Sebastian Ligarde Comes Out

Man oh man, yesterday was a Chockfull-of-Good-News day here at ISBL, with Charice coming out as gay, Kristin Beck coming out as transgendered, and Dylan and Brad being voted their high school’s cutest couple.

With that in mind, let’s have another tidbit of good news, and another coming out …

Sebastián Ligarde, a 59-year-old Mexican telenovela star, has come out as gay.

“I'm gay and I say this with pride. No gay person should have to walk down the street with stigma stamped on his forehead. Sexual preference is genetic... and if God and my family knows it, then let the world know it.”

As I’ve said before, it doesn’t make a difference when you come out, or even how, it just makes a difference that you do it. Even at 59, and being a successful actor, Ligarde lived in a state of fear and denial, and now, with those two words—“I’m gay”—all that fear and denial is gone.

Ligarde had previously announced that he was bisexual—which may have been his first baby step out of the closet—saying, “I was bisexual when I was young. It doubled my chances at getting a date on Saturday night. I’ve been in a stable relationship for more than 20 years.”

Twenty years in a same-sex relationship and because of the stigma, especially in predominantly Catholic, Latin American countries, he couldn’t share that news.

Now he can.

“I believe I’m at an age when I can help new values... and to have the courage to accept myself publicly, as Ricky Martin did. He has been an inspiration for me when it comes to talking about this subject … It’s a day of relief and a lot of courage. It takes courage to be honest. It’s much easier to lie."

Easier to do, maybe, but harder on a person to carry that lie. Like Charice said yesterday, being open and out certainly makes you lighter.

So, welcome out Sebastián, and please accept as our gift a copy of our Spanish language version of The Gay Agenda, La Agenda Gay and the obligatory Coming Out Toaster Oven, AKA the Sale Horno Tostador.

Bienvenido a, Sebastián, bienvenido a.

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Judge Susan Bolton Okays Arizona's "Show Me Your Papers" Law

Usually I have faith in the court system in this country, but every once in a while, they get it wrong. I mean, we all remember OJ Simpson getting off for killing two people. And, before you ask, no, I didn't forget to say ALLEGEDLY.

Now it seems that a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, has ruled that Arizona authorities can enforce the loveliest part of their anti-Hispanic immigration law, the so racist "show me your papers" provision. This clears the way for police officers, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect to be in this country illegally.

Now, let's be clear: they mean the brown-skinned, Spanish speaking ones. I cannot imagine an Arizona police officer asking to see the papers of a white Canadian, even one with a hint of what some might call an un-American accent, so we have to be clear: this law is aimed directly at Spanish speaking people in this country only. Even those who are here legally, and have been for years--or sometimes their entire lives--can be questioned about their immigration status.

Those against the law--and this is mostly people who aren't idiotic and racist--urged Bolton to block the requirement, arguing that it would lead to racial profiling and unreasonable detention of Latino's, if it was enforced. But, lawyers for Arizona Governor, that lying--remember when she talked about headless bodies in the deserts and blamed them on Latinos--Jan "Eva Braun" Brewer, urged the judge to let the requirement go into effect. They argued that the police have the training not to racially profile any member of the public. Yes, we know, because there has never been an incident of racial profiling anywhere, ever. 

:::sarcasm font::::

So, this is what Arizona has come to, a police state where, if you have brown skin and if you have an accent, specially an Hispanic accent, and you, say, have a taillight out on your car, or you crossed the street against the light, or might have stayed too long in one spot, a police officer will ask to see "your papers."

That's so American, isn't it?

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They Deport Americans, Don't They?

If, after reading this, you still think Jan "Eva Braun" Brewer and the Arizona Asshats are doing the right thing, there is no hope for you. You'll never understand because you're probably white, middle-class, and think you know who the right people are and who can stay in this country and who should go. Now, to be fair, this story doesn't take place in the Arizona Fascist State, but it is a direct result of the anti-immigration-as-long-as-you're-Mexican sentiment growing in the Southwest.

Down in Texas, nineteen-year-old Luis Alberto Delgado wasn't wearing a seatbelt while riding in a car, which is illegal. And that one little click could have kept him safe, in a multitude of ways. See, his brother, the driver, was stopped by police and Luis was cited for the lack of the buckle-up; the normal fine for such an offense is a fine of somewhere between $25 and $50.

But, in Luis Delgado's case, he wasn't fined; he was deported. He was sent to Mexico, unable to re-enter the United Sates. Good? you say, Them dirty Mexicans should be sent back? Well, Luis Delgado is an American citizen with a valid US birth certificate, Texas ID, and Social Security card to prove it.

Really? So how did immigration authorities determine that Delgado was not an American? It's simple; he speaks poor English. That was enough to convince the police to call U.S. Border Patrol, enough to make immigration authorities insist that he had fake papers, enough to motivate them to coerce Delgado into signing papers that he believed would allow his release, but actually led to him being immediately removed to Mexico.

Now, this American of Mexican descent could be sentenced to twenty years in jail just for trying to come home. And, as for his poor English, Luis Delgado says that he was born in Houston, but moved to Mexico and spent most of his childhood there, hence his shaky English.

But, seriously, is shaky English a strong enough reason to send someone packing? If it is, I know a helluva a lot of people, white people, here in South Carolina who should be worried. But, they aren't worried because the color of their skin is better than a birth certificate or driver's license or Social Security card. White is right, in America these days.

And yet, in the America these days, we have people like Jan Brewer who want to create a state of panic for anyone with an accent, or brown skin, or god forbid, both. People like Jan Brewer would allow Spanish-speaking members of society to be treated as second-class citizens. But the fact remains, no matter how many of you might want to change it, there is no official language of America; that's what makes it America. We are everyone and we are from everywhere; we speak every language; we worship, or don't worship, any way we choose. But we don't, or at least we shouldn't, punish anyone because they sound different or look different or act different.

That, most decidedly, is not America.