Freedom of CHOICE...

In blogosphere, one -- be a Blogger or Reader him, her or it -- quickly realises it's the most democratic medium of writing and INTERACTION. An iconic example of Freedom of CHOICE. You choose what you want to read, ignore, curse or applaud.

I "digressed" from Yesterday's post half done on Freedoms to break away -- that's my personal practice of an individual's freedom to CHOOSE.

So here's fair/fare from a China daily -- far advanced from its closed-door Maoist days (is DIES badder?) some two to three deacades ago. It features now a wholoe range of topics which previosuly were closed to its citizenry. In some ways, China has made quantum leaps forward in CHOICES, but some quarters in NegaraKu are going off tangent OR in the opposititr direction -- BACKWARDS. You want examples? How about banning sexy shows like Beyonce and a hip wriggling Indonesian songstress (I forget her name, but oh, she raises my temperature on a cold day like no caffeine can!:)? Hey, you Malaysians may not wanna watch Beyonce or IndonGal, but many tourists here/hear and Indon workers and expats in the country do. Lert them have a CHOICE okay!

****************************To share:)

Gay movies help change taboo

By Christine Laskowski and Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/metro/2009-10/26/content_8846609.htm
Updated: 2009-10-26 09:04 Comments(0) PrintMail

Volunteers promote gay movies at The Boat on Beijing's Liangmahe Road. [China Daily/Feng Yongbin]




Two Saturdays ago, a modest crowd gathered at The Boat on Beijing's Liangmahe road because they wanted to watch queer films. Not an easy thing to do in China says the screening's organizer, Xiao Gang, of China Queer Film Talk (CQFT), but through their efforts and those of others, this taboo is starting to change.

"Many people don't really have a chance to see Chinese queer films," said Xiao. "It's hard to get them online."

Related readings:
Tens of thousands rally for gay rights in DC
Gay couples as fit to adopt as heterosexuals: study
Gay, bisexual teens at risk for eating disorders
Gay to run despite sore groin Beijing youth pave way for gay acceptance



And while several local LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) groups try to hold monthly film screenings, this one goes on tour throughout China and will be in Shanghai and Suzhou next month. A native of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Xiao, like many of those responsible for organizing or in attendance that day, came to Beijing from other parts of China. Disseminating support and knowledge of queer culture to those in areas less likely to receive it, is of paramount importance. One way he does this is through the CQFT screenings; the other is through his online LGBT talk show called Queer Comrades.

Xu Bin, founder of Common Language, which is a Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender group for women in Beijing, who is also closely involved with organizing the CQFT screenings, said that in many areas the discussion of the LGBT community comes hand-in-hand with AIDS/HIV education alone. This fuels the stigma.

But even in a place like Beijing where people tend to be more accepting of queer culture, and according to Xu Bin, boasts about a dozen active LGBT groups, getting the public to come is a difficult matter.

"Most people will go to a gay club, but it's a closet," said Xiao in response to the 30 people in attendance. "People just go from one closet to another closet. You need more courage to go to a cultural event. Here," he says, gesturing to the clusters of people in the room, "you're out."

The screening that day was of "Mei Mei," a documentary film following the life of a Beijing drag queen in 2004. Mei Mei, who was invited to the screening and stayed to answer audience questions, is a testament to the growing size of the LGBT, or queer community, outing themselves not only to the world, but to each other.

Han, a personable 20 year-old student from the Renmin University of China, told METRO he came to the CQFT event in order to meet interesting people before exposing a guilty look on his face. "And potential partners," he said, before erupting into laughter.

"I only realized I was gay two years ago," Han told METRO. "For a lot of Chinese, they are bisexual because they feel pressure to have a family. So they hide themselves from society. I chose to come out. Well, I'm out to 80 percent of my friends. Three of my roommates treat me differently, but it doesn't bother me."

Queer film festival promotes social acceptance

For young people coming to terms with their sexuality, the films provide an important source of information, not just on queer culture, but on the growing acceptance in today's society. Han said he was shocked that Mei Mei's family accepted her.

"If my parents knew, they wouldn't let me into the house, I think," Han said.

For Ma Qiang, a 30 year-old independent dance director in Beijing and another attendee at the screening, his sexual identity and the social pressure to have a family are issues he struggles with. When he spoke to METRO, he admitted, "I have never attended an event like this before."

Luck Zhao, chief editor of GaySpot magazine who worked as a volunteer for the event, believes gay movies are an enormous part of a culture. "What we are doing is promoting the culture," he explained. "I hope one day, we can put our movies on the big screen and let more people know about queer people here." He pauses for a moment and then adds, "But there is still a long way to go in China."

Identifying yourself as a queer person in China, which Xiao Gang defines as "not just being about gays and lesbians but includes all sex and gender minorities," is about as difficult as getting queer-themed films successfully screened. While homosexuality was first legalized in China in 1997, China's psychiatric association only removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 2001.

This replaced the 1989 edition that defined homosexuality as a "psychiatric disorder of sexuality."

