ΟΙ 10 GAY ΡΟΛΟΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ TV / Αφαιρέθηκε η λέξη “gay” από το σποτάκι της “Πολυκατοικίας”

ΟΙ 10 GAY ΡΟΛΟΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ TV- ΚΑΙΡΟΣ ΝΑ ΠΟΥΝ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ ΓΙΑΤΙ ΟΛΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΓΑΠΗ

 OMAΔΑ UNWIRED  6:35 μ.μ.

ΕΧΟΥΜΕ αναφέρει πολλές φορές ότι η ελληνική τηλεόραση ασχολήθηκε σε πασίγνωστες σειρά με τον ρόλο των gay παρουσιάζοντας με πολλούς τρόπους την πολυχρωμία των ανθρώπων. Άλλοτε επιδερμικά, άλλοτε ως καρικατούρα, άλλοτε με σοβαρή διάθεση όπως γίνεται τα τελευταία χρόνια και ιδίως με το Εθνική Ελλάδος. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι οι ρόλοι των γκέι δεν είναι όπως παρουσιάζονται στην τηλεόραση αφού στην πραγματικότητα είναι καθημερινοί άνθρωποι, άτομα της διπλανής πόρτας, χαρούμενοι, με διάθεση για ζωή, χωρίς ίχνος καρικατούρας καθώς οι σειρές ήθελαν να υπερτονίσουν το συστατικό της θηλυπρέπειας σκόπιμα για να κάνουν τηλεθέαση.
Οι ρόλοι άλλοτε τολμηροί και άλλοτε σε κωμικές σειρές αποτυπώνουν μια ολόκληρη ιστορία, αλλά εκτιμώ ότι πέρα από τις 10 σειρές που παρουσιάζονται ορισμένες φορές οι σκηνοθέτες έκαναν θετική παρέμβαση. Θυμάστε το φιλί του Παπακαλιάτη που προκάλεσε παρέμβαση στο ΕΣΡ και έγινε πρωτοσέλιδο εκείνη την εποχή, αλλά και ρόλους τόσο στις σειρές 10 εντολές με δραματική διάθεση, αλλά και στην σειρά για την άγρια γενιά με τον γνωστό σκηνοθέτη πλέον Κ. Σβίγκο. 
1 . ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΜΠΕΖΟΣ- ΑΠΑΡΑΔΕΚΤΟΙ- Ο ΠΡΩΤΟΣ ΡΟΛΟΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΗΛΕΟΡΑΑΣΗ
Ο πρώτος γκέι χαρακτήρας σε ελληνική σειρά και ίσως και ο πιο αγαπητός. Η επιτυχία του Γιάννη στους Απαράδεκτους δεν είναι απλά ότι συστήθηκε στο ευρύ κοινό παίζοντας έναν ομοφυλόφιλο και δη πριν από σχεδόν 25 χρόνια, αλλά το ότι το έκανε με τέτοιο τρόπο, δια χειρός Δήμητρας Παπαδοπούλου, που έγινε δημοφιλής σε άνδρες και γυναίκες που τοποθετούν τη σειρά ανάμεσα στις καλύτερες όλων των εποχών. 2. ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ ΡΗΓΑΣ- ΔΥΟ ΞΕΝΟΙ Ίσως ο πιο διάσημος και μοναδικός γκέι της ελληνικής τηλεόρασης που είχε όμως σκηνές πάθους με μια γυναίκα, τη Δέσποινα Βανδή εν προκειμένω. Ο Τόλης των Δύο Ξένων, είναι επίσης μια περίπτωση "νορμαλοποίησης" της εικόνας ενός γκέι που δεν έχει στοιχεία καρικατούρας και στερεότυπου. 3. ΛΑΚΗΣ ΛΑΖΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΔΕΚΑ ΜΙΚΡΟΙ ΜΗΤΣΟΙ Ο Λάκης Λαζόπουλος ακολουθεί την παλιά σχολή στον τρόπο με τον οποίο παρουσιάζει τους ομοφυλόφιλους χαρακτήρες. Καρικατούρες, ντυμένοι υπερβολικά, με αφύσικη κίνηση και ομιλία παραπέμπουν σε αυτό που ως σύνολο θα λέγαμε αποτελεί το στερεότυπο για τον γκέι άνδρα στην ελληνική κοινωνία. 4. ΜΠΙΛΥ- ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΠΥΡΠΑΣΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΥΠΕΡΟΧΑΠ ΠΛΑΣΜΑΤΑ Ο Γιώργος Πυρπασόπουλος είναι ο αλέγκρος, χαρούμενος γκέι φίλος της Μυρτούς Αλυκάκη και της Φαίδρας Δρούκα. Δοσμένος με απόλυτα φυσικό τρόπο και για πρώτη φορά, χωρίς να εστιάζει σχεδόν καθόλου στις σεξουαλικές του προτιμήσεις ή να χρησιμοποιεί το θέμα της σεξουαλικότητας για αναπαραγωγή εύκολου χιούμορ. 5.