Is John Travolta Gay?

Is John Travolta gay? And, "so what?" if he is. The reality here is that if John Travolta is gay then he has some serious conversations that need to take place with members of his immediate family; starting with his wife.

The rumours regarding John Travolta and his sexuality are not new. To some, like Carrie Fisher (whatever happened to that exceptionally beautiful Princess Leia of Star Wars fame that I remember from my misguided youth?), it was an open secret in the circles of "know" in Hollywood. Fisher describes that secret knowledge in this way:

"Wow! I mean, my feeling about John has always been that we know and we don’t care. Look, I’m sorry that he’s uncomfortable with it, and that’s all I can say. It only draws more attention to it when you make that kind of legal fuss. Just leave it be."

One can just imagine John Travolta slumping in his chair going "Thanks Carrie!"

Yet, it has been reported that Travolta has opted for a course of action that goes along the lines of 'leaving it to people to believe what they want to believe'. So, if he refuses to acknowledge the rumours then how does one prove the rumour? Pictures?

What he chooses to do, and how he chooses to respond, is really a matter for him. Nevertheless, it would seem that Kelly Preston, who is set to become the "long-suffering wife" in the event that the rumours are substantiated, is apparently begging her husband to come clean and tell her the truth. It happens all the time where women marry men who at some point in the future, willingly or otherwise, come out as gay men.

On a personal level, I wonder how one maintains the deception for so long? This is particularly so where the actions are ongoing. It does not seem that the rumours circulating about Travolta's gay spa jaunts are a case of a one-off visit many years ago that has not been repeated since. Once Travolta has dealt with his wife's plea for honesty about his sexuality, I wonder how the Church of Scientology views homosexuality? To be honest, I have never really researched the Church (is it really a Church?).

I really do not care whether John Travolta is gay or not. His sexual preferences are matters and choices for him. To be truthful, I am not bothered one way or the other, if someone is gay or lesbian, then they are gay or lesbian. I am not the one to decide whether they are right or wrong in their choice of sexual and life-time partners. And, this does not change with the degree of fame the person has. I really do not care whether Oprah Winfrey is a lesbian for instance and that is the same for Joe Bloggs up the street.

Yet, I do wonder how we get passed the stigma that "we" as a community attach to being gay or lesbian. I wonder this within the framework of creating safe environments where all people, irrespective of their sexuality, can achieve and realise their hopes and dreams.

The Pope Sees the Light...

Pope Benedict XVI has seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not Jesus. The Pope, God bless his soul, has finally worked out that abstinence, although the best solution, is not a reality that the Catholic Church can make happen. Well, not unless they start forcibly restraining unmarried or un-partnered couples.

Condoms, particularly the use of them, are not a 100% effective way of preventing the spread of STD or STI. However, they do significantly better than the option of taking a shower without a raincoat. In any event, the Pope's support is not blanket support for the idea that the Catholic Church facilitate a program of condom distribution through its parishes.

The Pope's support suggests that prostitutes, and in particular male prostitutes,would be beginning to act responsibly if they were to start using condoms. I might have to go out and get the book from which the Pope's comments are sourced: Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times. And, the news story that I pilfered for this piece was quoting from excerpts that were published in The Vatican rag, L’Osservatore Romano.

The Catholic Church has adopted a position that is anti-condom use. It has maintained this position in the face of some intense and harsh criticism. So, is this statement by the Pope indicative of a softening in the position of the Catholic Church? No, it is not. The Pope was very explicit in restricting his comments to a very narrow range of condom use. His choice of male prostitutes was undoubtedly a conscious one that was sort to deflect any concerns about condoms being used as a contraceptive device. The position of the Catholic Church with respect to the use of condoms as a form of contraception remains unchanged.

Yet, when it is all said and done, there is an argument to be made that this may in fact be a first step in recognising that the issue of HIV / AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease and infection is an issue that transcends simple arguments of morality. It is an issue that has and will continue to be a measure of the times in which we live, particularly if you live in Africa or Asia.

Progress is progress even if it is in small and scripted steps.

Willow & Bristol Palin: Ranting and Railing on Facebook...

