Hello everyone and hello to all, how are you?
First of all I wanted to update you today on the situation of the site that housed TROY, and of which I myself had no news for months (with all the uncertainties arising). In fact I managed to make contact with the site manager - after months of failed attempts - using make a little honest (I called it using a different phone number). From what I understand the server had failed and they failed to restore the site in the meantime the domain (ie the address) had expired and was acquired by another person who earlier had rented to a known site of webcam a fee and then set up a personal site vaguely similar, but has no previous relationship with the manager (or me). The original handler (the one they work with me) told me that he is interested to buy back the domain, but as you can guess the situation is quite grotesque. Surely I can not count on popkorn.it until further notice, provided that one day may return to count, obviously ...
What can I say? Maybe I was right not to stake everything on popkorn.it from this mess before it happened, otherwise the situation at this time for me (and you) would be infinitely more complicated. Now the question is: it makes sense to continue without TROY tow popkorn.it? I admit that I have some doubts, but never say never. Meanwhile, Robin Hoog is almost ready to leave, then he will share the meantime, while awaiting my personal site becomes operational and offer me a space managed in a somewhat 'less rough. However, in recent days have been several reports that have left me puzzled ... Starting from one that regards the Polish composer Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (1810-1849) ... 
What has this blog with Chopin? Simply said. The Foreign Minister of Poland and the Polish embassy in Berlin had commissioned editions Kultura Gniewu centered on a comic book biography of the composer, to be distributed in primary schools in Poland and Germany to make it better known. The expenditure for this operation was approximately € 27,000. Now, the problem stems from the fact that the editions Kultura Gniewu are not a publisher for children, but mostly produce alternative and underground comics. Consequently, the authors were involved in the project chose a style decidedly unorthodox ... 
the end they produced an anthology of short stories quite surreal, in which he often used a very adult language and modern (with a range of interlayer vulgar, but objectively in the common language of youth around the world). However, the thing that shocked the Polish administration to withdraw all of them point to printed comics and send them through the shredder, it was a story in which he imagined that Chopin would find itself today and struggling with a skinhead who spoke of fields murder and sex ... Two subjects in Poland are still very awkward to put together, since it is a nation with high levels of homophobia even among institutions. However, the argument was also relevant, as many scholars argue that his Chopin had a homosexual orientation. In any case I would say that this story speaks for itself, and is a measure of how comics - when dealing with uncomfortable topics in contexts bigots - they always tend to end up badly ... This, in effect, makes me do a series of disturbing comparisons between Italy and Poland, which also in the European Parliament were the only nations that are expressed against a measure which provided for the recognition of gay marriages contracted abroad ... 
other hand, the world is beautiful because it is different, and if on the one hand there are countries to which the relationship between homosexuality and comics is still problematic, there are others where actual climate of freedom allowed to start at least curious. As in the case of the exhibition is being held this week in Los Angeles and is inspired by underground comics Henry & Glenn Forever , which we had talked some time ago. 
It was a cartoon created by the art collective IGLOO TORNADO (of which you see represented in the picture below) that is totally focused on a fictional homosexual relationship between two leaders of the contemporary American rock: Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig ( which obviously did not like much, but luckily the U.S. Freedom of parody is sanctioned by law). 
Moral of the story: the art gallery La Luz de Jesus , that within the art alternative is well known, you're taking this beautiful exhibition that pays tribute to the love story (totally invented) between two singers rock really exist ... And of course no one batted an eyelid or has dreamed of making complaints or seizures of any kind. Can you imagine if someone in Italy dream of doing something with two famous singers? Or maybe two actors? Or even worse, with singers and actors on which rumors for years? Probably all hell breaks loose, and certainly the poor cartoonists would be worse ... Thing in the U.S., as we have seen, it does not happen. 
However, with regard to freedom of speech and thought, let me conclude the post today in response to the cartoonist Alessandro Scalzo, and after about a year came across in the poll on this blog that I proposed to elect the Italian comic who in 2009, had offered the worst image of the GLBT world (unless you know the drill CLICK HERE) . Alessandro Scalzo had entered the race with his series Auntie's Darling (published in the monthly XComics), focuses on the tribulations of a transsexual named Paul (struggling with an aunt sadistic and various characters no less), so I wrote: "Hello, I am the author of Auntie's Darling, and I have a couple of considerations.
