Instantanés

Gayhane

The gayhane party must be in Berlin the only oriental queer one. It happens every month at my beloved SO36 among a cosmopolitan crowd, sexually and culturally. And It was last Saturday, I went there for the first time in years but It’s one of the party in Berlin that stays over the years, and I still love it.At this party you will find German gays, cool and relaxed, some girls with short hairs and piercings with a boyish look, and some elegant Turkish women on high heels. Around 1:30 in the morning the queue starts to grow and you can see the mix of the population. Since 10 years, the gayhane (hane is the house in Turkish) the party takes place every last Saturday of the month for the Turkish gay community and more largely, oriental. Following the success, the crowd of tourists and inhabitants started to join, some lively trans’, some quiet straight couples and people of Berlin coming from all origins. Inside you will hear oriental music , some electro beats but always in a friendly atmosphere, almost familial. The deco of this punk place is changing inside for the party. Huge hangings, transparent veils and pink lights. On the dance floor, you will hear some sugared pop of DJ Miki and some know the songs and sing them loud. In Turkish. Girls move the hips and the wrists. Men too. But in a few minutes the Icone of the night, DJ Ipek, will appear. Her sets "Eklektik Berlinistan" are requested from New York to Stockholm, from Istanbul to Shanghai. But she would not miss for anything her monthly party in Berlin. This very cute brunette, tattooed and pierced is the soul of the gayhane. She says that this party helps people to meet. The Turkish gays but as well the Arabs, Kurds create links together. It allowed easier some coming outs. Today, she is one of the few to claim high and strong her homosexuality. On the dance floor, the beats are stronger than with the DJ before. A reggae hit has a taste of Turkish delight. We give her a bier, a cig. We could be in any club of Berlin but we feel here a breath of fleeting delivery. Bodies deliver themselves of the social and familial control. In the middle of the night, a group of trans make an oriental demonstration. At the entrance, you will find a post sign : “please no pictures”. What happens inside must stay a well kept secret. When you pay your entrance ticket, 1€ is given to LGBT associations.

Instantanés

Transit

There is this restaurant, opened last year, I was at the opening because I knew at the time the architect but never went into until a few weeks ago. It’s called Transit and I am still very surprised such a restaurant opens in my area. It’s not a luxury thing, It’s just by the design, It looks a bit strange where It is based. But I find it absolutely nice and I already went two times more since, just because It is easy to reach, good food, service like I expect it to be, not too expensive and friends I bring in, are always satisfied. It’s not a big one but enough to organize a small party with friends. It has two distinct spaces, separated by different colours and design. I like the way you order because on the table is left the menu and you cross with the pen what you wish. You could say It looks like some tapas but the asian way. Because It is an asian restaurant, and from the opinion of my friends, a good one. Even my vegetarian friend enjoyed a lot their thai sauce and asked for the receipe. Then we put all dishes together in the center of the table and everyone enjoys the meal. Of course, if you still want to have some more, you can order anytime a little thing. Each costs 3,- € which is not a lot and wine is good and for about the same price. A nice place indeed.

Instantanés

Feedback

I arrived on time and there was still tickets available. Bought a bottle of Bionade. Because it is a very good drink and waited until they opened the doors and sit at a good space. It was not full, I guess because It was Saturday evening and of course It is the evening to go out and not especially not to go to the movie. I was nevertheless surprised there was only men. Just a few ladies were there. I guess It’s because the program was oriented to men. It turned out that my expectations were not honored and I had, on the contrary, surprises. The French Candy Boy was very nice indeed. It’s made the way of a Japanese animation film where you expect everything nice but happens to be a sad and actual story. The Swedish Daniel and Alex received bad critics and it’s one of my favourite of the selection. I find this story of those two friends (one gay, one straight) so true, that I understand, after a good dinner alone at home, many drinks and chit chat about relationships and sex, the straight gets off his pants and the gay is (almost) ready to suck. But nothing happens because friendship is more important. The swiss Vandals gets all my points. This story, in all blue and grey colours, of those two young men, who are in love but can’t live together because of one who can’t express himself neither choose his sexuality, is very real. I expected a lot from Center of the universe but got bored, like the character and I understand why his boyfriend left him actually. The rest of the selection was OK but was not thrilled. I expected more feelings, good or bad but more strength, more fights for the cause, maybe, and what about the gay life of a 40 something, not in relationship who assumes himself, his fears, his hopes, his doubts, the view of the others upon him, his relationship with people of his age, his place in the society ? I guess nobody cares.

