2020, the Year of Progress for Sexual Ambiguity


The Bible has endless rules and commentary about sex. Jesus needed to be a product of a no-sex pregnancy. Everyday for decades one can find a preacher or priest carrying on about sexual sins. 

Tonight marks and anniversary (can't remember the year exactly) of Pope Benedict referring to the evils of homosexuality in a Pope's most important message of the year, the Christmas Eve message. Probably if Pope Benedict were giving the Christmas Eve message tonight he would be railing against transgendered people.   

For whatever reason, people who change the gender they present to others sets off anger in parts of Christianity. It's hard to understand. Just as it's hard to understand why these Christians care that some same sex weddings take place when it affects them not at all, why would they care that some people change their gender? If you don't like it, don't do it. Leave it at that.

Perhaps Christians understand the truth. The truth is humans, since the beginning of humans apparently, find gender nonconformity fascinating. The men in drag who read to children at local public libraries are very popular. 

One famous show business celebrity, Liberace, was quite sexually ambiguous but was among to highest paid entertainers of his time. He grew up a poor kid in Milwaukee but made it big performing as sexually nonconforming. 

This link is about an entertainer in Puerto Rico who performed, like Liberace, in robes, capes and hints he might be either. His performances mixed astrology with religion, himself being a central figure in what we might call "prophesy." He was a huge star in Spanish language countries in the 1980's and died in 2019. Now there is a documentary about him that is very popular. According to the link, he mixed astrology. religion and sexuality in a way that enamored audiences. 

From what I gather, teenagers today are far more tolerant of sexual ambiguity than their parents. There is even a news item that President Trump's youngest son, Barron, uses the term "they" and "them" when referring to an individual so as no to offend by assigning a gender to that person.

Let's hope 2021 is another year of progress in acceptance of people who chose to go their own way when presenting their gender. Let's hope they can do this regardless of hysterical criticism by some religious folks.

Comments

  1. Matt NoahDecember 25, 2020 at 12:57 PM

    My dear mother, soon to be 94, was the daughter of William Kelly and Loretta Trepanier. Her uncle, George Kelly, was married to Florence Beltray. Florence was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1891 and died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1958.

    Florence Kelly is best known for the 10 years she spent teaching piano to Władziu "Walter" Valentino Liberace. Florence and "Walter" stayed on good terms her entire life. "Walter" would always stop to see her when he was touring in or near Milwaukee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenDecember 25, 2020 at 3:43 PM

      Matt -- Nice story. I read in his history he was always especially indebted to the ten years of music lessons she provided him.

      Delete
    2. Matt NoahDecember 25, 2020 at 4:59 PM

      Known early on as "Walter Busterkeys", he auditioned for the Chicago Symphony on January 16, 1940 before the formidable Frederick Stock. Walter was 19. The previous pianist to audition was being ripped to shreds by Stock. When Liberace's turn to audition came up, he asked Florence, "What will I do?". Florence said, "Walter, you're going to play like you've never played before! This is it!" Liberace played so well that Stock never interrupted once as he tore through the entire Liszt A major concerto.

      According to Wikipedia, Liberace's politics were decidedly conservative and capitalist.

      Delete
    3. Matt NoahDecember 25, 2020 at 5:11 PM

      Also, and for whatever reason this applies, Liberace was a devout Catholic and forcefully denied being a homosexual. However, it seems he was a homosexual. There was a lengthy parade of ex-partners, some of whom died from AIDS. Liberace died of AIDS, it was reported. He also had been a chain smoker and had pneumonia in the end. He sued people at least twice for defamation, and won, in cases where they called him a homosexual.

      Liberace was a complex man, to say the least.

      Delete

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