1) The porn is politically incorrect by definition, otherwise it is called sex education . At a minimum, the women are all sluts, it's not a nice thing to say. E 'in your own right to say why you do not like porn, but if you say that this film is bad because the actresses are too filthy, well,' you are actually saying that the movie is very beautiful in its kind . So you can say that unless you feel good because I prefer the horror of that stomach vomit, but if you open a poll to decide which is the worst horror movie in the sense of what makes me more sick, you are actually rewarding the most beautiful .
2) What do you think is the result of Auntie's Darling? Did you ask? Racist, Northern League, Catholic right? Does it seem plausible? The audience is made up of Auntie's Darling consenting adults who identify with his nephew, not his aunt . In fact, on XComics not had that much choice, because it is a comic that is not directed straight to the iron. Its natural channel, where it has some success, is a U.S. site for people who have fantasies of identification with his nephew, I repeat, not with her aunt. In the end, the tastes and fancies of these people who are disapproving, neither more nor less.
3) Try not to confuse the voice of the characters with the voice of the author, because it would be a good test to take away the right to vote in person. If I make a film about the death camps and there is a SS that says "dirty jew" you do, give me the racist? "
Dear Alex, that survey did not serve to discredit the authors of the cartoons, but rather to highlight the way they represent the gay, lesbian and transgender people lightly and confirming a series of prejudices and stereotypes. Of course, publish comics it is legitimate, but I think it is legitimate to criticize them even when you do not agree with the approach or the message (and porn comics they have one). The points you raised, then, are quite interesting. The first, in particular, highlights how - from your point of view - porn, by definition, is something inherently unhealthy and "bad", because that is what makes it exciting. On the tastes do not discuss, but I beg to differ, partly because - for example - there is a whole school of gay pornography in which the excitement is created by the tenderness of the approaches and the ability to convey an idea joyful and accomplice of the pleasure sexual.
This approach, in fact, had little success in straight porn, where you play everything on power, domination and power between the sexes. Here the discourse becomes complex because you have to analyze the link between heterosexual sex and its ability to represent the fantasies of the average heterosexual male, mostly related to the domination and subjugation and humiliation of female (or its "surrogates", as trans people ), even through the "game" of sex ... In fact, according to your reasoning, the fact that I can find the role of Paul in Auntie's Darling demeaning means that the comic is successful, because by assuming that its role as a transsexual is exciting in proportion as he is harassed and humiliated ... 
Regarding the second point raised by you not discuss the fact that there may be a greater or lesser number of people who can identify with a character like Paul, but - just for this - the fact that it is a character that sums up a whole series of prejudices and stereotypes about transgender people and their way of living sexuality, makes him a character for the consumption of those who have a rather 'limited trans world. Obviously you were not obliged to send a message other than what you started, and even to give the character a transsexual woman's name (which, as a friend of several trans, I can assure you that was really the first thing to consider). However, if this was your choice, I think that anyone who disagrees is free to criticize without first being that does not accept the fantasies of others. 
Concerning the third point, then, do not know you and I would never make judgments about your person. I know that cartoonists have comic cruel and that people are absolutely right. If you prefer to create comics porn with transsexuals who are constantly subjected is your sacred duty to continue to do so, but if anyone thinks that - objectively - from a performance a bit 'limited and twisted characters of transsexuals do not think there's anything wrong with leaving free to express your opinion ... Also because, I'll note, in our part of the dissident voices when it comes to gay, lesbian and trans are still very few and weak ... Also in the Italian comic, which just happened to have always avoided direct contacts with the real erotic fantasies of the gay community (even in the spaces reserved for pornography) ... 
Perhaps because gay fantasies do not confirm the prejudices and stereotypes that reassure the average heterosexual male and his fantasies of domination? Or maybe because they are much less distant than it appears from the everyday heterosexual? Who knows ...
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