Bureau of Investigation) en los Estados Unidos ha señalado la crueldad contra los animales como una característica típica para identificar jóvenes sospechosos con potencial para convertirse en criminales en el futuro, mientras que la Asociación Psiquiátrica Americana lo considera como uno de los diagnósticos para determinar desórdenes de conducta.  

La SPCA-PR agradece a todos los que ayudaron lograr esta histórica medida de ley por los derechos de los animales. Un agradecimiento especial para el autor del proyecto, el Honorable Eudaldo Báez Galib y a todos los que ayudaron pasar esta importante ley. ¡Que vivan los derechos de los animales!

Andy Praschak          Commentary          San Juan Star          Oct. 21, 2004

‘TONGUES-ONLY MAY BE NEXT FRONT IN LANGUAGE WARS

With little more than a week until the election, I’m willing to go out on a limb to nominate my choice for creepiest moment of this campaign.

Dripping with gold and diamonds, the Reverend Wanda Rolón proudly proclaimed to the local press that when her candidate wins, “we will have a governor in La Fortaleza speaking in Tongues.”

Did she say Tongues?  Yep, Tongues. 

I apologize, in advance, to the other candidates who may be planning something creepier for the last week, but it’s going to take a lot of creativity to top that creepy moment.   For me, it was one of those times when you tilt your head and think, “Was I dreaming or did that lady with all the jewelry actually say, with a straight face,  we would have a governor speaking in Tongues?”

Because many of us have worked so hard to master two languages --- Spanish and English --- it’s time to put our foot down.  It’s just asking too much to expect us to now also learn to speak Tongues --- especially those of us over 40!

When I arrived in Puerto Rico twenty years ago, at least I was able to use my lame Spanish to ask, “Where is the bathroom?” or order a cold “Bu’weiser.”  I wouldn’t even know how to say “bathroom” in Tongues and I’m guessing they don’t even have a word for Budweiser.

In light of the constant political tug-of-war between English-Only and Spanish-Only, can we now expect to see a grass roots movement for “Tongues-Only?” I think I once rented a video with that title. 

English-Only and Spanish-Only proponents never really moved me.  I figure I can pretty much hold my own under either paradigm.  But I’m totally screwed if we move to Tongues-Only.

It’s clear the Reverend expected her claims would be met with skepticism. She reinforced her vision by clarifying that it wasn’t just her saying that Tongues will be spoken in La Fortaleza.  She had actually spoken directly to God and He was the one who revealed the results of the election to her, projecting Tongues will soon be de rigeure.

I guess it’s not that far fetched a concept that God actually talked directly to the Reverend, revealing secret election results.  It seems God has been talking directly to a lot of people lately, mostly politicians.  The problem is the press is glad to report these direct conversations with God but reluctant to ask the appropriate follow-up questions.

We need to start asking the “politician-prophets” exactly what forms the direct messages from God are taking.  We have a right to know if God is still working in the classic, speak-to-you-in-a-dream method or perhaps He has upgraded his mode of communication to the more user friendly e-mail, voice mail or maybe even text-messaging.

Imagine this conversation:  “Honey, I picked up your voice mails by mistake and there was one from God revealing to you who was going to win the elections.  Sorry I erased it but I wrote it down and it’s on a yellow stickie on your make-up mirror in case you want to see it.”

According to her own accounts, God also talked to María Milagros Charbonier, Secretary General of the Statehood party.  During their conversation, God told her it was her turn to be Secretary General of the party.  Unfortunately, once again, we’re not privy to the context of that conversation.  It sure would be a time-saver, though, if God just started text-messaging Charbonier: 

“MMC: U RUN THE PNP NOW.  TONGUES 2 WIN! LOL. --- GOD  :-)”

And God, being fair, talks to North American politicians too.   Bush II didn’t consult Bush I before invading Iraq but did admit he consulted a “higher father” and got a green light to start the bombing.  Apparently, though, while the President had Him on the line, he forgot to ask where to look for the WMD.  At least this proves that God has a sense of humor.  God probably had a good belly laugh when he hung up.

It won’t be long now before we’ll have actual proof whether God’s really been doing all this chatting with His chosen politicians here on earth.  On November 3^rd, we will know if Tongues will be the lengua franca in La Fortaleza or whether, as I suspect, this was all just a creepy, bad dream.

