April
Be�y’s Corner By Be�y Desire
As I write this we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic. The world is ba�ling a virus commonly known as the Corona Virus or Covid19. Many of the drop off businesses that carry the Be�y Pages, Bars and Restaurants, have been temporarily closed in order to limit the spread of the virus. Those 65 and older have been asked by the Governor to isolate themselves because the virus is particularly dangerous to those older and others with compromised immune systems. I urge all of us to take the steps needed to protect ourselves and our neighbors. We will get through this together. Many local restaurants are open for take out and delivery. Consider grabbing gift certificates, we need to do all we can to protect the viability of our small businesses. The authorities are recommending “social distancing” staying 6 feet away from others. They have asked that we limit gatherings to no more than 10 people and that we wash our hands frequently using soap and water for 20 seconds. If you don’t know how long 20 seconds is try singing “happy birthday to yourself twice while you wash. It is hoped that restrictions can be eased by May 1st, but that might not be the case only time will tell. Conditions are changing daily so it is a good idea to keep a close eye on the news. Since I am over 65 and high risk, I have been staying at home except to get groceries or to take a walk for exercise. Gyms are shut down. I have a post office box that I have to check daily during the week so I have parked the car and walk from my home to the Post Office down town. It takes me about an hour round trip which gives me time to think and clear my head. It also is a li�le over 6000 steps from my house and back so I reach my fitness goal for the day. While on my walk I thought of some of the many social norms that have faded away since my childhood. As a child in the 1960’s I remember never calling an adult by their first name. It was always Mr. Smith or Mrs. Jones or Miss Jones. You didn’t assume the right to refer to
anyone by their first name until that right was given. Another social norm that has fallen by the wayside since I was young was the practice of greeting those you met on your walk. It was expected for you to greet a passerby with a good morning or good afternoon. I will never forget the first time I realized this practice was not universal. It was 1972 I was 16 years old and about to embark on my first plane ride from Sea Tac to LA to visit friends who had lived in Bellingham for a time in a Commune at the old Larrabee Mansion. They had moved back to Southern California. My friend picked me up at LAX and we went sightseeing on Santa Monica Blvd. Being the polite ‘Hamster I began saying good afternoon to passersby on the sidewalk. We weren’t 3 blocks in when my host said “Stop it” You aren’t in Bellingham! If you make eye contact and greet people here they will think you are on drugs or want something from them! Who knew? I of course adapted to my surroundings! Yet I am in Bellingham now. I thought about the “social distancing” we are being asked to practice and decided to do an experiment. I brought back a page of “old Bellingham” and decided to greet everyone I passed by. You see the virus in question doesn’t carry on sound waves and a smile and polite greeting may be the only in person social interaction your passing neighbor gets that day. The response was wonderful. That simple gesture of kindness lifted my spirits and I believe lifted the spirits of those I encountered. All of you aren’t extroverts but consider joining me in reactivating a practice that was the norm in Bellingham not that long ago. We are all social beings and I believe it’s the li�le things that will lift our spirits and guide us through these times of isolation. Viruses can’t travel on sound waves. Compassion can. We at The Be�y Pages will do our best to inform our readers about how they can support Bellingham’s Businesses. In the meantimeStay safe. All will be back to normal soon
- Betty
In The Mix By Bridget Adams
However…it also made me realize something. All of my favorites (classics, my kid generously called them) are from a time when being It’s the days of COVID-19, and I was really struggling with where to find any feel-good, uplifting stuff for this month. But—it’s the days queer was NOT taught to children. Was NOT spoken about in of COVID-19 and that means schools and offices are closed. Suddenly, mainstream education—or anywhere else to be honest. So, what books my daughter is looking at homeschooling our two oldest grand kids, a was I missing? And along with that thought came, please oh please, let there be some out there. 3rd grader and a 5th grader. This is when having a writer-readerbook-obsessed type in the family comes in handy. Guess what? There are some out here. There are more than some out here. There are picture books for the li�le ones. There are tween She texted me the other day and said, “I need age-appropriate books for the tween ones. There are YA books for the teen ones. They’re books for English class. Can you help?” out here. Can I help? HA! The question wasn’t if I had books; the question Plus, they deal with just about every dot on the LGBTQ spectrum. was how many recommendations did she need? So, I loaded her up with some of my classic favorites, and we went on with our lives, after Gay characters, lesbian characters, transgender characters, bigender she promised to let me know how it went.
