Arrrgh!

A new online magazine based in Israel will include articles and features by gay and lesbian authors, marking a first for Arabic language journalism. […]We are doing this to allow gays to speak out, to leave their ghetto and to become a natural part of Palestinian and Arab culture.

‘As we all know’ – it is a well known feature of Arabic language journalism that any author is required to publicly perform sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex before he is accepted for publication……without this public display of ‘non-gayness’ he is condemned to silence in the ghetto.

Give me strength!

The website will carry writing on literature, cinema, theatre, music, visual art and political analysis.

Because of course ‘as we all know’, you can’t possibly write on these subjects without it being publicly known what your sexual preferences are…..

Distinguished poets, writers and academics from the Middle East are expected to contribute.

What’s the betting that it will only include article and features by those to whom their same sex preference is an essential part of writing about literature, music, or politics – leaving those who prefer not to talk about their private life – in one of those darned ‘ghettos’.

“the magazine will challenge taboos and the limits of free speech in Arab and Islamic societies.”

Oh, and when it’s successfully challenged those taboos and the limits of free speech it will give a high pitched whinny and claim it’s being victimised and demand its ‘uman rights and complain to Ban Ki Moon and everything….

Because this really isn’t about gays being able to write about politics or music at all, is it?

Meanwhile the rest of the world gets on with writing and no one knows that they are secretly in love with Paul the Octopus……

gladiolys August 18, 2010 at 15:10

Most of the gay people I know want, and have always wanted, the same as you
– to be left alone to follow their lives with equality under the law. Gays
only have “exactly the same rights as everybody else” now. Until the law was
changed so that it did not discriminate against sexual activities between
CONSENTING ADULTS, gay people had every right to campaign to change the law.

There is no comparison with “paedophiles’ rights nor gropers’ rights” as
you (somewhat desperately) imply, because neither of these involve CONSENTING
ADULTS. What two, five or 25 men get up to in the privacy of their bedroom is
none of your business. Neither is it the state’s. And no-one should beat
people up because of their consenting adult activity. I am sure that as a
libertarian, you would agree with this. If that is “banging on about their
rights”, wait until somebody comes for you and see what your reaction would
be.

So, good luck to gays in Arabic countries who fight for equality under the
law. Being gay will inform your viewpoint. When you’ve had homophobic abuse
hurled at you from the age of 7, it colours your view of the world. With love
XXX

gladiolys August 18, 2010 at 07:49

If you’re not interested in the cultural viewpoints of gay Arabic people,
don’t read the website. Richard Baron makes a very good point. As
“libertarians”, which is a label I believe you and your many commenters like
to wear, your attitude here seems very snide and unlibertarian. Yours
sincerely, Shirtlifting Bumboy Fudgepacker. XXX to you all

Ed Butt August
18, 2010 at 14:53

Don’t you think the popular reaction might just be due to people being
sick of hearing gays banging on about their ‘rights’ when in fact they have
exactly the same rights as everybody else. For example, how should we feel
about paedophiles’ rights or groper’s rights or flashers’ rights. And their
are many categories worse than those who could claim ‘equal rights.’

For the record nobody ever had the right to marry. That is why both civil
and religious ceremonies ask anyone knowing of any just impediment to ‘speak
now.’ Bother and sister cannot marry, already married or people cannot marry
but other just impediments might be a young woman being married off to an
older man against her will for financial or social gain, a young woman
marrying an old and non compus mentis man to get her hands on his money, a
marriage of convenience to gain citizen ship where the partners have no
intention of staying together and many other legal or social contraints.

Libertarians look at the whole community not just one minority that would
like to impose its moral prejudices on the whole society.

Richard
Baron August 17, 2010 at 23:05

I am more positive about this venture. Obviously the sexual orientation of
a writer is irrelevant to most of the subjects about which he or she might
write. But this is a way of getting gays on the map in a culture that would
happily deny their humanity, imprison them and hang them. One sign of the
urgent need to take such initiatives is that only Israel, out of all the
countries in the region, is a safe enough place in which to undertake this
venture.

Indyanhat August
17, 2010 at 18:53

How did you know about Paul and I…..?, it was a bit of armless fun…no use
crying over spilt ink!!!

Anna
Raccoon August 17, 2010 at 18:59

It was that one eye Indy, reminded me of dear Gordon….

Ed Butt August 17,
2010 at 18:14

I’m totally in favour of gays being free to write about homosexuality in
music, homosexuality in literature, homosexualty in theatre and homosexuality
in art so long as they don’t object to me writing about turd burglars, mincing
fairies, screaming queens or limp wristed arse bandits.

We must fight to preserve the colour and richness of the English
vernacular.

Ancient and Tattered
Airman August 17, 2010 at 23:10

Quite right too! How about Pillow Biter?

Traci August 17, 2010 at 18:01

Meanwhile the rest of the world gets on with writing and no one knows that
they are secretly in love with Paul the Octopus

Jon August 17, 2010 at 16:20

I’m waiting for the time when distinguished poets, writers and academics
contribute to the BDSM faternity.

What about furries? They demand their rights too. They are a sexual
minority just like gays.