Family is important, and when your family is attacked your first reaction is to protect it. However, sometimes common sense and a measured response might better serve your family in the long run. Yet, if that "attack" is merely criticism of your parent's talk show, then it really is sticks and stones stuff. It probably does not need a response at all, particularly if your mum happens to be Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, 2008 GOP Vice Presidential candidate, and possible 2012 Republican Party Presidential candidate.

Nevertheless, Willow took to Facebook without a second thought and proceeded to use some choice swear words and a homophobic slur. I was always taught that a faggot was a bundle of sticks (or as my grancher once told me, a meatball). However, when you read the Facebook exchange, Willow leads little doubt that she is casting aspersions about the sexuality of the target of her vitriol.

Not to be left out, Bristol gets in a few lines about "shit talkers". So, in comparison Bristol was a little tamer than her younger sister. It seems that Bristol might be having a few regrets about her brain explosion.

I wonder how mummy is going to deal with this little media circus? Maybe the Palin kids learn this sort of language at home?

If you want to read a screen capture of the whole series of rants and rails, then head to TMZ.

Barack Obama's Indonesian Tranny Nanny

Some things are just good enough as they are. So, this is a simple cut and paste from gawker.com. I particularly liked the part about Glenn Beck, so much so that I highlight it so that you won't miss it.

Barack Obama's trip to his ancient Muslim homeland of Indonesia is splashing all sorts of tender boyhood memories across the newspapers, like his gay male nanny who later became a transvestite volleyball player. Glenn Beck just came in his pants.


On the occasion of his Indonesia trip, the New York Times canvasses the old neighborhood for memories of young Barry. And look what they found!


"His nanny was an openly gay man who, in keeping with Indonesia's relaxed attitudes toward homosexuality, carried on an affair with a local butcher, longtime residents said. The nanny later joined a group of transvestites called Fantastic Dolls, who, like the many transvestites who remain fixtures of Jakarta's streetscape, entertained people by dancing and playing volleyball."


Obama's association with a Muslim gay will no doubt add fuel to the fire for conservatives who argue that he is attempting to bring Sharia law, and its well known relaxed attitude toward homosexuality, to the United States.


The Times also found some boyhood friends who revealed Obama's childhood plot to become president and nationalize the banks:


"Mr. Obama asked a group of boys whether they wanted to grow up to be president, a soldier or a businessman. A president would own nothing while a soldier would possess weapons and a businessmen would have money, the young Obama explained.


Mr. Januadi and his younger brother, both of whom later joined the Indonesian military, said they wanted to become soldiers. Another boy, a future banker, said he would become a businessman.


"Then Barry said he would become president and order the soldier to guard him and the businessman to use his money to build him something," Mr. Januadi said. "We told him, ‘You cheated. You didn't give us those details.'"


Of course he cheated, Mr. Januadi. How naive can you be about this monster?


[Photo of statue of Obama as a boy in Indonesia via AP]


Send an email to the author of this post at john@gawker.com.

Serial Killers Marrying Drug Dealers....

I am not sure that this is an only in Indonesia scenario, but this particular story is out of Indonesia. Yet, no matter, as the very idea is worthy of a blog post.

It appears that Verry Idham Henyahsyah, aka Ryan, who came to fame as a gay serial killer sentenced to death for the murder of 11 people, is not set to get married to a woman. It is all a little weird but, then again, not so weird. It is not unheard of gay men to marry women for myriad of different reasons. I think this is a little weird because Ryan was sentenced to death for his crimes and is awaiting execution in Kesambi Prison in Cirebon.

The weirdness for me is a personal one. I have never really understood why women meet, fall in love and ultimately want to (or do) marry men on death row. I guess I just need to read a little more widely, I am sure the literature is out there somewhere.

Ryan argues that marrying the recently released drug dealer, Eny Wijaya, fits his personal philosophy that marriages is the process of regenerating life. Maybe I need to read more widely on the nature and nurture debate as it relates to serial killers; are they born or bred?

The other reason Ryan feels it necessary for him as an openly gay man to marry a woman is that it would makes his mother happy. It seems Ryan's mum really wants him to get married.

Normally, people would want to wish you a long, happy, and fruitful marriage together, but I wonder what is the "right" thing to say to a fellow that is sitting on death row with respect to marriage? Let's face it, he might not know the exact date of his death, but Ryan does know that the final walk to the firing squad is going to happen, and it is going to happen sooner rather than later.