Continued on page 8
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#InThisTogether Table of Contents
Call, check Facebook, or check website for current ordering availability as things could change. We did our best to get this list together but we may have missed someone - please follow your favorite eateries on Facebook or call them to find out if they are offering any take out or delivery options. Stay home, Stay safe, But if you do have to go out - Support local. We are in this together
April 2020
3 Be�y’s Corner By Be�y Desire 3 In The Mix By Bridget Adams 5 #InThisTogether Eateries still serving to go or delivery 14 Astrology By Ma� Keller 15 A Bibliography Of Queer Cinema By Lyle Pearson 16 My Erotic Fetish In Light of ... By Robert Ashworth 20 Press Release
Are cannabis stores open in Washington state? Cannabis stores are open, with restrictions. Gov. Jay Inslee issued a stay-at-home order to Washington residents on Monday night, March 23. Residents can leave to buy groceries, seek medical care and go to work at essential businesses. They can also engage in outdoor activities that can be done 6 feet away from others, such as walking and biking. The new order requires the closure of nonessential business places. Cannabis retailers are included among the few “essential” businesses that may remain open. Here is the latest guidance from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, circulated on March 24:
INDEPENDENT FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES - Viking Food * DoorDash * GrubHub * UberEats * Postmates * Munchie Dude
Whatcom County
Contact
1-Up Lounge
(360) 398-6183 4p - 8p
AB Crepes
Restrictions: •
Drive-thru windows are not allowed
• IDs must be checked. No one in the car may be less than 21 years of age •
Curbside sales areas must be stationary and physically designated on the leasehold property, preferably as close to the building as possible. Examples of physical designations for curbside service include: Tape or painted parking spots for vehicle parking
Where possible, video cameras should be monitoring and recording the designated sales area
Curbside service allowed for all customers: At this time, cannabis producers, processors and retailers are considered essential and not • Outdoor sales from a tent or kiosk are not allowed. required to close due to the coronavirus restrictions. However, to promote social distancing, the LCB is temporarily expanding curbside sales beyond qualified medical patients to allow sales to all adult Source: customers as long as certain restrictions are in place. This is an option h�ps://www.leafly.com/news/industry/is-my-dispensary-open-forin addition to mandatory measures for retail establishments set forth marijuana-delivery by Gov. Inslee and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
M - F 11a – 10p S - Su 9a – 10p
Carryout
Delivery Yes
Yes Yes - James St and Lynden only
Postmates Viking Food Grubhub Viking Food Grubhub Viking Food No Viking Food
Avenue Bread
360-715-3354
8a-2p daily
Anmly Cafe
360-922-3660
M - F 8:30a – 2:30p
Yes
Anthony’s Restaurants Arlis’s Restaurant Bayou on Bay Bellingham IHOP
360-527-3473 360-647-1788 360-752-2968 360-255-2048
W - Su 3p - 7p 8a. – 2p F - Su 11:30a – 8p 9a - 7p
Yes Maybe Yes Yes
Black Sheep Bellingham
360-526-2109
Daily 12p - 8p
Yes
Viking Food
Bob’s Burgers & Brew Birch Bay
360-366-3199
Daily 11:30a to 8p
Yes
Viking Food
Burlington
360-757-9097
S - Su 12p - 7p
Yes
No
Lynden
360-354-2125
Yes, via drive-up
No
Boomer’s Drive-In
Daily 11:30a – 7:30p Sun-Thu 11a - 10p Fri 360-647-2666 Sat 11a - 11p
Yes
Viking Food
Buffalo Wild Wings
360-671-5963
Yes
Cafe Rumba
M - Sat 9a - 8p 360-746-8280 Sun 9a – 7p
Cafe Velo
-F 9a-2p 360-392-0930 SWSu - 10a-5p
Caffe Adagio
360-671-1198
M - Sa 7a -5p
360-312-4340
Daily 10a - 10p
Yes
Viking Food
360-384-5820
M - Su 12p – 8p
Yes
Yes
360-647-9273
11a – 9p
Yes
No
Cones or signage for vehicle parking •
360-325-1311
Hours
California Tacos Chihuahua’s Mexican Restaurant Coconut Kenny’s
Daily 11a -10p
Yes
Notes: Must be 21+ and order at least one food item for alcohol delivery.
Limited Menu Limited Menu
Not Yet Updated Daily on Facebook Check Facebook for updates
Uber Eats Grubhub Door Dash $5 delivery fee within a 5 mile radius To-go coffee, food, bike repair and bike service to-go service for coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads Food Truck Open 11a - 7p Take-out with curbside pickup option available at locations without drive-thru window
5
#InThisTogether
#InThisTogether Whatcom County
Contact
Hours
Carryout
Delivery
Crave Catering
360-223-4900
Call for current hours
Yes
$5
Curry House Denny’s
360-312-8779 360-676-0173
Tues - Thur 11a - 9p
Yes Yes
Dimitri’s Greek & Italian Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse El Agave Mexican Restaurant B’ham food truck Fat Pie
360-384-6767
11a - 9a
Yes
Orders for delivery on Thurs & Fri are due by Wednesday at 12p Located in Ferndale Yes No delivery fees through 4/12/2020 No
360-676-1011
Tue - Sun 5p- 9p
Yes
Coming Soon
360-393-3853
Daily 10a - 11p
Yes
No
M - F 11a - 5p 360-366-8090 Daily 12p – 7:30p
Yes
Yes (Free within Bham)
Fiamma Burger
360-733-7374
Daily 11a - 8p
Yes
No
360-676-9900
Tue - Su 4p - 7p
Yes
No
Yes
No
Five Columns Restaurant Gandolfo’s
(360) 922-0431 10:30a - 6p
Good to Go Meat 360-966-2400 Pies Great Harvest 360-671-0873 Bread Co. Bellingham loc.
