Aussielicious

This morning, like wildfire posts all over facebook were talking about Adshel, a company that displays advertising in bus shelters and billboards, crumbling to homophobia and removing a safe sex campaign featuring, amongst others, a loving real life gay couple in a harmless embrace (above)

Within hours a protest outside the Adshel offices had taken place and press had gotten wind of the story. According to Adshel a “large number” of complaints had been received about the poster citing all the usual stories about exposing children to sexual images etc.

By the end of the day, after the governing body that handles complaints had ruled that the image didn’t break any rules, Adshel admitted that they had fallen prey to a campaign orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby. In all less than 40 complaints were lodged.

In a fantastic result Adshel will reinstate the campaign immediately. Read the full article here.

Last weekend’s Rapture didn’t happen and the man that was courteous enough to warn us all about it is as stunned as we are. Helpfully he’s revised his prediction to the 31st of October saying that last weekend was God’s deadline to make his decisions about who steps on the gilded escalator to heaven and who slides down the scorching slippery slide to hell and October’s REAL Rapture is when we get dispatched to either destination.

Let me get this straight. God has now decided who has been good and who has been bad, just like Santa and has chosen Halloween to send us on our way? It really does put some pressure on our Halloween costumes for this year. You don’t want to put some angel wings on and end up in Hell now do you? You don’t want to dress up as a fallen angel and end up in Heaven. That could be all kinds of awkward. The angels would forever be looking at you with a touch of doubt in their eyes.

The five month window to find redemption is a little concerning also. I’ve been wandering around committing a fair few sins for nearly 38 years now and while I’ve tried to be good most of the time surely it’s going to take a bit longer to redeem myself, especially since I now have a boyfriend and we are committing acts of sin and reveling in our abomination status on a relatively regular basis.

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st May 2011 is apparently going to see “The Rapture” ie the end of days or the day of reckoning. I have a couple of questions about it as it’s creating some dilemmas for me.

Firstly, I have some grand plans like publishing an Aussielicious Book, having another exhibition, getting married etc. Some are more long term than others of course but I would like to see them through to fruition. I’m assuming that because it’s the evil gays that are bringing the rapture upon us that I will be burning in hell for eternity so I should probably just abandon my plans now?

If however I do end up in God’s warm embrace for eternity basking in the glow of his love, will my plans and dreams all be automatically fulfilled given that everything goes to plan in heaven? That feels like a bit of a lazy cheaters way of achieving things to me.

Going to heaven also brings up some other issues. According to some religions I’m going to be presented with 47 virgins upon my arrival. That’s very generous but even if god does forgive my evil homosexual ways I’m assuming the virgins will be female which feels like it would be somewhat of  a punishment rather than a reward. I have nothing against women of course, some of my best relatives and friends are female, mum for instance, but I don’t consider 47 inexperienced sexual partners not of my regular choosing to be much of a reward.

One last question. With various time zones around the world, am I to assume that the US will see the Rapture some 15-20 hours after those of us here in Australia? We’ll only get two hours warning from the light cast by New Zealand burning into flames (they are all heading south surely) which isn’t much time to say my goodbyes.

Ross Watson’s latest work depicts porn superstar Francois Sagat in place of the “Crucifixion of St Peter” in a work inspired by the Vatican’s stance on condom use promoting HIV. Ross decided to use Francois because of his work in HIV Prevention. This piece has also set a new record for the sale of Ross’ originals at $42,000. Well done Ross.

In other Ross Watson news, German publisher Bruno Gmunder is set to publish a book of Ross’ work spanning 20 years.

It’s no secret that I believe religion is the cause of a lot of the worlds ills. I’m speaking of organised religion which I cannot deny also does a great deal of good. Spirituality I have no problem with in the slightest but a lot of ignorant and intolerant people take refuge behind the protective name of god. The sex abuse scandal shaking the Catholic church is a good example.

I read this blog post today about a man who is happy to admit he was full of intolerance and hatred for homosexuals because that’s what the church and his family had taught him. Thank goodness he’s now actively campaigning for gay rights with his fellow straight friend. The really surprising part about his story? The two friends had made a pact that the other would kill them if they became homosexual. Yes they were that afraid of loving another man.

Source: Towleroad

Recently I proposed to a friend that we should start our own monastery. There is a theory behind such a move, even though I’ve loudly proclaimed my stand against organised religion. The theory began with the thought that I am not a wealthy man, probably not technically ruled by poverty, but far from loaded. I’m also a man who isn’t far from celibate most of the time. So I figured living a blissful, peaceful existence somewhere wouldn’t be much of a stretch.

And don’t panic faithful readers, this would be a very forward monastery. Internet access allowed.

We are going to build our men only, gay-or-at-least-curious monastery in the hinterlands of the Queensland Sunshine Coast. The reason behind that move is that the robes are lightweight and will be entirely optional. In fact nudity will be encouraged, for it’s purity of course. The robes will also be blue. God knows orange does NOTHING for my complexion at all and blue brings out my eyes! If anyone asks it’s because we are representing the beautiful sky that will shine down on us, or something like that anyway.

Our rituals are all yet to be fully fleshed out, but they shall include communal bathing every day in the stream that meanders beautifully through our property with thermal springs keeping the water at a perfect temperature all year round. There may or may not be an initiation ceremony. We kinda got stuck on the naked men bathing communally.