Esta gigantesca colcha (ochenta paneles) por la paz presenta la visión de paz de varias comunidades puertorriqueñas.  Algunas de las preguntas que podemos contestar a través de este proyecto son: ¿qué es paz para las mujeres en estas comunidades? ¿qué es paz comunal? ¿cuáles son los símbolos puertorriqueños de la paz? ¿cómo se obtiene la paz? ¿cuáles son los principios sobre los cuáles se sostiene el trabajo en pro de la transformación en nuestras comunidades?
 
En el aniversario del ataque por los EEUU (6 de octubre de 2002) a Afganistán ilé convocó el primer grupo de mujeres a elaborar la colcha en el Ateneo Puertorriqueño en San Juan.  Este evento ocurrió en acuerdo con la Red de mujeres del Este de Asia (Okinawa, Corea del Sur, Filipinas), Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos en contra del militarismo. Actividades simultáneas fueron llevadas a cabo en todos los países que representan la red. 
 
 Para más información comuníquese al (787) 712-5802.

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If you would like to comment on this article, please write an email before tomorrow Friday, October 29 at viewpoint@...

Andy Praschak          Commentary          San Juan Star          Oct. 28, 2004

TO THE VICTORS BELONG THE SPOILS

There are two people who have staked their careers on the outcome of next week’s election.  And they’re not Pedro Rosselló and Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. 

Tomás Rivera Schatz and María Milagros Charbonier will either be the big winners or the big losers on Tuesday.  To the victors belong the spoils and if they lead their party to victory, the New Progressive Party electoral commissioner and the party’s Secretary General will, overnight, become two of the most politically powerful figures in Puerto Rico.

Whether their rewards will come in the form of Secretary of Justice for Rivera Schatz or Chief of Staff for Charbonier, this duo will be the political operatives whom analysts will either be praising for their brilliant strategy or blaming for the party’s defeat. 

Together they developed and implemented a risky plan, which ultimately alienated, marginalized, stigmatized and virtually wrote-off not only gay voters but many of the undecideds and non-affiliated voters uncomfortable with both gay-baiting and the prospect of right wing, religious lobbyists having an office in La Fortaleza.

Charbonier was direct in her outreach as the liaison for creating an alliance between her party and the conservative, evangelical right.  Her extensive background as a fundamentalist organizer made her perfect for the job of unifying the extreme right wing into a cohesive political front for her party. 

Of course, Charbonier is smart enough to know that publicly creating this political alliance with these fundamentalists would be alarming to many independent voters concerned about the continuing erosion of the separation of church and state.  But she took the calculated risk.

Freedom of religion is a cherished right.  It becomes worrisome to many voters, however, when activist groups, such as many in the Charbonier coalition, divert a disproportionate amount of their financial resources and energy into formalizing the supremacy of their dogma and imposing their beliefs on the rest of us. 

Whether the issues are civil unions or a woman’s right to reproductive freedom, most voters prefer the equal protection of our constitutions to the rigidity of the morality police.

While Charbonier assumed the role of the amiable alliance builder, Tomás Rivera Schatz was a natural to pick up the verbal sledge hammer and just start bashing.

His verbal assaults against the gay community have been so alarming that Amnesty International, an organization dedicated to reporting human rights violations around the world, was compelled to step in to publicly remind Rivera Schatz of the hurtfulness of his words.

In addressing his attacks against the gay community, Margarita Sánchez, Puerto Rico’s Director of Amnesty International, noted, "It appears that we have forgotten that these types of comments are hate speech against a segment of our society.  Even if it is not Mr. Rivera Schatz’s intention to generate hate, unfortunately his actions and comments contribute to a climate of intolerance, exclusion and ultimately hate against the gay community.”

Rivera Schatz reportedly gay-baited a Popular Democratic Party official by labeling him an insect with a homophobic slur and daring him, macho-man style, to come out of the closet.  According to press reports, Rivera Schatz said those who are “stuck in the closet think that nobody knows.  The people in Puerto Rico know the ‘m****s’ like him.”

Rivera Schatz’s assault strategy was risky too, however, not only because many intelligent voters are uncomfortable with this type of vitriolic gay-baiting, but also it ignored the reality that his own statehood party has gay candidates also struggling with the issue of the closet.  Yet they have remained silent, as Rivera Schatz has unwittingly called their dignity into question also. 

With few exceptions, Rivera Schatz’s defenders write off his verbal assaults as a matter of style.  Yet, for some reason, when I personally raise this “style” issue with leaders of his party, none of them are able to look me in the eye.  

It’s obvious to me that when they are face-to-face with a member of the gay community us, they are extremely embarrassed by this strategy, yet willing to play along. 

