Gay marriage, at long last (but not here)

Yes dear readers, I did cry a little when I saw that picture. I do not know why, but it had that quality.

Today finally the United States Supreme Court bowed to what was unavoidable, to what civilized countries in the world had been granting one by one over the last two decades. Any two not directly related adults in a stable union should all have the same rights.

PERIOD.

It is THAT simple.


I suppose that since I lived many years in the US and since I did participated into many of the gay rights fights when I was over there I am particularly sensitive to that moment today, even more to the one when France granted marriage two years ago. But this blog has never been about my personal life and this one has only surfaced on occasion, when appropriate or relevant to the moment. Today it is such a moment.

In Venezuela, the Bolivarian revolution which was supposed to be a liberating one has turned out to be a repressive system. And gay rights have not escaped. The more so that the uncouth military nature of the regime has exacerbated that posture. Homophobic comments have come from Chavez already though he refrained from the worse letting his underlings who had no qualms for that. Maduro/Cabello have been the worse.

Not only gay rights are not recognized but unions even less. To the point that the regime has asked embassies from countries that do recognize such unions to refrain from holding such unions inside Venezuela. Thus the French embassy could not marry me even though my S.O, and I have been together for now 16 years. They could only give us a PACS, a civil union in French law. Which is, by the way, causing me grief as I do not have some of the benefits that I could expect if married now that we have to deal with the painful disease of my life partner.

In Venezuela this has dire consequences for us as I am legally NOTHING for him and I only rely on the good will of people we deal with. His doctors are fortunately educated in the ways of the world but if we were to have a sudden emergency with new personnel, well, I might be barred from participating and his relatives would have to step up to let me in.  As for legal procedures, of course I am a nobody. Fortunately I have a good relationship with his family but I fear for those in my case who do not have the luck to be in speaking terms with the other's family.

So, if you ever cross path with the dwindling crowd of assholes that still defend the regime and the Bolivarian farce I suggest you forward a link to this post and demand them to explain why this revolutionary farce is so far behind in real Human Rights.

PS: the Venezuelan opposition does not fare much better, by the way. The only group that has an active pro gay rights platform is Voluntad Popular, the Leopoldo Lopez party. Just so you know.

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State terrorism in Venezuela

The appearance of Diosdado Cabello on the front page of the WSJ along a few others such as Aragua governor Tarek el Assaimi with a detailed list of all the investigations underway for their links to drug trafficking and what have you reminded us that there is no happy ending in sight for Venezuela. In case you doubted it this week brought us a few examples. I suppose it all started with the rather successful rallies last Saturday in support of Leopoldo Lopez. I was there and I took the panoramic below (Samsung feature).

Some wrote that it was a fiasco, some exaggerated the success. I think all missed the point: this was the first attempt at mass rallies since we are truly in a dictatorship, since the regime has started killing people in earnest, since the opposition has splintered into those willing to call a spade a spade and those like Ramos Allup much more inclined at some form of status quo. Besides the era of massive marches for either side is over: chavismo even under coercion cannot fill up more than a couple of street blocks and the opposition is tired ans scared and its charismatic leaders jailed or discredited.

Thus for me it was a success. I was there last Saturday and if the attendance was not huge there was an interesting phenomenon: there was a constant, steady, significant flow of people in and out the rally. With insecurity, fear of repression of any type, fear of aggression, need to go somewhere to stand in line to get any good you can put your hand on, the turn out was, well, good. For any count that could be done at the rally place, I would guess the total "visitors" may have been 4-5 fold more. If not more. And this without counting the more than a dozen rallies reasonably well attended around the country. Not only chavismo is unable to hold simultaneous rallies across the countries, but no opposition leader is today able to do so. As such Leopoldo Lopez is now probably the top Venezuelan leader.

Does it do him any good?

This week not. The hunger strike that Lopez and Ceballos (defenestrated mayor of San Cristobal) is turning ugly and Ceballos health is already in trouble.  The Venezuelan regime has already let one hunger strike die (Brito) and there not much hope from outside as "democrats" like Thatcher or Lula have had no qualms at letting hunger strikes run their course. Many are trying to remind this to public opinion in the hope that Lopez and Ceballos will come to their senses.  In totalitarian constructs, hunger strikes are useless, and in fact, welcome. In a country were media is controlled by the regime nobody speaks of the hunger strike. If you are not on twitter you would not know much about it.

Two mayors of Voluntad Popular have been under attack. Lumay Barreto from Apure has been booted out and Guarate from Aragua had its town hall attacked by colectivos who had no qualms in throwing from the second floor journalists. It seems that the regime has decided to step up the pressure against Voluntad Popular now that it is clear that his leader , Lopez, is top dog. And it seems that many in the opposition MUD umbrella are happy to oblige though either their silence of lip service in support of Lopez.

Of course this division of the opposition is of great concern but then again its origin, for me anyway, is in the lameness of many inside that are only too willing to compromise with the regime for a few crumbles, and, most importantly that are denouncing electoral fraud after electoral fraud and yet do nothing about it. Eventually those with principles get tired of those that are, how should I put it nicely, less principled. This all started in May June 2013 when the evidence for fraud in the election of Maduro was clear and yet Capriles in the end decided to wait for yet another opportunity, not wanting to spill Venezuelan blood. This one is being spilled anyway.

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Voluntad Popular scores

Preliminary results indicate that for all efforts of the regime to silence Voluntad Popular, for all efforts of the opposition to lower the aspirations of the "upstart", Leopoldo Lopez's vehicle may have taken up to 25% of the seats attributed yesterday. At least 10 of the 42 to be decided. Thus the good scores of the municipal elections of 2013 are confirmed. Voluntad Popular is the party that represents the "hard core" vocal opposition, and growing. Imagine if Lopez had been able to campaign or even if his supporters had not been thrown to jail or even murdered. If we add to it the support of Maria Corina Machado and Ledezma, well, the "traditional" opposition is less and less convincing. Never mind the fading star of Capriles.

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