Verzaubert

Like every year comes again my best film festival : Verzaubert. Don’t ask me why, I have no answer why I feel so connected with this internation queer filmfestival. Probably because, even if there is a competition, I don’t feel the rush like at the Berlinale. It has a friendly atmosphere, though year after year, It comes obvious, It is much better known. And, as usual, because time flies, I forget the dates, I’m not organized, and I didn’t do the previous work of research and planning. So, as usual like every year, I’ll put my interest in the short movie and I’ll attend the gay propaganda night because It is the program I like the most. This year’s selection is attractive, though 1 movie I already saw at the Berlinale this year (Dish, Brian Krinsky) and “Daniel and Alex” (Andrea Östlund) which has bad critics but I like to be surprised. The selection goes as follow :
Bill (John Salcido), At the suggestion of their therapist (Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch), a bored couple befriend a lonely veterinarian, but the results aren't quite what the doctor had in mind.
Trailer here : Bill
Babysitting Andy (Pat Mills), A deviously precocious nine-year old tomboy interrogates her gay uncle and his boyfriend
Trailer here : Babysitting Andy
Candy Boy (Pascal-Alex Vincent) If you remember the cartoon we saw on TV in the 70’s, Candy, the story of this little girl, leaving in the mountains of Austria, this short film is based upon, as a tribute, not because of the story but because of the way cartoonists of the time made them. The director respect this way of Japanese animation (oval faces, big round eyes with a lot of light, stereotyped characters, …) The difference with the sweet animation Japanese movie, is that here nothing is so nice than you think.
Trailer, here Candy boy
Center of the universe (Jarrah Gurrie) Haunted by memories of a broken relationship, Oscar goes on a desperate search for intimacy. When a potential hook-up goes wrong he decides to join a 'Cuddle Group'. Here he meets Aida, a woman determined to solve his problems.

Trailer, here Center of the universe
Daniel and Alex (Andrea Östlund) Daniel and Alex are having dinner together. A film about borders, friendship and about longing to truly meet.
Dish (Brian Krinsky) Emo kids Israel and Louie walk around their east Los Angeles neighborhood dishing about their high school classmates. After listening to Louie boast about his sexual escapades, Israel decides he has some catching up to do
Kali Ma (Soman Chainani) When an Indian mother finds out her son is the victim of a vicious bully, she delivers her own brand of vigilante justice.
Trailer, here Kali Ma
Sombrero (Nathaniel Atcheson) James and Raymond are two men looking for a connection in life. They meet for a blind date in a Mexican restaurant. James is extremely nervous, but Raymond is calm and collected and tries to make the most of their awkward encounter. But as the two men learn more about each other, their rocky date takes an unexpected turn toward the absurd.ames and Raymond are two men looking for a connection in life. They meet for a blind date in a Mexican restaurant. James is extremely nervous, but Raymond is calm and collected and tries to make the most of their awkward encounter. But as the two men learn more about each other, their rocky date takes an unexpected turn toward the absurd.
Vandals (Simon Steuri) Sebastian and Johannes are very proficient as graffiti artists. The two of them have been painting for years and both are active taggers. In addition to this mutual passion, however, they are bound by a deep love for each other. No one in their neighbourhood is aware of this, and certainly no one from their scene. When Tika arrives, Sebastian feels more than just a mere attraction to her and succumbs to the temptation to express at long last a form of togetherness openly. Feeling betrayed, Johannes leaves, which forces Sebastian to recognise whom he really loves, and he tries everything to get Johannes back. The film tells of the difficult balancing act of two young men trying to live their love without betraying what is closest to their heart: painting.