Ho hum...

Anti-Bullying Campaigns and Homophobia...

Bullying is a serious problem in schools. Bullying happened when I was in high school, but when I think about bullying in 2010 then it becomes pretty obvious that school life for me was a breeze. Simply, in this age of technology bullying has become a 24/7 problem. In my day bullying sort of started when one got to school and ended at the end of the school day.

However, what I have noticed in my practicums to date is that mobile technology is so prevalent amongst our youth that problems like cyber-bullying are increasingly prevalent. It is not uncommon to see children with a happy disposition at the beginning of the day deteriorate throughout the day as a result of 'stuff' being posted about them on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking and media sites.

What used to be one-on-one or small groups-on-one has now morphed into something where "X is doing the deed with Y" is posted to 100s of people in an instant and then forwarded or retweeted into other social networks. It really is scary. And, in a lot of ways I am very glad to no longer be a child myself. But, I am a teacher, and a parent, and these are issues that I will have to deal with throughout my professional and personal life.

This post came about because of an interesting discussion I watched on Anderson Cooper 360 (and I embed it here courtesy of CNN) that was discussing bullying and the incorporation of material to address increasing homophobia in schools as part of an anti-bullying program. It was interesting to hear that children are coming out at ever-younger ages. This is interesting to me because I do not think that as a community we are ready for this. I do not think that we have universal and uniform mechanisms in place to deal with it. I think that in the school situation we are not prepared to address the gaps between policy and practice.

It amazes me that there are still those that want to stick their collective heads in the sand and continue to debate nature vs. nurture couched in terms of some sort of liberal conspiracy to promote a homosexual agenda. If people want to debate whether gay and lesbians are born or created then they should go for it on their own time. On my time I want constructive debate and discussion about how I can create and maintain a safe learning environment where children can get the education that I believe they have a right to receive. I am not going to get this by sticking my head in the sand and pretending that the children who are coming out proud about their sexual preferences are confused adolescent victims of a liberal homosexual conspiracy.

Bullying, and particularly cyber-bullying, is going to be one of the biggest challenges I face as a teacher / educator. I really hope I am up to the challenge.

MUI and the Q Film Festival...

The MUI, the Indonesian Ulema Council, is always good for coming up with creative ways to characterise all manner of things, but let's face it human rights is not one of their fortes. So, it was mildly amusing to read that the MUI has decided that its position for opposing the Q film festival being held in Jakarta is that homosexuality is a breach of human rights.

The Q film festival is Asia's largest gay and lesbian film festival. The fact that it is being held in Indonesia is a victory for Indonesian gay and lesbian activists and for moderate Islam. Nevertheless, there are always those hard-liners who cannot accept nor tolerate difference. These people are not only the fanatics of the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) but also the upstanding interpreters of God's words at the MUI.

The rest of the MUI argument is that the French, German and Japanese governments are violating Indonesia's sovereignty by allowing gays and lesbians to screen films using their facilities. According to the MUI, homosexuality is just not the Indonesian way, it is not culturally acceptable, and besides all of these countries call themselves defenders of human rights but actively engage in permitting the abuse of human rights by tolerating homosexuality.

Aside from not being culturally acceptable in Indonesia, the MUI also makes the point that homosexuality is not tolerated in Islam either. But, most Indonesians would know this already in light of Tifatul Sembiring's recent tweets and his quoting of some relevant Sura. Yet, I can think of a few places where the practice of Islam is less moderate than in Indonesia but seems to be tolerated in the turning of a blind eye sense. Maybe, Ma'ruf should watch The Kite Runner, he might learn a thing or two about life.

Yes, if you are shaking your head and wondering whatever are they talking about, then you are not alone.

However, head shaking aside. The argument that homosexuality is a violation of human rights deserves a second look because it is an argument that I have not heard before. It is also an argument that I had to think about in order to get my head around it. After all, I figured that if we are all children of God then we are products of God and as such will be responsible to her (or him) come judgment day. But, it would seem, according to Ma'ruf Amin of the MUI, argues that homosexuality is a breach of human rights because God gave rights to men and women to marry each other, but not to men to marry men or women to marry other women.