ΜΑΝΤΑΡΙΝΑΚΗ Η ΕΞΑΔΕΡΦΗ- ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΕΝΗΣ Αν και δεν επρόκειτο για σταθερό χαρακτήρα στην κωμική σειρά, η Μανταρινάκη η εξαδέρφη άγγιζε το θέμα της ομοφυλοφιλίας στο "Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης". Επική ατάκα πάντως εκείνη της Ράντου: "Δεν ντρέπεσαι να τη λες 'ανωμαλάρα'; Πες την καραλεσβία του κερατά". 6. ΧΑΡΗΣ ΑΣΗΜΑΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ- ΠΟΛΥΚΑΤΟΙΚΙΑ Ο ρόλος του Μάρκου στην κωμωδία η Πολυκατοικία αγαπήθηκε πολύ και ιδιαίτερα η ατάκα του "Είσαι τρελή;". Αν και το κόνσεπτ της σειράς είναι φερμένο από το εξωτερικό, το γκέι ζευγάρι στην Πολυκατοικία έδεσε ιδιαίτερα αρμονικά. 7. ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΚΑΠΟΥΤΖΙΔΗΣ- ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ Ο Γιώργος Καπουτζίδης στο τελευταίο του σίριαλ, υποδύθηκε έναν Ελληνοκαναδό που έχει μόνιμη σχέση με έναν άλλο άνδρα, τον Ρίτσαρντ. Στη σειρά υπήρχε αναφορά και στα κοινωνικά στερεότυπα, με την αντίδραση των συντηρητικών γειτόνων που βανδάλισαν την πόρτα που μένουν οι δύο άνδρες. 8. ΣΠΥΡΟΣ- SINGLES Ο Σταμάτης Ζακολύκος υποδύεται έναν νεαρό και ιδιαίτερα ντροπαλό άνδρα, που πασχίζει να κρύψει τη σεξουαλική του ταυτότητα από την οικογένειά του. Η σειρά παρουσιάζει μια ιδιαίτερα δύσκολη κοινωνική πραγματικότητα και το αδιέξοδο κάποιων ανθρώπων που πρέπει να μετατρέψουν την προσωπική τους ζωή σε "μυστήριο" για να αποφύγουν την "αντίδραση" των δικών τους ανθρώπων. Η σκηνή που ο πατέρας του Σπύρου αντιλαμβάνεται ότι ο γιος του είναι γκέι είναι ενδεικτική. 9 . ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΜΑΝΤΑΚΑΣ- ΚΑΦΕ ΤΗΣ ΧΑΡΑΣ Ο Αστέρης, πρώην σύζυγος της Χαράς από το "Καφέ της Χαράς" είναι ομοφυλόφιλος, βάζοντας το θέμα αυτό στην ιδιαίτερα δημοφιλή σειρά του Χάρη Ρώμα. Αν και η σκηνή που ο Χρήστος Μάντακας προβάρει μια κομπινεζόν είναι ιδιαίτερα στερεοτυπική και δεν ανταποκρίνεται στην πραγματικότητα ενός ομοφυλόφιλου άνδρα που δεν είναι απαραίτητο να φαντασιώνεται πως ντύνεται με γυναικεία ρούχα. 10. ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΚΑΠΠΑΣ -ΚΛΕΙΣΕ ΤΑ ΜΑΤΙΑ Ο Κώστας Κάππας υποδύθηκε τον ομοφυλόφιλο στη σειρά του Χριστόφορου Παπακαλιάτη, Κλείσε τα Μάτια. Η είδηση σε αυτή την περσόνα δεν είναι τόσο η σκηνοθετική ή υποκριτική ματιά της σειράς, αλλά η υπερβολική αντίδραση του ΕΣΡ που έκρινε πως το φιλί ανάμεσα σε δύο άνδρες είναι απρεπές και χαμηλού επιπέδου και επέβαλε στο κανάλι πρόστιμο 100.000 ευρώ. Η είδηση της επιβολής προστίμου το 2003 είχε προκαλέσει έντονες αντιδράσεις και το θέμα έφτασε μέχρι το ΣτΕ. Το Δ Τμήμα του Συμβουλίου της Επικρατείας ακύρωσε το πρόστιμο των 100.000 ευρώ που είχε επιβάλλει το Εθνικό Συμβούλιο Ραδιοτηλεόρασης (ΕΣΡ) στον τηλεοπτικό σταθμό Mega, για το γνωστό φιλί μεταξύ ανδρών σε επεισόδιο της εκπομπής «Κλείσε τα μάτια», του Χριστόφορου Παπακαλιάτη, το 2003. Το ΣτΕ έκρινε ότι η απόφαση του ΕΣΡ δεν έχει νόμιμη αιτιολογία και ότι η παρουσίαση σκηνής, στην οποία εκφράζεται απλώς η ομοφυλόφιλη ερωτική επιθυμία, με ένα φιλί και χωρίς να υπάρχουν σκηνές πορνογραφικού περιεχομένου ή βωμολοχίες, δεν μπορεί «σε καμία περίπτωση» να θεωρηθεί ότι προσδίδει την απαγορευμένη από το Σύνταγμα «χαμηλή και υποβαθμισμένη ποιοτική στάθμη» των τηλεοπτικών εκπομπών. 

