DAMON BLOWS AMERICA

DAMON BLOWS AMERICA 4:

SEATTLE


Once more from Treasure Media Island.
the hottest movie ever made
by this TIM production.

here in indonesia, especially at my place Bandung city,
is one ot the biggest Gay community
and da, this kind of movie is really tantalizing us.
although only some's known this Treasure media Island Movie.

buy this one coz you won't regret it
at least,
you must check the trailer :)
on internet.
or you can visit the official website
click here



Run time: 60 min.
Shot and Edited by: Damon Dogg
Produced by: Paul Morris
Starring: Damon Dogg, Seth Scott, Jay & Many More!
Includes: Every purchase you'll receive a copy of Damon's homemade 'zine DOGG DAZE!

Enjoy the wave

Gay Marriage

Same-sex marriage in Spain was legalized in 2005.
In 2004, the nation's newly elected Socialist government,
led by President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,
began a campaign for its legalization,
which would include adoption by same-sex couples.

After much debate, a law permitting same-sex marriage was passed by the Cortes Generales (Spain's bicameral parliament, composed of the Senate and the Congress of Deputies) on 30 June 2005 and published on 2 July 2005. Same-sex marriage officially became legal in Spain on Sunday, 3 July 2005.

The ratification of this law has not been devoid of conflict, despite support from 66% of the population. Roman Catholic authorities in particular were adamantly opposed to it, criticising what they regarded as the weakening of the meaning of marriage.

Other associations expressed concern over the possibility of lesbians and gays adopting children. Demonstrations for and against the law drew thousands of people from all parts of Spain. After its approval, the conservative People's Party challenged the law in the Constitutional Court.



Approximately 4,500 same-sex couples married in Spain during the first year of the law. Shortly after the law was passed, questions arose about the legal status of marriage to non-Spaniards whose country did not permit same-sex marriage.
A ruling from the Justice Ministry stated that the country's same-sex marriage law allows a Spanish citizen to marry a non-Spaniard regardless of whether that person's homeland recognizes the partnership. At least one partner must be a Spanish citizen to marry, although two non-Spaniards may marry if they both have legal residence in Spain.

Reaction

A poll by the government-run Center for Sociological Investigations (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas),
published in April 2005, reported that 66% of Spaniards favoured legalising same-sex marriage.

Another poll taken by Instituto Opina a day before the bill passed placed support of the same-sex marriage bill at 62.1% and support of adoption by same-sex couples at 49.1%. An Instituto Opina poll taken nine months after the bill passed said
61% agreed with the government's decision.

However, the bill's passage was met with concern by Roman Catholic authorities, including Pope John Paul II
— who warned of a weakening of family values — and his successor Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family,
said the Church was making an urgent call for freedom of conscience for Roman Catholics and appealing to them to resist the law.
He said every profession linked with implementing same-sex marriages should oppose it, even if it meant losing their jobs.


Gay rights supporters argued that while the Roman Catholic Church also formally opposed opposite-sex, non-religious marriage, its opposition was not as vocal;
for example, the Church did not object to the marriage of Crown Prince Felipe to Letizia Ortiz, who had divorced from a previous civil marriage.

The church was unable to gather enough support to derail the bill,
even though 80% of Spaniards identify as Roman Catholic.
Sociologists believe this may be due to the significant increase of
liberalism in the realm of individual rights in recent years,
where the Church traditionally had most influence, especially on family issues.


A poll showed that three quarters of Spaniards believe the church hierarchy is out of touch with social reality. A complementary explanation might be that the Church's influence on Spaniards has declined since the death in 1975 of the dictator General Francisco Franco, whose regime was closely linked to the Church. Opinion polls suggest that nearly half of Spaniards now almost never go to mass.

=================

President Zapatero responded to
Catholic criticism by saying:

"There is no damage to marriage or to the family in allowing two people of the same sex to get married. Rather, these citizens now have the ability to organize their lives according to marital and familial norms and demands. There is no threat to the institution of marriage, but precisely the opposite: this law recognizes and values marriage.

Aware that some people and institutions profoundly disagree with this legal change, I wish to say that like other reforms to the marriage code that preceded this one, this law will not generate bad results, that its only consequence will be to avoid senseless suffering of human beings. A society that avoids senseless suffering of its citizens is a better society.

