To all members of MCCPH, this is your page. You can post glbt related articles here. Thank you. Write your testimonies in this page on how MCCPH has helped your faith and your life. Just write everything on the comments section under this page.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES PHILIPPINES
"Transforming hearts, lives and history"
MENU
Acknowledgements
Blogarama - The Blog Directory
var infolink_pid = 47845;
Unconditional
I don’t care how exasperating you are,
I don’t care how much you get on my nerves.
I care about always treating you the same.
Love is always patient.
I don’t care how you treat me,
I don’t care if you’re mean to me.
I care about how I am to you.
Love is always kind.
I don’t care if you’re with someone else,
I don’t care if your best friend isn’t me.
I care about your happiness.
Love is never jealous.
I don’t care if you love me or not,
I don’t care if my love is never returned.
I care about your well-being.
Love does not seek its own.
I don’t care if you tease me,
I don’t care if you won’t let me forget my mistakes.
I care about forgetting yours.
Love does not take offense.
I don’t care about how I’ve been wronged,
I don’t care about what you’ve done to me.
I care about what you’ve done for me.
Love does not store up grieviances.
I don’t care about reputations,
I don’t care about who you’re said to be.
I care about who you are.
Love finds joy in truth.
I don’t care about rumours,
I don’t care about what people say.
I care about what I know you to be.
Love is always ready to hope.
I don’t care about what happens,
I don’t care if it doesn’t fit my schedule.
I care about being there for you.
Love endures whatever comes.
I don’t care how long it is,
I don’t care how many years,
I care about staying the same.
Love has no end.
KHALEL
Hush and Listen
http://www.khalelian.blogspot.com
YOUR WORD
Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create
conditions in your life.
What you speak about, you can bring about.
If you keep saying you can’t stand your job, you might lose your job.
If you keep saying you can’t stand your body, your body can become sick.
If you keep saying you can’t stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you’re broke, guess what? You’ll always be broke.
If you keep saying you can’t trust a man or trust a woman,
you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can’t find a job, you will remain unemployed.
If you keep saying you can’t find someone to love you or believe in you,
your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.
If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship,
then you might end up with it.
Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action.
Don’t be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.
Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny
The minute you settle for less than you deserve,
you get even less than you settle for.
Thought I would share this with you.
“In the search for me, I discovered truth.
In the search for truth, discovered love.
In the search for love, discovered God.
And in God, I have found everything.”
God determines who walks into your life….it’s up to you to decide who
you let walk away,
who you let stay,
and who you refuse to let go.
I hope your week has gone well.
Many battles have been fought throughout the history of men &
nations. Memorials have been erected around the world in honor of
great men who have fought bravely & valiantly to the death for an
honorable cause. There are countless museums of war which display
the weapons used, the uniforms worn, the utensils for cleaning,
sharpening & building their weapons, etc. Often, the battlefields,
& battlegrounds themselves, become as well known as those who
fought in those conflicts.
For the child of God, every day brings new challenges and struggles
as we war with our adversary the Devil. At each turn of life, he
would want to destroy our walk with God. As you know, we do not
wrestle with flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers
of the darkness of this world.
–
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself….
Each day has enough trouble of its own….
-=Matt. 6:34=-
Please pass it to all Filipinos you know.
The message goes: As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.
This is an essay written by a Korean student i want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar;
it’s the CONTENT that counts ) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion
at present.
MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim
Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think the corruption
is the problem of the Philippines ? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines .
Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point.
After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans
had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no
natural resources.
Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos.
Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine.
My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very
corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really
did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.
Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.
40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money
from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the
economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory.
They had to go through horrible experience.
In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him, “President, when can we be well off?” That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.
Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country
because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their
best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.
My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They
wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines ? I have cried for my country several
times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid
prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country.
They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday.
However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines .
Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the
future and their children.
When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable
situations in the Philippines . Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here.
People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.
My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so
many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because
it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat a gain because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a
small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.
My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.
She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.
I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody,
in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let’s put away
our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.
I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible.
Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.
Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.
You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.
That’s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.
(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE
please take time to see what we had last Sunday (10 June 2007). follow this link:
http://hotsillypep.multiply.com/photos/album/3
Make a Difference
Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts.
A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful.
Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to
be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences
such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will
avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory
will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.
I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is
a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be
contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day
with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each
minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone
forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I
will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred
with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I
will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No
failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… . I will get up. It’s OK to
fail… . I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
I will spend time with those I love. A man can own the world but be poor
for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in
relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the
significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or
hugging or thanking or listening.
please add to your research on homosexuality in history…this time it’s asian. you may follow these links:
http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=1954&viewarticle=1&searchtype=all
http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=1954&viewarticle=1&nextrecord=0¤tpageno=1&searchtype=all&pageno=2
or read:
June 19, 2007
same-sex love in ancient and modern chinese history (2/2)
By Dr Tan Chong Kee
Inspired by Singapore’s MM Lee Kuan Yew’s recent reference to a magazine article about the English university having openly acknowledged gay love for almost 400 years which influenced the statesman’s views that Singapore has “no option” but to decriminalise gay sex, columnist Dr Tan Chong Kee finds proof of same sex love being recorded throughout 2,000 years of Chinese history. Part 2 of 2.
In a recent interview which made headlines locally and internationally, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore talked about there being “no option” for Singapore but to be part of the world and decriminalise gay sex. He made reference to how an article on homosexuality in the recent issue of CAM, the Cambridge Alumni Magazine, had influenced him in arriving at this conclusion. That article led with the blurb: “Civil partnerships between same-sex couples have been on the British statute book for fifteen months. But in Cambridge, discovers Graeme Grant, gay love has been openly acknowledged for almost 400 years.”
If an English university being in the lead for 400 years openly acknowledging gay love is good reason for an Asian country like Singapore to reconsider its criminalisation of homosexuality, what about 2,000 years of Chinese history where gay love is not only openly acknowledged, but celebrated? Modern homophobia has often censored this important chapter of Chinese history and culture.
Fridae columnist Tan Chong Kee, who holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from Stanford University in the United States, takes readers through the history of same-sex love in China from The Warring States to the Ming and Qing Dynasties during which the country allowed European Christian missionaries to enter and became exposed to European influences and power.
Click here to read part 1 about same-sex love in the The Warring States (841 B.C. – 221 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).
The Western and Eastern Jing Dynasties (266 – 420 AD), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (503 – 557 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) 魏晋南北朝 唐朝
If the history of Han dynasty recorded much imperial same-sex love, the history of the next few dynasties, from Western and Eastern Jing, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, to Tang, tells of how same-sex love was equally prevalent among the aristocracy and even the general population. A passage in the History of Song described how “since after the year of Xianning and Taikang (after 275 AD) the love for men became hugely popular, surpassing the love for women. Every aristocrat was in to it, and all under heaven were emulating them.” (3)
Poetry written by literati celebrating same-sex love now appears. Although there was considerable poetry on same-sex love dating even further back than Han dynasty, their meanings are sometimes disputed by scholars claiming that the authors were women. But by Jing dynasty, the meanings of the poetry were indisputable because they made clear references to the Han emperors’ male lovers. The two most prominent members of the seven sages of the bamboo forest (竹林七贤), Ran Ji (阮籍) and Ji Kang (嵇康) were lovers. In one of Ran Ji’s famous collection of poems, he sings of the joy of same-sex love and used the imagery of two birds flying together as a metaphor (愿为双飞鸟， 比翼共翱翔). The great Tang poet Bai Juyi (白居易 772年—846 AD) later took this metaphor and used it to describe the love between the Tang emperor (唐明皇) and his female concubine Yang Quifei (杨贵妃). (4) It would be unthinkable under today’s homophobia if a writer were to use a gay metaphor to describe the marriage of say the Thai King or the Singapore Prime Minister! Bai Juyi was not trying to be risqué when he composed those lines, for the Tang Chinese, love was love, and perfectly analogous whether it was for a man or a woman. Another poet, Bai Xingjian (白行簡) wrote a long essay on human sexual expressions and devoted substantial lines to that of male same-sex love. These literary examples from the Tang dynasty underscore how Chinese culture sees same-sex love as just another expression of human sexuality.