Posted by: Vasilis Thanopoulos 24/08/2015 

Τη λέξη “gay” φαίνεται πως εξαφάνισαν από το διαφημιστικό τηλεοπτικό σποτάκι της σειράς “Η Πολυκατοικία”, η οποία προβάλλεται σε επανάληψη από το Mega.

Αν και στο αρχικό σποτάκι – όταν η σειρά μεταδιδόταν για πρώτη φορά-  η λέξη αναφερόταν κανονικά, στην τωρινή επαναληπτική εκδοχή του έχει αντικατασταθεί από έναν ήχο.

Το αρχικό σποτ

Το σποτ που παίζεται τώρα

http://www.avmag.gr/av/56995/aferethike-i-lexi-gay-apo-to-spotaki-tis-polikatikias/

A sister + a brother, raising their grandnephew: Meet an unconventional family that's thriving.

Sherri James was leading a busy and fulfilling life as the minister of a church when she found herself in a position to answer a second calling.

The 45-year-old self-proclaimed workaholic made the ultimate offer: to become a primary caregiver for her grandnephew, Jordan.

Sherri first met Jordan when he was 13 months old, after she returned to her home state to officiate her uncle's funeral. “I fell in love with [Jordan] immediately," she recalled. “I can remember holding him one night and praying over him."

Sherri and Jordan, enjoying dinner together.

Jordan's mother — Sherri's niece — had untreated mental health issues and was having a hard time caring for Jordan. One day, Sherri's mom called to vent some frustration over potentially needing to become Jordan's caregiver when Sherri said, “What if I take him?"

“The next thing I know, my niece is calling me to ask if Jordan can stay with me for one year while she gets help," Sherri recalled. Sherri agreed, and a short time later, she flew from California to Texas to pick up her 14-month-old grandnephew. Her niece came along to help get Jordan settled in, and then she returned to Texas.

But it soon became apparent that what started off as a short-term plan would need to become more permanent. “When it became obvious that my niece would not get treatment, I petitioned the courts for guardianship and received it," Sherri said. Now 20 months old, Jordan is doing well. But here's where the story gets interesting.

Relatives take in children all the time. But how many end up co-parenting with their sibling?That's right. 

Making their situation more unusual, Sherri is co-parenting Jordan with her 37-year-old brother John*.

At Upworthy, we tell stories for a better world.Like us on Facebook to get them first:

“I absolutely adore my brother," Sherri said of John. They were close as kids despite their eight-year age difference, and their bond extended into adulthood. John stayed with her during summer breaks while she was in college, and he eventually moved to L.A., where Sherri had moved eight years earlier. After living with her for five years, he moved out in 2008.

But when John decided to stay with Sherri again temporarily last fall, the timing was perfect. Temporary stretched into indefinite because Sherri found John's presence and assistance raising Jordan "essential." She said: "I can't imagine doing this without my brother's help."

Sherri, John, and Jordan are a reminder that families aren't just made up of a mom, a dad, and their biological children. That's not just OK. It's beautiful.

The reality of life is that when a parent finds himself or herself unable to raise their child, there just aren't that many options. Foster care is one, although it's less than ideal. Family care, where a relative steps in to raise the child, is another.

Family care, also called kinship care, is fairly common.

In fact, over 6 million kids are being raised by family members other than their birth parents. In communities all across the country, family members are stepping in and stepping up where they are needed to help care for the children who need it most. These relatives don't always get recognized and rewarded, but they put in the love and work — and millions of children are better for it.

While Sherri functions as the “primary" parent, John's help raising Jordan is invaluable.

When Sherri is unable to take care of Jordan, John steps in. “What's wonderful is how much Jordan loves him," Sherri said. “When he leaves the house, Jordan cries crocodile tears. My brother is truly his BFF. ... I've learned to respect their bond."

The Jameses may have an unconventional family situation, but it works — very well.

While her “new" life is filled with toys, play dates, and diapers, Sherri prefers it. “I feel like I have better balance now with Jordan," she explained. “Before he came, I was a workaholic. But his presence forces me to play outdoors at least once a day. Now, I try to squeeze all my work into the time that he's in day care. And, at 5:30 p.m. when I pick him up, it's party on!"

At the same time, Sherri is very mindful of her niece, the woman whose baby she is raising. “She's not a bad person. She has a mental illness and it negatively impacted how she cared for Jordan," Sherri explained.

“It was not an easy decision to step in and take this baby. The fact that he is thriving now — meaning gained weight, got back on track developmentally — is our consolation that we made the right choice. But it's still hard emotionally."

The popular parenting adage “It takes a village to raise a child" came to mind when Sherri told me about her community's support.

Sherri with her mom and her "spiritual mom," Della Reese.

