Subject: Re: silverfoxesclub-digest V1 #12

My name is Tony 45wm from Long Island NY, I am looking to pose for photos and films with men over 60, i am not looking to make any money from this at all , i would like tohave them posted on here or other sites for older men so they can see that there are younger guys out here looking to meet them and enjoy what i have found to love very much. can anyone help me in my quest.
tony MICHVIK131@AOL.COM
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Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 22:07:26 GMT
From: "Dennis Michael"

Subject: GREAT PHOTOS

THANX MUCHO!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of the photos that you send are really hot. I like the one titled "Silverfox gets it in the kisser".

The news info is also interesting.

Dennis
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Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 16:30:50 -0700
From: "Ben Boxer"

Subject: Bush against nondiscrimination

Headline:
Bush comes out in debate against nondiscrimination, hate-crimes laws

Text:
Texas governor George W. Bush made clear his opposition to nondiscrimination protections and hate-crimes laws covering gays and lesbians in Wednesday night's presidential candidate debate in Winston-Salem, N.C. In a discussion about hate-crimes laws, Bush refused to answer charges from Vice President Al Gore that he had failed to support a hate-crimes bill in the Texas legislature last year, a contention accepted by most political observers in the state. Bush instead noted that the murderers of James Byrd Jr., a black man dragged to death in Texas by three white men, received the death penalty. (In fact, only two of the three were given the death penalty.) "It's going to be hard to punish them any worse after they get put to death," Bush said. Gore said the issue is important "not just because of Texas but because this mirrors the national controversy. There is pending now in the Congress a national hate-crimes law because of James Byrd, because of Matthew Shepard, who was crucified on a split-rail fence by bigots, because of others. And that law has died in committee also because of the same kind of opposition." Gore said he supports the bill. Bush said that he would "support the Orrin Hatch version of it, not the Senator Kennedy version." The version offered by Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah does not include protections for gays and lesbians.

Answering a separate question about gay rights, both candidates said they oppose gay marriage. "I think marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," Bush said. "And I appreciate the way the Administration signed the Defense of Marriage Act [which bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages]." Bush went on to say, "I'm going to be respectful for people who may disagree with me. I've had a record of doing so in the state of Texas. I've been a person that would...been called a uniter not divider because I accepted some...I accept other people's points of view. But I feel strongly that marriage should be between a man and a woman." Gore noted that he supported the Defense of Marriage Act and opposes gay marriages but added, "I think that we should find a way to allow some sort of civil unions. And I basically agree with Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman. And I think the three of us have one view and the governor has another one." Gore referred to last week's vice presidential candidate debate, in which Republican Cheney and Democrat Lieberman expressed some general support for allowing recognition of gay relationships without specifying how to do so. In response, Bush said, "I'm not sure what kind of view he's ascribing to me. I can just tell you, I'm a...I'm a person who respects other people. I respect their...I respect...on the one hand he says he agrees with me, and then he says he doesn't. I'm not sure where he's coming from. But I...I...I will be a tolerant person. I've been a tolerant person all my life. I just happen to believe strongly that marriage is between a man and a woman."

In a follow-up question, moderator Jim Lehrer asked if the candidates believe, "in general terms," that gays and lesbians should have the same rights as everyone else. "I don't think they ought to have special rights," Bush replied, "but I think they ought to have the same rights." Gore replied that he "strongly" supports federal legislation to ban antigay job bias. "I wonder if the governor would lend his support to the law." When Lehrer asked Bush if he would support the law, Bush responded, "Well, I have no idea. I mean, you can throw out all kinds...I don't know the particulars of this law. I will tell you I'm the kind of person...I don't hire or fire somebody based upon their sexual orientation. As a matter of fact, I'd like to take the issue a little further. I don't really think it's any of my, you know, any of my concerns how you conduct your sex life. And I think that's a private matter. And I think that's the way it ought to be. But I'm going to be respectful for people. I'll tolerate people. And I support equal rights, but not special rights for people." When Lehrer asked how "special rights" affects gays and lesbians, Bush said, "Well, if they're given...if they're given special protective status. And that doesn't mean we shouldn't fully enforce laws and fully protect people and fully honor people, which I will do as the president of the United States."
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Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 00:51:50 -0700
From: "Ben Boxer"
Subject: Life dangerous for gays in Mexico

(Ben Boxer says: "Gene Autry, 'the Singing Cowboy,' used to croon a sweet tune called 'Down Mexico Way,' but after reading the article below, you might change the lyric to 'Down Anti-Gay Way.' I have lived in Mexico and loved every minute of it. I love the Mexican people -- the men in particular -- and once had a Mexican lover. I have traveled in every one of its 31 states and have lived in six of its cities and towns, plus way out in the boonies, twice. I was sexually active everywhere, from the sophisticated gay bars of Mexico City to furtive liaisons with cowboys in the country. Parts of Mexico are so panoramically beautiful and surreal they look like they were painted by Walt Disney, and the food -- quite unlike the garbage at Taco Bell or the junky TexMex stuff found in most Mexican restaurants in the United States -- is diverse, delicious, and worthy of a gourmet's palate. Following the recent election of Vicente Fox to the presidency of Mexico, there appears to be some hope that the quality of life for Mexican gays might begin to improve, but probably not much, given the stranglehold of machismo on the Mexican national character."