Northern Song (960 – 1126 AD) and Southern Song (1127 – 1279 AD) Dynasties 北宋 南宋
The Song dynasty is the period in Chinese history when male prostitution became prevalent among the common people. Take for example this passage from a reliable folk history of the Song Dynasty: “Nowadays, the houses of prostitution in the imperial capital number in the ten of thousands. Even the men are displaying their bodies for sale with perfect nonchalance. (5) The number of male prostitutes became so unmanageable that finally late into the Northern Song dynasty, in the year 1111, a law was passed in an attempt to control them. The law apparently did not have much effect as the historical record from the Southern Song dynasty shows: “Since the move to the South, the “Wu custom” (ie. Male same-sex prostitution) became even more prevalent. Their home base is just outside the New Gate. All of them would apply rouge and powder, dress up and gesture like women, and were addressed as women. They then solicit all and sundry…this is the most egregious of bad influence but no one has used the old law to prohibit them. (6)
Note here that the tone of voice from the Southern Song chroniclers has become more moralistic. This is probably due to the rise of Neo-Confuciansim (理学). Two key slogans of Zhu Xi (朱熹 1130 – 1200 AD), who was a central figure in Neo-Confucianism, were: “Preserve heavenly morals, eradicate human desires” and “To die of hunger is inconsequential, to behave contrary to moral rectitude is far more serious”. (7) Ironically, as a result of such teachings that view human nature as something evil to be brought under control through strict moral codes, it was women’s rights that became severely curtailed. Social prohibition against women re-marrying after their husband’s death, and expectations that women should quickly kill themselves when in danger of being raped, all stemmed from the teachings of Neo-Confucianism. One aspect of ‘moral rectitude’ is that the superior man must not behave like an inferior woman. Thus for these Neo-Confucianists, men dressing up as women should be prohibited.
Historians have argued that the inward obsession of the Song dynasty with chastity and moral rectitude grew out of its outward military weakness towards the Northern tribes. Northern Song became Southern Song because it lost all its territories north of the Yangtze River in a series of military defeats. Unable to subjugate the “northern barbarians,” their attention turned to subjugating women and “human desires.” Unfortunately, Neo-Confucianism became very influential in China, giving rise eventually what the May-Fourth movement intellectuals called “False Moralism” (假道学). The backlash against Confucian teaching during the early part of twentieth-century China was in large part a backlash against the hypocritical moral posturing of the Neo-Confuciansts.
During the Southern Song dynasty in 1156, the Jesuit Gaspar da Cruz arrived in Canton (Guangzhou) China. His accounts, written with a distinctively prejudicial slant, says that: “sodomy, a vice very common in the meaner sort, and nothing strange among the best.” Here one of the earliest European accounts confirms the prevalence of male same-sex love in China at that time and noted that it was just as common among the lower strata of Chinese society (the meaner sort) as it was among high society (among the best). Da Cruz’s account goes on to say that the Chinese “had never had any who told them that it was a sin, nor an evil thing done.” Another of his contemporary, Mendes Pinto, called it “depravity of the unspeakable sin.” It was presumably the duty of the white men to teach the Chinese about proper moral conduct. And here, we have on record one of the earliest spread of homophobia from the West into China, re-defining same-sex sexual pleasure as an “unspeakable sin” and “an evil thing.”
Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) 明朝
There may have been various derelict efforts to curb male prostitution during the Southern Song Dynasty, but it quickly surge ahead in full force during the Ming. A passage in the book Wu Zazhu describes the Ming situation rather well: “the popularity of male same-sex love was evident since the earliest times… Due to the Song Neo-Confucianism there was a slight roll back, and now it is becoming prevalent again. On the whole, it is more prevalent in the southeast than the northwest (part of China).” (8)
Just how prevalent was it in the southeast? According to this Ming dynasty novel describing male prostitution: “Nowadays the customers in Hangzhou all prefer boys, only one in ten perhaps would be willing to take the ‘watery’ route (i.e., women)” (9) Since this is a novel, the description can well be a hyperbole. Nevertheless, we can certainly surmise that male homosexuality was a very common aspect of life in China during that time.
The Ming emperors are equally famous as lovers of men as their Han dynasty predecessors. What was new was in Ming dynasty was the rise of house boys (娈童家奴). This is where wealthy families kept their own harem of pretty boy-slaves for house work and sexual gratifications. In some instances, the master’s male favorites could even wield considerable power. There is a funny historical record about a wealthy man who decided to take a wife in his old age, but all his male concubines got together to stop him. The marriage night thus became a civil lawsuit night, and the local magistrate who had to try the case wrote a couplet to tease them. (10)
Another important European missionary, Mateo Ricci, arrived in China in 1583 during the Ming dynasty. Commenting on Chinese same-sex love, Ricci’s view is that the Chinese are: “to be pitied rather than censured, and the deeper one finds them involved in the darkness of ignorance, the more earnest one should be in praying for their salvation.” Ricci’s attitude has ample echoes even today when homophobic Christians talk about “praying for your sins” and “loving the sinners but hating the sin.” However, the focus among some modern day Christians has sifted from pity to censure.
A modern church historian, David Mungello, notes in his book, The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800 published in 2005, that: “Ricci’s criticism of sodomy among Chinese male needs to be viewed in light of the Counter-reformation’s active campaign against homosexuality that had been conducted by the Roman Inquisition under Pope Paul IV (r. 1555 – 1559) during Ricci’s childhood… Prior to the Counter-Reformation, sodomy has been regarded as a misdemeanor typical of giovani (males aged eighteen to thirty-five or forty) rather than a felonious act… However, during the Counter-Reformation, attitudes towards homosexuality in Europe became much harsher, and Ricci’s criticism of homosexual practices among Chinese males reflected this hardening of attitudes. The Jesuit hierarchy was hypersensitive about same-sex attraction and was zealous in searching for signs of it.” (11)
Mungello’s point is significant. Homophobia, he found, was not even intrinsic to the Christian religion, but was a by-product of the Roman Inquisition and the Counter-Reformation. Incidentally, among the Roman Inquisition’s famous achievements were the trial of Galileo and the suppression of the knowledge that the Earth revolves around the Sun. While the modern world has since rid itself of the shackle on free thought imposed by the Roman Inquisition, it is still to this day enslaved by its homophobia.
Qing Dynasty (1636 – 1912 AD) 清朝
articlepic
Previous page and above: Beijing handscroll, young men engaged in erotic play. Anonymous. Hand scroll, opaque watercolor on paper. Private collection. Beijing, Qing dynasty, late 19th century. (Wikipedia)
Male same-sex love continued from strength to strength during the Qing Dynasty. Needless to say, many Ching emperors had their own slew of male lovers, including Qian Long (乾隆), the most revered of the Qing emperors. Instead of prostitutes and house boys, male-male love now more commonly took the form of opera performers who were female impersonators. These performers had financial independence and were free to choose which male suitor they wanted to shower with their favor. A novel, Pinhua Baojian (品花宝鉴), based its story lines on contemporary real life events and described in minute details the life of these performers and their liaison with the wealthy and powerful elites of their days. Its central protagonist was in fact a literati who topped the Qing imperial examinations and went on to become a fairly high ranking official. He fell in love and took as ‘wife’ a female impersonator opera singer and their love was celebrated by the literati and elites of his time.