T, W, F, Sa 11a - 6p
Yes
M - F 7a - 5p Sa 7a - 4p
Yes
Greene’s Corner
360-306-8137
Daily 11a - 7p
Yes
Homeskillet
360-676-6218
T - Su 9a - 1p
Yes
Jalapeno’s Barkley Downtown Fairhaven Jeckyl & Hyde BBQ
360-778-2041 360-671-3099 360-656-6600 (360) 715-9100
Daily 11a - 10p
Yes
Kelly’s O’Deli
360-384-1702
Opens at 11a
Yes Yes
Notes:
Sudden Valley location: take-out from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Limited Menu
Baked Goods
Viking Food Door Dash See Facebook on how to get contactless curbside pickup Viking Food Uber Eats Viking Food
Call for more info
Orders for delivery on Thur Take & Bake meals & Fri are due by Wed at 12p
La Fiamma WoodFire Pizza Lakeway Teriyaki
360-647-0060
Daily 11a - 8p
Yes
360-752-2211
M - Sa 10:30a - 8:30p
Latitude Kitchen & Bar Lombardi’s Delivery
360-707-7400
Daily 11:30a - 7:30p
Yes
Yes
360-714-8412
Daily 12p - 7p
Yes
Yes
Whatcom County Mallards
Contact
Hours
Email to kitchen.mallard@gmail.c arrange pick up om (360) 647-3600
McKays
Carryout
Delivery
Yes
No
360-746-8563 360-734-5272 360-738-2090
Daily 11:30a - 8:30p Daily 11:30a - 9:30p Daily 11a - 4p
Yes Yes Yes
Pel’meni Pho 99
360-715-8324 360-647-8471
Daily 11a - 11p Daily 11a - 9p
Yes
Yes No Viking Food Grubhub Door Dash Uber Eats Viking Food Door Dash Grubhub Viking Food
Pure Bliss Desserts 360-739-1612
M - Sa 12p - 6p
Railway Cafe-Blaine 360-332-2448 Rustlers Front 360-354-2174 Street Grill Rusty Wagon 360-354-5236 Sheri’s 360-647-0193
Daily 8a - 2p Daily 9a - 7p
Yes Yes
Viking Food Viking Food
Daily 9a - 7p 8a - 8p
Yes Yes
No Door Dash
Simmering Tava Sirena Gelato & Espresso Fairhaven Skylark’s Hidden Cafe The Birch Door Cafe The Daisy Cafe and Union Coffee Shop The Filling Station
360-519-7815 360-733-6700
Daily 11a - 9p Daily 12p - 8p
Yes Yes
Yes
360-715-3642
Daily 11a - 8p
Yes
Viking Food
360-306-8598 360-733-8996
Daily 8:30a - 1:30p Daily 7:30a - 1p
Yes Yes
Viking Food Viking Food
360-715-1839
Varied Daily
Thousand Acre Cider House Westside Pizza
360-795-5400
Check updated website
Yes
360-756-5055
Daily 11a - 10p
Yes
360-734-5226
Daily 11a - 8p
Yes
Check Facebook
Still accepting preorders for whole desserts by phone.
Gelato and coffee drinks to go
for updates
Contact-less delivery option available Viking Food
Grubhub
Follow your favorite eateries and businesses on Facebook or check in on their websites to see their current status. Make note of those who help (especially corporations) in time of need, they are the ones we should support going forward. Get your health information from health authorities and stay home unless you absolutely have to go out.
6
https://mallard-icecream.square.site
Yes
MOD Pizza New Peking Old World Deli
Zane Burger
Notes:
Skagit County located on page 13 Breweries also located on page 13 7
In The Mix By Bridget Adams
characters, asexual characters. Some of the stories are explicitly about the character’s queerness. Other stories were about something else entirely, but the main character is out; no queer-baiting here. There were even a dozen different genres, so if kids want historical fiction, it’s there. More into sci-fi or fantasy? Yep. That too. Just as importantly as their existence, though, is the fact that these stories embrace intersectionality. They are not just about young, white, beautiful, American characters. Different races, different cultures, different body sizes, different ages—and these issues are actually addressed. These authors are talking about racism, xenophobia, ageism, and shaming, right along with the issues of identity and orientation. And these writers are talking to our children about them all. Representation ma�ers. We know this. This generation of queer kids will grow up seeing themselves in their stories. Normalization ma�ers. We know this. This generation of straight kids will grow up seeing their friends in their stories. And here’s the greatest part: It’s the days of COVID-19. Books and stories are more important than ever. And, as of this writing, Amazon is still delivering. Check them out yourself or send a gift to a young person in your life. We may not be able to get out much; we can all still escape for a bit. Take care of you—and each other. Seriously. Stay home whenever possible. Don’t hoard food. Check on your older loved ones and the extroverts in your life. Let’s all look out for each other, as we always have. We got this. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit for�ing. Marijuana can impair concent�ation, coordination, and judg�ent. Do not operate a vehicle or machiner� under the influence of this dr�g. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults t�ent�-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.
www.winkwinkboutique.com
www.ModSock.com
#InThisTogether Skagit County Billy’s Cafe Cascade Burgers COA Mexican Eatery Mt. Vernon & La Conner Denny’s Restaurant Mount Vernon Double Barrel Barbeque
Contact 360-333-7825 360-853-7580
Hours F - M 8a - 2p Daily 11a - 7p
360-840-1938
Daily 11a - 9p
360-424-7500 360-855-5080
Magnolia
360-873-8938
Mr. T’s Family Cafe Rachawadee Thai Cafe Rockfish Grill Taste of Thai by Wipa Breweries
360-848-1000 360-336-6699 360-588-1720 360-899-5823 Contact
122 West Brewing Co.
Daily 11a - 8p M - Th 12p - 6p F, S 12p - 8p Daily 6a - 2p Daily 11a - 8p Daily 11:30a - 7:30p Daily 12p - 8p Hours
Carryout Yes Yes
Delivery Munchie Dude Coming Soon
Yes Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Delivery
See website for hours 360-306-3285 www.122westbrew.com
Yes
Viking Food
Aslan Brewing Company Boundary Bay Brewery Chuckanut Brewery
360-393-4106 360-647-5593
Daily 12p - 8p W - Su 12p - 7p
Yes Yes
Yes
360-752-3377
W - Su 12:30p - 6:30p
Yes
Call for Options
DownTime Taps
360-393-3114
FrinGe Brewing in Ferndale Kulshan Brewing Company Roosevelt taproom
360-398-6071
Can order online Notes: Offering to-go growlers at 50% off with curbside pickup option only.