Headline:
A Life of Fear for Gays:
For homosexual men in Mexico, every day brings threat of danger

by Wendy Patterson
(The Chronicle World, 10/12/00)

Text:
When 24 homosexual transvestites turned up dead in the southern state of Chiapas in 1991, it sent a chill through Mexico's gay community.

``I felt alarmed, scared,'' recalled Jose Maria Covarrubias. ``And then angry; I wanted to do something.''

Covarrubias, who heads the Gay Cultural Circle, a Mexico City- based gay rights group, traveled to Chiapas to pressure police authorities to find the killers. That never happened. Nine years later, murders of homosexuals -- almost all of them men -- continue, as does the impunity of those who commit the crimes.

From 1995 to 1999, there were 190 killings of gays, according to a report last year by the Citizen's Commission Against Homophobic Hate Crimes, an independent group comprised composed of prominent Mexico City citizens. The report says 99 murders occurred in the Federal District of Mexico City, 42 in the adjoining state of Mexico, 20 in Veracruz and 29 elsewhere. The victims' average age was 28.

``There is no location in the country where you can be openly gay without being harassed,'' David Fernandez, a Mexico City human rights activist said in a 1997 report for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. ``Ordinarily, that does not involve a risk to one's life, but often it involves astonishing degrees of hostility.''

The violence against gay men -- lesbians are typically less overt about their sexuality and less likely to be victims of violence -- was tacitly acknowledged by a U.S. federal appeals court this summer that overruled a decision by the U.S. Immigration and Natural ization Service.

The Pasadena court granted asylum to a gay cross-dresser named Giovanni Hernandez, saying it was not safe for him to return to his country after he had been repeatedly beaten and raped by Mexican police.

Robert Gerber, Hernandez's San Diego lawyer, said the decision was a landmark because it is the first case in which a federal appeals court ruled that sexual orientation is grounds for asylum.

Tom Ammiano, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, says the Hernandez case ``gives legitimacy to how bad (conditions) are for gays in Mexico. The gay movement in Mexico is primarily focused on civil and human rights, starting with, `Don't kill us!' ''

Last month, Ammiano met with gay and human rights activists on a six-day visit to Mexico sponsored by the San Francisco-based organization Global Exchange.

``Many more gay people are in the closet (in Mexico) because they don't have the protections we have -- at least on the books -- against employment and housing discrimination,'' Ammiano said.

Many also do not reveal their sexuality for fear of shocking family, friends and co-workers. Most Mexicans are Roman Catholic, and the church teaches that homosexuality is a sin. Also, violence against gays is considered more acceptable in a culture rooted in machismo -- a hyper-masculine ideal.

Despite these deep-seated problems, most activists agree that gays in Mexico have made significant strides in the past several years.

In 1997, Patria Jimenez, an openly lesbian legislator, was elected to the federal Chamber of Deputies. In 1998, Mexico City's government repealed legislation that gave law enforcement officials the legal framework to arrest homosexuals.

Moreover, gay pride parades have spread from Mexico City to Guadalajara, Monterrey and other major cities. Gay bars are becoming more common, and the nation's two largest television networks -- Televisa and TV Azteca -- have replaced stereotypical gay characters with positive gay roles on its popular soap operas.

``I think this has had a big impact on housewives watching these shows at home,'' said Arturo Viramontes, a gay actor. ``They are the mothers that may have to face a gay son or daughter.''

Yet Mexico currently has no legislation to penalize hate crimes.

Fifteen of Mexico's 31 states still have provisions that consider homosexuality a ``transgression against morality and public decency.''

That means open displays of affection can result in police harassment or extortion. A violation of public morality can result in a prison term of three months to nine years.

Just last month, most newspapers covered the story of a privately operated swimming pool in the city of Aguascalientes that displayed an entry sign that read: ``No Dogs, No Homosexuals.''

Gay groups eventually forced the pool manager to remove the sign, but not before city official Jorge Alvarez Medina told reporters that he would fire all gay employees discovered working for the city.

``Homophobia is more in your face'' in Mexico, said Ammiano, who presented a resolution last month before the Board of Supervisors urging President-elect Vicente Fox to include gay rights ``as an integral part of his national policy.''

