After staying in England for about four months in the cold drizzling rains of winter, Kristie headed back to the desert. Her partner, Butch took off for warmer climes – Portugal, where he was arrested two months later for trying to sneak a seventeen year old Portuguese boy out of the country illegally. He claimed the boy was a political prisoner, but Kristie knew about his fondness for young men.
The boy had told Butch the story of how he found a severed black penis in his bed when he was serving in the Portuguese army in Angola. It was discovered that the boy was gay in an era when gay soldiers were not tolerated especially in a nation like Portugal which already had a negative reputation when it came to human rights in general.
The attempted rescue of this boy may have been partially political, but it was primarily sexual. Kristie knew the real story. They were both imprisoned. The US Embassy came to the rescue for Butch, but the young lad was not released.
Butch was remonstrated by the Dean of the college for creating a potential international incident. The Dean began a long diatribe counting off the behaviors he expected, “Students must respect and follow the cultural norms of the country they are visiting. This means wearing clothing that is acceptable to the general population,” he continued. “Female students must wear brassieres and cover their legs and arms to whatever degree is socially acceptable in that region Shaving your legs and under arms is expected for women. Shaving or trimming your beards and hair is expected for men….”
He had a lot to say. “People expect American and European students to act according to their perception. Do not brandish your sexuality or your feminine rights issues in countries where the culture will not tolerate it. Homosexual students should not practice their sexuality. Women should not be sexually brazen. You are representing the college itself as well as the countries you come from. If a student cannot abide by these rules, they will be suspended or expelled.”
Everyone balked at these rules. The women who were going to Mexico wanted to wear those little white embroidered blouses with no bra and no underarm shaving. They wanted to advocate family planning for the mujeres who were expected to bear as many children as God would give them.
Most of the men complied. Kristie knew very few men who wore full untrimmed beards and long hair. Butch had very little facial hair. His haircut was always in need of an update, but the main problem with him was his blatant sexuality, which was fine in England or France, but not the Latin countries, the Middle East or Africa.
She had heard the stories from some of the women about traveling in the Middle East or Latin America. If they were traveling alone they were at risk of being harassed by the local men who thought of them as prostitutes. One of her friends got a ride on a tomato truck and had to smash tomatoes in her face and pretend to vomit to discourage one over zealous suitor.
Kristie was on the desert when she got the call about Butch’s imprisonment. His mother did not believe the situation was as dangerous as it was, “He would have called ME if it was something serious,” she demanded.
Ready to do her wifely duty, Kristie rolled up her sleeping bag, threw her pack over her shoulder, and stuck her thumb out. She made it across country in three days, never stopping to sleep or rest. She would rescue him this one last time, and then she would figure out what to do with the rest of her life.
(First published 10/30/12)