One of the most famous and talented artist of the Ching Dynasty, Zheng Banqiao (郑板桥) writes about his predilection for pretty boys in his autobiography. Another famous literati, in his Six Chapters of a Floating Life (浮生六记), writes with warmth and support about his wife’s lesbian affair with another woman.
Another phenomenon to note in the Ching Dynasty is the emergence in historical records of another form of male same-sex love. According the Qing dynasty scholar, Shen Defu: “Men in Fujian province value male love, regardless of wealth and beauty, the men each partner up with whom they like. The elder man is called ‘God-elder-brother’, the younger man ‘God-younger-brother’. If the elder god-brother moves in to the younger man’s home, the younger man’s parents will love him as if he is their son-in-law. The younger god-brother will rely on the older god-brother for economic support and even to save up money to help him take a wife. Those who really love each other would stay together like husbands and wives even after the age of 30.” (12)
This third archetype of traditional Chinese male love is most similar to what we practice today. The pairing is no longer conditioned by social status, rank or wealth, but simply by mutual feelings of attraction. And we see how our forefathers were able to love each other with full support from their parents. Since many Chinese in Southeast Asia originally came from Fujian province, this tradition is especially significant. Many gay people I have talked to about this aspect of Chinese history were incredulous. They couldn’t believe that Chinese culture could be anything but homophobic and families could be anything but uncomfortable with homosexuality. This cannot be further from the truth. We only limit ourselves if we choose to be blind to what really happened in history.
Despite almost 800 years of homophobia being propagated by European missionaries in China, we can see that Chinese attitude was not affected by them. Dynastic China in its glory probably saw these missionaries’ attitude toward same-sex love as rather angst-ridden and decidedly foreign.
The Turning Point
The turning point came at the end of the Ching dynasty when the allied army of eight Western nations invaded China, marched into the forbidden palace, extracted a series of humiliating treaties, and colonised the Middle Kingdom. That was such a devastating blow to Chinese confidence that it unleashed numerous waves of social movements aimed at regaining Chinese national prowess and pride. A key consensus among these reformers was the need to learn from the West. Western sciences, mathematics, astrology, medicine, philosophy, psychology, in fact, every branch of Western knowledge were eagerly studied. Even Western forms of dress, customs, etiquette, and religion became popular and were marks of progress for those who adopted them. It was under such a condition that Western homophobia, piggybacked on Western science, finally and regrettably succeeded in infiltrating Chinese consciousness and began to take root.
As the European powers colonised China and Asia, it spread its knowledge and prejudices. The impact on Western culture of the sexual obsession of the Catholic Church and its homophobic excesses has been studied by scholars such as Michel Foucault. I will not reproduce that fascinating history here. It is suffice to note that England was as much a victim and through the armies of Victorian England this mentality was brought to the British colonies. This is the reason why many former British colonies have the infamous homophobic section 377 in their statue books. It is not a coincidence that Malaysia, India and Singapore, for example, both numbered their homophobic law section 377. It was bequeathed to both by mother England. Now that England has finally woken up and jettisoning her homophobic prejudices, some of her former colonial subjects are clinging on to this past.
It is remarkable how a whole generation of immigrant Chinese in Southeast Asia has grown up today with little knowledge of history, and assume that whatever status quo they know about today must be intrinsically “Asian.” Thus, one often hears confused non-sense arguments such as: to stigmatise homosexuality is to affirm conservative “Asian values.”
Chinese values has largely been completely nonchalant towards male sexuality. It has been ahead of the Western world in its acceptance of homosexuality by more than 2,000 years. Of course, I am far from arguing that all traditional Chinese values must be adopted wholesale for the modern world, just like I do not believe homophobic values from the Roman Inquisition should have any relevance today. Cultures and values always change over time. The question to ask is: are they are becoming more humanising or more menacing; are they becoming more rooted in love and acceptance, or in fear and hatred; will they promote greater social cohesion and harmony, or will they divisively incite irrational hatred and intolerance?
On this count, I submit that we Asians need to feel proud again of our heritage, and re-claim a cultural value of acceptance that has been too long overshadowed by Western colonisers and their present day lackeys.
Dr Tan Chong Kee holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from Stanford University in the United States and is one of Singapore’s best-known figures in civil society activism.
Footnotes:
12 David E. Mungello. The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800. Rowman & Littlefield: 2005.
13 沈德符《敝帚斋余谈》：“闽人酷重男色，无论贵贱妍媸，各以其类相结。长者为‘契兄’，少者为‘契弟’。其兄入弟家，弟之父母爱之如婿。弟后日生计及娶妻诸费，俱取办于契兄。其相爱者年过而立，尚寝处如伉俪。 ae
Page 1 | 2
Related Articles
same-sex love in ancient and modern chinese history (1/2)
tan chong kee
Related Sites
Gay Cambridge: Cambridge Alumni Magazine (PDF)
eto pala and part 1 of 2
http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=1948&viewarticle=1&searchtype=all
read on:
June 12, 2007
same-sex love in ancient and modern chinese history (1/2)
By Dr Tan Chong Kee
Inspired by Singapore’s MM Lee Kuan Yew’s recent reference to a magazine article about the English university having openly acknowledged gay love for almost 400 years which influenced the statesman’s views that Singapore has “no option” but to decriminalise gay sex, columnist Dr Tan Chong Kee finds proof of same sex love being recorded throughout 2,000 years of Chinese history. Part 1 of 2.
In a recent interview which made headlines locally and internationally, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore talked about there being “no option” for Singapore but to be part of the world and decriminalise gay sex. He made reference to how an article on homosexuality in the recent issue of CAM, the Cambridge Alumni Magazine, had influenced him in arriving at this conclusion. That article led with the blurb: “Civil partnerships between same-sex couples have been on the British statute book for fifteen months. But in Cambridge, discovers Graeme Grant, gay love has been openly acknowledged for almost 400 years.”
If an English university being in the lead for 400 years openly acknowledging gay love is good reason for an Asian country like Singapore to reconsider its criminalisation of homosexuality, what about 2,000 years of Chinese history where gay love is not only openly acknowledged, but celebrated? Modern homophobia has often censored this important chapter of Chinese history and culture.
Fridae columnist Tan Chong Kee, who holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from Stanford University in the United States, takes readers through the history of same-sex love in China from The Warring States to the Ming and Qing Dynasties during which the country allowed European Christian missionaries to enter and became exposed to European influences and power. Part 1 of 2.
(Image above shows young men sipping tea and having sex. Individual panel from a hand scroll, paint on silk; China, Qing Dynasty [eighteenth to nineteenth centuries]; Kinsey Institute, Bloomington, Indiana, United States)
The Warring States (841 B.C. – 221 B.C.) 战国
Writing during this period, the philosopher Mo Tzu (墨子) discusses at length his misgivings about the rulers of his time. He admonishes these rulers for using their relatives and “handsome men” as court officials, leading to the mismanagement of the state. (1) It is important to note that he is not talking about one specific ruler but makes a general statement about “the kings and lords of today”. Mo Tzu is not against same-sex love just as he is not against family ties. What he objects to is the practice of nepotism and favoritism, which, he notes, is widespread. Through Mo Tzu, we have a glimpse of how prevalent same-sex love was among the Chinese rulers, as early as 841 – 221 B.C.
