Does this mean grouper the fish?

Isn't "Che" Guevara's homophobia (and the even more pronounced homophobia of his buddy Fidel) merely a defense mechanism or smoke screan for their own tentative sexuality? Well-grounded heterosexual men are not obsessed with what homosexuals do; nor do they feel the need to persecute them in order to affirm their own masculinity. If Castro were a dictator of the right, his crass homophobia would have opened him up to certain obvious speculations from which Castro seems to be immune (thanks also to the blatantness of his little brother).

I don't exempt from criticism homosexuals who fetishize the likes of "Che" Guevara and other brutes because they represent an ideal of manhood (what a laugh!) that they either aspire to themselves or aspire to possess. This is also a manifestation of self-loathing and internalization of the very homophobia they condemn.

Cagastro had gay guys lobotomized once upon a time (IIRC) and you can still be arrested in Cuba for "looking" too gay (imagine making that pass a legal test in the USA).

But as for the Che sightings, I just saw a new white SUV here in Austin with a Che sticker in the back window. Alas. The driver's hero would have taken her truck and had her killed out of simple boredom.

Contrived hipness is, it seems, sufficient justification to become a fellow traveler to murder.

what about raul?? isnt he, you know....?

Lobotomy and electroshocks, those were the usual treatments for gays some years ago... now they hope they die of AIDS in a concentration camp and I think they deliberately infect them to hasten the process... Nice guy el maricon de raul!

The irony is delicious. And disgusting.

tambien se les llama ganzo,yegua ,garage ah tambien se les puede decir chernon si una cherna grande y gorda y chernita si es chiquitica y rebijia.

unfortunately it is more or all about ignorance! Ask the question: "who are Fidel,Che, and Hugo?" and if you try who are Castro, Guevara, and Chavez?" Same answer: Blank!

Scott
Yes...Cherna means grouper as in the fish. It's also a term to describe "maricones".

I think in Venezuela they call them 'snappers.'

Ick.

Here they are called "perricas de juale" (sp) Perricas are a little parakeet that fly in large groups screeching loudly.

Perhaps they will start buying t-shirts and knick-knacks bearing the image of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Why not suggest the wearers commission che-shirts with "chernas for chè!" emblazoned on them? Add a reflective pink triangle of suitable size for safety's sake too! And may as well have some made, in brown, displaying the also-late Ernst Roehm's likeness - that will DEFINITELY go with the pink-triangle theme. OOOO-la-la!

I'll chime in with the authority of being both Cuban and cherna.

Max is right: is all about the ignorance. In the height of the Orange Revolution, pro-democracy Ukrainians were wearing Che t-shirts. Many peaceniks love a Che t-shirt. The list could go on and on and on. There are very, very few non-Cubans who wear those t-shirts really knowing who the guy was.

I hate the mo-fo and hope he is rotting himself in hell. His pathologic homophobia has been well documented. I even liked Zoe's article. But your Paris chernas are just using a pop icon and being ignorant of Cuba's or Latin-America's history, not endorsing homophobia. It bothers me, but things are what they are.

And it is good to know that what we chernas have endured in Cuba is aired. There is Guillermo Cabrera Infante and his affirmation that gays were the Jews of Castro and a few others, but I always have the feeling that Cuban "machos" didn't like to stress this too much (no sea cosa que los confundan). Progress is being made, I suppose. Maybe one day even ignorant chernas in Paris will now about it.