Saturday, March 6th, 2010 Mexico City Opens to Gay Unions, Setting Up Culture War |  |  | Mexico's capital city handed out its first licenses for same-sex marriage, allowing gay couples not only to marry legally, but also to adopt children and receive government benefits—changes that pit the city's progressive government against a more conservative country that surrounds it.
Lol Kin Castañeda and her bride, Judith Vázquez, were among a dozen or so couples getting marriage licenses. Ms. Castañeda, 45, and Ms. Vázquez, 33, kissed in front of news cameras Thursday morning and told reporters they had been an unmarried couple for nearly seven years. Moments later, they entered the registry building, presented copies of identification cards and phone bills, and were given one of the first marriage licenses. "This is a social transformation," said Ms. Vázquez.
The changes were hailed by gay-rights advocates as a major event in Latin America. But they also set a new culture war afoot in Mexico, one of the region's most conservative countries. The new marriage and adoption laws have drawn fire from many of Mexico's top names, from conservative President Felipe Calderón, who supports a constitutional challenge to the law, to the Mexican Catholic Cardinal Norberto Rivera, who recently called the law a "violation against children" that "respects neither culture nor nationality."
Read more. Source: online.wsj.com |  |
Out West at the Autry | The Autry Museum has uploaded a short video to YouTube that touches upon the panel discussion in Los Angeles on December 13th of last year. You'll see some familiar faces as the video progresses, and hear comments made by members of the Ultimate Brokeback Forum, G.L.A.A.D, and the International Gay Rodeo Association. Here's an excerpt from the video description:
"What Ever Happened to Ennis del Mar?" is the first program in the Out West series. When Gene Autry issued his ten-point "Cowboy Code" in the 1940s, he could not have anticipated the story of Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, but the messages of tolerance, fairness, and integrity the Code promotes speak to the acceptance for which the Brokeback Mountain characters longed. Their story is the departure point for this first discussion. The panel was moderated by Virginia Scharff, author and professor of history/director of the Center for the Southwest at the University of New Mexico. The program focuses on the representation of homosexuality in the West before, during, and after the era depicted in the movie, and explores the Academy Award winning films significance in renewing the Western film for contemporary audiences.
For more information on the Out West program at the Autry, please see their press page.
Watch the video. Source: youtube.com |  | 
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Liberalism, Atheism, Male Sexual Exclusivity Linked to IQ |  |  | The IQ differences are statistically significant, but experts say the data shouldn't be used to stereotype or make assumptions.
Political, religious and sexual behaviors may be reflections of intelligence, a new study finds.
Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.
The IQ differences, while statistically significant, are not stunning -- on the order of 6 to 11 points -- and the data should not be used to stereotype or make assumptions about people, experts say. But they show how certain patterns of identifying with particular ideologies develop, and how some people's behaviors come to be.
The reasoning is that sexual exclusivity in men, liberalism and atheism all go against what would be expected given humans' evolutionary past. In other words, none of these traits would have benefited our early human ancestors, but higher intelligence may be associated with them.
Read more. Source: cnn.com |  |
D.C. Catholic Charities Refuses Spousal Benefits to Workers Gay and Straight | Rather than provide family benefits to gay and lesbian employees, the social services branch of the Washington, D.C. Roman Catholic diocese has determined that it will simply not extend such benefits at all to new hires or to existing employees who were not previously enrolled.
Church doctrine says that gays are "disordered," and church authorities view sexual expressions of love and affection between individuals of the same gender as being "intrinsically evil." For that reason, Catholic Charities--which contracts with the District to provide services to the tune of $22 million per year in taxpayer money--has stepped back from its role in caring for foster children, rather than place needy children with two mothers or two fathers. Instead, the church has given over the 43 children with whom it was working, and the seven people who had been on the staff of its charitable organization, to a secular organization, the National Center for Children and Families. |  |  |  |
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Church authorities view sexual expressions of love and affection between individuals of the same gender as being "intrinsically evil."
The group now says that it will no longer accept new enrollees of any sexual orientation in its family benefits package, rather than be compelled to offer coverage to gay or lesbian spouses in the wake of a new marriage equality ordinance slated to take effect on March 3, reported a Washington Post article from March 2.
Marriage supporter Tommy Wells, a D.C., councilmember who voted in favor of bringing marriage equality to the nation’s capital, said that the charity has every right to determined who it will allow into its coverage package. "Catholic Charities is a private, nonprofit corporation," noted Wells. "They can choose to provide benefits to families and spouses or not. I hope that it’s not just a runaround to keep from doing things they should do, but it’s within their purview to decide what to offer their employees."