To illustrate, let us look at the history of the state of Yu (虞). Many might have heard the story of Xi Shi (西施), one of the most beautiful women in Chinese history, which the King of Yue (越) used to distract the King of Wu (吳), paving the way to the eventual conquest of Wu. During this same historical period, the lord of Jing (晋) wanted to invade Yu (虞) but the lord of Yu had a wise counsel helping him to thwart Jing’s plans. So the lord of Jing gave the lord of Yu a present of a beautiful man. The lord of Yu became so enamored with this beautiful man that he refused to listen to his counsel. Seizing this opportunity, Jing invaded and annexed Yu. (2)
The important lesson to draw from this story is that the lord of Yu’s love for beautiful men was generally known in the “international circle” of the time. There was no need to hide because there was stigma. Furthermore, it was diplomatically appropriate to present the ruler of another state with either a male of female concubine. Not only does this story illustrate what Mo Tzu says, it also underscores the fact that since the earliest days of Chinese civilisation, the love for men was a common feature of the ruling elites.
Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) 汉朝
Sima Qian (司馬遷) wrote the first dynastic history in the Han Dynasty (史记) and his work sets the format which all subsequent official histories were written. It is very revealing that Sima Qian reserved a special chapter (佞幸列传) to document the history of the Han emperors’ male lovers, and thanks to this precedent, we have inherited a rich official history of imperial male love throughout Chinese history.
Of the 25 emperors of Han, 10 of them are well known to have male lovers. Of these love affairs, the one between Emperor Ai and a beautiful ephebe, Dong Xian, was so deep that it became the reference for male same-sex love for thousands of years. Even today, among literary circle, male homosexuality is referred to as the “passion of the cut sleeve” (断袖之恋). For more than 2,000 years same-sex love between men in China had as one of their archetypes this love affair of Emperor Ai, an older high status man, with Dong Xian, a beautiful younger man, rather similar to the form same-sex love took in ancient Greece.
Another archetype of Chinese male love can be found in the love affair between Han Wudi (汉武帝) and Han Yan (韩嫣). Han Wudi is one of the greatest emperors of China. He became emperor at the age of 16 and ruled until his death at age 70. Under his reign, China became the most powerful kingdom in the ancient world, and because of him, Chinese people to this day refer to themselves as the Han people. Just to list some of his achievement, Han Wudi declared January as the beginning of the year and this decision is still in effect to this day (before that, Chinese New Year was celebrated at different months of the year – similar to how Vietnamese and Malay New Years in our present time fall on different dates). He also created an imperial examination system to select able scholars as mandarins, setting in motion the system of imperial examinations that governed China for the next 2,000 years. With his military might and diplomatic skills, he established the Silk Route, ensuring commerce and cultural exchange between East and West for centuries to come. He united all the currencies of the Warring States and created the first centralised imperial mint. Every single one of these achievements has profoundly affected the world.
And this most admired emperor in all Chinese history was in love with another man. Han Wudi met Han Yan when they were both young princes. Yan was the grandson of the King of Han (韩). Wudi and Yan studied together and grew to love each other. Yan was no pretty boy. According to Sima Qian, Yan was “eight feet and five inches tall”, translated into modern height measurement, it would be about 1.8 to 2 meters, which makes him a towering figure in the ancient world where people were much shorter than we are today. Yan is also skilled in equestrian and archery, and familiar with the battle tactics of the Northern huntsmen. That made Han Wudi loved him even more since he wanted to declare war on these people to secure his Northern borders. Yan was the only man (as opposed to eunuchs) allowed to freely come and go in the imperial palace and spent many a nights in the imperial bed.
Unfortunately Yan let his position in court go to his head. One day, during an imperial hunting expedition, Han Wudi asked Yan to first go ahead. Han Wudi’s brother, the King of Jiangdu saw the imperial carriage from afar and thought it was the emperor, so he got off his horse and knelt by the road side to greet him. Yan did not even stop to acknowledge the King of Jiangdu. When the King realized it wasn’t his brother in the carriage, he was infuriated with the snub from someone of a lower rank. He told their mother about the incident and the old Empress bore a grudge against Yan. When she eventually got hold of evidence that Yan was also sleeping with the emperor’s female concubines, she ordered his death. Han Wudi pleaded with his mother to rescind the order but she refused. We are not witnessing sexual prudishness here. Sleeping with the emperor’s female concubine is a very serious offence because it throws into question the imperial lineage. If one cannot be sure whether a son born to a female concubine is really the emperor’s son, how can the next emperor be chosen? Yan’s infraction hits at the foundation of dynastic rule, no wonder the old Empress knew she could use that to put the emperor’s favorite male lover to death. But it is also the most telling sign of how much Wudid loved Yan – in the face of his own imperial lineage being thrown into doubt, he pleaded for Yan and was inconsolable at his death. It was as if he did not care whether it was his son or Yan’s son who will succeed him as emperor. In fact, after Yan’s death, Wudi asked Yan’s brother, who looked very much like Yan, to be his next male companion.
The love story between Han Wudi and Han Yan was well-known among Chinese literati through out Chinese history and can be considered another archetype of Chinese male love: one between two equally masculine and martial men. We can see echoes of this archetype in the Ming dynasty novel “The Water Margin” (水滸傳) where bandits and swordsmen formed a tightly knit brotherhood that placed the love between each other high above their love for their wives.
Footnotes:
1 墨子。尚贤中：今王公大人，有一衣裳不能制也，必藉良工。。。迨至其国家之乱，社稷之 危，则不知使能以治之，亲戚则使之，无故富贵面目姣好则使之。
2 战国策。秦策：晋献公欲伐虞，荀息献计，赠之美男，始虞侯喜美男而恶宫之奇。宫之奇以柬 而不听，遂亡。因而伐虞，遂取之。
Part 2 will be published next Tuesday.
Dr Tan Chong Kee holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from Stanford University in the United States and is one of Singapore’s best-known figures in civil society activism. ae
Related Articles
same-sex love in ancient and modern chinese history (2/2)
tan chong kee
Related Sites
Gay Cambridge: Cambridge Alumni Magazine (PDF)
I GOT THIS FROM http://www.fridae.com
(http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=1957&viewarticle=1&searchtype=all)
please read through:
June 22, 2007
oyoung wenfeng: i want to bring our people home
By Sylvia Tan
Ordained as a pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York in May, Oyoung Wenfeng, an award-winning Malaysian journalist and columnist, tells Fridae about coming out as a gay man and his plans to set up an all-inclusive church in Malaysia in 2010.
Oyoung Wenfeng, a columnist for Fridae’s Chinese web site and author of 15 books including Is Present the Future? An Asian Gay Man’s Coming Out Journey, has become the first openly gay Malaysian pastor after being ordained on May 27 at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York.
articlepic
op of the page: a news clipping from the Singtao newspaper about the ordination of Oyoung Wenfeng at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York. Oyoung came out last year in his book Is Present the Future? An Asian Gay Man’s Coming Out Journey.
Now a doctoral student in Theology at Boston University, Oyoung was a well-known award-winning columnist and journalist in Malaysia, before making the news himself when he launched his book about his coming out journey last August in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The 37-year-old, who’s childhood ambition was to be a Christian minister, explains why he thinks it is necessary for one to come out in order to lead a complete life regardless of one’s religious beliefs; and rebuts criticism of him not coming out sooner while he wrote positively about gay issues in his columns in a Malaysian Chinese newspaper.