At the risk of inspiring another barrage of pro/con religion comments the pilgrims are departing Sydney but according to this article, those pilgrims that hang around for the weekend can have half price entry into the annual Sexpo saying that if they are being urged to procreate as God saw fit, then they need to become more relaxed about sex.

Rumour has it, and that’s all it is as far as I know, that some of the pilgrims may already be relaxed or there’s a whole lot of confessing going on. Reports have filtered my way of Sydney’s CBD gay sauna “357″ was packed to the rafters with all sorts of pilgrim-like creatures going at it 2 by 2, just like on the ark, or even more by more. Call it heresy or heresay I’m inclined to believe it.

Today saw the largest Mass ever held in Australia as World Youth Day kicked off with over 150,000 deluded closeted virgins in town to hear the bigoted ramblings of a former Hitler Nazi Youth member now heading up a wonderfully large organisation of paedophiles.

Sorry, got a bit carried away there but I have a major problem with the Catholic church and organised religion in general. The Pope is officially going to apologise to victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church. In typical catholic confessional tradition, that is expected to absolve them of guilt. I’m sorry? Gay men are an abomination and condoms are evil, both of which are LEGAL, but molesting children just needs a little apology. Fuck off. You’d better not stand too close to me while World Youth Day celebrations are on because I will be blaspheming constantly and may get hit by lightening.

A while back a Catholic Priest contacted me through the original incarnation of Aussielicious via email and since then we’ve had a bit of an ongoing dialog about sexuality, religion and life in general. Father X is in his 50′s. He was kind enough to agree to do this interview for us.

Which came first your calling to the priesthood or realising you were gay?
Being gay – something I knew from a young age, say mid-grade school years.

How do you reconcile your loyalty to the Catholic Church with your sexuality and their stance on homosexuality?
In a sense, there’s nothing to reconcile.  Being homosexual is not a choice [for most people];  being straight is also not a choice;  it’s how we are as people.  And God, I believe is a God of love, hence love is capable in all people.  God loves all people.  What the Church [and most people] would not want are abusive relationships, which happen in all sectors of society.  We have a responsibility to be people of love, people who have and show respect for ourselves and others.  As for how that love is expressed … be it sexually or otherwise, that will change over the years – and has changed.  As we as a human race grow in our understanding of the world, then so will our morals and behaviour.  The human ovum was not discovered until 1827 – less than 200 years ago, science discovered how babies came about!  Science previously had said things like, “If a man has too much sex, he can turn into a woman.”  Though several men tried, none were successful.  We look back at that now and can laugh – our behaviour has changed, but the value of love and respect remains.

When you first broke your vow of abstinence, did you feel any guilt about it?
The “Catholic guilt” for some is a reality … when I first stole something, when I was seven years old, I thought a bolt of lighting would strike me down.  The God of the Jesus [as shown in the Gospels] is a God of love, healing and peace.  A total absence of guilt is not a good thing – similarly, the inability to feel physical pain is not a good thing.  What must be asked is whether the guilt is reasonable or based on “superstition” or false morality.

Would you agree that it’s not a natural human state to be celibate?
Many people choose to be celibate – some are celibate, but not by choice!  Many choose to marry or have other types of intimate relationships.  A natural human state is to be intimate – which bespeaks love.  Some love is celibate;  most is not.  Being celibate is certainly not for everyone.  But it is not unnatural – and there is no connection with celibacy and pedophilia.  Most pedophiles are in married situations.

Do you think younger generations are becoming more and more sceptical about organised religion?
Yes – especially after corruption and sexual abuse allegations and revelations.  However, the traditional organized religions are being replaced, alas, by some fundamentalist sects.  True religion allows freedom.  I can understand young people branching away from organized religion.

How does a gay priest go about having sexual contact?
Like a porcupine having sex – very carefully.  Some, no doubt, would go to bath houses and the like.  No doubt this can be an attempt to satisfy a physical urge.  However, as with everyone, intimacy and love are what we all seek.  And not all sexual contacts provide intimacy or love.

With a presumably thorough knowledge of the bible, what does it really say about homosexuality?
This is a complex questions, and certainly not simplistic as some fundamentalists would try to have us believe.  One such preacher quoted the gospel to a gay young man, “If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.”  The New Testament also tells women to be quiet in church and to cover their heads!  Ridiculous to literally apply what was said in a totally different culture 2000 years ago to the modern world.  What is said is against abusive or manipulative or demeaning others.  Certainly the Bible speaks against “unnatural” acts.  Spilling of a man’s “seed” was seen as unnatural – of course this was well before the human ovum was discovered.  Didn’t science once believe that masturbation could send you blind?!  The value behind what is in the Bible remains true – our sexuality is for others, not just for our own hedonistic pleasure.  There is more to life than hedonistic pleasure – more to life than being doped out and dancing with a chair or treating another person as a sexual object.  Homosexuality is not yet understood by the sciences.  The Bible must be read in that light, trying to see the values that lie beneath it – values that are worthwhile.

In your adulthood you’ve seen homosexuality go from being illegal to relatively celebrated with things like Pride marches and Mardi Gras. Do you think we’ll ever see true equality?
As equal as the rich and the poor. As equal as the United States ’ law and the Geneva Convention on torture. As equal as AIDS is treated in Africa and the United States. As fair as the elections are in totalitarian nations.  The law changes are excellent. The sexual discrimination Acts are excellent.  Changing peoples’ attitudes – that’s different and is taking years. But we are people of hope.