Uh huh, now I get it, gay marriage is forbidden in Islam. Although, I am not a big fan of Wikipedia as an authoritative source of information, it is worth a read because it can quite often point one towards more authoritative sources. However, this Wikipedia entry on homosexuality in Islam is worth a read, particularly the part about the history  of homosexuality.

Think Homosexuality Is Wrong -- The West Wing...

I used to watch The West Wing all the time. I have the first couple of seasons on DVD. I might have to get the rest. Coming across this clip has reminded me how much I enjoyed watching it. I guess the tightly written scripts appeal to my liberal and leftist politics. This particular clip also appeals to me as it shows the power of language and knowledge.

Enjoy!

AIDS and Shariah -- Hizbut Tahrir Style...

Today is World AIDS Day. Today, at least for me, is a day to remember dear friends and to continue to agitate for a brighter future; one that is free of this scourge. It is time that there was not only a vaccine, but a cure, for this virus. It is important to remember that as a community that great strides have been made, but it is more important to remember that the fight is not over. There are still those who advocate ignorance and take the bury your head in the sand approach.

This is why I find news like Hizbut Tahrir in Indonesia advocating the development of an Islamic Caliphate and the immediate implementation of Shariah Law as their main weapon in the fight against HIV / AIDS both amusing and and frighteningly dangerous at the same time. The naivety of an approach that says Shariah law will solve all ills beggars belief, particularly when the insinuation is that HIV / AIDS is a disease of prostitutes, drug users, and homosexuals. Not only is this naive, it is stupid as well. To all intents and purposes, prostitution, illicit drug use, and homosexuality are already illegal in Indonesia. So, the imposition of Shariah law is not going to change the legal framework all that much with respect to these issues. Unless, there is a belief that the punishment would be a sufficient deterrent to all of these situations.

Part of the Hizbut Tahrir push is to close down brothels and ban the use of condoms. Now, if I am not mistaken brothels are generally illegal. And, the authorities tend to periodically close them down. However, the banning of condoms as a means of preventing casual sex is silly at best and negligent at worst.

The Islamic hardliners are also advocating the cancellation of all condom and sex education programs on the belief that if people have no knowledge of sex, and safe sex in particular, then they are less likely to indulge in sex as a past time. Finally, it appears that the protesters believe that Indonesians are rather large consumers of pornography and that this is a trigger for the huge increase in casual sex. The answer, according to Hizbit Tahrir and others is to ban pornography and shut down the porn industry. Ah, if I am not mistaken pornography is already illegal in Indonesia.

Ideas such as this highlight a real lack of understanding of the human condition and the nature of the world that we live in. The reality is that sex and drugs preceded Islam and they will more than likely survive it as well.

Nevertheless, it is a daunting task facing those seeking to educate Indonesians about HIV / AIDS, particularly when a component of the community would have you believe that HIV / AIDS is nothing more than a disease that afflicts those in the sex industry or homosexuals. Indonesia is on the cusp of a pandemic where large-scale transmission from high risk communities begins to pervade the general community.

UNAIDS estimates that there are some 270,000 Indonesians infected with HIV, and that this is the tip of the iceberg in the sense that there is also a belief that there is significant under-reporting of infections. Under-reporting generally stems from the stigma attached to being HIV+ and the idea of singling HIV+ people out is abhorrent.

There is a real danger that HIV / AIDS could become a really big problem for Indonesia. However, the reality is not one that allows us to stick out collective heads in the sand and pretend that there is not really a problem. It requires vision from Indonesia's leaders to face this dilemma head on and make the hard decisions. One of those decisions is that education saves lives.

Perhaps now is a good time to take the excellent work being done by civil society and NGOs in Indonesia, such as Spiritia Foundation and others, mainstream in confronting this scourge. The fight is all about Respect and Protect. Respecting and protecting ourselves and others.

(Photo from here)

Noordin M Top -- Forensic Pathology Exam...

The reports in local Indonesian papers have picked up on the results of the forensic pathology exam conducted on the recently departed terrorist, Noordin M Top, which say that his anus is shaped like a funnel and the pathologist suspects that he had been sodomized. The doctor that carried out the exam is none other than Mun'im Idris. Idris is the same forensic pathologist that performed the Manohara exam. Idris must be the "go to man" for the high profile forensic exams.