“I am so grateful for the way my church family has stepped up to help me," she said. One member watches Jordan during services so Sherri can serve as minister. Others have generously given clothing, toys, education resources, and welcome parenting advice.

“I really, really appreciate the way my church family has embraced Jordan and is helping me look after him. They are an enormous blessing."

Sherri may not have intended to become a parent at the exact time it happened or in the way it occurred, but she has a lot in common with most parents.

Like all moms and women raising kids, she wants one thing: what's best for Jordan.

Acknowledging that she and her brother haven't had a discussion yet about their “parenting philosophy," Sherri shared: “Who I am as a parent is still emerging. My primary goal is to protect Jordan's image of himself. I want him to understand himself as a limitless spiritual being and that he can be, do, and have whatever he wants in life."

That probably sounds pretty familiar to those of us who are parents!

And like most parents, she's figuring this parenting gig out as she goes. “I don't consciously know how to teach him that," she added. “So, I pray for guidance each night for the wisdom and humility to do what is best for him."

This is a special Upworthy series about unique families — because when it comes to raising kids, one size definitely doesn't fit all.

 By Laura Willard.

A.J. Kearns, Australian transgender man, gave birth to daughter amid transition

“My body was blessed with the ability

 to provide life, I had the capacity to

 bear a child, and I am a man”

ALLISON MALONEY

08.20.15

A.J. KEARNS, ZU WHITE AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN, JASPER AND LUKA. (CREDIT: MARK FARNELL)

A.J. Kearns has been through many changes. Christened Vicky Anne Kearns by his Pentacostal parents, the Australian grew up as a tomboy in a household that prayed “about everything” and routinely went to church twice on Sundays.

The man born as Vicky presented as female, identified as a lesbian—he recognized his attraction to women in his early teen years—and moved out of the family home shortly after coming out to his parents. “My mum was quite distressed and upset at the time over what she considered a lifestyle choice,” Kearns told ABC’s Australian Story in a recent interview. Once he’d left home, escapist drugs and partying gave the teen “quite a few scares where I thought, ‘Oh God, this is going to kill me if I don’t change this.’”

Kearns returned to the church and began conversion therapy, a treatment that aimed to change his sexual orientation. He was asked to pray, not act on urges, and “basically attempt to, you know, be attracted to … a heterosexual lifestyle,” he said to ABC. The psychiatrist he subsequently turned to, gender specialist Dr. Fintan Harte, calls the conversion therapy “clearly nonsense” and has said the treatment can be profoundly damaging. Art, and not therapy “really saved me,” Kearns recalled.

Kearns quit drugs and earned a master’s degree, becoming a curator. In 2005, while still physically presenting as female, he met Zu White and was immediately smitten. “[I] wanted to just spend every waking second with her,” he said. The two held a civil partnership ceremony three years later. Shortly after that, Kearns told White that he considered himself to be a man.

A.J. Kearns prior to undergoing gender transition. (Credit: Alison Bennett)

“When A.J. told me that he felt he was male, I don’t think I was shocked,” White explained to ABC. “For me it’s about the person that you love, so that was how I was able to accept it.” The pair remained deeply in love.

Amid the intense, emotional changes occurring in Kearns’ life, he and White moved forward with plans to start a family. White gave birth to their first child, Jasper, but experienced complications during the pregnancy. Kearns, who already “mentally identified” as male, did not want White to risk a second pregnancy. He decided to hold off on his plan to physically transition so he could get pregnant instead. The same sperm donor was used for both pregnancies.

“I loved being a dad and the thought that I could, you know, create this beautiful sibling for my eldest child,” Kearns said in his interview.

“I don’t see pregnancy and birth as a female-exclusive thing,” Kearns told Australian radio show JOY 94.9. “Obviously the vast majority of the time, that’s exactly where it sits… However, there is a small portion of us that [are] male-identified that have the physical capabilities of giving birth and I was one of those.”

A chance to create life also presented an opportunity to create art, and he enlisted photographer Alison Bennett to document the process. Starting at the inception of A.J.’s pregnancy, the pair met once a month for about two years. Bennett snapped topless photos of Kearns to mark the changes that occurred in his body.

“Seeing a pregnant female body, it becomes almost impossible for people to understand you are actually a man,” Kearns told ABC. “Regardless of what clothes you wear or anything else, they start seeing this quintessential female form.”

The result of the meetings was a photo project dubbed “Inverto.” About eight months after baby Lucca’s birth, Kearns began hormone replacement therapy, a process that he had waited for “selflessly,” according to White.

A.J. Kearns pictured after his gender transition was completed. (Credit Alison Bennett)

“What I saw was an alignment between the inner personality and the body of my subject and collaborator,” Bennett told Women in the World. “AJ was uncomfortable but determined, presenting himself in the exaggerated female form of a pregnant body, and celebrated the onset of acne that reflected the changes that male hormones triggered… I saw somebody coming into their body, coming into the world, aligning their inner self with their physical embodiment.”

