Fri, 24 December 2010 12:12 PM

“To All Men & Women of Goodwill"

In my opinion Christmas is a time to reflect and the arrival of the New Year a time to wish for ourselves & those we love a much better future.

The Christian world celebrates the birth of Jesus sent by God as an act of pure love, to show each of us how to love one another without boundaries or restraints. Born the poorest among the poor he teaches about tolerance, respect and understanding for all, no exceptions.

I am one of those who believe that during the last 100 years our society has made huge progress and although slowly and perhaps painfully we are building a better world; at the same time much remains to be done..

FACTS:

As of May 2010, 76 countries criminalize consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex.[9] They are punishable by death in seven countries:

▪     Iran:[10] Since 1979, the government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts.[11]

▪     Mauritania

▪     Saudi Arabia: Although the maximum punishment for homosexuality is execution, the government tends to use other punishments (fines, prison sentence, and whipping), unless it feels that homosexuals have challenged state authority by engaging in LGBT social movements.[12]

▪     Sudan

▪     Yemen

▪     Parts of Nigeria and Somalia[9]

Countries where homosexuality is criminalized but not punished by death, by region, include:

Africa

Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria (death penalty in some states), São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia (death penalty in some states), Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Asia

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Gaza Strip under Palestinian Authority

Europe

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (internationally unrecognized)

Latin America and the Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago

Oceania

Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands[13]

Afghanistan, where such acts remain punishable with fines and a prison sentence, dropped the death penalty after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, who had mandated it from 1996. India criminalized homosexuality until June 2, 2009, when the High Court of Delhi declared section 377 of the Indian Penal Code invalid.[13]

International human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime.[14][15] Since 1994, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has also ruled that such laws violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[16][17][18]

See also: Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni

Relationship between religious condemnation and violence

See also: Religion and homosexuality

Abrahamic religions

And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

—Leviticus 20:13

The above verse, along with Leviticus 18:22, is the cause of much tension between the devout of the Abrahamic religions and members of the LGBT community. It is viewed by many as an outright condemnation of homosexual acts between men, and, more commonly in ancient times than today, justification for violence.

Christianity

See also: Christianity and homosexuality

In today's society, most Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex, but teach that same sex relationships and homosexual sex are sinful.[19][20] These denominations include the Roman Catholic Church,[20][21] the Eastern Orthodox church,[22] the Methodist Church,[19][23][24][25] and many other mainline denominations, such as the Reformed Church in America[26] and the American Baptist Church,[27] as well as Conservative Evangelical organizations and churches, such as the Evangelical Alliance,[28] and fundamentalist groups and churches, such as the Southern Baptist Convention.[29][30][31] Pentecostal churches such as the Assemblies of God,[32] as well as Restorationist churches, like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, also take the position that gay sexual activity is immoral.[33][34]

Some Christian groups advocate conversion therapy and promote ex-gay groups. One such group, Exodus International, argues that conversion therapy may be a useful tool for decreasing same-sex desires.[35] The medical and scientific consensus in the United States is that conversion therapy is likely harmful and should be avoided because it may exploit guilt and anxiety, thereby damaging self-esteem and leading to depression and even suicide.[36][37][38] There is a broad concern in the mental health community that the advancement of conversion therapy itself causes social harm by disseminating inaccurate views about sexual orientation and the ability of gay, lesbian and bisexual people to lead happy, healthy lives.[36] This promotion of the idea that homosexuality is immoral and can be corrected may make would-be attackers of homosexuals feel justified in that they are "doing God's work" by ridding the world of LGBT people.[39]

Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has stoked this sentiment as well, stating that "protecting" humanity from homosexuality was just as important as saving the world from climate change and that all relationships beyond traditional heterosexual ones are a "destruction of God's work".[39] Further, a Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound".[39] While the Catholic Church teaches that same-sex attraction itself is not sinful, homosexual acts are "acts of grave depravity". Homosexual congregation members are to be accepted and not discriminated against, but are asked to remain celibate.[40]

Evangelicals in Africa sometimes use religion to justify violence against LGBT people and criminalizing homosexual behavior. Archbishops Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Henry Orombi of Uganda would not condemn violence against gays and lesbians when questioned on the issue at the Global Anglican Future Conference.[41] Mark Russell, Chief Executive of Church Army, expressed outrage over their resistance, stating "Quite honestly [refusal to condemn violence against gay people in their home countries] is disgraceful, it sullies their cause, and is totally un-Christian. You cannot justify violence in God's name. Period. [...] Those who perpetrate violence against gay people in Africa now can use this silence to justify their behavior. Christians must speak up and say this is wrong."[41]

Islam

See also: Islam and homosexuality

The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, cites the story of the "people of Lot" (also known as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah), destroyed by the wrath of Allah because they engaged in "lustful" carnal acts between men.