Idris states that the forensic exam of Noordin's anus suggests that he has been sodomized at some point in his life. The good doc calls the funnel shape an anomaly, ahhh no kiddin'! I guess if it is out of the ordinary for people to have a funnel shaped anus, then I am guessing "anomaly" is probably the right word. I am wondering though whether it was a normal shaped funnel or an inverted funnel. I am not sure why I am wondering this though. Never mind.

Idris believes that his findings prove that Noordin has been sodomized. Now, the question is whether he was sodomized by someone else or did he do the deed himself. Despite being on the run for almost a decade he hardly wanted for female companionship seeing that he was married a number of times after going on the run. Then again months on end with the fellas and no female companionship might have taken its toll.

Then again, maybe this particular anomaly is the result of some crafty explosive transfers. It is said that concealing explosives inside you can fool the odd metal detector or two. I am guessing it might be a little tricky to fit a full-assembled explosive device in the space available, but perhaps Noordin and some of his companions could have transported a part each and then assembled the device once they got to wherever they were headed.

Ahhh, who really cares and why bother with the speculation. The man believed he was on a mission from God to kill as many non-believers as he could, and now that mission is over. And, what's more, he now gets to find out whether he really was on a mission from God or if it was all a misinterpretation and he is off to the fires of hell. I am going to go out on a limb here and say he was sadly mistaken and when he gets to front up for judgment he will be shuffled off to the fires of hell. The killing of innocents is not justified!

The papers are reporting that it is unclear why Idris released the findings. Not really, the man likes to see his name in print and what better way to get it there than release the forensic findings about Noordin's anomaly, aka funnel-shaped anus. It really is not that difficult to work out.

There has been some speculation about Noordin's sexual preferences. My question is, does it matter? Or is this being set up to suggest some kind of causal link between terrorists and sexual orientation. Will we soon be hearing that the big terrorist himself, Osama bin Laden, also has an anomaly? This whole thing about the anomaly is so much a beat up of next to no importance, unless terrorists are using their bodies to transport explosives.

I am not sure if I want to visualize a group of terrorists sitting around the lounge room deciding who is carrying what. Oh, Noordin with your anomaly you should be able to carry at least three sticks of TNT. And, Azahari Husin (before he wsa topped back in 2005) with your anomaly you should be able to carry a kilo of semtex. The mind boggles, doesn't it?

Noordin's family is expected to claim his body on Friday. According to police the investigation has been concluded.

Stoning for Adultery -- Aceh Stepping Back In Time...

This is one of those moments where you shake your head, and fear for the future of Indonesia, all the while thinking, why? I have been thinking about writing this post for a while, but have held off to see whether the Aceh Regional House of Representatives (DPRA) would push this piece of legislation through before the term of the current legislature ends. I am not surprised that it passed, but it does pose some interesting issues going forward. I am also writing this post now because I have a copy of the Qanun and have taken the time to read it.

The DPRA passed the Qanun (Regional Regulation) on Jinayat (Crimes). Regional autonomy provides that regions can have more control over the regulation of their own affairs, and this includes the passage of regulations. In Aceh, this includes specific provisions that recognize the predominantly Muslim nature of Aceh. So, the drafting, enactment, and implementation of Syariah based regulations was not only contemplated but expected in the case of Aceh.

The Qanun is a perfection of a number of other previously issued Qanun (Nos. 12, 13, and 14 of 2003) and relies on Law No. 44 of 1999 on the Administration of the Special Province of Aceh and Law No. 11 of 2006 on the Governance of Aceh to provide the legal foundation for the drafting, enactment, and implementation of Syariah law in Aceh.

Interestingly, in the"In View Of ..." section of the Qanun, which generally lists the laws in hierarchical form, the Al-Quran (Koran) and the Al-Hadits (Hadiths) appear before the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and all subsequent legislation. This is interesting because it suggests that "God's Law" is superior to all "man-made law" (for want of a gender neutral term).

Stoning is not a punishment recognized in Indonesian law. In fact, it would not be too difficult to make an argument for stoning to be a cruel and unusual punishment that is also in every sense inhuman and degrading. And, consequently, clearly contrary to several constitutional rights guaranteed to all Indonesian citizens, particularly Article 28(I).

