Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Drag Queen Plays Mary in Amsterdam Nativity Scene

Well, the gay Christmas in Amsterdam seems not to have had enough money for the original idea of having a same sex marriage manager scene with actors portraying two Josephs and two Marys as same-sex couples. Although the Amsterdam city council provided euro15,000 ($21,000) to sponsor the event, all they seem to have been able to afford was this nativity scene with a man in drag as Mary:
A male entertainer known as Wendy Mills posed as Mary in a blonde wig and high-heeled black boots and holding a plastic doll. Another man played Joseph in black leather trunks and a silver shawl.

The five-person manger scene was staged off the street, in the courtyard of a nightclub. Visitors were invited to be photographed with the group. The first was 3-month-old Lily Pink Albers, Mills' niece.


Organizers remain unclear on the concept:
Organizers said the event was meant to raise Amsterdam's profile as a gay capital at a time when homosexuals feel threatened.

As I have said before, maybe they wouldn't feel so threatened if they would stop acting so deliberately to provoke others.

Hat Tip to E.E. Evans at Get Religion

6 comments:

Undergroundpewster said...

Your link is broken.

The article quotes,

”Our objective is not to be offensive. This is about visibility..."

Fortunately for him, Christians are willing to turn the other cheek.

Try putting on a Mohammed in drag contest and see what happens.

Perpetua said...

I think all three links are working now. I agree that Muslims do not accept this kind of mockery of their faith.

The Religious Pícaro said...

Well, as I was reminded on another blog, it wasn't too long ago that all women's roles were portrayed by male actors.

I have to take issue with you about your last paragraph, which implies that gay people are the cause of homophobic attacks. Violence against minorities has never needed an excuse; gay people were attacked and threatened with attack in the many long centuries before we turned "the love that dare not speak its name" into "the love that couldn't keep its mouth shut". If all the gay activists went back into the closet, and all of the gay advocacy organizations shut down tomorrow (now there's something to put on your wish-list for next Christmas, Perptua :-) ) we would still be the target of violence. From what I've read, the increase in violence against gay people in Europe is attributable to the increased numbers of Muslims, and to a lesser extent neo-Nazis.

The Religious Pícaro said...

Oh, and Merry Christmas, Perpetua! :-)

Perpetua said...

Merry Christmas BillyD!

Regarding your comment, do you think someone who reacted with an attack on this exhibit would be doing so because of:
1) homophobia, or
2) religious offense?
I am not supporting attacks on anyone. But I see this as a making a mockery of Christianity. If the person who concepted this is not deliberately attempting to provoke orthodox Christians, then that person is oblivious to the feelings of others.

The Religious Pícaro said...

I think that the people who are prone to violent attacks will do so, making their own excuses for their actions, no matter what gay people do. If a "real" provocation weren't offered, they would invent one. I've had to deal with violence and threats directed at me before, and in every case it was the mere fact that I was gay that was the trigger.

I'm not expecting orthodox Christians of any stripe to react to this with violence, especially around the birthday of the Prince of Peace. As the Underground Pewster observes, Christians generally turn the other cheek. Unless, of course, they are an already disturbed individual who would find a reason to lash out, come what may.