“I was over-the-moon excited when I had my first testosterone injection,” Kearns recalled on Australian Story. He was finally becoming comfortable in his own skin, but his parents refused to accept the transition and considered it “just a phase.” He described their reaction as a grieving process that he understands, one in which his parents feel as if they have lost the child—“their little girl”—they raised.

He and White, from whom he is now separated, both believe Kearns’ parents will eventually accept his transition.

“Zu and I broke up when I was transitioning, but we didn’t break up because of it. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Kearns told ABC. He and his former partner “support each other 100 percent,” and they have been with honest with their children about Kearns’ transition.

“They don’t really consider that there’s any difference. There’s Mummy and there’s Daddy and one came from Daddy’s tummy and one came from Mummy’s tummy,” White said.

“Inverto,” Alison Bennett’s photo series that documents the journey of A.J. Kearns’ pregnancy, lives online.

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/08/20/a-j-kearns-australian-transgender-man-gave-birth-to-daughter-amid-transition/

 η συνέντευξη που έδωσε η μητέρα ενός τρανς άντρα στην εκπομπη Over the Rainbow των Yoryis Regginos και Δέσποινα Μιχαηλίδου.

Στη συνέντευξη θίγονται απίστευτα πολλά θέματα που αφορούν στην ανατροφή ενός LGBTQ παιδιού, αλλά και πιο συγκεκριμένα ενός τρανς παιδιού, από την οπτική γωνιά του γονιού. Θίγονται θέματα για το transitioning, για τους "ειδικούς" ψυχικής υγείας αλλά και τους συνήθεις φόβους των γονιών, όπως η δημιουργία rainbow οικογενειών.

Υπήρξες γονιός, εργαζόμενη, ντίβα, ακτιβίστρια, μα πάνω απ' όλα ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ

Μέχρι το τελος, η Νανά παραμένε ενεργό μέλος του ΣΥΔ (Σωματείο Υποστήριξης Διεμφυλικών), της Homophonia- Thessaloniki Pride, καθώς και του Τμήματος Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων ΣΥΡΙΖΑ. 
Με τις προσπάθειες και τους αγώνες της, έθετε πάντα σαν στόχο την αναγνώριση των δικαιωμάτων όχι μόνο της τρανς κοινότητας, αλλά και ολόκληρου του LGBTQI χώρου.

8 ώρες · Τροποποιήθηκε

Αντί επικήδειου.

Μ' αρέσει να μην λέω πολλά. Είναι που δεν θέλω τα λόγια να σκεπάζουν την στιγμή. Είναι που όσα και να πω, δεν θα καταφέρουν ποτέ να περιγράψουν το μεγαλείο της ψυχής σου και την ακόρεστη δίψα που είχες για ζωή. Οι λέξεις φαντάζουν τόσο δα "μικρούλικες" - θυμάσαι, μια απ' τις αγαπημένες λέξεις σου -μπροστά σ' αυτά που εσύ έζησες και μάλιστα στο έπακρο. Γεύτηκες την χαρά, την δόξα, τον έρωτα, την αγάπη. Είχες τον τρόπο σου να γιατρεύεις μια μια όλες τις πληγές που σε ανάγκασαν να κουβαλάς...αλήθεια, ποτέ δεν μου είχες απαντήσει, όσες φορές κι αν σε ρώτησα, από πού την αντλούσες όλη αυτή τη δύναμη...; Πώς κατάφερνες να μας παρασέρνεις όλους και να μας πείθεις κιόλας, πως την ζωή τελικά, δεν αξίζει να την παίρνουμε στα σοβαρά...;

Όσο κι αν μας δυσκολεύει, δεν σου πρέπουν τα δάκρυα Νανά. Εσένα σου πρέπουν τα τραγούδια, τα χαμόγελα. Έτσι είναι ο πιο ταιριαστός τρόπος να σε θυμόμαστε. Η απώλειά σου θα μας στοιχειώσει πολλές νύχτες, όταν ξάγρυπνοι θα σε αναπολούμε. Να, σαν κι απόψε που δεν θα κλείσω μάτι κι αντί να σωπαίνω, τελικά φλυαρώ...Όμως εμείς οφείλουμε να σε θυμόμαστε όπως αγαπούσες. Περήφανα, τραγουδιστά, σαρκάζοντας την σοβαροφάνεια που τόσο απεχθανόσουν.
Όλη σου η ζωή ένας διαρκής αγώνας για αξιοπρέπεια, μια αέναη περιπέτεια σε πολλά διαφορετικά κεφάλαια. Και τα κατάφερες. Στάθηκες αγέρωχη και μας έδωσες το μεγαλύτερο μάθημα. Πως τα αγαθά, κόποις κτώνται. Υπήρξες γονιός, εργαζόμενη, ντίβα, ακτιβίστρια, μα πάνω απ' όλα ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ. Και στέκομαι με έμφαση σ' αυτήν σου την ιδιότητα, καθώς δεν είναι διόλου αυτονόητο πια για όλους...όπως δεν είναι και δίκαιο για όλους, να λέγονται ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΙ.