Eminent scholars of Islam, such as Sheikh ul-Islam Imam Malik, and Imam Shafi amongst others, ruled that Islam disallowed homosexuality and ordained capital punishment for a person guilty of it.[42]

The legal punishment for sodomy has varied among juristic schools: some prescribe capital punishment; while other prescribe a milder discretionary punishment. Homosexual activity is a crime and forbidden in most Muslim-majority countries. In some relatively secular Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia,[43] Jordan and Turkey, this is not the case.

The Qur'an, much like the Bible and Torah, has a vague condemnation of homosexuality and how it should be dealt with, leaving it open to interpretation. For this reason, Islamic jurists have turned to the collections of the hadith (sayings of Muhammad) and akhbar (accounts of his life). These, on the other hand, are perfectly clear and particularly harsh.[44] Ibn al-Jawzi records Muhammad as cursing sodomites in several hadith, and recommending the death penalty for both the active and passive partners in same-sex acts.[45]

Sunan al-Tirmidhi again reports Muhammad as having prescribed the death penalty for both the active and the passive partner: "Whoever you find committing the sin of the people of [Lot], kill them, both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done."[42] The overall moral or theological principle is that a person who performs such actions challenges the harmony of God's creation, and is therefore a revolt against God.[46]

Some imams still preach extremist views, stating that homosexuals and "women who act like men" should be killed. Abu Usamah at Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham defended his words to followers by saying "If I were to call homosexuals perverted, dirty, filthy dogs who should be murdered, that's my freedom of speech, isn't it?"[47] Less extreme leaders decry this sort of preaching, calling it a "distortion of Islam itself, the abuse and misuse of this great faith".[47]

Judaism

See also: Judaism and homosexuality

In Judaism, the death penalty has not been used in practice for more than 2000 years, though many movements still view homosexual acts as sinful. Orthodox Judaism generally prohibits homosexual conduct. While there is disagreement about which acts come under core prohibitions, all of Orthodox Judaism puts certain core homosexual acts, including male-male anal sex in the category of yehareg ve'al ya'avor—"die rather than transgress"—the small category of Biblically-prohibited acts (also including murder, idolatry, adultery, and incest) which an Orthodox Jew is obligated under the laws of Self-sacrifice under Jewish Law to die rather than do.

The Reform Judaism movement, the largest branch of Judaism in North America, has rejected the traditional view of Jewish Law on this issue. As such, they do not prohibit ordination of gays and lesbians as rabbis and cantors. They view Levitical laws as sometimes seen to be referring to prostitution, making it a stand against Jews adopting the idolatrous fertility cults and practices of the neighbouring Canaanite nations rather than a blanket condemnation of same-sex intercourse or homosexuality. Reform authorities consider that, in light of what is seen as current scientific evidence about the nature of homosexuality as a biological sexual orientation, a new interpretation of the law is required.

Rastafari movement

Jamaica has some of the toughest sodomy laws in the world, with homosexual activity carrying a 10-year jail sentence.[48] In the tougher parts of the island nation, children are raised surrounded by strict anti-gay Christian churches and Rastafari preachers.[49][48][50] This was the case for many reggae and dancehall artists, such as Buju Banton, Elephant Man, Sizzla, and others. Banton wrote a song when he was 15 years old that became a hit when he released it years later in 1992 called "Boom Bye Bye". The song is about violently murdering homosexuals and "advocated the shooting of gay men, pouring acid on them and burning them alive."[49] A song by Elephant Man proclaims: "When you hear a lesbian getting raped/It's not our fault ... Two women in bed/That's two sodomites who should be dead."[48]