Yes Yes
360-599-8852
Daily 12p - 7p
Yes
360-306-3457
Daily 3p - 8p
Yes
Stemma Brewing Stones Throw Brewing Co..
360-746-8385
Daily 12p - 6p
Yes
360-362-5058
Daily 3p - 7p
Yes
Skagit River Brewery
360-336-2884
Daily 11:30a - 8:30p
The North Fork Brewery Twin Sisters Brewing Wander Brewing
360-599-2337 360-922-6700 360-647-6152
Daily 12p - 10p Daily 12p - 8p Daily 12p - 7p
Menace Brewing
No delivery fees through 4/12
Munchie Dude No No
Carryout
M - Th 4p - 9p S, Su 12p - 10p T - F 1p - 8p S, Su 12p - 8p
Notes:
Within Bellingham city limit Call for options
Filling pickup growlers and bottles
Yes
Yes (limited)
Continuing to host local food trucks Check Facebook for early closures
Yes Yes Yes
No Viking Food No
Limited Menu
Together We CAN Get through this 13
Astrology By Ma� Keller
April 14th: Jupiter/Pluto Did you know that most animals don’t live until they die naturally? Nope, most animals on Earth live until they get eaten. Unfortunately, it’s a fish eat fish world out there and if you let your guard down you might get chomped but something bigger or meaner. That will be especially true for anyone born January 15th or July 16th. Keep swimming with your chosen school as there are advantages that come with numbers. If September or May 14th is your birthday make sure what you’re about to devour is edible. Remember there are natural defenses that prevent predators from a�acking. Lucky numbers: 25,24,6,9,10,15,19 April 15th Saturn/Mars The world has never seen a disease cause society to come to a screeching halt and I truly believe that the Coronavirus is a conspiracy concocted by the world governments in order to manipulate the massed in multiple ways. I think it will disappear just as quickly as it has risen but who knows how long this epidemic will last. My primary belief is that this is just a test run for when space alien invade later this year and the corruption behind this runs extremely deep. For those born January 25th, July 28th, or October 27th, prepare for an event of epic proportion. It may not happen today but the snowball that starts rolling today might turn into an avalanche later. Lucky numbers: 26,1,6,9,10,25,5,19
opinions unless you’re ready to defend them to the most miniscule point. Lucky numbers: 2,18,14,15,26,1,6,19,24,0 April 23rd: Uranus One of my crazy Coronavirus conspiracies is that the disease is being transmi�ed through the bubble wrap we distribute throughout the country. Think about it. The packaging is made in China and filled with the contaminated air. Then, it’s shipped around the world thus infecting the people who come in contact with it when they pop the bubbles. It may sound weird but I’ll bet there’s more legitimacy behind it than most would want to admit. Be aware of unseen enemies and unusual events causing unexpected chaos if April 26th or October 27th is your birthday. Go stir up some old s@#t if September 28th or November 29th is your birthday. Sometimes it’s lots of fun to stir the pot. Lucky numbers: 3,6,21,15,16,26,1,20,24,0
April 26th: Venus Do you know someone who cuddles with snakes? If you ask me those individuals have a few screws loose and I’ll keep my distance from those slithery creepy crawlies. Snakes aren’t warm or fuzzy and when they bite you their fangs dig in pre�y deep. Although I don’t intend on ge�ing too close to one I understand these animal serve a purpose and help control the rodents and other small pests. I suggest anyone born December 7th or June 8th to try and get along with that one thing that irritates you uncontrollably. Just embrace the suck and deal with your negative emotions. Go annoy the hell out of someone if April 6th or August 9th is your birthday. Force others to accept your April 19th: Neptune a�itude and don’t change for anyone today. Lucky numbers: I’ve mentioned before that the most sacred Christian holiday is 6,17,27,18,26,1,20,25,0 actually determined by the pagan astrological Moon cycle. Li�le do Monthly overview: they know that their ancient scriptures they have in their Bibles are April showers won’t bring May flowers unless you get outside loaded with positive astrological references, and I absolutely love and do some digging and planting. Not only is this a great month for discussing that with them. Take a look at some spiritual scriptures if ge�ing something growing it’s also pre�y good for stargazing as well. September 12th or March 9th is your birthday. Maybe a long From dusk till dawn the skies a laced with wonderful alignments conversation with someone who knows what they’re talking about. th Simply meditate and discover your inner spirit if May or January 9 is providing an opportunity to see every planet that can be seen. As the Sun goes down Venus shines up and will be glowing at what is known your birthday. These folks are in a position to make a significant self as -4.7 magnitude which is actually extremely bright. In fact, it’s the discovery. Lucky numbers: 29,19,13,12,26,1,6,24 brightest Venus will shine all year. On the flip side, during the wee April 21st: Mercury hours of morning, the other planets form a glimmering strand of In late February president Trump-o-Chump tweeted “People planetary pearls. By 4:00 the trio of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be are dying who have never died before” In response, I sent him placed prominently above the Eastern and will be followed by li�le something smart ass and was surprised with what I received. I got told Mercury around 6:00. The Moon makes her presence known the 14thth that my tweet wasn’t sent because I had already said that before. 16 and the four will hopefully not be blocked out by clouds. It will be Apparently our twi�ering chief can’t handle a li�le fool hearted a while before all four will be seen together like this. The yearly Lyrid criticism and should probably give his twi�er account a break. Don’t meteor shower rains down the la�er half of the month and the new st be afraid to listen to a li�le constructive criticism if April 7th or Moon shows up at the perfect time for the event. Peaking out the 21 th rd October 10 is your birthday. Remember that the negative words of 23 there will be about 25 meteors and hour streaking across the sky. I others can make you aware of changes you never thought of. If January hope everyone’s quarantine is going well and eventually this virus or July 9th is your birthday don’t go spouting out a bunch of harsh garbage will pass. 14
From Pakistan to Singapore: A Bibliography Of Queer Cinema By Lyle Pearson In Pakistan, divided from India in 1947 via Islam, hamams (Turkish baths) may not exist. But outside of them, in its mixed Muslim population, a lot happens. My first night in Lahore, exploring the park around the tall monument to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the country, I met a guard who took me inside his tent.