æ: Can you tell readers about your journey there? Was being a Christian minister something you’ve always wanted?
Wenfeng: Yes to both your questions. But I am 37 years old, I have long history to tell, are you sure you have the patience? I’ve always known I’m called to the Christian ministry and always wanted to be a Christian minister. It is my passion to study theology and to teach the Bible. I was born in a Christian family, a third generation of Chinese immigrants in Malaysia. I have participated in Church life since I was four years old.
In 1990, I attended private college and studied journalism while going to evening classes at a seminary. My 21st year was the turning point in my life. It was then that I began writing social commentary in newspapers and also preaching in different churches. Like so many gay Christians who are taught to believe that homosexuality is an abomination, I was willing to try every means to change.
I met a wonderful woman when I was 25. I really liked her. I kind of came out to her before our first date. I say “kind of” because I didn’t even come out to myself then. Like so many Christians fundamentalists, I believed being homosexual was a behaviour, and so I could choose not to be gay. I believed she was an angel sent by God to get rid of my gayness. We were married the next year. Nine years later, we had both learned more about sexuality and theology in the United States. Even though we had a relatively perfect marriage, something was missing in our heterosexual relationship. And we had to be brutally honest with ourselves: it had everything to do with my sexuality. We both knew that I was gay. She has been amazingly supportive. After all these years, I know she is indeed my angel who sent by God, not to get rid of my gayness, but to help me to embrace my sexuality. It was a painful experience for us to finally break up, for the reason is not because we don’t love each other, but quite the opposite. We love each other so much that we have no choice but to let the one we love to go freely. Today, we are best friends and soul mates.
At the age of 27, I won several literature and journalism awards, and consequently won a scholarship to study in the United States. My three years of experience in the journalism in Malaysia had taught me substantive lessons. I realised that in order to be a better journalist, I needed to grasp the sociological imagination that would enable me to see how individual experiences are connected to the larger society and the connection between personal and public issues. My intellectual training in sociology helps me to understand that the changes that affect our personal lives requires us to look beyond our private experiences to the larger political, social, and economic issues that affect our lives and the lives of others in our society and around the world.
I strongly believe that religion is not only deeply affected by social change, religions have also acted as igniters of social change or even revolution. Theologies arise and grow from the challenges of change and interaction. I believe my career as a journalist has given me the real-world experience to make me an acute sociologist and minister. Additionally, my academic roots in sociology has made me a more observant writer and theologian.
I was the first journalist in my company to be granted the scholarship to study in the United States, and the first to lose it when I spoke against the monopoly enterprise of my employer. I upheld the integrity of journalism and paid the price. The memory of my calling to the ministry came to my mind and captured my attention when I left the newspaper. I was caught by the memory, and I knew it was the time for me to pursue my theological studies and to prepare to be an ordained minister. So, I did a Masters degree in theological studies and here I am.
æ: You are also notably the first Chinese writer/columnist in Malaysia to come out publicly when you launched your autobiography My Journey last year. When did you first realise you were gay?
Wenfeng: This is a tough question. I knew I liked men, but it took long time to identify myself as a gay man. I used to think I was bi, because it made me felt better about myself. But of course I want to emphasise here I am only talking about my own experience, it doesn’t mean every man who identifies himself as bi is a gay man in disguise. To me, to know thyself is the most important lesson and knowledge, and it is a spiritual journey. I really know I am gay when I was 31 years old. Because the desire to make love to a man was just overwhelming, I am gay and there is no way to argue otherwise.
æ: Growing up Christian, was there any conflict and what steps did you take to resolve those issues?
Wenfeng: Of course there was. If you are a non-Christian and you are gay and you feel it is difficult to come to terms with who you really are, imagine gay Christians experience doubly your anxiety and fear. Not only does society think you are weird, but the Church and the Bible say you are damn wrong and the Bible is everything to you, how would you survive? It is a miracle indeed to see how many gay Christians have survived. We are not only surviving, but we have been empowered by the same religion that condemns us and we have been empowered enough to come out loud and proud and to stand up tall to fight for gay rights and our people. It is just amazing. It is a miracle!
æ: What was coming out to your family and wife like?
Wenfeng: Coming out to my wife is the hardest. But since before I dated her, I already told her I have had sex with men, but I didn’t think I was gay because I believed homosexual was wrong and I could change. I was a Christian fundamentalist then. So, after being married for six years, even though we have perfect marriage, something was missing and we both know what was that. I love her, and still do. I know I will not be really happy if she is not happy. I hated to get a divorce. But I had no choice. I had to come out to her if I really loved her. So, I came out to her. She has been extremely supportive, and helped me to come out to others, to be who I am. I owe my life to her. Coming out to mum was difficult, Chinese don’t really talk about sex, and when you talk about homosexuality, people automatically think about sex. But I am glad I wrote the book of my coming out story, so I called her and told her I was gay and asked her to read the book if she wanted to know more about my journey. She did. In the beginning she didn’t know which one was worse, I am gay or I divorced. My sister was very supportive so she helped my mum to recover from the shock. After that she was more concerned about my book for being so x-rated, because I wrote about my sexual experience. But after a while, shock therapy helps. She read my book and saw my point.
æ: Given that homosexuality is not frequently discussed in the Malaysian media, what made you decide to come out and what are the challenges and responses from the community?
Wenfeng: Well, I am a Christian. I believe in truth and I live in hope. And I just want to do the right thing. I am also a sociologist by training, I know in order to promote social change, it is not only about good idea or message; it is about people. We need people to live the message, to practice what we believe on daily basis. How could I talk about gay pride and encourage people to come out if I am still in the closet? It doesn’t make sense to me at all. And the best way to help society see gay people as being as normal as straight folks, and that gays and lesbians are not psychopaths, is not to talk about how good gay people are but to show them how a real gay or lesbian person looks like. So, I have to come out. The responses are mixed. I don’t really focus on that so I can’t really tell you how were the responses. Other people might have better answers to this question. But, personally, I have received a lot of emails from my readers. I have written 15 books, but no one book has the elicited response like my coming out book. Many gay and lesbians have written to me, they share their stories with me and tell me how they appreciate my book and how I have encouraged them and I have given them hope. I am overwhelmed with joy. If I could bring hope to only one person, to help him or her to sleep well tonight and be happy with himself/herself without any guilt and shame, I will trade my life for doing that. Nothing, nothing will make me happier than seeing one soul, even is just only one soul is comforted and at peace with himself/herself. Because of that, I don’t really focus on negative responses. I think I lost some friends. But if he refuses to be my friend after I am honest with him about who I really am, I guess he is not really my friend in the first place. So, I am ok with it.
My mum has been very supportive. She believes in me. And she believes in God. So even though she has heard some nasty remarks from some Christians, she has learned not to pay much attention to them. I always call her from New York and encourage her. I say to her “mum, we are doing something important, you know, by coming out, I can encourage and help people to come out, so that in the future, millions of mum don’t have to suffer the unnecessary pain simply because they have a gay son or a lesbian daughter.” She sees my point.
æ: How do think has being in New York helped in the process?
Wenfeng: New York is a great city. It has a huge gay community. By seeing so many gay men and queer people are proud to be queer. I have learned to be more comfortable with myself. It is why coming out is so important. Action speaks louder than words. We have been taught to hate ourselves for so long, it takes time to come out to ourselves, and then to our friends, and then to our family members. But we have to make the first step. In New York, I have witnessed the gay movement in the city and in the United States, step by step, mile by mile, we will get there.