``Mexicans I met were eager for us to do something in the United States,'' Ammiano said. ``One person told me Fox will understand English better than Spanish,'' referring to the power of U.S. activist groups and media.

Alejandro Brito, editor of a special monthly supplement on gay issues for the daily newspaper La Jornada, says homophobia is ``institutionalized'' in Mexico.

As an example, Brito points out that even though there are 200,000 people with HIV and nearly 50,000 documented cases of AIDS, there has been no educational campaign directed specifically at gay men -- the group most affected by the epidemic.

Some gay activists hope Fox, who takes office Dec. 1, will be the first national leader to address discrimination based on sexual preference. Others are dubious because of the pro-Catholic, conservative pedigree of Fox's National Action Party (PAN). The party opposes homosexuality on moral grounds and some of its mayors have adopted laws that reflect that view.

Fox himself has also made homophobic comments to describe an opponent during the past election. On the stump, he called Francisco Labastida a mariquito, or ``little fag,'' and lavestida, a play on words of Labastida's last name that means transvestite.

But since his historic triumph ended the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Fox has changed his tone.

During an official ceremony before the country's electoral commission, he said: ``We are going to construct a free Mexico where intolerance has no place; where no one is persecuted for their ideas, political or religious beliefs, lifestyle or sexual preference.''

Gay activists hope he means what he says. They are well aware that Fox is the key player during Mexico's growing democracy.

La Jornada's Brito, however, predicts that violence against gays is likely to increase. ``Gay people have not been very visible in Mexico,'' he said, ``but as we become more visible, there will be more violence.''
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Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 07:42:51 -0700
From: "Ben Boxer"

Subject: Cause for celebration

Headline:
The Dutch say .I do.

With lots of fanfare and little opposition, the Netherlands becomes the first nation to offer full marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples
(The Advocate, 10/24/00)

Text: Imagine a legislative body that overwhelmingly endorses same-sex marriage. The vote proves so popular that lawmakers bang on their desks in approval. Witnesses to the vote break into a spontaneous celebration, with hugs and kisses all around. The bill.s opponents are so disheartened that they can barely muster even a mild protest. Vermont? Hardly. Welcome to the progressive politics of the Netherlands. By a 109.33 vote on September 12, Parliament.s lower house, located in The Hague, became the first legislative unit in the world to pass a bill providing gay men and lesbians full family rights.marriage, adoption, and divorce. The upper house is expected to approve the bill, which will most likely become law next year.

.I.m very happy Parliament made us equal to straight couples,. said Heinz-Gerd Roes, a longtime Dutch gay activist. .If I had a boyfriend, I would never, ever, have gotten a partnership registration [the current option for same-sex couples] because either my relationship is equal or not; nearly equal, for me, isn.t good enough..

Roes said the bill was inevitable. .After the Second World War, discrimination became taboo in Dutch society.and not just racial discrimination,. he said. .Over the years the number of people supporting opening marriage to same-sex couples rose in every survey, even in those done by adversaries. The last government survey found 77% favoring a law allowing same-sex marriage. So Parliament forced the government to accept the new legislation with a huge majority.there were even some votes in favor by members of the conservative Christian Alliance. By coming out of the closet, getting involved in all walks of life, being visible, we slowly got the acceptance of the people, and then the government had no choice but to react..

Under the bill, gay couples can trade their .registered same-sex partnerships,. which Parliament approved in 1998, for marriage certificates, complete with guidelines for divorce and wider adoption rights.

For gay activists, the bill.s only downside is a provision barring same-sex couples from overseas adoption. Legislators worried about possibly clashing with nations that ban adoptions by gays and lesbians. For Roes, however, the biggest celebration is still to come: .Now I just need to find my dream man to tie the knot with..
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Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 11:04:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Feinstein

Subject: Clarification

Hi, guys. Bob and guide dog Harley here. I want to thank those of you who have taken the time to write. I am afraid I may not have been clear about my actual desires, so am trying to be more specific. I want to write to guys who would be open to eventual phone contact, and meeting me, if we have things in common. I always enjoy making new friends. To give an example, I started writing to a guy in Montreal, and through his kindness, have visited the city. We are not sexual except for a lot of hugging, etc., but he has proved to be a wonderful friend and we enjoy each others company. I want to make more friends like that. I won't hide that meeting a special guy would be wonderful, but don't want to pass up good friendships.

What I don't want is guys to write to me who tell me that they are involved with someone else, or married, and for this reason, can't really offer anything except occasional emails, as they have to write to me on the sly. If you are with a partner, I am not opposed to being friends with both of you, but I don't want to be the "hidden blind correspondent" who you write to occasionally when there is no chance of us even becoming friends.

Thanks for understanding.

Hugs to you all,
Bob and Harley

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End of silverfoxesclub-digest V1 #13
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