Amores de Mercado (Lovers from the Palenque) debuted starring Paola Rey and Michel Brown of Pasion de Gavilanes (Amor), and it's okay. It isn't the most wonderful telenovela in the world, but it's alright, however I find myself changing the channel to Univision to watch Barrera de Amor (Barrier of Love), because this telenovela is just beautiful, and is also #1 in ratings in it's 9:oo p.m. time slot while Amores de Mercado (also at 9:00 p.m.) is a little bit lower.

Here's the opening of Amores de Mercado:

Just click on the video if you'd like to see a larger version.

The new Televisa telenovela Barrera de Amor (Barrier of Love) is about a couple that is not your typical couple. They are parents of a teenage girl, whom they love with all their hearts, and the two love each other, but they're not in love with each other, because the couple consists of a woman, played by Rubi's Yadhira Carrillo, and her gay best friend (Manuel Landeta) who are raising their daughter together. This telenovela from Televisa is currently #1 in it's 9pm primetime slot, with a 17.1 lead in the ratings.

Here's the opening of Barrera de Amor:

Just click on the video if you'd like to see a larger version.

This telenovela also takes place in Quebec, Canada and they actually went on location to shoot in Canada, and the scenes they showed were so beautiful.

I find it really admirable that while the people of South America have the same exact, strict Catholic religious upbringing that the Philippines has due to Spanish colonization, they find it in their hearts to progress in their shows and have realistic portrayals of people of all walks of life. While the Philippines has been advancing recently in that with a few gay-themed movies like So Happy Together here and there, it's not enough yet, because to this day, there has never been a single teleserye that has ever focused on the life of a gay character (or a movie about gay people that hasn't relied heavily on stereotypes of gay people: loud, over the top, fashion-obsessed and effeminate). Parlor gays in teleseryes don't count, because usually they're only the accessory to the girl and are only there as the typical gay hairdresser at the salon, and the shows are never about real gays and lesbians.

Also, because So Happy Together and Say That You Love Me came out with their acceptance of being gay (if only an acceptance of the effeminate type of gay), and that was a step forward, and then right afterwards a few other movies, including Lovestruck came out, that had Rainier Castillo's gay character and Yasmien Kurdi's lesbian character become "converted" straight in the end, which is sending the message that being gay is wrong and that you can change it, which you CAN'T, so that's a step backwards. A step forward, followed by two steps backwards is what's happening in the Philippines, because everything is still played to type, and characters on shows, teleseryes, and movies are still based on old stereotypes, the good girl, the bad girl, the bold star, the uptight rich mestiza, and of course, gay people are only displayed as loud extroverted baklas, which is a stereotype in itself that will prevent any actor in the Philippines to come out of the closet if he's gay, because of the stigma attached to it, which is not right. I really enjoy telenovelas in South America and Spain now for their open-mindedness in presenting a real picture of real life. I love my country, but I wish my people would just open their hearts a little more to different types of people.

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In addition, another Televisa show, La Fea Mas Bella, features another gay couple in the form of Sergio Mayer, the father of Barbara Mori's son, and Jorge Salinas (Tres Mujeres). Sergio is hilarious and witty and funny in his role, and they accept that he's gay and he talks about his boyfriend on the show and everything. They even had an onscreen gay kiss that didn't even affect the ratings one bit, the public continued to watch and it continued in the #1 slot in the Nielsen ratings. And on Telemundo's show La Tormenta, there is a gay couple and a lesbian couple living happily in this series as part of the storyline.

I know I'm talking a lot about gay characters in telenovelas, but by coincidence, all of the most popular, new Latin telenovelas just happen to have gay characters, so of course I'm gonna have to talk about it to explain the stories of the telenovelas.

But I think it's important because I have many family members who are gay. And the Philippines needs to progress as far as their attitudes towards gay people. That's exactly the word right there: people. They're people, not caricatures.