Due to the violent, homophobic nature of some of their songs, several reggae artists have been investigated by police for promoting anti-LGBT violence. Some lyrics have been investigated by Scotland Yard, and Sizzla was barred from entering the U.K. in 2004 while being investigated for promoting murder through his music.[51][49] Gay rights advocates have started the group Stop Murder Music to combat the promotion of hate and violence by artists. The group organized protests, causing some venues to refuse to allow the targeted artists to perform, and the loss of sponsors. In 2007, Stop Murder Music introduced the Reggae Compassionate Act, which states that "the artists promise not to produce music or make public statements inciting hatred against gay people. Neither can they authorise the re-release of previous homophobic songs." Several artists have signed the Act, including Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton,[49] but have later denied making any commitment to stop promoting homophobia.[48][52]

Our source : Wikipedia

To all men and women of goodwill, to all people who know how love each other regardless of sexual orientation, race, skin colour, nationalities or social background & even those who don't, in hope that you soon will, we at Alternative Holidays would like to wish you all a wonderful christmas and great 2011

Tue, 29 June 2010 11:06 AM

“Stabat Mater - Madonna's Punctured Heart"

This month I want to write about how history has forgotten the persecution that gay people have lived through the centuries. This time I would like to do so by loosely translating the work of an Italian philosopher and artist Raffaele Ciotola who has been an inspiration to me, www.lamadonnadelliomosessuali.com. In the past, especially under the Nazis, discrimination has been so aggressive that it has often led to the death for those of different races or in the case of gay people by the misunderstanding that homosexuality was a choice rather than a condition.

For too long society has ignored those wearing the “pink triangle” and how they died in the ovens of the Nazi death camps and now it seems that even the gay community itself has forgotten. However with this piece I would like to remember that suffering and hopefully prick the conscience of everybody enough to get them to remember the point I am making. 

On December 2008 France presented to The United Nations a motion in favour of decriminalising homosexuality all over the world. We should, of course, remember that in some countries homosexuality is still considered a crime, punishable within law, and the sentence in more than a few can be death.  Among the states called to subscribe to the motion to fight homophobia and race crime is the Vatican.  The Vatican, however, refused to sign the agreement despite verbally declaring itself in favour of respecting and tolerating people from the LGBT community.  The daily reality shows that The Vatican has no intention of opening a dialog about the problems of discriminations and violence so painfully experienced by millions of men and women.  Sadly we have to admit that although the Vatican would like to represent Gods word on earth and that the word of God means LOVE, they make a very poor representation of the word and love itself.

As a Christian worshipper I consider certain behaviour as an insult to the education God gave to us.   According to Him all men are born equal, under Mary’s love.  This welcomes everybody indiscriminately.  Only God has, and must have, the rights to give and take away life no human beings can or should do so for reasons dictated by hate, ignorance and intolerance. The real message God wants to give us is one of welcome, of tolerance to every single man.

Personally I don’t find this welcome, this brotherhood and respect in The Vatican’s teachings.  Teachings that keep reproducing intolerance and exclusion of other people leading to discrimination, jail sentences, violence and murder just because people are “different”.

If The Vatican had signed up to Frances motion they would have demonstrated to the whole world the true spirit of Gods love and the infinite grace he offers us, trough the gift most precious in the world, the gift of life.

However, one thing is sure, I’m not a saint!!! Even so , although I’m not worthy of God’s feet, as Christian I forgive Vatican, because God has always taught me to forgive.  I leave the rest to the conscience of those in the corridors of power at The Vatican             

Sun, 25 April 2010 10:04 AM

“Does My Bum Look Big In This"

Does my bum look big in this?  Well does it sweetie?  Couldn’t be straight out of Ab Fab (perhaps it really was after all) and how seriously did we take that show?  Well it was based on true characters, so come on boys (and girls if you’re reading), what is it that drives so many gay men to slavishly follow fashion.

Well, maybe, having a little more disposable cash than the average perhaps we want to show our devotion to the ideals of quality?  Perhaps we want to show that we really do treasure the better things in life – yeah right – not gonna buy that one coz from the other side of the road I see sooooo many girlfriends in the queue at Primark on Oxford Street.  Social death don’t ya know.

What of our unquenchable thirst for the world of celebrity.   Can this shed a little light?  Are we hoping, by slavishly following fashion, to become more like those we thirst after?  Probably a bit of mileage in this one until you remember that most of the celebrity pages we drool over contain more  images of our heroines such as Madonna, Mrs Beckham and Lady Gaga for example  than the ones we REALLY drool over, Jesus Luz, Mr Beckham and Speedy and no matter how fab Madge looks wearing one a Jean Paul Gautier bra just wont fit!. 