Θα μου λείψεις πολύ Νανά...και θα μου λείψεις γιατί βαθιά μέσα μου το ξέρω πως δεν θα συναντήσω ποτέ ξανά προσωπικότητα της δικής σου μεγαλοπρέπειας...θα λείψεις σε όλους πολύ, καθώς για τον καθένα χωριστά σημαίνεις κάτι διαφορετικό. Νιώθω τυχερή που σε γνώρισα και μοιράστηκα μαζί σου τόσες στιγμές. Νιώθω ευλογημένη που μπόρεσα δίπλα σου να έχω λίγη απ' την λάμψη σου...κι απ' τα λόγια μου αυτά, αν μπορείς, να κρατήσεις την κάθε λέξη, γιατί τα εννοώ. Ακόμη κι αν σε πίκρανα, ακόμη κι αν δεν σου έκανα πάντα όλα τα χατίρια...δεν είμαι εξάλλου κι ο πιο εύκολος άνθρωπος. Το ήξερες. Όλα τα ήξερες. Τα μάτια σου διαβάζαν την κάθε μου σκέψη. Μαντεύαν την κάθε μου συννεφιά...
Θα σου έλεγα να αναπαυτεί η ψυχούλα σου και να γαληνέψεις εκεί που θα πας, κι άλλα τέτοια γλυκερά, όμως θαρρώ πως ούτε κι εκεί θα έχεις ησυχία. Και γιατί άλλωστε...; Να τα κάνεις όλα άνω κάτω, να οργανώσεις καινούρια γλέντια και φαγοπότια με όλους όσους θα συναντήσεις εκεί. Να είσαι ο εαυτός σου. Ο ρόλος που τόσο αγαπούσες πάντα...
Θα σε φυλάω στην καρδιά μου παντοτινά...

Αμαλία Μανωλοπούλου

Yesterday, on the 20th of August, Nana died of cancer. She was a very generous person and always there for anybody who needed help. She had an incredible strong personality and fought for a lifetime to defend what she is. Despite all the difficulties she was faced with (social isolation because of her identity, economic situation), she was not alone in this difficult time. Many people who loved her and people who admired her were there for her until the end. Maybe this example of solidarity will sensitize more people about the social isolation of elderly LGBTIQ persons and it may increase solidarity among us. 
Thank you, Nana, for what you meant to us.

http://daphnechronopoulou.blogspot.gr/2015/08/blog-post_9.html#ixzz3kQVnT8g6

La maternità surrogata ha bisogno di più regole e meno polemiche

Diksha, due volte madre surrogata, davanti alla sua casa ad Anand, in India, il 24 agosto 2013. (Mansi Thapliyal, Reuters/Contrasto)

• 04AGO 201516.27

OPINIONI

Claudio Rossi Marcelli, giornalista di Internazionale 

L’articolo di Martín Caparrós sullo sfruttamento delle madri surrogate in India e in Nepal pubblicato la settimana scorsa sul sito di Internazionale racconta piuttosto accuratamente quanto accade in quei paesi. In generale, ricorrere alla gestazione per altri (gpa) in paesi poveri come la Thailandia, il Messico, l’Ucraina, la Georgia o appunto l’India e il Nepal significa esercitare un potere economico talmente forte sulla popolazione locale da rendere praticamente impossibile verificare se la scelta di una donna di portare avanti una gravidanza per qualcun altro sia libera oppure no. Quando si tratta di sfamare la propria famiglia, è probabile che qualunque donna indiana sia disposta a tutto. O forse è la sua famiglia a costringerla. Ma anche al di fuori da una situazione di grave indigenza, di fronte all’offerta di un compenso pari a vari anni di stipendio diventa difficile per una donna dire di no. Prima ancora che una questione etica sulla gestazione per altri, quindi, quello di cui parla Martín Caparrós è un rapporto di sfruttamento economico del mondo ricco nel confronti dei paesi poveri.

La legislazione dei paesi coinvolti, più che un’effettiva volontà di evitare abusi sembra soprattutto una corsa ai ripari per evitare complicazioni a livello internazionale. Come la Thailandia che, dopo il caso di una coppia di genitori australiani eterosessuali che hanno abbandonato alla madre surrogata un bambino affetto dalla sindrome di Down, ha introdotto un divieto di gestazione per altri agli aspiranti genitori stranieri e omosessuali. O qualche anno prima l’India, che stufa di avere a che fare con magagne diplomatiche, ha limitato l’accesso alla maternità surrogata alle coppie eterosessuali regolarmente sposate da almeno due anni.

Interessante notare che in entrambi i casi è scattato un divieto alle coppie omosessuali, mentre non è stato adottato assolutamente nessun provvedimento per migliorare le condizioni delle madri surrogate o evitare i casi di sfruttamento. Ulteriore conferma che dietro alle nuove regolamentazioni non ci sia alcun interesse nei confronti di queste donne e nessuna intenzione di limitare gli effetti negativi della gpa.