Read more. Source: edgeboston.com |  |
Daniel Radcliffe Tries to Quash Gay Rumours |  |  |
Prince of Persia Action Figures are Pretty Gyllensmaall
The scoop is that the McFarlane designed Prince of Persia action figures look pretty cool. The detail is there, right down to Jake's long, flowing hair. They're a step up from the PoP Legos, that's for sure. The folks at joystiq seem to like them too, but their website is reporting a bit of bad news:
"These figures are only four-to-six inches tall. Even if you're a person of limited stature, it would be impossible to play "Jake Gyllenhaal Fantasy Dream Date" with a four-inch-tall representation of the guy."
That's not exactly true. I'm sure some fans will all agree that four to six inches is the perfect size for a bit of PoP memorabilia that you can pose as you like and stick anywhere.
See more examples of the action figures. Source: joystiq.com |  |  |  |  |  |
Spotlight on Slashby donna | Featured writer: delvalmom
Most writers carefully choose their words when telling a story, but writers of drabbles must be particularly cautious to not be wasteful. A drabble tells a story in exactly 100 words. Drabbles can be fun to write and good practice for writers who want to pare down the essence of an emotion or poetically describe a simple act. Every word in a drabble serves an important purpose.
Drabbles can be written in any category of Brokeback Mountain fanfiction. Many drabbles focus on canon, where writers seek to uncover the emotion through this exercise in spare prose. Similar to poetry, even the briefest offering can evoke a stirring response or incur detailed analysis.
Forum member delvalmom, aka Fran, writes drabbles in the Brokeback Mountain fandom and in the Queer as Folk community. She believes that drabbles tend to be ignored by many readers. “I used wonder what anyone could possibly say in 100 words. I need plot and a long fic that tells a story. That is the exact way I viewed drabbles until someone in another fandom challenged me to try to write one.”
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to write,” says Fran, when contemplating her first attempt at writing a drabble. “I really had to think about each word I chose, because I only had 100 to use to make my point.”
She has gotten considerably better it, and now writes in two distinct fandoms. How does she keep her guys, eh… straight? “Writing in two fandoms is a real joy to me. Although neither is technically a traditional slash genre since the main pairings in both are already gay and together, they are two vastly different universes.”
Fran enters many drabble challenges in the Queer as Folk fandom. “With five seasons of material to draw from, it is easy to be prolific there. I’ve written close to 100 drabbles in that fandom alone, and I usually write two or more drabbles a week there in a prompted drabble community.” Drabble prompts can vary, but they usually provide a topic or a few words that must be the basis for the writing. They can be fun and challenging to write.
So, what does a drabble look like? Here’s a sample of one of Fran’s canon drabbles written in the Brokeback Mountain fandom: |  |
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Revelation
Jack draped himself over Ennis’s back, entwining their fingers together as he pressed him firmly to the ground.
Ennis moaned quietly as Jack continued the slow and shallow thrusts that were so foreign from their usual frantic couplings. Something was different this time, and with each stroke Ennis felt another layer of his lonely life revealed and then claimed by Jack’s touch. He lifted his head and turned his face as Jack leaned in and kissed his mouth gently, breaths mingling as they panted together. “You’re mine Ennis.” Jack whispered against his lips and Ennis welcomed that truth at last.
|  |
 | No words are wasted.
Fran started writing in the Brokeback Mountain fandom, motivated by a “Lovefest Challenge” that encouraged new writers to share their stories. The seasoned writers who hosted the challenge were so positive that she “finally worked up enough nerve and submitted an entry.” She has been writing ever since.
In her real life, Fran runs a small telecommunications and security company with her husband. Her degree in Communications and strong writing background, mostly in business writing, advertising copy, and public relations, serves her well. In addition to the business part of her life, she is also a busy Mom with two active boys, ages 10 and 16. She also plays the French Horn and even scores some paying gigs from time to time. Fran is an active proponent of Archive of Our Own, a multi-fandom collection of fanfiction that is posted and catalogued for posterity. “The thought of favorite fanfiction disappearing forever drives me crazy, and I see this as a refuge where things can be safely stored indefinitely.”
Fran has been a member of the Dave Cullen Forum for the past three years. “I’d like to encourage forum members to give slash a try,” she says. “Read a drabble or a one-shot and see what it’s all about. It only makes the fandom stronger when we visit other threads.”