Perhaps it’s our unending desire to appear as individuals.  Well  I don’t really go for that one either. Some of my much older friends (lol) remember the days of the mid 80s (sooooo fashionable now dearie)  when all desirable gay men looked absolutely identical.  You know, THAT look – Levi 501’s moustache and white vest no matter how small the disco tits were. – so I just can’t believe it’s all about our desire to express our individuality.   On top of that I don’t think fashion distinguishes us from our str8 m8s any more.  As long ago 2008 infamous fashoinista blogger David Peskovitz predicted that gay fashion was the new straight fashion........sigh.  If you really want to be depressed read more of this at http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/26/gay-fashion-is-the-n.html.

Maybe it’s just  about style, camp style.  Camp?  Who dear? Me dear? Not me dear, definitely you dear!   That description for something that’s a combination of bad taste and ironic can be used to define a whole dress sense.  Ask Adam Roberts, another fashonista, who  talked about his top 10 gay fashion trends and how taking them on board would up your style quotient ten fold!  I just don’t know what he’s talking about.  After all,  what is soooo gay about charcoal grey window pane suits with seasonal coloured knit vests!  What’s more, I think having bold pinstripes in untraditional colour combinations such as navy and brown or pink and brown is positively butch.  Finally, doesn’t everyone add  a dash of “bling” in a satin pocket square to ensure all eyes are on you.  You can read more from Adam at http://quazen.com/news/fashion/top-10-gay-fashion-trends/#ixzz0qutEzMO9

Looking at our take on Botticellis Birth of Venus (and his bum definitely doesn’t look big) you can really see where our fascination for all things beautiful could lead us to become slavish followers of fashion rather than  the free thinking individuals we like to think we are.  Who really wouldn’t want to look like that!

Perhaps we’re just cash cows?  The fashion industry makes easy targets of us.  Stick a label on it, increase your margins and every gay fashionista in town will be beating a path to your door.  I do think one has legs!

What ever the real reasons behind our dependence on the glossy world of the catwalk perhaps we should leave it up to our favourite fashionistas Patsy and Eddie to sum up what we really think?

Eddie: Everybody's there, everybody! Big names, you know. Chanel, Dior, Lagerfeld, Givenchy, Gaultier, darling. Names, names, names. Every rich bitch from New York is in there. Hockwenden, Ruttenstein, Vandebilt, Rothschild, Hookenfookenberger, Dachshund, Rottweiler, sweetie.
Patsy: A row of skeletons with Jackie O hairdos.
Eddie: Harper's, Tatler, English "Vogue", American "Vogue", French "Vogue", bloody Aba-bloody-ssinian bloody "Vogue", darling. Jeff Banks and Selina Scott couldn't even get a ticket, darling.

Mmmmmmmmm.....

See you next time

Tue, 25 May 2010 18:05 PM

“Adam and Steve in Paradise"

When we see Adam and Steve together it really does make you think how lucky we are. Like Adam and Steve we find ourselves in a world where it is OK for them to love the love that dare not speak its name.

Some western governments have the led the way in creating a version of paradise where our rights are protected. Those rights that define us as human beings are increasingly enshrined in legislation. The holy grail of recognised partnership, the so called gay marriage, our rights as employees and members of society to not be discriminated against, our rights as adoptive parentsand many others have fundamentally changed the world we live in. As equals and without fear of recrimination we can all now express and indulge those emotions that define us as human beings. Our rights to share, rights to care, rights to express sorrow and our rights to companionship all exist but everything in the garden is not all rosy.

Sadly only SOME governments have led the way and not all governments have led as effectively as they could. Here in the UK our own government have given us relationships that are not 100% equal to their hetrosexual equivalents (Gawd bless you Tony) but we are at least up there with the best of them - Spain, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Belgium.

Sadly though, there are a number of states in Europe where there is still no recognition of these rights and if you look very closely you can see a common issue that links most (admittedly not all) of them. Itlay, Poland, Greece, Croatia, Serbia (to name but a few) are all states where rights are still not protected and the common theme - yeo you guessed it - religion. To a greater or lesser degree these are all states with strong links to the established faiths with all their histories of persecution, even friendly Ireland with all it's progressive outlook as only recently managed to legislate with the Catholic Church providing a predictably negative input.