L’informazione parziale sul fenomeno è diventata un’arma per continuare a negare i diritti delle coppie di persone dello stesso sesso

Mi trovo quindi completamente d’accordo con Martín Caparrós nella misura in cui denuncia un fenomeno di sfruttamento di donne povere da parte di coppie provenienti dai paesi ricchi. Non trovo giusto però che non abbia inserito nessun riferimento al fatto che la gestazione per altri non sia in sé necessariamente un male. Perché senza le dovute distinzioni, e con un’opinione pubblica ancora molto poco informata sull’argomento, si rischia di far passare il messaggio che maternità surrogata significhi sempre e comunque sfruttamento.

La degenerazione della gpa che avviene in alcuni paesi richiama giustamente l’attenzione della stampa e delle organizzazioni internazionali, ma bisogna stare attenti a non falsare il dibattito generale e lasciare spazio a strumentalizzazioni politiche. In Italia, nelle recenti settimane, la maternità surrogata è diventata uno strumento usato come spauracchio da chi vuole mettere i bastoni tra le ruote aldisegno di legge Cirinnà sulle unioni civili. L’informazione parziale su un fenomeno, che tra l’altro da noi riguarda un numero limitatissimo di persone etero e gay, è diventata un’arma per continuare a negare i diritti di tutte le coppie di persone dello stesso sesso, vale a dire un numero altissimo di cittadini italiani.

Il caso degli Stati Uniti e del Canada

Sulla nostra stampa non si racconta quasi mai che negli Stati Uniti e in Canada la maternità surrogata è una pratica molto diffusa e accettata, e che le donne che si prestano ad avere un figlio per qualcun altro in cambio di un compenso non lo fanno per bisogno, ma per un misto di opportunità e altruismo. La cifra che riceve una donna americana (normalmente circa ventimila dollari, la metà della cifra citata da Martín Caparrós) è di sicuro una somma importante, ma da sola non basterebbe a spingere una donna che non vuole essere una madre surrogata a diventarlo. Al contrario di quello che succede in India, questo tipo di compenso non le cambia la vita. In genere si tratta invece di un’espressione del principio tutto americano delwin-win: io metto qualche soldo in più da parte grazie a te e tu metti su famiglia grazie a me, e siamo tutti soddisfatti.

Nicole Benham, una madre surrogata statunitense nella sua casa a Hutto, in Texas, il 24 maggio 2014. (Deborah Cannon, Ap/Ansa)

Per accettare un’aspirante madre surrogata, diverse agenzie richiedono che la donna disponga di un certo salario, così da eliminare l’ipotesi che lo faccia per bisogno. Certo, va notato che non sono le donne più ricche quelle che si prestano alla gpa, ma con quella clausola almeno si scongiura il rischio che l’interessata non sia libera di scegliere. Il più delle volte poi le agenzie lavorano con donne che sono già madri, in modo che sia una scelta più consapevole, e chiaramente si tratta di donne che hanno avuto gravidanze molto facili, perché altrimenti non si proporrebbero. Infine un’altra importantissima differenza con le cliniche indiane: le madri surrogate nordamericane scelgono loro stesse la coppia per cui avere un bambino e con cui spesso si crea un rapporto di amicizia.

Tutto questo, unito al fatto che gli Stati Uniti e il Canada offrono una regolamentazione chiara e solida sulla materia, fa sì che una strada corretta alla gestazione per altri esista. Che poi è quella intrapresa da me e mio marito per diventare padri: la donatrice di ovulo e la donna che ha portato avanti le gravidanze per i nostri bambini sono parte della nostra vita e manteniamo con loro un profondo legame di affetto e riconoscenza.

In Nordamerica la maternità surrogata è una possibilità assolutamente concepibile per molte donne

Dal punto di vista morale, sembra che l’oceano Atlantico divida in due le coscienze: da un lato c’è l’Europa che inorridisce di fronte all’idea che la procreazione possa essere eseguita a pagamento, dall’altra i nordamericani per cui invece si tratta semplicemente di un servizio che si può scegliere di offrire. In un paese come gli Stati Uniti, dove si può donare sangue a pagamento, sembra che i paletti della disponibilità del proprio corpo siano piazzati più in là rispetto al vecchio continente. Ma questo non stupisce: nella stessa Unione europea convivono paesi che trattano in modo molto diverso questioni come l’aborto, l’eutanasia o la prostituzione, mostrando che per quanto riguarda i diritti sul corpo il mondo occidentale non è allineato su posizioni uniformi.

In Nordamerica la maternità surrogata è quindi una possibilità assolutamente concepibile per molte donne. Tutto questo però non toglie che anche la strada americana alla gpa abbia le sue zone d’ombra. Nonostante le agenzie offrano garanzie per assicurarsi che non ci siano forme di sfruttamento, è anche vero che il lato dei rapporti umani è tutto in mano ai diretti interessati: nulla vieta per esempio che una donatrice di ovulo possa essere scelta per motivi puramente estetici o che dopo la nascita del bambino si decida di non avere più nulla a che fare con la madre surrogata. Decidere di vivere l’esperienza in modo umano è una scelta e non un obbligo.

