Some people gets what they wants and you still think that god is fair and just

 

Lipstik dan Cinta Itu Budi

 

This is the second week (4/8/2012) that Ourvoice played a movie about LGBT in Ramadhan hence last week, Saturday (28/07/2012) played a movie about gays and lesbians in the eyes of Islam in ‘Jihad for love’ thus this week Ourvoice not only played one, but two movies. “Lipstik” about the life of a transgender living in the society with a foster son named Kekah who brought up religiously and started to questioned the proportion of his faith for having a transgender parent and the second movie is a documentary “Cinta itu Budi” about Cinta, a transgender who is uniquely stand out from any transgender in majority, without having a blush of makeup nor high heels but she epitomized the word beautiful in her own way, the documentary vividly tells her story from her friend’s opinion, and her life as a faithful Muslim yet living as a transgender. 

Ourvoice invited three speakers for discussing the movie after breaking the fast, the first speaker is Jen Katleya, a faithful devotee of Muslim, a hijab-wearer transgender from Bogor, the second one is Dewi Nova, a poet, a writer, and the founder of Perempuan Berbagi, last but not least Lia Toriana, graduated from University of Indonesia majoring in political science.  

Jen shared her opinion about the movie “Lipstik” that Muslim scholars provoked his mass to act anarchist which is not entitled in Islam which claims that the religion brings grace that God is all gracious and merciful. She criticized a part of the movie when a Muslim scholar mentioned that God created day and night, black and white, male and female thus transgender is against nature, “then who who created the transgender if not God himself? and in between day and night there are dusk and dawn, between black and white there are grey and other color gradation” said Jen.

In terms of ‘against nature’, Jen wittily asked why women who have pale lips colorized them with lipstick, “so to speak, circumcision is also against nature” added Jen.

The second speaker, Dewi Nova, enlightens the participants about gender, that sexuality is constructive, can be molded, and attached to hierarchy. How the religious interpretation on transgender will show us that it has a strong dependence on politics, religion, and economics, “thus it will put us to a place where gender is liquid” explained Dewi.

According to Dewi sexuality is uncategorized but we must understand the meaning of political identity therefore the government will know what are the needs for gay, lesbian and transgender.

The last speaker Lia explained the audience about ‘politics or the politicization of the body’, similar with gender our body also influenced by politics, and determined what is good and bad, and constructed how we look on what is beautiful.

“Beauty is painful” according to Josep, a thirty something gay man from Bogor, after he saw a picture of a woman wearing high heels with veins popping out from her legs. 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” explained Djohan, 27, according to him beauty only exist in the minds of people who valued beauty which are differ from people to people.

On the last session, Diana, one of the audience shared a story how people in some part of Indonesia are powerless against this type of politics, “it is excruciatingly painful to see a woman on the edge of death but prohibited to have a blood transfusion because they said it is haram or illegitimate, it is our body and we have every rights on every inch of it” said Diana.

Discrimination on sexuality and gender are systematic, every elements are linked due in today’s political condition the transgender are the most vulnerable because they are easily seen from their appearance but what was seen does not represents the true form of reality, a couple of transgender standing in the pitch dark of night living as a sex worker does not purportedly means all transgender are sex workers, some works in a beauty parlor, while some will do anything to stay survive. It will be a different story if they were given the chance to work in the formal sector, the governments are obligated to wipe out the prejudice as written on the constitution that every citizen has the right to obtain a decent education and a decent job, after all the transgender are also a tax payer. 

Midnight Vampire Run

 Hey, I can be naughty too! lol

All the good guys are taken

It was rainy and I still remember how it felt like that day. Cold and lonely with a little pint of warmth hence the shiver drove through but I was smiling, a crazy sense of indescribable expectation, I was on a date, not just a date, it was my second date.

The sidewalk was packed with wet pedestrians, people getting off from their cars and the valet parking guy storming out with big size umbrellas. I was sitting in the bar waiting for you looking out on the window watching people who got caught up in the rain, I was hoping to have a romantic song in the background but my head kept on playing tom’s diner by susanne vega.

It was my third glass of coke when the bartender asked me if I want another one, alas I said yes, I’ve been sitting there for two hours, while he winked he added a little bit of rum to my glass. Tell me Mr. Bartender how many times have you seen someone waiting for his date to come but didn’t show up? He smiled and told me to go home.

The rum kicked in and the anger builds up so I called him instead.

No response
 

Then a text hits me back
 

“I’m sorry but my wife is here, she wants me to stay with her”

My deepest condolences

 

Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.

In loving memory of Chiphet’s mother passed away on sat 15 Oct 2011 18.40

The funny thing is, through all these years I’m hanging out in your place, I never know your mother’s name, for me she’s just a sweet and loving ‘tante’.

My deepest condolences