Instantanés

John's passion

Last Saturday at the Konzerthaus in Gendarmenmarkt was played for the first time the new work of the composer James McMillan, the “St John’s passion”. It is full of hatred, the classical equivalent of Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ.” Portraying a furious, accusatory Jesus, a kind of Harold Pinter-style savior, MacMillan’s “Passion” becomes a mere fit of temper, instead of the healing, transcendent work that many composers, from baroque master Heinrich Schütz to Arvo Pärt, have been inspired to create from the same text. MacMillan’s powerfully percussive, high-decibel work is heavy on brass and tympani, with melodies that are limited to the point of indigence, in the manner of Carl Orff, skirting near-minimalism at times. Yet, MacMillan claims in a program note that his aim was to produce a “sparse and lean orchestral texture… so there is limited percussion.” MacMillan’s is stubbornly depressing music, with odd trills seemingly meant to create a Middle Eastern effect, as in the film score of “The Ten Commandments.” Melodic quotations from Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Tristan und Isolde” add further confusion to the seething aural stew. What was MacMillan thinking? The Gospel of St. John itself is a troubling text, unique among the Gospels in blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus, a stance that early Christians, themselves Jews, rarely adopted. Bach’s “St. John Passion,” which, in sound, contains a devastating portrait of crowds of murderous Jews, is widely perceived as escaping charges of antisemitism from listeners today, since a composer of supreme authority and accomplishment wrote it in the context of 18th-century Lutheranism. Bach, after all, enjoys a quasi-divine status, which my friend, Romanian-French aphorist E.M. Cioran, expressed sardonically: “If someone owes everything to Bach, it’s God. Without Bach, God would just be a third-rate character”. What’s okay for Bach, however, is not okay for MacMillan. Far from putting the antisemitic potential of the Gospel of St. John into mitigating historical context, MacMillan underlines it by adding the “Good Friday Reproaches,” in which Jesus complains: “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!” The reproaches are not, by any means, essential for a viable “St. John Passion” in our time. The Gospel of St. John can inspire fine contemporary music, like Sofia Gubaidulina’s “St. John Passion” (2000), which achieves dramatic, even operatic, thrust and verve and does not mention the “Good Friday Reproaches.” Frankly said, I didn’t like it, finding it too hard for my sensitive ears and not able to understand the meaning of it. Though the dancer (helped most of the time by the baritone) is good with a lot of experience, it didn’t seem accurate for me to see him on stage except maybe to stop focusing on the music. I was with two other friends, which ear is much better than mine but they have the same mind. But as usual, Rundfunkchor Berlin was excellent. Not a piece for the faint-hearted.

Instantanés

Trans-status

Reading some surveys, transsexuals are 0,01% of the population. They are born in a body that they say is not the good one. Everything in them say It’s a mistake. But how to prove it ? Is transsexuality an imaginary disease or a physiological reality ? Science, as per today, does not allow to understand every mechanism of this question, meaning the inadequation between the sex and the gender. Since the XIXth century, without knowledge (and curiosity), a lot of doctors file transsexuality under mental diseases. We could call this obscurantism. Because it is an unexplained phenomenom, we avoid it. In France, to be officially recognized, transsexuals have to be insane persons. Example : “laboratory experimental, how can I help you ?” “hello” “good day, sir, I’m listening” “I call you because officially I am a she, I am transsexual” “I see, are you followed at this moment ?” “no” “It’s for a first appointment ?” then come all possible questions, and then you must write a letter explaining your motivation to the doctor. Then you will be called back if the doctor agrees. So the question is : what makes you think, you’re a trans ? How to justify (if you're officially a woman) you intimately feel like a man from the start ? It is very strange that the universally recognized transsexuality (more or less officially) has a place in the society but my country France (named evaluated) can’t even admit that some boys and girls are born different. Most of the people believe that it is a recent phenomenom, linked to the development of the medicine (hormones and chirurgical operations). Wrong : there always were people of the third gender. Everywhere in the world, we find their presence. In Europe, almost all countries, except France, allow to the trans the possibility to exist administratively. In my country, you must change sex to change identity. The third sex is forbidden on the territory. French medicine accepts to follow patients just by the fact that they are recognized as mentally ill. It accepts to modify the body only to reproduce the opposite. It can’t imagine that a woman has a penis. Some call it mutilation and after many failures, the doctors refuse to operate anymore. Strangely anywhere else, it's different. In the Netherlands, soon in Germany and Switzerland, teams are taking place to give support to pre-teenagers in their way for sexual transition. A few months ago, a 16 years old teenager became the youngest transsexual. She took hormonal treatment since she was 12 and convinced the psychiatrists of her sincerity. Normally, such an operation is not permitted before 18. We hope that the fact she is a beautiful blonde who sings on the web (thanks to Youtube and Myspace), and is now a star, will help and contribute to improve tolerance with this subject. To see more on the subject, please have a look to the amazing wonderful work of Del Lagrace Volcano.

Instantanés

Pay-per-pee

Ryanair launches a competition, asking its passengers to imagine the future taxes that payable to the low cost company. This idea appeared since the boss of the company announced that if a passenger wants to use the toilets, he will have to pay for it. The reactions were immediate and some other put the idea that passengers will have to pay to use the fire exits or read the security manual. Among beautiful suggestions, made after the announcement of paying to pee (or anything else you do in the toilets, we hear so many things today), there is a tax to use the toilet paper with the picture of the boss printed on it, a tax of 2,50 € to read the security manual, another 1,- € to use the oxygen mask or 25,- € to use the fire exits. The most original suggestion will be granted with a 1.000,- € price. You have until March 30th. The boss of this low cost company suggested to pay for the toilets end of February on BBC, at about 1,- €, in order to reduce, again, the costs. It seems that this announcement was in fact only a joke but it made its way. My advice : Ryanair only flies short journeys so you don’t need to pee (take you precaution before at the airport) and you don’t need to read the security manual because, whatever happens, you will never have the time to reach the fire exists anyway.