Yet, it is worth noting that caning is also not a punishment recognized in Indonesian law, but remains on the statute books in Aceh. So, it remains to be seen who will make a constitutional challenge to the stoning provision (at the moment there seems to be plenty of punters willing to step up and take the challenge).

My view is that it might not even have to go to the Constitutional Court. It is possible that this Qanun breaches the requirements of legislation higher in the hierarchy of laws. It would also seemingly breach a number of international obligations that Indonesia has signed on to. This would conceivably allow the Minister of Home Affairs to question the validity of the Qanun and any subsequent implementation, and ultimately this process would lead to the Qanun being declared unconstitutional.

The House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat / DPR) could also be more proactive in seeking to overturn this legislation as it would clearly suggest that a Qanun such as this one leads to a two-tiered justice system that discriminates against the followers of a certain faith.

Stoning is the sentence for those that knowingly commit adultery. However, this only applies to those who are married and knowingly commit this offense. For those that are unmarried, the punishment is up to 100 lashings with a cane. One of the accepted forms of evidence of adultery is a sworn oath that requires the oath maker to acknowledge that if they lie they will be damned in both this life and the afterlife. I am guessing this is meant to dissuade the aggrieved party from telling fibs. If you are a Muslim and not particularly devout then this might not be a consideration for you.

Funnily enough, not that there is anything funny about this Qanun, a woman who is pregnant outside of wedlock cannot be accused of adultery without sufficient evidence of her crime. Now, I would have thought aside from the immaculate conception that the chances of a woman outside of wedlock being pregnant would be pretty remote. I am obviously excluding cases where the woman has been raped from this scenario.

The Qanun also deals with rape. Rape includes anal and oral sex. However, somewhat disturbingly the definition implies that rape cannot occur between a husband and a wife. So, if you are married then "no" means "yes".

The other interesting aspect of this Qanun is that it provides for criminal fines to be paid in grams of pure gold. For example, if you get caught in the act of Liwath or Musahaqah, then the penalty is 100 lashes of the cane and a fine of 1000 grams of pure gold or 100 months in jail. It is a bit of a decision as to whether you want to part with the 1000 grams of gold or do the 100 months.

If one was thinking that this Qanun is the imposition of Syariah law and therefore only applies to Muslims living in Aceh, then you would be wrong. The Qanun definitely applies to all Muslims without exception. The Qanun also applies to any non-Muslim who commits an offense in concert with a Muslim, although this would seemingly require the non-Muslim part to acknowledge and choose to be tried under the provisions of this Qanun. The Qanun also applies to any non-Muslim who commits an offense under the provisions of this Qanun and where the offense is not explicitly regulated in the Indonesian Criminal Code.

The defense of the provisions are that they reflect what is contained in the Koran and the Hadiths, and thus are essentially the words of God and agreed recollections of the sayings of the Prophet. Simply, they cannot be changed or amended. In many senses, this is a step back in time to the time of 7th Century Saudi Arabia and one has to wonder what the relevance of those times are to 21st Century Aceh and more generally, Indonesia.

Hopefully, the incoming DPRA will see the error of the ways of the current DPRA and repeal this Qanun of their own accord.

Homosexuality -- Not Normal -- In Queensland

Queensland is a bright and sunny place that is known to be good one day and perfect the next. However, it would seem that it is neither bright and sunny not good one day and perfect the next when it comes to the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Reforms to the adoption regime in Queensland is set to continue a ban against same-sex (homosexual / lesbian) couples from adopting children.

This was a pleasing development for Dorothy Pratt, the Independent MP for Nanango. In Pratt's view, homosexuality is not normal. I am guessing she also believes that homosexuality and lesbianism is a disease that can be cured. It is a sad state of affairs when we discriminate against a sector of the community based on their sexuality with respect to their ability to be parents.

The first and foremost considerations should be that of the child. Therefore, if this is the paramount right, then the consideration moves to whether the applicant(s) to be would make a good parent(s). It is a sad indictment when righteous do-gooders hide behind the idea that God ordains only parental relationships with children that involve a married mother and father. The idea that a child cannot be given a balanced view of the world with two fathers or two mothers is naive at best. The reality is that children can and will have interaction with role models outside of their immediate families.

