Massive Attack

El Salvador’s current family code bans gay marriages and one would think it would be enough to tame the homophobes and conservatives. But, unfortunately, that is not the case here, rather, like the right-winged ultra-conservative religious zealots that are in the States, El Salvador’s religious elite took on drastic reform which passed in April that would make a constitutional amendment that would confirm matrimony between a man and a woman (one that still needs to be ratified by the legislative body). Its days like this that I still wish Spain were still in control of Latin America, especially with center-left Zapatero at the helm (Spain acknowledges and allows gay marriages and if you’ve kept up with my blogs know that I think highly of him).

Oh wait, did I forget to mention who at the helm of this reform? Was it one of the notorious 14 families that control all the wealth of El Salvador? Hmm. Perhaps a member of Congress in the states pushing his social policies in 3rd world? Think so? A homophobic Christian coalition? Close. Maybe…a higher source? Possibly. The frontrunner of this reform was the archbishop Fernando Sáenz Lacalle, the highest ranking cleric in El Salvador, leader of the Catholic majority in this country. Just a leader reminder, it was the leftist priests who taught “liberation theology” here in El Salvador during the war, under then Archbishop Romero, a theological idea that was not acknowledged by the Vatican. Granted it had nothing to do with tolerance, its focus was against the military tyranny, but, aren’t we dealing with another form of oppression? And this time, rather than at the end of a rifle, aren’t we looking at the end of a cross? After Romero’s assassination the Church put an ultra-conservative (how conservative, check out his bio http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsaenz.html) in power whose influence, although much small than Romero’s, still wields a large sphere of influence, especially in politics (there is not a separation between Church and State).

“Esto no es un ataque contra nadie, contra ningún colectivo”, he was recently quoted as saying (this is not an attack on anyone, not counter any collective). So I’m assuming homosexuals are not considered people thus not constituting “anyone” and gay-friendly organizations such as Entre Amigos here in El Salvador is not an organized body thus not a “collective”, oh okay, in that sense it make perfect sense. And that whole “love one another…” thing I learned in school? Well, I guess that guy who preached it was wrong, I’m sorry I’ve been out of practice for awhile remind me who said that?

Your Affectionate Volunteer,

SCRUTAPE