In any case, I wish to express my deep respect to those people and institutions, and I also want to ask for the same respect for all of those who approve of this law. To the homosexuals that have personally tolerated the abuse and insults for many years, I ask that you add to the courage you have demonstrated in your struggle for civil rights, an example of generosity and joy with respect to all the beliefs"

=================

On 19 June 2005 there was a public protest against the law. Protesters
-led by People's Party members, Spanish bishops and the Spanish Family Forum (Foro Español de la Familia)-said they had rallied 1.5 million people against what they considered an attack on the traditional family; the Government's Delegation in Madrid counted 166,000 at the same event. Two weeks after this protest, coinciding with Gay Pride Day, FELGT (Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales — the Spanish Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender Organization) estimated two million people marched in favour of the new law; police sources counted 97,000. Both marches took place in Madrid, at the time governed by the conservative People's Party.

Spanish bishops also claimed that the government, by equalizing same-sex and opposite-sex couples,
weakened the meaning of marriage, which they defined as a couple of different sexes.
The Spanish Family Forum expressed concern over the possibility of gay couples adopting and raising children, and argued that adoption is not a right for the parents, but for the adopted.


Gay associations replied that de facto adoption by same-sex couples
had existed for a long time in Spain,
since many couples were rearing minors adopted by one of the partners.

Adoption by same-sex couples was already legal in Navarre, Asturias, Aragon, the Basque Country, and Catalonia before the same-sex marriage law legalized these adoptions nationwide.
These associations also argued that there was no scientific basis for the claim that
the parents' sexual orientation would cause developmental problems for their adopted children. This view is officially supported by the Spanish School of Psychology, which also states that homosexuality is not a pathology.

gay marriage In Spain

Another Gallery

i just back from going out with myboyfriend, we had dinner at a
Beefsteak restaurant in my hometown, Bandung.
he loves consume beefsteak.
"good for my muscle" he said.

he is more interested in kinda gym thingy,
but i'm a bit more lazy about the exercise.
i love my average body, well, i mean a bit thin.
but i'm very comfortable with this.

he is comming here to Bandung city for his duty.
he must check up some stuffs at branch company in Bandung.
and the most happiest person in this world now is me! :)
coz he'll stay with me for several days.

and i will show him again my this blog,
actually now, with me. :D

I love riding motorcycle.
but anytime i'd like to give him a ride
he said : "no no, i ride it"
he doesnt like i'm riding.
coz i love to ride with much more speed than him.

he is more gentle / slower when riding car or motorcycle.
may be in some cases he thought that i'm more childish.
well, he is actually more mature than me. in age and behavior.
he is more taking good care on me. more than i do to him.
but Trusting. we trust each other.

ok, i put some hot pictures below. hope you like it:

Drink on Cum 4

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Who is Irshad Manji?

The New York Times describes Irshad Manji as "Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare." Oprah's magazine has given Irshad the first annual Chutzpah Award for "audacity, nerve, boldness and conviction." She takes both as a compliment. Irshad is Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. It aims to develop leaders who will challenge political correctness, intellectual conformity and self-censorship. In the best spirit of liberal education, the Moral Courage Project teaches that rights come with responsibilities, that we are citizens rather than members of mere tribes, and that meaningful diversity embraces different ideas and not just identities.

Through her commitment to Muslim reform, Irshad is putting these principles into practice. She is the internationally best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith. Her book has been published in almost 30 countries, including Pakistan, India and Lebanon. It will soon be released in Indonesia.
In those countries that have censored The Trouble with Islam Today, Irshad is reaching readers by posting free translations on this website. The Arabic translation alone has been downloaded 300,000 times and circulated by youth throughout the Middle East.

Irshad is also creator of the acclaimed PBS documentary, "Faith Without Fear," which chronicles a young woman’s journey to reconcile Islam with human rights and freedom. "Faith Without Fear" is now being screened across Europe and shown in the Muslim underground via digital technologies.
As a journalist, Irshad’s columns appear frequently in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, Al-Arabiya.net and other major news sources. She writes a regular feature for Canada’s Globe and Mail.