The law is alive and is constantly changing. So, as we move into the brave new world of the future, it seems almost certain that at some point Queensland will have cause to revisit this issue. And, perhaps at that time all Queenslanders will be given the right to adopt where they are deemed to be suitable parent material.

Thus endeth the sermon for Friday.

The Westboro Baptist Church

I have written about the Westboro Baptist Church formed by the Rev. Fred Phelps in a previous entry. These people are the crazy Christian fundamentalists that have decided that God has given them a mission that revolves around the eradication of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery. The chosen method of eradication is to protest at all manner of funerals and attribute the death of the individual to some tolerance of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery.

The WBC is the group you see on TV holding the signs and placards that read, "God Hates Fags". These people are hate-mongers, vilifiers, and by my reckoning not even remotely representative of the Christian faith.

The latest target of these idiots has been the funeral of Tim McLean. McLean was the young man decapitated on a Greyhound Bus in Canada the other week. The WBC has decided that the decapitation and cannibalism of McLean was God's way of letting Canada know that he is displeased with the tolerance of Canadian policy and law towards the issues of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery.

To suggest that the WBC is a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket seems to ignore the fact that the picnic basket is not a few sandwiches short but rather it is empty, devoid of all sandwiches! There is nothing rational in the positions that the WBC adopts.

Thankfully, the Canadian border guards have been instructed to bar entry to members of the WBC to Canada. The family of Tim McLean has a right to grieve in peace and bury him without interference from the WBC! I am one that normally advocates that people have a right to protest, and even if I do not agree with you, I still would argue for your right to protest. Nevertheless, some lines in the sand need to be drawn, this is one of those times. The idea of targeting specific individuals as having died because of a government policy and then picketing their funerals is offensive.

The WBC is the same group you see picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers throughout the US. For me the message of the WBC constitutes hate speech and they should and must be prosecuted where the law allows for this sort of vilification to be prosecuted.

My guess is that God hates the Westboro Baptist Church!

The Entrepreneurial Indonesian Spirit

One must tip their hat to the never say die Indonesian entrepreneurial spirit. The recent serial killings that have been uncovered in Jombang, East Java, have unleashed plenty of activity in the area. The increased number of journalists and spectators of the macabre have descended on the place. This has meant that a small service industry has sprung up to serve the needs of those in town.

The services have seen some enter into the merchandise trade. These entrepreneurs are selling pictures of the suspect, Verry Idam Henyansyah (aka Ryan) (pictured), for IDR 4,000 a piece. The happy snaps of the alleged serial killer are selling like hot cakes and most trades seem to have been able to sell a few hundred of them. Funnily enough, the picture is one that has been downloaded from the Internet.

The other big entrepreneurial gig is in food and drinks. A large crowd needs to be fed and watered. True to the Indonesian spirit of entrepreneurship these traders have arrived in force. This is something that I do not recall from other places that I have visited in the world. I am not sure that it is unique to Indonesia, perhaps I just have not been to the "right" places on my other travels.

Nevertheless, whenever there is an incident there will be enterprising Indonesians on the scene within minutes selling food and drinks. I recall an accident scene a few years ago where a car had overturned and caught on fire. No one was trapped inside but the burning car and possible explosion meant that a crowd gathered at a safe distance, me include. Within minutes there were people selling bottles of tea, peanuts, fried snacks, the whole works as a matter of fact.

Some people might be amazed or surprised to read about the traders that have emerged around the scene of a horrific series of crimes such as these must have been. For me it is just another example of the Indonesian ability to make a Rupiah no matter what the circumstances.

Long live the entrepreneurial spirit!

Gay Marriage -- Who Cares?

Tuesday is the first full day in California were same sex couples can legally get married! It is 02.54 Wednesday now while I write this sitting here in Jakarta and by my reckoning that makes it Tuesday in California. I am sure there will be a bit of a rush today with couples looking to tie the knot and get on with business. The system in California expects a rush too. They have extended operation hours and put on additional staff to cope with the expected rush.