second wife. To obtain money, he plans to sell his first child by her--again a girl—before he marries her, into the tawaif’s now degraded profession. In the frame story Zainab, before she is hanged for that murder, relates this story. Afterwards, her mother and six sisters open the Zainab Café in her honor and raise their half-sister.
The highest-earning Pakistani film to its time, BOL was co-produced by the director, PAINAM (Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns), and the Some men sleep in rows on raised grassy knolls, made for that, inside a John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, to promote women’s walled, often moonlit, garden. One evening at a cinema, where I had jostled for rights, family planning, and gender issues. Mansour has directed a total of a front seat, a Pakistani invited himself home with me. We lay on a grassy three films. knoll, in the moonlight, for half an hour before he jumped up, ran for a wall and crawled over it. I never saw him again. In Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovane�i’s Pakistani Noor (LIGHT, a feminine name, 2012), Noor doubts he is a khusra (a Pakistani name for I soon met some students who invited me to an apartment over the hijra=transgender). Hindu hijras often consider themselves Muslims, as hijras Moonlight Cinema. On holidays the Moonlight displayed uncaptioned photos were once a�ached to Muslim courts as zenana (women’s quarters) guards, from foreign films, rather than the usual Pakistani film posters. We knew that, performers etc. or because of castration—one step beyond the Muslim practice that afternoon we’d devote ourselves to domestic and foreign porn, some with of circumcision. (Gayatri Reddy). “The phallus symbolizes the power for real Pakistani film stars. The Moonlight was packed, with men. I saw Donald men,” lost to hijras. (Roscoe, 1995). Perhaps more than half of the dancing O’Conner and Vera-Ellen kissing (a scene censored from CALL ME MADAM “girls” in Heera Mundi, (the ‘Diamond Market,’ Lahore’ primary prostitution (1953)), and learned how to untie a drawstring on the salwar (loose trousers) of district) are boys. (Brown, 2005). Noor leaves his male lover, becomes a truck a potential lover. Salwars usually worn by Punjabi men in Pakistan, but Punjabi decorator, steals a truck and heads west to the Swat valley. On the way he women in India, in one clip a man untied her drawstring and… picks up a runaway tawaif who teaches him dance and changes his life on the In Bangladesh, one Dhaka night, I checked into an old hotel. The manager shore of placid Shandor Lake, its Shandor Pass leading to northern Afghanistan. showed me to a tiny room with barely enough room for a single bed. Soon I met the Bangladeshi in the next room. After some talk, he told me I wasn’t young enough for him, and told me where I could find someone younger than myself. The next night, the light went off and I moved back into his room. Standing beside him, I wasn’t young enough, he still said. I pretended not to care and moved back to my room when the lights came on. Lying myself down, I slept. In the morning he again told me where to go. I never did.
Pakistanis Saadat Munir and Aaad Khan’s CHUPPAN CHUPi (HIDE AND SEEK, 2013) documents a hijra, the dancer’s aging dancing boyfriend, and a political activist who has managed to modify the Constitution somewhat in queer favor. Munir himself, who finds the LGBT concept alien to this formerly accepting land, directed the short video MUJRA (a Mughal dance form, 2015), on Pakistani folk music, to help hijras survive monetarily.
It behooves me to restate that my adventures in this series were in the 1970s, a decade before AIDS, and that fundamentalist revolutions seemed to follow me wherever I went. I would never a�empt these adventures now, nor in the future. Certainly not, with the arrival of another deadly scourge, the coronavirus.
HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN? Yes, that is the name of a 50-minute 2015 documentary be Masood Khan. From all reports, the center of such activity is, in addition to the Internet, in Karachi, around the Abdullah Shah-Ghazi shrine. But I understand that there’s plenty of action in Lahore and Rawalpindi. According to the film, Mullahs may think gays just need medication; the gay NGO NAZ (Pride) knows be�er.