As a social entrepreneur, Irshad has founded Project Ijtihad, an initiative to renew Islam’s own tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent. Project Ijtihad is helping to build the world’s most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims and non-Muslim allies.
As a scholar beyond NYU, Irshad is Senior Fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy. She has served as a Visiting Fellow at Yale University and Journalist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, where she wrote The Trouble with Islam Today.

For her pioneering work to open up Muslim societies, Irshad receives death threats and distinctions.

* The World Economic Forum has selected her as a Young Global Leader;
* Ms. magazine has named her a Feminist for the 21st Century; and
* The Jakarta Post in Indonesia -- the world’s largest Muslim country -- identifies Irshad as one of three Muslim women creating positive change in Islam today.

Born in 1968, Irshad is a refugee from Idi Amin’s Uganda. In 1972, she and her family fled to Vancouver, where Irshad grew up attending public schools as well as the Islamic madressa. In 1990, she graduated with honors from the University of British Columbia, winning the Governor-General’s medal for top academic achievement in the humanities.
Thanks to The Trouble with Islam Today, her ideas are capturing international attention. That means condemnation as well praise. Here’s a sample of the debate:

Khaleel Mohammed, imam and professor of Islam at San Diego State University: "Irshad wants us to do what our Holy Book wants us to do: End the tribal posturing, open our eyes, and stand up to oppression, even if it's rationalized by our vaunted imams."
Khaled Almeena, Editor, Arab News (Saudi Arabia): "This fraudulent book has now become a guide to Islam."
Thomas Friedman, New York Times foreign affairs columnist: "The democratic movements that have now emerged have shown just how many young Muslims want to give voice to their aspirations and achieve their full potential. If you want to get a taste of what they sound like, read Irshad Manji…"
Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values at Harvard University: "All is not lost if people of Irshad Manji’s capacity can carry a fresh and convincing message to the coming generation. I cannot urge her more strongly to maintain her frank, open, and intelligent approach. This cause is, I believe, the most important new movement in several decades."

Kanada, Belgia dan Belanda

Canada, Belgium and Netherland


these countries are allowing the gay and lesbian marriage.
and da, you would be get the bless of your marriage if you are
the native of those country.
but there is any differences privilige of each country about
this gay or lesbian marriage.

Natherland which allows homo marriage but has some conditions.
among those conditions is one of the couple must native or local people (netherlander) or at least permanent resident.
but if you both couple from other country, you won't get the wedding approval
from government of Holland.

this gay marriage constitution of Holland happened on 31 March 2001.
and there are 3 kind of legal relation that professedly by Holland government:
1. marriage
2. Registered Partnership
3. Living together Contract.

the 1# and 2nd has the similiar rights and privilege,
but Living together Contract is different, they just made their own deals.
so when they are aparted/broke up, so they bear their own right/privilege,
including means apportionment(i mean money)
the validity or legalism of the LIVING TOGETHER CONTRACT
will be terminate if both couple are not live in the same roof and address.

However, in Canada, the conditions such in Netherland are not necessarily.
like William E. Woods (Conceptualized and initiated the Hawaii Same Sex Marriage lawsuit) said in Honolulu:
whosoever, from any country, can come to Canada and get marriage legally.
thousands of gay couple had their own gay marriage there since the legal approbation announced at Ontario, Canada

and the bishopric Anglican Church in Vancouver, Canada has approved to bless
same sex union. although has occured the split up
inside the bishopric organitation, coz some of them are pro and contra
and has their or argument or dissent about this gay marriage.

hahahha even in such more liberal country than Indonesia, but still
could pro and contra that influenced by Religion group.

and about Belgium:
Belgia has approved its constitution that allows gay and lesbian community
legally to get marriage there. that decision makes Belgium is the second country
in Europe allows homo wedding and give the same privilege as the hetero's.

but in Belgium, homo marriage (Gay and lesbian) are not allowed to adopt children.

the P. Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt said when the constitution was approved:
"Mentality has changed. there no more reason to prevent same sex marriage"

"this law will terminate what queer said as Discrimination and could embattle the homophobic" member of Belgium senate, Josy Dubie said to AFP.