If Piolo Pascual is gay, which trust me, we know he is, 4 family members of mine including myself are in showbiz or work in the business somehow and they know Piolo personally, one is a marketing exec and director of TV commercials including Close-Up Toothpaste, one is an actor/model, another is an actress, (who you probably know who they are as they appeared in a string of movies), and another is a female comedienne who you probably know as well. If Piolo Pascual is gay (which he is), why should there be such a big scandal? Let me tell you, Piolo is just ONE out of MANY gays in the closet in Filipino showbiz. But you see, the people view it in a negative light if he or any other "macho" male Filipino celeb is gay, because the Filipino public views being gay as being bad, which is why it would be such a big scandal and people would view it as the end of his career. But that kind of thinking is close-minded in itself, because if Filipinos were more open-minded, then it would be no big deal if Piolo Pascual was gay. I mean, you accept Boy Abunda and Allan K and Ricky Reyes as being gay, but if Piolo is gay, it's the biggest tragedy in the world? That's because the sentiment is that being gay is bad, and if Piolo Pascual is gay, then that would sabotage his career because then he would be associated with something that is perceived to bad by the Filipino people, and that's a wrong sentiment to have. That's because of Filipinos' lack of education with the assumption that all gays are effeminate, loud parlor gays that dress up in women's clothes, and that's not true. They think that just because Piolo doesn't act like a "bakla" and he seems macho, then he's not gay! False, many gays are macho and appear to be straight, but they like men and they have to hide it from everybody for fear of social isolation, and that's something that the Filipino people have to learn.

In fact, that's the issue that Barrera de Amor is currently adressing, because they have the same false misconceptions in South America as well. Manuel Landeta's character recently told one of his friends that he was gay, and the friend (a guy) said, "But you don't seem gay! Wow, if you hadn't told me you were gay, I never would've known because you seem really macho!", and he said "Well, many gay men are just like you and me, many times you can't even tell that they are gay."

I read this article that did a study that said that telenovelas are so influential for the people who watch them, because everybody watches them, the whole family, so they're powerful in that they have the ability to educate the people about different things (which means that if we want to start a positive change in the Philippines, it would be a good idea to start with the TV networks). When a hit telenovela in Mexico that was watched by 70% of the country's viewers talked about practicing safe sex and abstinence, the birthrate for unwanted pregnancies went down substantially that year. And now I'm really glad that they're expanding telenovelas nowadays to include gay characters. We didn't see that 10 years ago during the Spanish telenovela days in the Philippines, and now it's happening, which is a good thing. However, I highly doubt that any company in the Philippines will purchase any of the new Latinovelas, due to it's gay content, so those who want to see it will just have to move to the United States or South America, or purchase it for a really low price with free shipping from our Telenovela store (unashamed advertising, hehe) in any format that you desire, VHS, VCD, DVD, or we can send it through the internet in high DVD-quality MPEG2 Files. By the way, thank you for all of the nice comments from those who ordered telenovelas from us and I hope we fulfilled our commitment to you in providing fast, quality service to our customers.

I mean, look at Elton John, he's gay, and it's no big deal to anybody, and he just got married to his partner. Argentina now allows gay marriage, and they have the same Catholic religion that we do. Latin leading man Andres Garcia, Jr. recently came out of the closet, and he's still getting leading roles in the telenovelas. Why should it be any different for Piolo? Because the truth is, Filipinos are extremely homophobic, and that needs to change. That's why Piolo can't come out of the closet yet, because it's true, it will be the end of his career because of the homophobia of the Filipino public. That needs to change.

I think the questions the Filipino public should ask themselves is, would you accept Piolo Pascual, or any other male celebrity like Edu Manzano or Carlos Agassi (there's a reason why we named those two...), if he were to one day tell everybody he was gay? If your answer is not a full, heartfelt yes, then nothing will change in the Philippines, and the millions of people who are gay will have to continue to hide who they really are for fear of rejection. How would you feel if you were in their position, would you want to live your life that way, in a constant state of fear? If your answer is no, then there's hope still yet for the Philippines.

Gays Kiss on TV as Argentina Ponders Same-Sex Unions

News Feature, Vinod Sreeharsha,
Pacific News Service, Feb 25, 2005
Editor's Note: A popular dating show in Argentina marks the country's greater acceptance of gays. But powerful forces oppose civil unions for same-sex couples.

BUENOS AIRES--Redhead Andrea Politti seductively takes the stage. She kicks up her orange dress, revealing her exquisite legs to the television audience. She tenderly strokes her neck and torso. Such direct appeal to the male libido is standard on Argentine television. Politti hosts a dating show, another tradition here.

But by the show's end, something not at all typical occurs. Sergio, one of the contestants, chooses to go out on a date with Claudio. The two men kiss each other on the lips, in front of the cameras.