æ: Prior to coming out, you have for a long time written very empathetically about LGBTs in your columns in the Malaysian mainstream media while being married to a woman. Some readers have criticised you for not coming out earlier, how do you respond to that?
Wenfeng: This is interesting, because those who criticise me mostly are those who are still in the closet. They don’t come out to their family, and yet criticising me for not coming out publicly sooner. Yes, I have written very empathetically about LGBT in my columns and engaged in some paper battles with religious fundamentalists before I came out publicly. By the way, I don’t think three years is that long a time. Coming out is a process, I began to fight for queer people once I come out to myself, I didn’t even wait a second, because people are suffering, I see it as a matter of life and death. But I couldn’t come out publicly immediately then because I was a married man and I had to help my wife to “come out” too. It is not easy to be an openly gay man, and it is not easy to be a wife of a gay man. My ex-wife also had to figure out how to talk to her family too, she has 10 siblings, some of them and most of her relatives live in a fishing village. So imagine how much homework she had to do. She had also helped me to be comfortable with myself when I would sometimes ask silly things like: “can I choose not to be gay?” She would correct me and say, “it doesn’t matter what you choose, you are who you are.” We took three years to settle everything. It is amazingly quick. Had not my ex-wife been so supportive and brave and loving, I don’t think we could do it in three years. And remember, I didn’t only come out, I came out publicly. If those people could not even say three words “I am gay” to their mum in their room or on phone, it does not make sense to me that they criticise me for not coming out publicly soon enough. So, I can’t care less what they say about me.
æ: You have been in the US for a decade. How do you think (the Malaysian) society’s attitude towards homosexuality and LGBTs have changed during this time?
Wenfeng: It is difficult to give a sentence or two or to generalise what is the Malaysian society’s attitude toward homosexuality. It is because Malaysian society is not a homogenous entity. Malay culture is very different from Chinese culture, both of them are not the same as Indian culture. And even within Chinese community, those who are Chinese educated are not really the same as those who are English educated or Malay educated. In addition to that, religious belief also plays an important role in shaping people attitude toward homosexuality.
My experience is that the Chinese community seems to be more tolerant than the Malay community. At least the Chinese who are not Christians do not think you will go to hell or you are immoral if you are gay. They might think you are kind of abnormal but most of them believe that since you are born to be gay, what can we do? Chinese newspapers or media in Malaysia have been extremely supportive to gay people. They publish my articles, invite me to radio and talk shows, of course I don’t only talk about gay issues, but since I am so loud and proud, most people only see me as a gay man instead of a sociologist or a writer. I hope people will begin to see me as a Christian minister. Anyway, my point is, they don’t discriminate because of my sexual orientation. Since I left for the United States 10 years ago, I now find there are more gay clubs or gay bars than before. Even gay saunas, which I’ve never heard of 10 years ago. I really hope that by having more people coming out and talking about sexuality, our society will get more comfortable talking about homosexuality. And it will help to change the society to understand since they are many real gay people around you, gay people is not really abnormal. We are not the majority in terms of numbers, but we are normal. We are as intelligent as straight people, if not more. And I believe people begin to see that.
æ: How did Malaysians (gay and non-gay) react to your coming out last year given the media exposure your book launch received?
Wenfeng: I think it was pretty good. Even those who are anti-gay thought it was exciting news. You know, Malaysia is so hot and boring; it could put people to sleep if nothing like this happens. I stirred up the society, at least the Chinese community.
æ: Has there been any negative consequences for yourself and the gay community in Malaysia so far? Do you encourage more Malaysians to come out to their family and friends and what should they be mindful of?
Wenfeng: Negative consequences? Not that I know of. What else could be worse than hiding in closet and denying who we are? Yes, I encourage queer people to come out. It is the only way we could help people to understand us and fear us not. And ironically, the best way for us to overcome fear is to face our fear and to come out. That said, we need to be mindful too. First, we don’t have to come out to everyone over night. We come out to ourselves first. We don’t have to pretend we are straight like talking about our “girlfriend” or say we are going to gay club because “we want to do research.” You could test the degree of acceptance of you family members by putting a copy of my coming out book in your coffee table for your intended target to pick up. You know what, I have learned that one of the most common experiences of a lot of openly gay people is that coming out is not as horrible as we used to think when we were in the closet.
æ: How has the mainstream Malaysian society and Christian circles responded to the news of your ordination?
Wenfeng: Well, it has just only been days since they read the news. I bet they haven’t figured out how to react. A lot of anti-gay people in Malaysia are slow, no pun intended.
æ: Is there an emerging vocal anti-gay Christian lobby in Malaysia which we are seeing in the US, Hong Kong and Singapore? And how do you think the gay community should respond should it emerge as a vocal anti-gay voice?
Wenfeng: To your first question, I don’t think so. At least not as vocal as in US, Hong Kong and Singapore. The US is the worst. We are so fortunate to live in Hong Kong and Singapore. In some places in US, you could be beaten up or killed simply because you are gay. A lot of Asians envy gay people in the West, but do they know the price gay people in US have paid? How we should respond? Fight back! Come out and tell them: We are queer and we are here; if you hate us, too bad, you better get used to us.
æ: What are your future plans? Do you see yourself being more involved in Malaysia?
Wenfeng: I will move back to Malaysia in 2010. I want to build a Church in Malaysia that welcomes everyone. I have attended Metropolitan Community Church (MCCNY) since I came to New York in 2001. I will never forget my first experience there. I immediately recognised something of my faith, spiritual culture and sexuality in my first service at MCCNY. I felt I was coming home. I found myself a lot closer to God than I had ever expected to be. The gasp I let out when I sat in the church with my queer siblings still returns to my throat at times. With it comes a train of thoughts leading me to realise that no matter what others say about us, I know God is with us. And I want to build a church in which our community and worship flow and have coherence and integrity as I have found in MCCNY. It is my dream indeed to offer a ministry and guidance to people in Malaysia, especially queer people, in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as intellectual, spiritual and emotional care. You know, a lot of gay people have no hometown, we are at home and yet do not feel at home because we cannot be who we are. Sometimes, we feel more at home in a foreign city which is far away from where we were raised and born. I want to build a church that is a spiritual home for everyone, queer or straight, Christians or non-Christians. When I first came to Metropolitan Community Church in New York, I felt like coming home. And since then, I know no one could stop me from coming home, and I want to bring our people home! ae
Related Articles
famed malaysian columnist, oyoung wenfeng, comes out in new book
Related Sites
Oyoung Wenfeng: First openly gay Chinese pastor (Singtao newspaper, in Chinese)
A CREED FOR TODAY
I believe in one world full of riches
meant for everything to enjoy
I believe in one race, the family of all people
learning to live together by way of self-sacrifice.
I believe in one life, existing and positive
which enjoys all, beauty, integrity and science
using the discipline of work to enrich society
and developed into peace and happiness.
“I believe in one morality live and holiness” of sharing
to sorrow and joys of others, of bring 2gether
people as friends, of working to get rid of the root
causes of poverty and injustices of ignorance and fear
“Love the test of all my thoughts and motives
“Love guiding me controlling me assuring of god
4giveness and giving me confidence through the spirit
guiding voice
“I believe in Jesus who’s life death and resurrection prove god lasting
love for the world who combines in himself life, love,
duty, humanity, reality in god who save combines, guides
all people who follow its way
I believe in the purpose of God to unite everything in Christ to
bring about constructive revolution and society
individual and nation that all may live in harmony
“PEACE AND JUSTICE…
Written by Richelle Elvena, 15 years old
(Project in Values IV; Teacher: Mary Ann Dao-ayan)
Crescencio G. Agbayani Jr.