Check out delvalmom’s writing on Live Journal. Revelation can be found here.
Please remember that all contributors write out of love for Ennis and Jack. The only payment they receive is your appreciative comment.
Flicker photo by Arethusa33 |  |
Just Jake
Brokeback Mountain Memorabilia?Here's a horse with a delightful coat and a one-of-a-kind name,
but she's not in Wyoming (or Canada), she's in Gloucestershire!

Gorgeous 3yr old Piebald Filly
"Brokeback Mountain Music"£2300 ono
Read
more. Source:
colouredcontact.co.uk
Congrats Dave!!!Florida BBM Gathering Underway | Spring is near, and while you may be covered in a blanket of snow at the moment, it's never too late to start thinking about your next BBM Gathering. The trip to The Autry Center and Los Angeles in December was a rousing success, but now it's time to switch coasts and look East. CellerDwellar115 has created a new thread over in Gatherings and Events called Aussies Invade America - Florida Fling 2010!
Here's a bit of what Chuck has to say about the upcoming event:
"Two members of BetterMost from Australia will be coming to America, and staying in Florida. We've decided that we're going to have a gathering in Ft. Lauderdale on April 16th, 17th, and 18th...reason being, that weekend is the "Sunshine Stampede", Florida's Gay Rodeo.

"Everyone will be responsible for booking their own rooms, there is not a "group rate" set up. If you are able to find different lodging that fits your budget, feel free to book other hotels."
The attendee list is growing, and there's talk among members about getting together to make the event a road trip. Take a moment to check the thread for more information. Feel free to ask questions or offer any tips about The Sunshine State! |  |  |  |
 |  |  | Fun Question of the Week
This week’s Question: What addition was made to the field of psychology after a robbery at the bank – Kreditbanken - at Norrmalmstorg Square in Sweden in 1973?
Let us know your answer in the response thread.
Last week's question and answer: What was unique about the Top Five spots on the April 4th, 1964 Billboard singles chart - something that has never yet happened again?
Lyle (Mooska) and Ennis Del Mark you are correct!! During the week of 4 April 1964, The Beatles held twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, including the top five positions. The top 5 songs were Can't Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Please Please Me. |  |
Post Of The DayBy
paul christman in
How Brokeback Affected Me. | Sometimes we get a post on DC that illustrates just how real the characters of Ennis and Jack can be. Paul happened here one day to say a bit about his personal life -- and let us know that he too was affected by Brokeback Mountain -- almost four years after the film debuted and well over a decade since the New Yorker published Annie's piece.
"This is my first post.
"BROKEBACK cut me to the quick. It made me think of all the beautiful and wonderful men whom I've had the privelege of knowing and loving all of my life. I came out in 1980 (I was nineteen) and, of course, it wasn't easy. I consider that I was part of the first post-Stonewall generation. Although some progress had been made in the eleven years that had passed since the riots, there was still a long way to go. Gay venues were still relegated to dangerous parts of town, and since these were the very last days of wild, free-wheeling sex, well..., you know. Anyway, I managed to meet and begin a clandestine relationship with "James" which lasted for more than fifteen years. "James" was married to a woman and had children, just like Ennis. We rendez-voused whenever we could, and it was never enough. Although I was desperately in love with "James" I resigned myself to the idea that he would never be mine.
"I haven't heard from or seen "James" for ten years now, but he will always have a place in my heart that no other man will ever be able to claim. I've got "Brokeback" on DVD and I am sure that I've watched it well more than a hundred times now." |  | 
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The Forum Image | A study in contrasts -- Rei-gyoku's beautiful plum blossoms in Japan, where it's already early spring, CellerDwellar115 on the U.S. East coast, where the white stuff is still falling, followed up by killersmoms's own plum blossoms on the Western Hemisphere. See more great photos over at Life Through The Lens 4. |  |
"We couldn't wait for spring and Tuesday we drove down 350m in altitude to Kofu city."
"Hiya from snowy white New Jersey!"
"I took a few pics in my back yard to show that Spring IS coming." Quote of the Day“Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn.”
~ Lewis Grizzard ~
Photocaption of the DayBy
Marz in
Photo Captioning Fun 5
Jake: (singing) Stop in the name of love!
Contributors: paul christman, Rei-gyoku, CellarDweller115, killersmom, Marz
Calendar of Events
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