The dating show "12 Corazones--Especial" is the first program in the history of Argentine network television to exclusively feature gay men. Its emergence suggests growing acceptance of gays by Argentines, approximately 90 percent of whom are Catholic.

Argentina, where abortion remains illegal, has an ingrained machismo culture and a history of abuse of gays during the military dictatorship. Yet two years ago, Buenos Aires city and the Rio Negro province became two of Latin America's first governments to pass same-sex civil union legislation.

Now, Polliti says, "Argentine society is asking for television programming that reflects reality."

"12 Corazones-Especial" is based on a popular heterosexual dating show of the same name, minus the "special" tag. The format is identical, including the kiss. The program airs on Friday nights on Canal 13, the second most-watched Argentine network. The series, currently a summer pilot, debuted last month. The final episode will run in March. Each of the last two "12 Corazones" episodes rated among the top five programs viewed for the day.

Executive Producer Anibal Fernandez says there is a "strong possibility" that the show will be renewed.

"12 Corazones" has drawn scant criticism. Journalist Natalia Trzenko, who writes about television for the Argentine daily La Nacion, says that "the program is done with respect and care." Fernandez adds, "We have not received a single phone call complaining."

Such non-controversy reflects Argentine society's growing acceptance of gay men. Gay couples walk down Buenos Aires streets holding hands. Gay milongas, tango dance halls, have sprouted up.

Leaders in the Argentine gay community offer several reasons. First is economics. Fifty percent of Argentines live in poverty, a new shock for a recently prosperous country. Journalist Osvaldo Bazan, author of the book "History of Homosexuality in Argentina", says, "We have people eating out of trash cans in the middle of the night. Nobody cares if he is gay."

Among struggling Argentine families, Bazan adds, "if a gay son can keep his job, his earnings are more important than his being gay." Additionally, due to Argentina's disappearing middle class, merchants are searching for untapped niche markets. Enter gay men.

Knowing someone gay is becoming downright cool. "Some families in Argentina do not have a single gay member," says Lucho Bordegaray, an editor with Imperio, a gay magazine. "But on the nightly telenovelas, every family has one. It seems obligatory."

Off the small screen, Argentine gays are themselves demanding equal rights. The Buenos Aires and Rio Negro civil union legislation resulted largely from increased activism, particularly from a new generation of teenagers who have no recollection of this country's notorious military dictatorship.

When the heterosexual version of "12 Corazones" aired last year, Anibal Fernandez says he received many calls from gay men asking if they could participate.

The new "12 Corazones" generally portrays gay men as treating relationships seriously. In an episode that will air in March, several contestants eschew meeting potential mates at nightclubs ("There is too much hysteria there," says one.) Another discusses his love of reading. Two other participants are immediately seduced by this straight-arrow.

Fernandez says that in creating the program, "the intention was not to force it onto people. It was not meant to be provocative."

Last year's top-rated serial, "Los Roldan," may have made a gay dating show not just palatable, but downright mundane. Los Roldan featured a transvestite as its central character, with whom a single father fell in love.

Progress on the small screen notwithstanding, a more serious battle will take place in March when the Argentine National Congress likely begins debating national civil union legislation.

The proposal is currently being drafted by the NGO Comunidad Homosexual Argentina (CHA). The group's Secretary, Marcelo Suntheim, says the current draft includes rights to hospital visitation, inheritance and adoption.

The effort received a boost last November when a group of 25 prominent Argentine psychologists authored a book defending gays' right to adopt children. The group unveiled the book at a ceremony at the Argentine Senate.

Passage of national civil union legislation, however, is anything but certain. President Nestor Kirchner has not yet publicly indicated his position. His office refused to comment on the matter.

Kirchner will likely be pressured by the Catholic Church. Last year the Buenos Aires city legislature tried to pass sexual education legislation requiring all schools to discuss use of contraceptives. It cancelled the effort due to strong religious opposition.

Father Ruben Revello, executive secretary of the Commission of Faith and Culture in the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, says that in enforcing Vatican policy the Church will oppose national civil union legislation. Marriage, Revello says, is between a man and woman.

That may be so, but fewer heterosexual Argentines are tying the knot these days, opting to merely shack up with their partners. Perhaps they would also like the option to enter into a civil union.

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