The change in the law has required some form changes as well. The traditional "bride" and "groom" spaces on a marriage license have been changed to "Party A" and "Party B".

One of the first couples to get a marriage license were George Takei and his longtime partner. This is the fella that played Sulu in the original Star Trek and more recently appeared in Heroes. Nah, this is indicative of how much attention I pay to who is gay and who is not, as I did not even know he was gay! I just do not care!

I do not believe that homosexuality and lesbianism are lifestyle choices. I do not believe that homosexuality and lesbianism is a disease that can be cured like genital warts. I believe that you are born homosexual or lesbian and that society encourages you to repress your true self in order to conform to an unrealistic and arbitrary norm.

My good blogging friend Rima has written an excellent little post on "why religion does not matter" and I encourage you to drop by and read it! The relevance to that post and this one is with regards to the "not caring". I really do not give the proverbial rat's arse in terms of people identifying whether they are gay or lesbianism. I am not judging them on any criteria that relates to the sexual preferences as I would expect them not to be judging me on my preference for heterosexuality. To each their own!

Yet, I must care because there are many who want to convince me that there is something inherently evil and bad in homosexuality and lesbianism. So evil that I must rail against it now or forever live in damnation! My response is always the same...if this is such a bad thing then let them get on with it and God can sort it out later.

I have never really understood why some people think that God has given them the authority to be God's arbiter and representative on earth. This bothers me because I am asked to tolerate the stupidity of the Westboro Baptist Church and their protests. They seem to think that God hates Australia but I wouldn't be surprised if in fact God had a few more issues with the Westboro Baptist Church than God has with Australia.

I have never met a gay or lesbian person who has interfered with or been a hassle to my daily life experience. Not one of my gay and lesbian friends has ever tried to "convert" me in order that I bat for the other side. Nope, the only zealots that I have encountered are those who try and convert me to some misguided religion that looks for me to allocate 10% of my salary to the building of a bigger church or mosque!

Back to California. It was nice to see that the first couple married were Del Martin aged 87 and Phyllis Lyon aged 83. This pair have been together for some 55 years! A commitment of 55 years to each other deserves to be recognized in marriage. I do not care who was Party A and who was Party B. I bet my last dollar that neither did they! The picture is of the happy couple and it is a sweet photograph of two people still in love after 55 years. They have been together longer than I have been alive!

I am pro-same sex marriage!

Challenges - A Recent Debate

This might not be the usual fare that I type here in my blog but it was a recent conversation I had with two colleagues (perhaps friends even) over a couple of bottles of red wine! It was far from one of those drunken conversations where any old crap goes. On the contrary it was somewhat reasoned but mostly it was opinionated based on what could be best described as personal anecdotal observations of life in action!

The question posed related to once a woman was married was she off limits to all resident Casanovas or was it simply a case of being a bigger challenge? My colleagues tended to think that generally the answer here was one of being off limits. I, on the other hand, tended towards an increased challenge. My view is based on the fact that there is so much more at stake for a married person so the challenges would seem to be inversely proportional to the commitment to the marriage.

This is to say the more committed to the marriage the greater the challenge and conversely the less commitment there is to the marriage then so does the challenge decrease.

The argument was moot in the sense that no cheating on our individual parts was being contemplated. It was one of those debates that arose out of knowing someone where the subject matter of the debate was relevant!

In the end we agreed to disagree!

However, another interesting tangent to this debate was the idea that some men seem to harbor a belief that they are "God's gift to women" and this means that not even lesbians are safe from their God given charms in seducing women! For me this is an interesting argument as well. It could conceivably work in reverse with a woman thinking she could convert a gay man from one side to the other.

I am no scientist (which is probably a good thing for the world as I would probably be a 'mad' one) but this kind of argument intrigues me because I have always considered homosexuality and lesbianism to be genetic and not a learned behavior (and therefore not an illness to be cured). So, in that sense if you're gay then you're gay and similarly if you're a lesbian then you're a lesbian. There is no chop and changing between this and heterosexuality (bisexuality aside).

The point of this post is to solicit (perhaps elicit would be a better choice of word) any one who reads and wishes to comment on the challenges identified here. Comments posted after a enjoying a bottle of red or two are especially welcome :D (the picture is one from the Hrdlicka collection).