And what of my dear Italy? Once again with the Catholic Church's fingers in so many pies the level of influence has led to a thoroughly predictable situation regarding our garden of Eden. Our rights remain completely unrecognized whilst the Catholic Church practices hypocrisy on a breath taking scale. In the eyes of the church it is more acceptable to be a paedophile than gay. Paedophile priests, we now know, have been retired to comfortable, out of the way locations whilst gay priests are ceremoniously defrocked!

Having said all that perhaps we should really ask does "marriage" really fit us? Is it right that we settle for a copy of the mould created for our heterosexual counterparts or should we make our own? Perhaps we are setting ourselves up for disappointment?

Wed, 10 March 2010 18:03 PM

“St. Sebastian"

St Sebastian has always been a bit of a role model and hero for me. Born in the Roman times during the period of Christian persecutions, he was the first saint to be killed by Roman soldiers for being gay as well as for being Christian.

We don’t know what he really looked like but every painter from early Christian era to the Renaissance later painted him young and very good looking, something of a chicken in his own times?

He was killed for being gay, outspoken and for believing in something new. Something revolutionary which at the time was seen to be against the established order of the empire and of society; for being different and for standing against the established religion……sound familiar?

The ..Roman Empire.. had, for 2000 years, believed in a pantheon of 12 all powerful gods and a myriad of smaller ones and found itself swept by a new religion that called for forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance and all inclusive love. A new religion which had it’s very centre the figure of a man – the Son of God – that treasured outcasts such as lepers, the poor, criminals and prostitutes (rumour has it he even married one) amongst others. This man also believed in something new and quite revolutionary, the idea that we are all equal in Gods eyes. He also preached that we should love each other and all of our differences.

St Sebastian stood for exactly that. He lived his life as an openly gay man and loved as one (despite the fact that Roman society was not that accepting of homosexuality) – he also believed something quite different and revolutionary… that we are all equals and we are all loved by the same one god despite all of our differences in skin colour, social status, sexual orientation, geographical boundaries, physical appearances and many other attributes. When he was asked to deny his beliefs or die he chose death. When later he was begged by a Roman Centurion – his lover – to deny his God he preferred martyrdom and so he was tied to a tree and put to death with arrows.

The Renaissance used symbolism to communicate certain less acceptable messages. It is in my opinion that each and every painting of Saint Sebastian is somewhat sexy and I leave it to you to imagine what those arrows represent.

The Christian world remembers Sebastian and the Catholic Church ensured this by making him a saint – in fact the very first saint. Funny however that now they seem to forget that being gay, a shirt lifter, a pillow biter and a friend of Dorothy was a central part of the man and his values.

There again, how could the Catholic Church mention that one of their most important saints is a homo when in today’s church if you are gay you are not only barred from the priesthood but you are kicked out! In the twisted world of the power corridors at the ..Vatican.. it appears to be more acceptable to be a paedophile than to be gay.

We are all aware that despite the many advances and achievements that our society has made the fight for equality is far from over.

People are being killed around the world as I write for being “different”, for believing in alternative ways of life that are perceived as threatening just because they are not “normal”. Whoever decided what “normal” is? Who exactly was it that came up with the ultimate definition of normality and when will humanity stop being threatened by things it sees as different? I guess that until that day is reached Saint Sebastian will remain in the same figure of relevance he was 2000 years ago.

We are all aware that gay men are being persecuted and killed in many countries around the world by evil regimes such as those in …Iran.., ..Egypt.., ..Zimbabwe.., ..South Africa.., ..Afghanistan.. and ..Uganda.. to name just a few but perhaps we feel more protected by our European Community legislators than we should do. We forget, or perhaps do not even realise, that gay men are being killed in our cities and that some governments, such as the Italian one, still treat hate crimes generated by homophobia as “class B” hate crimes.

Every time organised religions and the Catholic Church in particular speak out against homosexuals is they are trying to deprive us of our basic human rights. Telling the world that saving the rainforest has the same importance as saving the rainforest simply arms the hands of those who are kicking, stabbing, strangling, whipping, burning and hanging us to death. Benedict is as good as firing arrows directly into the body of every gay man alive.

