Onegin

[Alina Israeli]

I'd like to make a couple of points. Elena Ventsel' once said that it
behooves to us, non-Jews, to rise to the defense of Jews. Similarly, it
behooves to us, non-gay (or those who at least for now presume themselves
to be non-gay) to see this statement for what it is, a statement of
bigotry, and rise. If "Golubaja kul'tura" was forced underground for a very
long time, it's hardly surprising that it emerged like a geyser (or gayser,
to koin a word).

>>All those efforts to implant "Golubaia kul'tura" into our lives after the
>>beginning of perestroika were so rude, aggressive and overwhelming that
>>they were doomed to failure. With our people it is always like this: the
>>harder you try to impose smth against our wish, the less result you'll
>>get. Or you'll get directly the opposite result. It is still considered
>>to be a medical condition like any other you may be born with, diabitis
>>or heart failure, or whatever.

The following is much too black and white. One has to keep in mind that
"muzhelozhestvo" was not outlawed in Russia until Peter the Great, who
allegedly himself had (or may have had) sexual relationships with men. And
even then it was outlawed only in the army, strangely enough since there
are no women there anyway. Sexual relationships were much more fluid and we
cannot project our dichotomy. It's still is in some cultures.

>> True, an
>educated nineteenth-century Russian more likely than not would view the
>phenomenon with suspicion or hostility, and therefore consider it
>"dishonourable."

>Now, we have 21st century 'Western' academics imposing
>their fashionably contemporary morality across a huge
>psychological and cultural and geographic gap on
>hapless characters/authors to whom the 21st century
>moral outlook would have been totally alien, if not repulsive.
>
>I am equally against Christ being portrayed as gay.

But that's precisely what you doing: sexuality was not always viewed as
homosexual vs. heterosexual. Sex for men (women are not in focus, were they
ever?) meant heirs and pleasure, heirs come only from women, as for
pleasure, it depends. Just remember some famous emperors of pre-Christian
world and some kings of the Christian world.

>BTW, in Zimbabwe homosexuality is still punishable
>by imprisonment (in theory),

So it was in the Soviet Russia. Both are hardly models to emulate. BTW, the
law in the Soviet Union was used rarely, for dissidents for the most part,
and as blackmailing tool to recruit KGB reporters.

__________________________
 Alina Israeli
 LFS, American University
 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
 Washington, DC 20016

 phone:    (202) 885-2387
 fax:      (202) 885-1076 

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