|
It seems that the 70-year-old queen was under the impression that it was all a big pretend game, like a mock naval battle or an election and was surprised to learn that the book, The Queen Up Close, was actually going to be published and read by the common-folk. Turns out the queen, a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (say it three times fast aloud right now) dynasty has all sort of conservative royal opinions, much like Peggy Noonan — only Sofía's actual royalty. |
|
The Spanish royal court distanced itself Friday from comments expressed by Queen Sofia in a new biography in which she opposes gay marriage, among other political comments. Author Pilar Urbano calls those claims absolute rubbish and points out that the Queen approved the biography before it went to print. |
|
The seventy-year old monarch lets her anti-gay attitude show in a new biography, The Queen Up Close. For her first round of homo-centric conservative spew, Queen Sofia takes on gay pride, which she says doesn't deserve much space in the public sphere: I can understand, accept and respect that there are people of other sexual tendencies, but should they be proud to be gay? Should they ride on a parade float and come out in protests? If all of those of us who aren't gay came out to protest we would halt traffic. Later, while discussing gay marriage, Sofia offers this semantic opposition: If those people want to live together, dress up like bride and groom and marry, they could have a right to do so, or not, depending on the law of their country, but they should not call this matrimony, because it isn't. There are many possible names: social contract, social union. Yes, yes there are many names, but none are quite the same as marriage. Perhaps the errors of "separate, but equal" don't translate to Spanish, or something… |
|
|
|
While Spain allows gay marriage, other nations, like Poland, stridently oppose such civil expansions. What, then, can progressive member states do? Nothing, says Vladimir Spidla, the Union's Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Speaking with The International Lesbian and Gay Association's Destination Equality, Spidla explained that while the Union this year called for all nations to take steps toward inclusive non-discrimination policies, it's up to the home government to determine their own course, especially in terms of same-sex unions, marriage and partnerships. |
|
Fast forward to today and Marchena's again ruffling feathers with a new calendar: The 2009 calendar includes images of gay men embracing on a church altar wearing nothing but dog collars, a transsexual crucifixion, and a naked angel striking a provocative pose in a cemetery. Calendars, of course, are far easier templates for achieving unity. |
|
Spanish social conservatives have filed a lawsuit against Madrid Pride for - get this - hate speech. HazteOir claims that pride organizers and other revelers smeared the Catholic Church's good name by holding up a sign calling Pope Benedict XVI "chief of the inquisitors." Benedict, of course, often rails against gay rights. Should we sue him for hate speech? As if their lawsuit's not laughable enough, HazteOir claims their fight's for the greater good: From both humanitarian and Christian concepts of society, only by protecting values such as liberty, justice and solidarity can citizens retain their rights and dignity," HazteOir states on its website. How do you say bullshit in Spanish? |
» United!
"Two sexual orientation and gender identity rights groups have been given consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB) are national organisations representing LGBT communities in the Netherlands and Spain." [Pink News] |
|
» Bulging…
"More than 5,000 athletes, gay and straight, from across Europe are converging on Barcelona for the Eurogames which get underway on Thursday in the Spanish port city, organizers said." [Independent] |
|
Check out the blow-by-blow, after the jump… |
» Forceful.
Spanish Judge Laura Alabau, who has thrice refused to marry queer couples despite the country's 2005 same-sex go ahead, will soon be ordered to carry out gay marriages. Alabau claims she's simply being used as a "vehicle of propaganda." (PS: This case reminds us of British registrar Lillian Ladele, who sued for the right to opt out of gay nuptials based on religious reasons. She ended up losing.) [Euro Weekly News] |
|
» Release!
Two Spanish nationals arrested in Gambia for being gay have been set free. They faced fourteen years in jail for "violating the principles of Islam." We imagine the Spanish government had a hand in their release. [Earth Times] |
|
» Bad Trip: Update.
The two Spanish nationals arrested for being gay in Gambia face up to fourteen years in prison. The Spanish consul has been offering their "full support" to their incarcerated citizens, whatever that means. [News 24] |
» "Rebellion."
"Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid said this week that gender ideology and the laws inspired by it, such as those condoning so-called gay marriage, are an expression of “man’s rebellion against his biological limits.” Too bad we're not fruit flies, huh? [CNA] |
» Panic!
Catholic News Agency sure knows how to choose it's inflammatory words: "Pedro Zerolo, a well-known homosexual activist and the executive secretary of Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE), traveled last week to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay—where he met with president-elect and former bishop Fernando Lugo—to promote gender ideology and the legalization of gay marriage in South America." CNA entitled their article "Spanish Socialist party leader pushing homosexual agenda in South America" and featured a picture of Zerolo wearing a boa. [CNA] |