Our St Sebastian – kindly portrayed by Daniel Troli, owner of Basciu beach resort in San Benedetto del Tronto inspired by Pietro Perugino’s painting of Saint Sebastian and beautifully interpreted by Paul Byrne celebrates and remembers all those of us who have died because of their sexuality, for being different, for being Saint Sebastians of our modern times.

Recent reportings of homophobic crimes have been increasing dramatically. In October 2009 the Guardian reported a near 20% increase in homophobic crime recorded by Scotland Yard and an 18% increase over the same period recorded by the Greater Manchester police. Amnesty International reported, in September 2009, on the increase in serious attacks on LGBT individuals and organisations and that no figures recording this type of crime are kept by the Italian authorities. Sadly similar pictures can be reported in western society in general meaning that until the day we are able to celebrate our differences and to accept one another Alternative Holidays will choose to remember Saint Sebastian.

Mon, 18 January 2010 18:01 PM

“The Perfect Man, Gratuitous Sex and The Chance to Win a Holiday"

It's grey, it's damp and it's more miserable than I can ever remember a January being so I need to cheer myself up somewhat. After Christmas with Laquisha and Madonna and Child I'm now looking at out version of Leonardo's Perfect Man to see if this gets the circulation going. Originally drawn as an excersize in defining perfect proportions we've recreated it to be Slightly more tongue in cheek. I just LOVE it because The Perfect Man just sums up so many great things about being gay and our attitude towards life.

Our attitude towards life; well, every once in a while a guy has to indulge himself, leads us to crave perfection. Our liking for beauty along side perfection does push us toward the "body beautiful" culture and like all the Renaissance artists (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli et al) we chase, in every way possible, the Perfect Body.

We chase our own Perfect Body - either by dressing it or perhaps by working it. Whichever, apart from the effort you have to ask is it worth the expense. Well I like my money where I can see it... hanging in my closet. Whether it's the gym, the wardrobe or the latest cosmetics it's a competitive world we live in and I know I'd hate to feel like I was wearing patchouli in a room full of Chanel. Why do I want to be so perfect? I must admit when it comes to me, myself and I, there's no small amount of nacissism always tinged with an element of susceptability to what others tell me I should do (more of that one later) which I do express it in a healthy way... I'll wear whatever and blow whomever I want, as long as I can breath.... and kneel.

We also chase the Perfect Body in our men. So what of them? Are we looking for too much? Do they really exist? Firstly can I say that I've found that men who are too good looking are never good in bed because they never have to be. If you add that to my next mantra "Fuck me badly once, shame on you. Fuck me badly twice, shame on me" does this mean I am saddled with a litany of imperfect bodies? What horror! Perhaps this is why I can't find him. Why can't I find him? Constantly searching and never finding, it's like the riddle of the Sphinx... why are there so many great unmarried women and no great unmarried men?

Perhaps the perfect Man is a metaphor for our desire to settle down in a perfect relationship. Well... let's have a little think here. There's all sorts of things to say about relationships, Perfect Man relationships or otherwise, but they do seem to be very fleeting (I know, sweeping statement, so let me know what you think post a comment below). Are we simply romantically challenged or are we sluts? Perhap's it's even simpler than that, some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies. I suspect Perfect Man relationships are doomed before they start because balls are too men what handbags are to women - something to be seen displaying at every opportunity! Me myself and I oftern worry about relationships. Where does me fit in, where do I find expression and how does myself get looked after. I worry - to be in a couple do you have to put yourself on the shelf? The constant search for Perfection could always be us running away from our own fears, after all computers crash, people die and relationships fall apart. The difference being the first two happens to others the last one happens to us and perhaps we are frightened of our own vulnerability? Vulnerability? .....Pish. I'll go with the "are we sluts" argument any day.

Our life in general is all about self-fulfilment, no sorry about self-gratification. Oh come on boys, if you are going to get a vibrator get one called "The Horse". Tell me you wouldn't and I'll kiss my tuchas, we've all been there before. When did you last display Christian Dior tastes on a lavender water income? You know Saturday afternoon, Selfridges and that little D&G number is just winking at you and your answer..... who cares what you are just enjoy it....... Kerching!!!