As such, holding a queer film festival is no light achievement, especially considering the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in 2001 and the Gay Cultural Festival in 2005, both of which were shut down. The Beijing Queer Film Festival 2009 made headlines this year precisely because it was not. Many feel the choice to hold it in the Songzhuang art district, an area far outside the city and therefore low-key, was the real reason.

What absolves this particular event from similar problems?

"We don't call it a festival," explains Xiao Gang with a smile. "We keep it small."

CQFT will be holding their final screening of queer-themed Chinese films this coming Saturday, starting at 3 pm.

This screening will feature three films. The first, titled Queer China, Comrade China, is a feature-length documentary following the sk development of the LGBT community in China since the late 1970s, and will be followed by two short films about queer relationships in China.

The films' directors will answer questions in a question-and-answer session after the films. Attendance is 30 yuan, but includes a free drink. Films and T-shirts are available for purchase.

*************** For Desi's own consumption, for I have a fixation on any gal named Nicole. You dare aRsEk WHY? Go disturb aweofhelen if thou can track her down in eeeehPOH!:( -- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual...




Nicole's sex roles betray women in the real world(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-26 09:15 Comments(0) PrintMail


On the face of it, Nicole Kidman would seem to be a rum choice to be talking about violence against women. After all, she's been raped in one film (Dogville), and had kinky sex with Tom Cruise in another (Eyes Wide Shut). She had a bath with a rather young boy (in Birth) and shagged Billy Zane in Dead Calm, her Hollywood debut – all in the name of art, of course. But Nicole isn't just a highly successful actress who's managed her career so brilliantly she now earns over £7m a film; she's decided to do her bit for the less fortunate by becoming a "goodwill ambassador" for the UN Development Fund for Women.

A new piece of legislation aimed at tackling the global abuse of women (the International Violence Against Women Act) has got stuck in the US Congress – and Nicole pitched up in her goodwill role to plead its case. This is undoubtedly an important cause – Amnesty International claims that one in three women are beaten and abused during their lifetime, with the figure rising to 70 per cent in some countries. Clearly, these are shocking statistics, and women deserve better. But using Nicole Kidman to front a campaign – no matter how worthwhile – really does call into question the whole dubious notion of goodwill ambassadors.

Over the past decade, the number of "ambassadors" has grown like Topsy, as the UN tries to capitalise on our obsession with celebrity culture. A quick trawl on the internet reveals what a motley bunch they have become – once a small group, which included people like Roger Moore, Nelson Mandela and Leslie Caron, now the list is endless. All the various UN agencies – from Unesco and Unicef to the parts of the organisation dealing with culture and science, education, population control, famine, refugees and women's rights – have their bizarre list of goodwill ambassadors ready to fly around the world drumming up media coverage by being photographed in some of the poorest and most deprived places on the planet.

These unpaid worthies, according to the UN, "use their fame to draw attention to important issues". I question whether the majority of these actors, singers, sports stars, minor members of royalty, prime ministers' wives and high-profile dress designers really add anything worthwhile to the UN's cause. Do women the world over think twice about birth control because Geri Halliwell is an ambassador for the UN Population Fund? Do governments listen to the thoughts of a woman who chose to have a baby without including the father, who is still waffling about "girl power" rather than real power.

Other figureheads seem equally random choices – Unicef has just appointed Orlando Bloom, and Unesco can boast some assorted discus throwers, Shirley Bassey, Pierre Cardin, and Celine Dion. Other goodwill ambassadors include Claudia Schiffer, Charlie Boorman and the businessman Duncan Bannatyne. Claudia Cardinale promotes women's rights – now, that's a surprise. And we hardly dare make a donation these days without double-checking that Bono has deemed the cause worthwhile.

Nicole Kidman might claim that she has never taken a role which demeans women, but she's working in an industry where women are routinely chucked on the scrap heap after the age of 40, consigned to play character roles and ageing mums, while leading men in their sixties still have on-screen sex with girls young enough to be their granddaughters. The film industry is run by men, financed by men and marketed by men. Apart from Jane Campion and Agnès Varda, has any high-profile woman made a successful film recently? The whole notion of choosing well-known actresses to speak up for the rights of underprivileged and abused women in the developing world sucks.

Nicole told the Congress committee that violence against women was "the most widespread human rights violation in the world". Funny then, that she continues to work in an industry that chooses to routinely depict women as objects which can be tortured, treated like sex toys and disposed of in all manner of gruesome ways, and all in the name of entertainment.

******************* And for your I-I only!:):)

Swiss model Saner wins Elite Model final 2009 in Sanya(Xinhua/CFP)
Updated: 2009-10-19 13:56 Comments(4) PrintMail

GO TO: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-10/19/content_8811709.htm




Manon from France, Ravaglia from Italy, Saner from Switzerland and Emily from Britain (L to R) are seen during the Elite Model Look 2009 final, Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, Oct. 18, 2009. [CFP]