Summer Exposure 2005
“In quest for the real Filipino Theology”
STRAIGHT PEOPLE – TRY THIS. Imagine you have a deep dark secret. It can be anything, it doesnt matter. Now imagine that if you told people this secret you would be ridiculed, hated, looked at like you are a freak. Imagine how badly you want to tell someone your secret. Imagine your fear of a persons reaction if you tell them your secret. Imagine you tell someone the secret, but it leaks out and soon everyone knows. Imagine people whispering and pointing at you as you walk down the hall. Imgine people staring at you as if your a freak, as if there is something wrong with you. Imagine people throwing their lunches at you or spitting on you as you walk across the courtyard at lunch. Imagine people taunting you with names that hurt you like a bullet. Now open your eyes. Gays go through this every day. We don’t have to imagine. For us, its reality.
I’m a bi who wishes she was straight because i’m sick of hiding, sick of the heartache and i’m tired of not knowing what will happen what friends i’ll lose next what words i’ll let slip and what questions i have to avoid answering.
I am the boy who never finished high school, because I got
called a fag everyday.
I am the girl kicked out of her home because
I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.
I am the prostitute working
the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.
I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.
We are the parents who buried our daughter long
before her time.
I am the man who died alone in the hospital because
they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.
i am the gay teenager who cant tell his school who he really is, because he is afraid of what they will do to him
i am the gay athlete who wants to use the locker
room, but hears the ridicule of homosexuality just outside
the door
i am the gay friend that only has a few people who actually
care, but hardly get to see
i am the gay boy that wants to cry when
he hears fag, gay, or homo in a way that makes me feel less humane
I am the foster child
who wakes up with nightmares of being taken
away from the two fathers who
are the only loving family I have ever
had… I wish they could adopt me.
I am not one of the lucky ones. I
killed myself just weeks before
graduating high school. It was simply too
much to bear.
I’m the girl
who was scoffed at by her teacher when
she confided in her she might have a
crush on a girl. – RejectifiedTomato
We are the couple who had the
realtor hang up on us when she found
out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for
two men.
I am the person
who never knows which bathroom I should use if
I want to avoid getting
the management called on me.
I am the mother
who is not allowed to
even visit the children I
bore, nursed, and raised.
The court says I am
an unfit mother
because I now live with another woman.
I am the girl
who hides under lies just to feel that she belongs.
I am the girl that
lost her two best friends because they were gay as
well.
I am thehe
girl that spent heart breaking nights holding her gay
cousin until he cried
himself to sleep.
I am the girl who lost her best
friend because she
found out she had a crush on her.
I am the kid whose
own parents
told her that she was going to hell.
I am the girl who gets
in
trouble with her parents for wearing a rainbow colored belt and hanging a
poster of Freddie Mercury on her wall.
I am the domestic-violence
survivor who found the support system
grow suddenly cold and distant
when they found out my abusive
partner is also a woman.
I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.
I am the father who has never hugged his son because I
grew up afraid to show affection to other men.
I am the person who feels
guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t
have to always deal with society hating me. – cranberrymelon
I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.
I am the woman who died when the
EMT’s stopped treating me as soon
as they realized I was transsexual.
I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.
I am the man
who stopped attending church, not because I
don’t believe, but because they
closed their doors to my kind.
I am the person who has to hide what this
world needs most… LOVE!
I am the person ashamed to tell my own friends
that I am a lesbian, because they constantly make fun of them.
I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to
die because two straight men
wanted to “teach me a lesson”
Now you can think about all this. Maybe you’ll change your mind, maybe you wont. Maybe you already support GLBT people. If you do YAY! Good for you! I give you a virtual hug and kiss. Mwuahugs!!!
______________
Note:
Now Guys, Its your turn… Log on to http://www.khalelian.blogspot.com and
Tell the World, WHO YOU ARE?
CHANGING LANE
EGALITE
FOURLEZ
SWITCH
WOMEN ON TOP
Present…
“ONE PRIDE”
An Exclusive Pre-White Party for OUT &
PROUD WOMEN
on JUNE 29, 2007 – FRIDAY
at FLUID Lounge
Ma.Orosa St. (near Nakpil), Malate, Manila
with Diversified Sounds of DJ Polo & DJ
Ritz
and
Showcasing FLUID Lounge POLE & CAGE
Dancers to Liven up the Night!
Don’t Just Come.. Be Part of the Night!
Everyone is encourage to wear WHITE!
Sponsored by:
BACARDI
FEMMELITE
FLUID LOUNGE
HERSHE
VICTORIA COURT
DON’T WAIT IN LINE… GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
4 PRE- SELLING TICKETS CONTACT:
0921.8494531 / 0917.8860974
The Story of Two Wolves
A Grandfather from the Cherokee Nation was talking with his grandson.
”A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
”It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.”
”One wolf is evil and ugly: He is anger, envy, war, greed, self-pity, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, selfishness and arrogance.”
”The other wolf is beautiful and good: He is friendly, joyful, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, justice, fairness, empathy, generosity, true, compassion, gratitude, and deep VISION.”
”This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other human as well.”
The grandson paused in deep reflection because of what his grandfather had just said. Then he finally cried out; ”Oyee! Grandfather, which wolf will win?”
The elder Cherokee replied, ”The wolf that you feed.”
mga kapatid open nyo ito, maganda at very timely it touch me so much. God Bless as All.
http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.htl
My best friend asked, “Are you gay?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
He said, “No.”
I said, “Yes”
He said, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I guess it mattered.”
My minister asked, “Are you perchance gay?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
He said, “No.”
I said, “Yes”
He said, “I’m so sorry! I’ll pray for you.”
“I guess it mattered.”
My Dad asked, “Are you gay?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
He said, “No.”
I said, “Yes”
He said, “What did I do to make you gay?”
“I guess it mattered.”
My neighbors asked, “Are you gay?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
They said, “No.”
I said, “Yes”
They said, “Stay away from our kids!”
“I guess it mattered.”
Someone I was attracted to asked, “Are you gay?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
He said, “Yes! It’s you I love.”
I said, “Let me hold you!”
“For the first time in my life it mattered.”
My Higher Power asked, “Do you love yourself?”
I said, “Does it matter?”
My Higher Power responded, “Yes.”
I said, “How can I love myself? I’m gay.”
My Higher Power responded,
“I made you what you are.”
I said, “Now, nothing else matters!”
The Resume of Jesus Christ
Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13
Website: The Bible. Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus
Objective
My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I’ve sent you my resume because I’m seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume.
_____________________________________________________________________
Qualifications
? I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19)
? I formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7)
? I breathed into man the breath of life, (See Genesis 2:7)
? I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
? The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me, (See Galatians 3:14)
Occupational Background
? I’ve only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49)
? I’ve never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.
? My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15-17)
Skills Work Experiences
? Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18).
? I am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6). People who listen to me shall dwell safe ly and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33).
? Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9)
Educational Background
? I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6).
? In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3).
? My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
? I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21).
Major Accomplishments
? I was an active participant in the great est Summit Meeting of all times, (See Genesis 1:26).
? I laid down my life so that you may live, (See II Corinthians 5:15).
? I defeated the archenemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15)
? I’ve miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!
? There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot – the BIBLE. You don’t need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.
References
? Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healing, salvation, deliverance, miracles,
In Summation
Now that you’ve read my resume, I’m confident that I’m the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47). When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15).
THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down
when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver
then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against
a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister…please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know what else to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…” With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother, “he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: “Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!” God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It’s our choice to listen or not.