Legami biologici

Altre difficoltà possono poi sorgere quando le cose non vanno come pianificato: per esempio quando si tratta di risarcire una gestante che va incontro a gravi difficoltà mediche durante il parto oppure di regolare situazioni di conflitto dove i genitori del bambino o la madre surrogata cambiano idea durante la gravidanza.

Trent’anni fa, quando negli Stati Uniti è stata inventata la gpa, le madri surrogate erano anche madri biologiche del bambino. Ma le cose sono cambiate nel 1986, quando Mary Beth Whitehead decise di tenere il bambino che aveva partorito per conto del padre biologico e di sua moglie e la causa legale che ne scaturì attirò l’attenzione della stampa. “Dopo il triste spettacolo di due famiglie che si litigano un figlio”, scrive Tamar Lewin sul New York Times, “la maternità surrogata tradizionale (quella in cui la donna è anche madre biologica del nascituro) fu gradualmente abbandonata in favore della maternità surrogata gestazionale, in cui l’embrione è prodotto in laboratorio – usando a volte ovuli e sperma dei genitori del nascituro e altre volte quelli di donatori – ed è impiantato nella madre surrogata, la quale quindi non ha nessun legame biologico con il bambino”.

A quanto riporta il New York Times, durante lo scorso anno negli Stati Uniti sono nati circa duemila bambini da madri surrogate. Mentre nel corso degli ultimi decenni, il totale di casi in cui i genitori hanno cambiato idea durante la gravidanza sono stati ottantuno e quelli in cui a cambiare idea à stata la madre surrogata sono stati trentacinque (in ventiquattro di questi si trattava di madri surrogate tradizionali, cioè madri biologiche del nascituro).

La strada da seguire non è quella del divieto ma della regolamentazione

I numeri quindi, sembrano indicare che la pratica sia entrata in una fase di stabilità legale e soprattutto etica, con criteri ben definiti da entrambe le parti. Nella stragrande maggioranza dei casi le nascite attraverso maternità surrogata avvengono senza alcuna complicazione. Ma è realistico aspettarsi altri episodi controversi di tanto in tanto, perché questo è ciò che succede con la fecondazione assistita: senza scomodare la gpa, sono sotto gli occhi di tutti casi come quello dei gemelli italiani nati da genitori non biologici per via di uno scambio di provette all’ospedale Pertini di Roma oppure, notizia di queste ore, una coppia di donne americane che ha denunciato la clinica della fertilità a cui si erano rivolte perché, dopo aver chiesto un donatore di seme bianco, hanno avuto una bambina mulatta.

Considerata la diffusione che ha raggiunto la fecondazione assistita, è bene abituarsi a questi tipo di notizie. È evidente però che la strada da seguire non è quella del divieto, ma quella della regolamentazione: le autorità devono fare il possibile per tenere il passo con l’avanzamento delle tecniche di fecondazione cercando di sostenere le nuove opportunità da un lato ed evitare gli abusi dall’altro. E anche evitando di introdurre limiti legali che nella pratica si tramutano in un divieto solo per chi non può permettersi di andare all’estero e rendono il ricorso alla fecondazione assistita o alla gpa una possibilità riservata ai più ricchi.

L’altro lato della storia

È importante ricordarsi che i casi di conflitti eclatanti che finiscono sui giornali sono solo le eccezioni di una forma di progresso scientifico che nella maggior parte dei casi funziona più che bene e che negli ultimi anni ha permesso a milioni di persone di creare una famiglia.

In India e in Nepal, invece, l’eccezione è trovare una madre surrogata che possa dimostrare di aver fatto una libera scelta. Non dico che sia impossibile, ma di certo il sistema di sfruttamento istituzionalizzato che si è creato non mette in conto questa possibilità. In molti casi ai genitori del nascituro non è permesso incontrare la donna che partorirà il loro figlio, men che mai parlarle e chiederle perché lo sta facendo.

Sarebbe sbagliato però lasciare che questa forma di degenerazione influenzi il giudizio generale sulla maternità surrogata: al di là di come la si pensi, nessuno può affermare che le madri surrogate nordamericane siano delle donne povere e sfruttate. E mentre denuncia i soprusi, la stampa dovrebbe raccontare anche questo lato delle storia. E sarebbe corretto da parte dei giornalisti come Martín Caparrós di fare attenzione quando condiscono i loro articoli con frasi a effetto come “genitori 2.0” o “bambini made in Usa” che sviliscono famiglie intere. Non tutte le persone che sono diventate genitori tramite la gpa sono degli sfruttatori. E tutti i bambini, a prescindere da come sono nati, meritano di essere trattati con rispetto.

http://www.internazionale.it/opinione/claudio-rossi-marcelli/2015/08/04/maternita-surrogata

http://www.internazionale.it/opinione/martin-caparros/2015/07/30/madri-surrogate