(This article i translate it into english that may be are not exactly same in the english, but at least similiar meaning)

The Trouble with Islam

please click on the tittle above about the writing on this book.

This "call for reform" reads like an open letter to the Muslim world. Irshad Manji, a Toronto-based television journalist, was born to Muslim parents in South Africa. Her family eventually fled to Canada when she was two years old. Manji shares her life experiences growing up in a Western Muslim household and ask some compelling questions from her feminist-lesbian-journalist perspective. It is interesting to note that Manji has been lambasted for being too personal and not scholarly enough to have a worthwhile opinion. Yet her lack of pretense and her intimate narrative are the strengths of this book.

For Muslims to dismiss her opinions as not worthy to bring to the table is not only elitist; it underscores why she feels compelled to speak out critically. Intolerance for dissent, especially women's dissent, is one of her main complaints about Islam. Clearly, her goal was not to write a scholarly critique, but rather to speak from her heartfelt concern about Islam. To her fellow Muslims she writes:
I hear from a Saudi friend that his country's religious police arrest women for wearing red on Valentines Day, and I think, Since when does a merciful God outlaw joy—or fun? I read about victims of rape being stoned for "adultery" and I wonder how a critical mass of us can stay stone silent.

She asks tough questions: "What's with the stubborn streak of anti-Semitism in Islam? Who is the real colonizer of the Muslims—-America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation?" This is not an anti-Muslim rant. Manji also speaks with passionate love and hope for Islam, believing that democracy is compatible with its purest doctrine.

Sure, she's biased and opinionated. But all religions, from Christianity to Buddhism to Islam should be accountable for how their leadership and national allegiances personally affect their followers. One would hope that this honest voice be met with a little more self-scrutiny and a little less anti-personal, anti-feminine, and anti-Western rhetoric. --Gail Hudson --

Middle East and Gay life

Gay Iraq and Arab Culture


With a world on the brink of war, OutUK's Adrian Gillan talks to gay Arabs and Iraqis about being gay in an Arab state and what it's like for our lads in Baghdad. Is Saddam serious about killing queers and is his regime any worse than other Arab governments?

" I've always been discreet," 28 year old gay Iraqi Zoo from Baghdad tells OutUK nervously, against a backdrop of war-mongering and in the wake of Amnesty's recent reports of Saddam's death threat against queers.

" Being gay is not acceptable anywhere in the Arab world, not just Iraq. Arabs are still very conservative and that'll take decades to change - if ever."
" However," he continues, "there is little official reaction to homosexuality in Iraq so far as I know and I was unaware of any law pertaining to anything gay. If Saddam has indeed threatened death for homosexual behaviour, then I do not think it will be enforced."

" To be honest, I haven't witnessed or even heard about much overt gay abuse in Iraq," explains Zoo of a complex, repressive social landscape where people turn blind eyes or are more likely to use such homophobic edicts as a weapon against political opponents, rather than to target queers.

So though it's hardly a homo haven and no one wants a death threat hanging over them, Iraq probably isn't the all-out homo hell some might like to paint, and is certainly no where near as fearful as many other Arab states like Saudi Arabia.

" In fact, there is even a place I know of in the heart of Baghdad," says Zoo, though keen not to disclose too much and put others at risk. "You can't really call it a cruising ground. It's just a very public area where you find all kinds of hotels and businesses. If you walk around and look, chances are someone will soon look back."

No need to drop a bomb on Saddam then?
" I don't like Saddam and neither do most Iraqis," claims Zoo, "but I think any attack on any country is an outright disaster because the only victims of war are the ordinary people. And this view has nothing to do with my sexuality. Nobody can predict whether or how the regime will change but even if it does, Iraq won't turn into a paradise overnight - not for anyone."

" Actually," agrees Sahib who runs global online community GayArab, "I would certainly say Iraq is no worse than other Arab countries. Since the Gulf War, the Iraqi civilian population is rarely allowed internet access but of the few gay Iraqis I've encountered, none have mentioned anything about abuse."

" There are though surely no 'gay human rights' in the Arab World," he continues. "Gays are treated from good to bad depending on the situation and what country they are in at the time. Some Arab states are more lenient than others with less chance of social abuse, or punishment by law, if found out."


