Who knew?! Same-sex kissing equals flipping the bird!

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI – Ay caramba! A beso is not just a
beso, according to Mexican football higher-ups — even if it’s not a real
beso.

It was conniption city on Sunday last after two America club
players, Christian Benitez and teammate Matias Vuoso, swapped a non-kiss kiss
after Benitez scored the goal
that gave their team victory over Puebla.
Benitez put the palm of his hand over Vuoso’s mouth before feigning a
mouth-to-mouth smooch during his post-goal celebrations.

Just a little internalized homophobia, perhaps?

Homophobia Act II: the football federation’s disciplinary

chief Alfonso Sabater goes into tsk-tsk mode. Such behaviour is not a good
example, said he.

And, in case you’re wondering, yes — he did cite the now
de rigueur delicate sensibilities of “the children, the children” who
were unfortunate enough to witness the debauchery.

One of Sabater’s colleagues apparently went further along
the continuum of crazy: lip-locking gay-style “is like flipping off to
someone else,” Gay Star News reports.

Dios mio!

Homophobia Act III, sort of: the president of the
offending players’ club says it’s only a joke. No prior rehearsal was involved.
Just some good ole spontaneity between friends during “an explosive
moment” in the game.

Yeah. Not even going there.

Non-homophobia Act I: no sanctions on the way.

Bueno . . . for now.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

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