Thought for the Day:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend – He is crazy about you!
God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow,sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
Read this line very slowly and let it sink in…
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
A CONVERSATION IN HEAVEN
GOD D FATHER,
JESUS CHRIST,
HOLY SPIRIT,
ANGELS,
CHRISTIANS,
devil
This is a discussion you need to read!
GOD:
Angels, do you know what I was just thinking about?
ANGELS: What were you thinking about?
GOD: Christians seem to have forgotten what kind of power they have available and the
devil keeps on deceiving them!
ANGELS: God, exactly what are you driving at?
GOD : I have made my children in such a way that when the people of the
world are sitting, they would be standing, when the world is standing, they will stand out, when the world stands out, my children must be
outstanding and when the devil dares the world to be outstanding, my people
will be the standards to be used!
JESUS CHRIST: They
(Christians) are also forgetting the words in Ephesians 1:3.
GOD:
Please read it out!
ANGEL:
PRAISE
BE TO THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST , WHO HAS BLESSED US IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST .
ANGEL:
So what do we do now since the end is almost near ?
HOLY SPIRIT: My Presence is still among men and I will teach and remind the Christians of all that we have discussed. I will also make sure that they pass this message on!
JESUS CHRIST:
I will also keep on interceding for them and stand in for
them even in their weaknesses.
GOD:
I will also make sure that I give to all those who ask of me, seek me and try to find
me . The blessings I have promised them through my
son Jesus Christ will be delivered to all those who discover that I, Jehovah, I am ready to bless them! Not because of any special things
that they have done, but just because I LOVE THEM !
JESUS CHRIST:
I will also give all my followers who are willing to pass this conversation on, enough strength to carry on!
ANGELS:
We are all backing THE TRINITY and even the devil cannot stop us! How funny!
Christians are finally taking over and …….
DEVIL (eavesdropping behind
the gates): I hope you all heard! I will deploy more troops (demons) and make sure the Christians pray less,
read their Bibles less, preach less and make sure this mail does not move anywhere! Also…..
YOU SURE HEARD THAT! THE DEVIL WILL MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT PASS THIS ON
BUT PROVE HIM WRONG AND SHOW HIM THE POWER YOU HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS
AS A CHRISTIAN. PRAY MORE, STUDY THE WORD MORE AND PREACH THE WORD!
DO NOT DISAPPOINT GOD !
a very good story to read.
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80 ‘ s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a smal l nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then I returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly to ward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing”, I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated”.
“Oh, you’re such a good boy”, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It ‘ s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice”.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.” I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
“What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “There are other passengers,” I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said.
“Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
or visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4oGKm8Upp8
this is a comic act that has a serious thought on an issue that really isn’t a bother.
25 Beautiful Short phrases:
> 1. Give God what’s right….. not what’s left.
> 2. Man’s way leads to hopeless end ……
> God’s way leads to an endless hope .
> 3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good
standing.
> 4. He who kneels before God can stand before
anyone.
> 5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a
comma, but never let him be
the period.
> 6. Don’t put a question mark where God puts a
period.
> 7. Are you wrinkled with burden?
Come to the church for a face-lift.
> 8. When praying, don’t give God instructions. …..
just report for duty.
> 9. Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to
church.
> 10. We don’t change God’s message….. .
His message changes us.
> 11. The church is prayer-conditioned.
> 12 When God ordains, He sustains.
> 13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent
burning.
> 14. Plan ahead……It wasn’t raining when Noah
built the ark.
> 15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an
advisory position.
> 16. Suffering from truth decay?
Brush up on your Bible.
> 17. Exercise daily …… walk with the Lord.
> 18. Never give the devil a ride……
he will always want to drive.
> 19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching
it.
> 20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it
keeps coming back.
> 21. He who angers you controls you.
> 22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can
develop.
> 23. Give Satan an inch & he’ll be a ruler.
> 24. Be ye fishers of men…..
You catch them & He’ll clean them.
> 25. God doesn’t call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
i need prayers.this is just a test. tomorrow we will be ok. thanks.
Pride like any other virtues is inborn to all of us. Like love it is
everywhere. Like kindness it can be cultivated. Like passion it can
be motivated. Like dignity and integrity it can be claimed and be
protected.
Pride is not about being selfish nor arrogant of what is possessed.
It is neither obsessive nor greedy of what is laid.
Instead, pride is an awareness of what we have, a sufficient reason
to celebrate.
Pride has many colors, variations and expressions. Like a butterfly,
it undergoes a process. It has no limits and boundaries for
developments. Most importantly, pride is not for sale because it is
about valuing one’s concept of dignified self.
JOIN THE 2007 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MARCH
December 8, 2007
Assembly: 3:00 PM, Rajah Sulayman Park, Malate Manila
Wait for our promotional video. ma upload ito sa you tube this week.
Bongga ito kaya inaying at ipamalita natin
This is the first time that I’ve first seen the pictures of the Church’s 16th Anniversary. It was an overwhelming burst of emotions. Napaka-ganda. Napaka-senti. Salamat kay IPL Regen at sa lahat ng myembro at kaibigan ng MCCPh na patuloy at walang sawang suporta sa ating Simbahan. God Bless
READ THIS SOMEWHERE AND IT MAKES SENSE:
While being in love is surely wonderful, the acts of loving aren’t easy. Love means putting aside one’s own needs and wants for the sake of the beloved, the one you love.
Love means being patient even when you’d like the other person to hurry up already!
Love means being kind when being mean might seem more satisfying.
Love means not being jealous — of your spouse or of others.
Love means not being pompous or inflated, not thinking yourself so important.
Love means not being rude but rather speaking and acting with courtesy to everyone.
Love means caring about others before one’s own self-interests.
Love means not showing one’s temper, no matter how angry you are.
Love means not brooding, not holding on to hurts.
Love means not gloating when the other is wrong or makes a mistake.”
“
A Place for Me
There is a special place in life,
That needs my humble skill,
A certain Job I’m meant to do,
Which no one else can fulfill.
The time will be demanding,
And the pay is not too good
And yet I wouldn’t change it
for a moment — even if I could.
There is a special place in life,
A Goal I must attain,
A dream that I must follow,
Because I won’t be back again.
There is a mark that I must leave,
However small it seems to be,
A legacy of love for those
Who follow after me.
There is a special place in life,
That only I may share,
A little path that bears my name,
Awaiting me somewhere.
There is a hand that I must hold,
A word that I must say,
A smile that I must give,
For there are tears to blow away.
There is a special place in life
That I was meant to fill,
A sunny spot where flowers grow,
Upon a windy hill.
There’s always a tomorrow and the best is yet to be,
And somewhere in this world,
I know there is a place for me!
‘the air blew my tears away, the ocean wiped my heartache, the fire is burning my body..this pain that i’m suffering, only you can heal. You’re pushing me away, i’m lying dead here in my lonely bed..waiting for your heartbeat for me to be awake..’
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/6879/downloadcz6.jpg
ALOHA!!!
we are having a luau for our 17th anniversary and we’ll be joined by the UTS Chorale and the Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong of UFMCC.
celebration shall be on 21 September 2008, 4PM at the 2nd floor of Harrison Plaza Mall in Manila (Mabini Wing, in front of Jollibee and Bingo Hall).
see you there!
YOU really don’t have to be super nice aways….sometimes you have to show yor bad side…so that you can sort out who can accept you at your worst mood ….:-P gud pm to all!
kudo’s to the new BOD..keep up the good work..im so proud of you guys…lalong lalo na sa inyo tatay joey at allan entona