I was planning to visit Indonesia before I completed this series, but that has been put off indefinitely. Nor have I ever been to Thailand, or Singapore, the last countries in this series. Here, I deal not only with queer Muslim films, but with Islamic reactions to queer films of three older religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. PAKISTAN Shoaib Mansoor’s BOL (WORD, or CRY, 2011) was the first film I saw on the Indian subcontinent after 42 years away. When I saw it in Pune, India, surprisingly (relations between the two countries were be�er then), I didn’t know it was Pakistani. A child transgender is killed by his father, the father is killed by his daughter Zainab. Having sent the son away to truckers (Pakistani trucks are perhaps the most colorful in the world), where the son is raped, the father is so greedy for a normal son that he kills the son and takes a tawaif (dancer) as his
Also in Pakistan, in Rijaa Nadeem’s PIECE OF NAAN (naan=bread, 2015), a transvestite, begging and prostituting himself, meets Nadia, a former upperclass female whose bankrupt father has forced her into prostitution. In Jake Graf’s Pakistan-UK CHANCE (2015) a widower, Trevor, meets Samir in a park and “romance blooms.” (SLGFF 2015) The real Maria Toorpaki, a Pakistani female squash player who had disguised herself as a boy, in Erin Heidenreich’s GIRL UNBOUND: THE WAR TO BE HER (2016), becomes so famous internationally that her true identity is revealed. Her family threatened by the Taliban, Maria returns home to “break down gender barriers.” (SQFF 2017)
Continued on page 17
15
My Erotic Fetish in light of the Corona Virus
There is plenty of nudity online. One can search for pictures of naked bike rides and other events from all over the world. For instance Most of my erotic fantasies are related to standing more than 6 feet the photo sharing web site called Flickr shows nudity if one sets their away from someone. They tend to be very visual rather than touch preferences to "adult." oriented. Seeing and ge�ing to know people through conversation is valuable to me. One problem is that online nudity is mostly just pictures. Not much personality. I often wonder who are these people in the photos? Places with public nudity or even partial nudity are appealing to me. I find the shape of the body appealing. More appealing than just The internet also provides lots of meaningful discussion, if one the focus on genitals that's so common in things related to sexuality. uses it wisely. There are many good threads of discussion on Facebook as well as on other online platforms. Conversation has been an important connection for me over the years. Most of the people, I enjoy talking to, are not necessarily I often wish I could combine good discussion with nudity, but I a�ractive to me in a visual sense. Only a few are, but I still value haven't figured that one out yet. What kind of Google search would discussion with a wide variety of folks. one do to find that kind of platform? By Robert Ashworth
Discussion is gratifying, but if it's with an a�ractive man who is less hidden behind clothing, it's even be�er. As for touching, I'm okay with it, but I'm somewhat indifferent to touching. Hugs and even cuddle piles are nice. A world of hugging is far be�er than a world of people shooting at one another. It's be�er than road rage. These days, in the world of 6 feet separation, even cuddle piles and hugging have needed to be put, temporarily at least, on hold.
It would not necessarily be the competitive market that exists on dating sites. Dating sites tend to be where folks are looking to find a mate. Dating can be like shopping for the right car and rejecting the rest. It's more of a market economy than community. What I envision would be more like a virtual hot spring. A place where people gather for social connection. It would be like a discussion group with less clothing. Robert Ashworth
Speaking of the number 6, I remember the 6 inches rule from dances in middle school. Teachers would frown on students dancing closer than 6 inches apart. As for more invasive intercourse, I have never been a fan of that. It's not really for me at least. My fetish may not be what mainstream society is into, but it has go�en me through another epidemic; the AIDS crisis. I hate to sound like I am judgmental, but during the AIDS epidemic, I felt pre�y safe tho I was still part of the gay community. My fetish of mostly looking and ge�ing to know folks has been quite safe. Maybe I've go�en a few bouts of athlete's foot from public shower floors, but that's not hard to deal with. Several years ago, I was at a workshop for safe sex education. The workshop facilitator enjoyed my input to the discussion and introduced me to the phrase, "outercourse." Outercourse is not intercourse, but it's still connection. It's a phrase that hasn't gained traction in our society, however. Six feet, or more, separation also brings up the concept of online life. Colleges cancelling classes for teaching online. There is also the world of online erotica. That's a whole Pandora's box in itself.
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A Bibliography Of Queer Cinema Continued BANGLADESH
Lok Prakash’s AMRA KI ETOI BHINNO (ARE WE SO DIFFERENT? 2012) interviews Bangladeshi homosexuals from many strata of society. Memorable Into its old Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms, Sunnis brought Islam and is a pedal-rickshaw driver, in a commi�ed relationship, who bought his lover a sharia, Sufis a more mystic Islam, and Europeans colonization and Christianity. sewing machine, turning his natural talent into a more modern vocation. The Its Islam is 98% Sunni, 1% Shia, with some Ahmadis. film ends with commentary by a representative of Pathak Shanbesh, Dhaka’s Indonesia declared independence from the Dutch in 1945, achieving it largest bookstore, and by a clinical psychologist from the University of Dhakha only in 1949. Its mo�o “Unity in Diversity” recognizes six syncretic religions, It won the Best Documentary Short Award at KASHISH 2012 as does its music. Homosexuality is legal in most of the country, but faces “fierce opposition” in Sunni-controlled provinces. Lok and Anuroopa Prahash’s WILL THIS CHANGE? (2014) interviews Bangladeshi hijras, many of whom having been thrown out of their parental In 2015, the ulema, its highest Muslim clerical organization, issued a fatwa homes. Here, it is more struggle and remorse than love that is spoken of. calling for the punishment of same-sex behaviour by caning. Sharia police in (BQFF 2015) Both documentaries, like several other films described in this Aceh province arrested a pair of young women for “hugging in public.” series, are available on YouTube. Authorities cancelled an LGBT event claiming they received threats. The rector of the University of Lampung threatened to expel any student or lecturer The old British law number 377, outlawing homosexuality as “against involved