So what is it to be Arab? And how grounded is Arab homophobia in fundamentalist Islam?

" The 'Arab World' can be described in many different ways," explains Sahib. "Most Arabic speaking cultures - including the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia - consider themselves Arabs. But some purists would only count those from the Arabian Gulf." He continues: "The Arab World is not only the geographical and historical birthplace of Islam, but also of Christianity and Judaism. Indeed, just as most Christians and Jews now live outside the Arab World in the Americas and Europe, so do most Muslims - in Asia."

" And since the fall of the Ottoman Empire," Sahib expands, "we have seen more secularisation in what were once traditionally Muslim Arab countries. The rule in Iraq is now mostly secular with Islamic law being enforced when it is in agreement with the current regime."

" Many Arab countries have laws which prohibit homosexual behaviour," he continues. "Some of these are Islamic, others based on social or cultural morals. And I suspect Saddam's recent death threat is secular and will probably be enforced as it suits the regime - whether the accused is gay or not."

" From an Islamic point of view," he says, "there are at least two traditional death sentences for homosexual behaviour: hurling the people involved from a high place or collapsing a heavy wall on them. I know of a recent incident where several men accused of homosexual acts were beheaded in Saudi Arabia and some individuals in Afghanistan had a wall pushed over on them."

" From a more secular point of view," Sahib continues, "look at Egypt. It has no specific laws against homosexual behaviour but arrested over fifty gays recently and charged them with crimes against morality and such. Some were eventually freed but others are still incarcerated. And of those found at the party in question, only Egyptian citizens were arrested: Non-Egyptian Arabs and people from other parts of the world were not. So you can see how discriminately these laws are applied in such cases."

So how can queer Arabs express their sexuality these days?
" I must say the internet has been a godsend to the gay Arab population worldwide," says online mogul Sahib. "Over the years, I have talked to many people on the verge of suicide who were simply overjoyed to find sites like ours. They had no idea there were any other gay Arabs out there at all."

" And yes" - he concurs with Zoo - "just like anywhere else in the world, there are many known places to cruise for other men. And in practice Arab publics and police often turn a blind eye: it would not be surprising to find these same authorities enjoying cruising grounds or known bath houses themselves."

" There is even a historic gay Arab tradition," says Sahib. "For instance Iraq was once known as Mesopotamia and Baghdad was a cultural hub where poet Abu Nuwas (760-815 AD) wrote odes to wine and boys. Today it is not unusual to hear of gay Arabs who are accepted, protected and even celebrated for their talents - a famous hairdresser in Beirut, a singer in Saudi Arabia or an actor in Egypt."

" And many gays in Arab countries have no desire to leave their homelands," he continues. "Indeed, seeking asylum explicitly on sexual grounds would carry a very high cost - never being able to return to your homeland or see your family again. And those who happen to be gay and want to leave their country often do so to avoid marriage rather than to escape abuse or live a more open lifestyle."

So is it, for instance, any easier being gay in London's Iraqi community than it is back in Baghdad?
" From a community and family view I would say it is just as hard," says Sahib. "The morals are virtually the same. On the other hand, there are obviously more venues and outlets for gays in places like London than back home so that makes things a bit better, but they'd still feel the need to be discreet."


A double life: better than none.

And Sahib is actually keen to praise certain aspects of Arab culture in general: "Many of the morals in which the West claims superiority are mere hot air. In the Arab World, people are judged more by their actions and intentions, not by their words or appearance. Also gay Arabs themselves tend to act more like human beings who happen to be gay - not vice versa!"

And that's not the only pluses for a gay Arab these days. Admits Sahib with a glint: "At least a quarter of those visiting our site are non-Arabs. Some have this Arabian Nights fantasy: a few Americans actually think we still live in tents and ride camels! Others just know what they like - or are simply curious."

More Info : www.GayArab.org - a website for gay Arabs, their friend and admirers.

Amnesty International has published a report outlining Saddam Hussein's edict making homosexuality an offence technically punishable by death.
Peter Tatchell's website has a graphic account of fundamentalist Islamic, though not necessarily Arab, gay human rights abuses.