This has become a way of life for many of us. A way of life much admired by our straight brothers and sisters who answered back with david Beckham (sorry David nothing personal, you're welcome here ANY day) and the metrosexual concept. Down side though, how many gay guys do you know who verge on the obsessional about achieving perfection? What lengths do we follow to get the best bubble butt but how many nights are we alone because there's always some one better round the corner? How often are we deluding ourselveswhen we stand in front of the mirror thinking that the lycra shorts and top we have just purchased at Nike do make us look like those buffed air brushed athletes in the adverts.

We all face so many roads, so many detours and so many choices that so many mistakes can be the order of the day. The pressure we face to aspire is relentless. We are constantly bombarded by media about what we should look like - the image of the perfect man is constantly around us - and with it every possible "device" to obtain it. From TV to cinema, from magazines to newspapers, from literature to painting and sculpting we are constantly told what we should look like: bubble butts, six packs, great pectorals, large penises, white teeth, coloured eyes, perfect nose, the list goes on and on and if you don't fit this image... you could be out!!

While there is nothing wrong in aspiring to a better physical self and while - I for one - think it is perfectly acceptable to pick up a "little help" along the way to achieve that better physical self, I think it would be wrong if this aspiration takes control and defines us for what we are.

Perhaps the Perfect Man is no just an external thing and we should look as much as to our own inner self and the one of our prospective partners to find perfection and a much greater level of fulfilment?

If you've enjoyed this little ramble then why not enter our competition. Hidden within this blog are 14 quotations from Sex and the City that sums up just the points I'm trying to make here. Find as many as you can - dust off all those box sets and start listening. It'll keep you amused and will probably help you achieve your New Year's resolutions (what you didn't make any - how do you expect to achieve perfection if you don't) by stopping you doing anything else.

Email you answers (just copy the quotes in an e-mail) to me gabriele@alternative-holidays.eu and we'll put all the winners into a draw for a free weeks holiday (flights, accommodation and half board) at our Alternative Holidays event in Italy this summer.

Until next month (it's San Sebastian getting the treatment next) stay happy and warm

Gabriele

Tue, 15 December 2009 18:12 PM

“Is This Really The Season Of Goodwill To All"

Who Do They Think They Are! Is this really the season of goodwill to all?

It takes more than a few kind thoughts to create a season of goodwill. I make no apologies for raising this point as it seems that at this time of yearour thoughts turn towards others perhaps less fortunate than ourselves and I ask myself why do we only feel this way at Christmas.

Perhaps given the lead of our various Churches it's not really surprising. How easy is it to turn our head when it suits us? The church I feel I belong to is no the one made of palaces. banks and corporations holding vast wealth whilst suffering is all around. It's not the church of popes, bishops and cardinals but is the church of Mother Theresa and compassion, of St Francis and simplicity and humility of Jesus born the poorest amongst the poor.

I was born a Christian within the Catholic Church and from the very beginning I was told that God's love is for EVERYONE and Jesus (for those who believe) was born as an expression of unlimited and unselfish love. The message is that he came and died for the benefit of all mankind, past present and future. Unless I am wrong, if the message is correct, if God is love and God is perfection and does not make mistakes, Jesus came for everyone. He came for men, women, children, old people, blacks, white, Asians, red Indians, good people, bad people, rich, poor, healthy, sick, Muslims, Jews, Budhists and even... Gays!!!

How does it make you feel as a person when Benedict XVI recently announced that the human race should be protected from gay life for the same reason the wrold should be protected from climate change because gay life offends the natural order the same way climate change does. Shocked to hear this? Don't believe it? Check it out here. What makes me so mad is the hypocrisy of it all. If you really want to see how bad it is google Pope Benedict gay.

Getting back to my point, focussing on the established Church at Christmas (don't worry there are plenty of other issues to consider for the remaining images of our campaign - just wait and see!) how does it feel to want to belong to a Church and to be excluded because you don't fit the mould? If you don't want to belong then so be it. However, for countless Christians the interpretation (particularly the Catholic one) of God's universal love is unbearably difficult to live with and it's time to face the fact that the Church needs to be challenged.

I think the time has come for believers to take the fight to the Vatican and remind those self-serving people that they have no rights to interpret - most often for their own worldly interests and purposes - God's will, no more than i or any of us have. I for one think that the Pope and his cronies have no right to push me out of the Church I was born into and will ot be pushed out.