Instantanés

You are the man

Launched last october in the States, the google phone (the portable phone which wants to be the future concurrent of the Iphone) begins to start to male a lot of noise. Not a day that we don’t hear something about it. New applications are all over blogs, specially dedicated to this sensational machine which wants to sign as well the end of the monopole of Apple. In this lot of bonuses, sometimes we even ask ourselves what they are for), people talk a lot about the « straight » application. You only need to put your index on the screen of the phone and in a few seconds the verdict comes : “Sorry, sweetie, you are” with a nice rainbow or second option “You are the man !” Of course It didn’t last long until LGBT blogs start to talk about this insolence and denounce the homophobic mean of the application. Google, completely crazy and haven’t planed such reactions said that “though this application can be seen as an offense for certain people, we don’t think of breaking any law” To use stereotypes on such or such group do not mean any hatred against this group”. That certainly shows the embarrassment, especially when Apple really takes care of being seen as gay friendly. Frankly said, on this side of the Atlantic, we truly believe such debates will not exist and we only ask ourselves who can buy such a bullshit, that, if it was working properly, could be very useful !

Instantanés

Straight Pride

Recently, straight prides happened in many cities of the world, from New York to London. Will Madrid be the new capital of heterosexuality ? That is the hope of the ex-president of the association of the victims of terrorism in Spain. Some days ago, he made an announcement to promote the straight pride in Madrid, sustained by the group on Facebook. “dear hetero,” says the message “are you fed up not to have your day of celebration because of your sexual orientation, in the middle of XXI th century ? demand a day for your straight pride !” at this date, more than 8000 people answered to the group and suggest some discussions in the forum, which wants to be a heterosexual enclave and promote the idea of a worldwide straight pride. “We’ll show what we are capable of”, says a slogan. The main debate is about the date to choose. Some want it to be at the same date than Mother’s day, some other on Valentine’s day. For some other mothers, who pose on a photograph, child in the arms, they should organize this event the day after the gay pride. (to fight the gay pride ?). Some say, because It is an international event, It should be a day when It is warm, in June for example. But at this time of the year, in Argentina for example, it's freezing cold ! Some others say : “why should we have only one day per year ? we could have a day per month, It would be totally justified”. But what is the straight pride ? It is in fact a little bit like the coming out of heterosexuality. Since some years, this movement organizes itself from the USA : straight coming out and demonstrate in the street to express their pride to be what they are. Our first reaction would be mockery. This initiative looks absurd and ridiculous. And we could talk about the strange behaviour of the Americans. But this pride is written in a context and a history. It plays with social groups, personalities and important political objectives. Above all, It appears as a symptom of a new situation in a socio-sexual device in our occidental world. In fact, this straight pride reveals something. From that point, we maybe should take it seriously. The medias started to give interest to that story when a sixteen years old student came one morning in 2001 at school with a t-shirt written on it “straight pride”. He explained that he wanted to react against its school which promotes integration of gays and lesbians. He said that he has no hatred against homosexuals and was absolutely opposed to attacks against them but God could not approve their life style. More than an attack against gays and lesbians, It was a support to heterosexual cause. The t-shirt was forbidden by the principal of the college. From this point, the American Family Association Center for Law went to court in the name of the student. The federal judge gave his verdict and for him, behind the message, there is a kind of intolerance but no element could let think that this t-shirt is an obstacle to the correct way of the school. So in those conditions, there was no purpose to forbid it. The young’s mother said that her son probably launched a movement. She was not completely wrong. This concept of the straight pride was not invented at this date. But because of this story, It became a symbolic moment. Those who explain for years that heterosexuality is threatened in the United States (because of the political decisions made by the government and with the gay and lesbian agenda in general) had for the first time the feeling that they could reach their aim. From their point of view, heterosexuality is discriminated and we try to censure it with the story of the t-shirt at school. They even say we wanted to forbid the access to the 4th amendment which protect the United States free speech. Finally, heterosexuality could exploit Its rights. The people who went to court said that It was a remarkable victory for free speech at school and a good step to show the hypocrisy of the tolerance’s agenda. They said as well that when the politically correct talks about tolerance, they only promote it for those who have deviant and destructive behaviours for the society. But the Court recognized that true tolerance is tolerance of all and not only for a few. It’s not only a story of a t-shirt but for the first time the American justice recognized the straight pride concept. Keep your eyes open.