in LGBT rights. (Kyle Knight, 2016) nature,” rescinded in India in2018, still exists in Bangladesh. THAILAND The pioneer of Indonesian film was Usmar Ismail. Ismail as a name Bob Todd in BANGKOK’S BACK STREETS. (n.p., 1986) calls Thailand’s predates Islam, also being found in Christian and Jewish sources. capitol A supernatural queer thriller, Anucha Boonyawanta’s ONTHAKAN (THE “the most open city in the world.” Many sleazy “ladyboy” features and BLUE HOUR, i.e. TWILIGHT or DAWN 2015), watches queer, unhappy teen documentaries have made it onto the international market. “Thailand’s queer Tam and his casual partner Phum at a deserted swimming pool. The pair are cinema scene has been broad and thriving in recent years – with Anucha soon haunted by “spirits, disappearing bodies and restless corpses,” by either Boonyawatana’s captivating gay-horror crossover [ONTHAKAN] (THE BLUE chance or guilt. Printed in blue, its startling, eerie sound effects, its coming-ofHOUR, i.e. TWILIGHT) “at the Berlinale .” (Jeremy Elphick, 2016) But this age story “wade deep…into suspense.” (VANCOVER QUEER FILM FESTIVAL series of articles is on queer Muslim cinema. Thailand is 95% Buddhist and [VQFF], 2015) only 4 ½% Sunni and Sufi Muslim. Still, there are 3500 mosques in its 198,000 square miles. And lots of ‘ladyboys.’ In Nia di Nata’s ARISAN! (2003) friends, who just to get together for fun, form their own lo�ery. Andien, the current head, and Saki, a handsome but There is no official state religion. suppressed homosexual, vie for the affections of Meime, a girl wishing for pregnancy. Lives turn upside down as the group reassess itself. In Jeff Roy’s documentary MOHAMMED TO MAYA (2012), Mohammed Gulam Hussain, born in India, rejected by his family, is now an actress, dancer, and holistic doctor in Los Angeles. He “travels to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery,” to become the female Maya (Illusion) (SLGFF 2012) and returns to Los Angeles. MOHAMMED TO MAYA is an expanded version of Roy’short RITES OF PASSAGE (2011).
In Teddy Soratmadja’s LOVELY MAN (2011) nineteen-year old Cahaya, in full white local Muslim dress, searches Jakarta for her father, now a transvestite, gay prostitute. Their one night together, as he makes his rounds, ends in insight for them both. Some of the disturbing events of the night are scored to Debussy’s CLAIRE DE LUNE.
Mohammed/Maya learns to operate a video-camera, so the film becomes intertextual, with the protagonist both object, in close-up, and agent, in long shots. Her electrolysis is shown; her memories of rejection are poignant. (Walter Hakala, 76 (1))
Also from Indonesia, Anak-Aak Srikandi’s CHILDREN OF SIRKANDI (Sirkandi is a transgender in the Mahabharata, 2012) in nine short films is a Swiss-German-Indonesian co-production. The female Srikandi, who becomes a male to kill Bhisma, who kidnapped her on her wedding day, is now a bisexual lesbian. The first Indonesian film on lesbians, part experiment and part documentary, blends folk art and Javanese shadow puppets into a “radical exploration of gender politics and the idea of transformation.” (SLGFF, 2012)
Thailand carries out more reassignment surgery than any other country in the word. Iran is second. Sign seen during my 2002 bicycle trip to Terwilleger (Cougar) Hot Springs. A popular destination on Forest Service land east of Eugene, Oregon.
The trade winds are strong. Jakarta, its capital, is the second most populous city in the Muslim world. Java contains a fourth of its land mass.
Catch more on Thailand in a later article. INDONESIA The world’s largest archipelagic country, 17,000 islands between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, straddling the equator, is the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world. It shares borders with several countries, including maritime ones with Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Aditya Yudho’s short PRIA (2016) has a young man who, for the sake of his mother, agrees to marry, but then has second thoughts. Rain Cuaca’s short A TIME FOR US (2016) is on “a couple who are not all that they seem to be.” Cuaca is the director of the 100% Manusia [Human Being] Film Festival in Jakarta. Continued on page 18
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A Bibliography Of Queer Cinema Continued
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A co-production between Indonesia and the Netherlands, Anouk Houtman’s ethnographic short ACROSS GENDER (2016) focuses on local transpersons and their struggle for acceptance. In Garin Nugroho’s biopic KUCUMBU TUBAH INDAHKU (MEMORIES OF MY BODY, 2018) Juno, an orphan Javanese lengger (MTF transvestite dancer), is based on the world-famous trance dancer and choreographer Rianto. Beyond customs and religions, “The form of dancing I practice has been slowly disappearing, like much of the culture of my community, against the tides of conservative Islamic culture.” With Rianto as narrator, Nugroho follows Juno’s life in four episodes. He suffers a harsh master who teaches him discipline, contrasting the master’s more sympathetic female servant. He becomes a water-boy for an a�ractive young boxer, always naked to the waist, who loses a match, is dragged across a floor by his neck and forced to sell a kidney to pay for a be�or’s loss. Juno joins a traveling theatre troupe, dances, and suffers conservative mores. The troupe is run out of town, having disparaged a corrupt politician. Finally, Juno, formerly frail, shy, and unsure of his sexuality, is seen in the back of a truck, confident, on his way to fame to Jakarta, his move to Japan and his worldwide fame. Nugroho’s films are difficult to understand for local audiences, but have won several Indonesian and international prizes. Interesting characters are introduced only to be dropped from the next episode. The master disappears at the end of the first episode. The friendship between Juno and the boxer is palpably erotic, but at the end of the episode the fighter disappears, never to be seen again. The political intrigue occupies only the last episode. The four episodes make for a choppy continuity, separated by dance and narration by Rianto himself KUCUMBU TUBAH INDAHKU has overcome a boyco� in Indonesia for its depiction of same-sex love. It was banned in two fundamentalist Muslim provinces, including Aceh, the country’s most northwestern point, where Islam first entered the country. Indonesia is 87% Muslim, and controlled by sharia law. Yet it has thriving gay underground. SINGAPORE In Singapore, a state 14% Muslim and 33% Buddhist, Taofik Kolade’s short THE BINDING OF ISHMAEL (2010) has two brothers, the young, gay Ahmet and the eider, straight Azim, pi�ed against their violent father, who contemplates the honor killing of Ahmet. Benjamin Zhang and Dewi Tan’s THE CYCLE (2017) refers to the Buddhist cycle of life. A returning son seeks his father’s acceptance of not only him, but his partner, and their as yet unborn son.