The message that God's love is for all mankind lies at the heart of our choice of image for our Christmas card this year. When Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Madonna and Child (actually there were several Madonna and paintings but that's another story) he was inspired by what Mary had achieved in her lifetime. She really must have been some kind of gal! 2000 years ago she produced a child out of wedlock and survived to become the most adored woman in the world. Some feat when she risked being stoned to death for her sins and in recognition of how ballsy she must have been we've asked Laquisha Jonz, another strong woman, to be the face of Our Mary.

Taking the lead from Leonardo's inspiration and adding an Alternative Holidays bent Our Mary presents and image of respect and fun (you should have been at the photo shoot) with more than a little touch of irony because I wanted to remind us all of her courage and of our need to challenge religious intolerance. This advert has been created to remind us all, believers and non-believers, that a season of good will is one that teaches us that we belong, we are loved and we all have a right to a better world. For further impact we also chose to represent baby Jesus as black, an additional reminder that in his perfection, God's love is meant for everyone, no exceptions.

Enjoy the Holiday Season, enjoy our Christmas Card and if you want to post a comment let's hear you. In recent years the Catholic Church has adopted increasingly hard line psitions when dealing with some issues. If you follow recent doctorine, unless you fit a narrow steroetype you fall, increasingly, outside the scope of God's love. That's something that seems quite absurd to me as I was taught that Mary gave birth to a baby who preached that all men were equal and were loved the same by God.

Happy Holidays

Gabriele

Tue, 15 December 2009 20:12 PM

“Who do they think they are"

Look, it's got to be said - who do these people think they really are? Who am I talking about? Simply put, those bigots who run the major religions of the world as though they are large multinationals and who present themselves as men of God (or Allah, Jaweh or a host of other names) When all they are actually doing is preaching a doctrine based on discrimination and intollerance?

We seemed to be doing so well during the 80's and 90's. Real freedoms were being won against hatred in so many forms but now those significant gains being eaten away as religious organisations entrench themselves in increasingly more conservative positions and we just let them do it.

What is it with the Church? Why do we end up with an establishment that thinks it's OK to exclude huge chunks of humanity from it's ministry? The Church taught me, in the more enlightened times of my childhood, that god, the perfect being that has never made mistakes had a love that fitted everybody. OK so why are we now being told increasingly more frequently that he's a sinner, she's unworthy and we are all not good enough to receive Gods love. Question - why do they do it? Answer - because we let them!

Look it's no good just ranting - even in a blog. I have always been convinced that each and every one of us is responsible for creating the world we live in. We simply cannot and should not sit on a bench waiting for other people to do the job for us and make society more loving, caring, all inclusive and accepting.

Great campaigners like Peter Tatchell, law makers like Lord Ali and role models like Elton John have paved the way and it's now up to us to walk the way by following those examples and demanding that injustices are put right.

So, picture this, a meeting in Abbadetta, in Italy during last summer’s Alternative Holidays event. At the meeting were myself, Paul Byrne, soon to become our artistic director, and more than a few vodka and tonics. The meeting was to discuss Alternative Holidays 2009/2010 advertising campaign. During the meeting the original idea of using the Birth of Venus by Botticelli grew wings of its own (check out the painting) and turned into a whole campaign based around seven works of art by Italian masters. More importantly we agreed that there was an opportunity to highlight those issues of discrimination and injustice that are so close to me personally and to perhaps encourage others to think likewise. We felt that by re-interpreting those famous old masters we could add a modern twist with more than a little irony and raise some debate. 

We came up with seven ideas based on seven Italian renaissance masterpieces and thought we could interpret each image in such a way as to spark some debate about these issues. Our chosen images are Madonna and Child by Leonardo Da Vinci, Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci, San Sebastian by Raffaello, The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, La Pieta by Michaelangelo, Adam and Eve by Raffaello and Stabat Mater Artist Unknown. To find out what our versions look like and to find out the about the issues we think they help raise check this blog or link to RSS on your web browser.

Well, here we are some four months later and I’m really excited to be launching our campaign through this blog. Over the coming months you’re going to be seeing and reading about some striking new adverts that are our take on 7 great Italian master pieces. From Adam and Steve to Madonna and Child via the Birth of Venus we have taken these great works of art and given them the Alternative Holidays treatment to come up with something to make people think and, we hope, to make you smile. In return for making you smile we are going to be asking for your support in our attempt to raise the profile of these discriminations and you will be hearing from me about that in our coming posts.