In a few days, we’ll know whether the strategy worked.  It all seems unnecessarily risky to me but to the victors belong the spoils.

Andy Praschak is a gay activist and founder of the Fundación de Derechos Humanos.

http://endi.com/elecciones2004/noticia.asp?newsid={3DC2C262-908F-45EF-A14A-6B0BAC2ABB57}

CEE certifica preliminarmente a Acevedo Vilá y a Fortuño

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NOTE: To have your opinion on this Column published in the Viewpoint Section of the San Juan Star, send your comments to:
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Andy Praschak          Commentary          San Juan Star          Nov. 4, 2004

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN VOTERS UNITE

Regardless of the outcome of a recount, the lesson from Tuesday’s election is clear:  “Don’t mess with the left.”

With all due respect to the pro-independence voters who unquestionably flexed their electoral muscle in the race for governor, it was actually an alliance of several different factions on the left who decided the result.

The gay and lesbian community went on high alert to join that alliance and move against the extreme right wing forces poised to take control.

New Progressive Party Secretary General María Milagros Charbonier and NPP Electoral Commissioner Tomás Rivera Schatz, put all their eggs in a right-wing coalition basket full of holes.

Gays and lesbians are well represented in all three major political parties in Puerto Rico.  So it never made political sense to me that this party lurched to the right, alienating thousands of gay and lesbian voters who have finely tuned gaydar that send off warning signals when danger is approaching.

Rivera Schatz, Charbonier, Jorge Raschke and Wanda Rolón sent us a message we heard loud and clear.  “If we win this election, your community is a target.” 

After all, nothing sways an undecided gay voter like an electoral commissioner publicly hurling degrading, anti-gay insults at the end of a campaign.

The gay and lesbian community mobilized massively to cast their votes to ensure Jorge Raschke didn’t get his office in La Fortaleza, Wanda Rolón would stop trying to baptize politicians against their will, River Schatz wasn’t given a megaphone to continue his verbal gay bashing and Charbonier would stop claiming she had a direct line to God.

Somewhere along the way, the party and its candidate for governor got hijacked.  I’ll let you in on a secret.  Early on, high-level surrogates for Rosselló actually reached out to the gay community to help defeat Puerto Ricos’s sodomy law, an issue that unified the gay and lesbian community like no other.  But that was before he got hijacked.

Someone crunched the numbers and mistakenly determined it was okay to throw the gay and lesbian community overboard in order to form an unholy alliance with the religious right.  The problem is, politically, the religious right is all smoke and mirrors, fire and brimstone, yet never able to deliver votes.  They were exposed on several fronts on Tuesday.

The religious right moved heaven and earth to elect one of their own to the Senate, propping up Quique Santiago for an at-large seat.   Santiago ran on an evangelical fundamentalist platform and finished dead last in the race, garnering only 4 percent of the vote.  With constant promotion on Christian radio and television stations and heavily financed by the right, one of their own could do no better then last place in the race.

The right also invested heavily to defeat Popular Democratic Party Rep. Charlie Hernández, a long-time friend of the gay community and major sponsor of legislation to promote fairness and end discrimination.  Hernández ignored them and won his district by a huge margin.

NPP Senator Lucy Arce snuggled up to the fundamentalist groups, appearing with Jorge Raschke and using code words like “family values” in her campaign literature only to be rewarded with a last place finish in her party in the vote count for the Senate.

NPP Rep. Albita Rivera is one of the first and most reliable friends the gay community has in the House of Representatives and as part of her campaign, promised, as a matter of principle,  to re-introduce a domestic partnership bill in the next session.  Albita trounced her opponent in her San Juan district by six percentage points.

NPP Sen. Kenneth McClintock understands the issue of fairness for the gay and lesbian community and has demonstrated this on several occasions.  McClintock was a big vote getter across the island and is poised to be the next President of the Senate.

Yazmín Mejías literally held up a Bible on the floor of the House of Representatives, to make the point that she would never vote for legislation to protect the rights of the gay and lesbian community.  Mejías lost her Carolina seat by 4,000 votes.

Reviewing the election results on Wednesday morning, Ada Conde, President of the Fundación de Derechos Humanos, the only gay organization to endorse candidates islandwide, was delighted with the outcome. 

“So what’s the message here, Ada?” I asked her. 

She thought for a moment and replied, “It’s obvious.  The results show that  every vote counts and politicians willing to work with us on issues of fairness and equality can count on our votes.”