"Please refrain from commenting on the President of the United States in a negative or unflattering way, and we shall do the same concerning President Fox"
Versión
en español será publicado aquí pronto
(Enkidu has frequently used the yahoo group Mexico Gay to distribute our weekly newsletter ESTA SEMANA. We have also had regular announcents for several of our activities both here and in the moderator's other group Baja Gay. Our special edition covering the recent events in Massachusetts, however, was rejected by the list moderator to both groups. We received the following explanation (Below, Enkidu's reply):
Tuesday, May 18, 2004 1:29 AM
Please refrain from commenting on the President of the United States
in a negative or unflattering way, and we shall do the same
concerning President Fox.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004 1:45 AM
Having a political opinion is one thing we can appreciate. Express it personally, or not. But one thing I have found is that Mexicans dislike gringos saying bad things about their country or leaders, even if they agree with what is being said.
When Mexico is allowing gay marriages, then...maybe...you will have the standing to comment about our president. And if you had only commented about the issue..and the president's stand on it, that might fly. But when you bring John Kerry into it...it seems to me that it is a position on American politics that a Mexican should not take.
Not all American gays are liberal Democrats supporting John Kerry.
I will do the same by not commenting about sexual discrimination, official corruption against homosexuals, lack of civil rights, few benefits-much less spousal benefits for homosexuals of any kind, or which of your politicians or elected officials favor gay rights.
And since you have a business to promote and you represent Orgullo Mexico, perhaps you should stay out of US politics altogether and just send your congratulations on the accomplishment of gays in at least one US state. It is certainly one more state than in Mexico....
Enkidu's reply
Dear
Ken,
Thank you very much for stating the reasons for rejecting our message to
your groups. I will forward your message to our news editor, and he might
have a comment too, but these are my immediate reactions:
We understand perfectly your position, but we were surprised that this
particular article could provoke these feelings since in fact it does not
at all take an active position on American party politics. The
introduction to the article by our news editor only states that:
"despite everything and the fact that the President has manifested
his support to a constitutional amendment defining and limiting civil
matrimony to a union between a man and a woman, as well as the position
against matrimony for homosexual couples taken by the democratic candidate
John Kerry, who does supports Civil Unions. Yet the Supreme Court
supported the´ decision of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts
etc..."
In fact the article only states that despite a political climate, where
both Republican and Democratic voices are raised against such developments,
this could happen. For the rest the article does not actively side with
Republicans or Democrats, but is a news reportage and analysis of the
developments that led to this historical decision. We were therefore
overwhelmed and surprised when receiving your comments, because the very
fact that this could happen is likely to be interpreted by our readers as
a tribute to the American democracy and court system, and might contribute
to give our readers back some faith in the United States rather than the
opposite... The article shows that Justice in the United States is not
just determined by short-term political interests (as in Mexico).
Our
coverage of the Massachusetts events shows our readers that democracy
and justice really works in the United States and that the court system
respects human rights, reflecting higher values than just the day-to day
political concerns. This is a historical decision comparable to the
reforms leading to the abolishment of racial segregation in the American
South, and it is also treated as such by our team: As a victory not just
for American gays, but for Humanity, an example to the world, which might
inspire changes and reforms also in other countries. Where is the "gringo-bashing"
here????
That
our news team throughout the world let all their other work aside and spent the weekend and the entire night between Sunday and Monday preparing
a Special Edition regarding Massachusetts is in fact nothing but a big
congratulation to the accomplishments of the gays in this American state
and the gay movement in the United States as well as a tribute to the
American system.
This said, I would also like to emphasize that Enkidu is not a Mexican
News Magazine as such. We cover international news, and not at all from an
explicit Mexican perspective. I am Norwegian by birth, writing this from
the Enkidu headquarters in Frankfurt in Germany. Another branch of Enkidu
is located in Ecuador. We have contributors in 35 countries and readers at
least in 50. Enkidu is read throughout the Spanish-speaking world, also by
a considerable number of readers in the United States, which is the third
biggest Spanish speaking country in the world... It is natural and self
evident for us to have an extensive coverage of American issues when they
are of international interest like the latest events regarding
Massachusetts. And the United States is not in anyway treated differently
than for instance Mexico, China or Australia by our news team. The basic
criteria for inclusion of an article in Enkidu is international interest
and our contributors are encouraged to attempt to write from a gobal
rather than local perspective. There are other fora, for instance Accion
Violeta, that specialize in bringing out local Mexican news to the
community on a non-profit basis.
If you visit Enkidu you will see that we run few Mexican stories at all.
Mexican issues are touched upon only in cases where they are assumed to
have general interest for an international readership. Our last Mexican
story was about the crisis Cuba-Mexico and it did not present a
particularly favourable position on Mexican politics at all... In fact, a
regular reader of Enkidu might very well end up getting a more favourable
impression of Bush than of Fox. When Mexican issues are covered by Enkidu,
more often than not, we write about corruption, violence, lack of civil
rights etc. A good example is last year's coverage of Violence against
gays in Zona Rosa, which received considerable attention. It is therefore
felt as unfair and inappropriate accusing Enkidu of un-nuanced attacks on
gringos.
On
the other hand, you have strong opinions and a good writing style. If you
would like to send a contribution to Enkidu, perhaps even expressing your
views on Fox or any other issues, you are more than welcome to submit an
article in English or Spanish. Mexico viewed from an American’s
perspective would be a highly interesting and eye opening theme, which our
readers certainly would appreciate. Enkidu is always looking for new
talents, and I am convinced that our readers would appreciate your energy
and strong opinions.
Sincerely
Dr. Lars Ivar Owesen-Lein Borge
General Director
Enkidu Magazine