Next month: Queer Muslim Diasporas.
Press Release I just bought a year of lunches. From a restaurant near where I work. It cost me $2000 – money I plan to spend on lunches anyhow. I know not everyone can afford this, but please let me explain why I did it. These are challenging times. No doubt you are concerned about your business. It would be strange if you weren’t. I want to recognize that everyone receiving this is both an owner, and a member of a local community. It is my aim to speak to both parts of you. Let’s see how it goes. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing massive disruption to the health and safety of communities around the world. Above all, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and in good health. One observation I’ve made is people everywhere are concerned for their local small businesses, and uncertain of how to help. The purpose of this email is to share a proposal for how together we can help small businesses, and update you on FreshBooks’ response amid all things COVID-19. Now let me say, supporting local businesses in your community right now is imperative. Small businesses are the engine of economic growth. Growth fuels prosperity for all. We all want and deserve prosperity. Due to COVID-19, businesses will shut down. Some are adapting, others will be less impacted. With this backdrop, and in the face of this adversity, each of us has the power to act, but sometimes we just don’t know what to do. So here is a proposal. It won’t fix everything. Some may laugh at how insignificant the proposal may seem on the surface. Or be annoyed that it’s “just an idea”. I would contend, at least it is taking action, however small. And that small acts can make a big impact. My proposal is this: Pre-purchase from your local businesses. Buy gift cards if available. Or, if you are a local business under duress, reach out to your clients and make it easy for them to purchase in advance from you today.
So please, if this strikes a chord, share the link to this post, or write your own – the important thing is to spread this message. You can use the hashtag #prebuylocal if you like. And more importantly, if you have the ability to prepurchase from even one owner, please go ahead and do that. Be�er still, after you pre-purchase, share your act with others in hopes of inspiring them to do the same, including sharing it in the comments of this post if you like. Beyond my act above, at FreshBooks, we are living this. We have a program that recognizes employees for living our values in an exemplary way. Any FreshBooker can recognize another, and along with recognition, the recipient gets a $25 gift card. Until this week those gift cards were for Amazon and Best Buy. This week we shifted to make these gift cards for small local businesses within walking distance of our offices in Toronto, Raleigh, and Amsterdam. I encourage everyone to think about how you can think of the small acts you can make to help owners. I recognize this “idea” and this call to action will not work for every kind of business, or in every circumstance. I recognize not everyone has money to share right now. These are indeed imperfect times, but perhaps you can take the spirit of this message, find the good in it, and evolve my proposal to suit your needs or those around you. So this is a start. There is still a long road ahead. I look forward to figuring out more ways we all can work together to support the global small business community.
Why is this a good idea? Simply put, it gets cash into the hands of owners you believe in today, in the hopes they will be here tomorrow. Think of local restaurants, physical trainers or massage therapists. No clients will be visiting them for some time. Can you pre-purchase five lunches today? Or three sessions?
And with all of that, please know that more than 400 FreshBookers are standing by, ready to serve you. We weathered the 2008 financial crisis, so we have some experience with these circumstances and will be here for you throughout COVID-19, and beyond. Over the last 10 days, we have transitioned to 100% work from home. Like many of you, the self-isolation is hard on our team – especially those who live alone, and parents who are trying to stay productive, while first tending to their most important job: Parenting.
Again, this will not fix everything. And I am aware that many of you are experiencing such financial difficulty that you are not in a position to give. But for those of you who are, and who want to help and don’t know how, I would say, support the owners you believe in.
With that, FreshBooks remains available to help as you navigate these challenging times with your business. On behalf of FreshBookers everywhere, stay safe, and stay healthy. And remember we’re here to help where we can in hopes you know that you’re not in this alone.
Cynics might say, “what if the owner just pockets the money and doesn’t honor the gift down the road?” To that I say, I believe in owners. 99.999% of owners will do the right thing. Why? Because they love their businesses, feel a duty to their customers, are concerned for their employees and respect their communities. Again, I believe in owners. To those who might say, “my gift” won’t make a difference, I disagree. First, more than anything right now, owners need to feel your support.
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Knowing they ma�er to you, is the non-monetary emotional support that will fuel their resolve to persevere. Owners are constantly concerned with serving their clients and caring for employees, and they need you now. Second, and importantly, if we take this act and spread this message far and wide, we can have an impact. What if ten million people pre-purchased or gifted $100 to their local businesses? That’s $1 billion. That’s a very big deal, and could be the difference between survival, or not, for many businesses.
Mike McDerment Co-Founder & CEO FreshBooks
h�ps://www.freshbooks.com/blog/covid-open-le�er-freshbooks