tu futuro en libertad o el libro del sexo...¡gratuito!

i'd never set foot in the museo de historia natural, a natural history museum ensconced in the second sector of chapultepec park in mexico city, until one sunday afternoon earlier this month. i went there to attend a special event/performance for children/youth by jesusa rodríguez, which was to take place in the museum's sala del universo that, i should mention, has not changed at all since the museum opened in 1964, during the adolfo lópez mateos sexenio; its loveliness resides in its unintentional retro feel. as most, if not all of her performances, rodríguez's show, "el libro del sexo gratuito," used political satire to make a comment on the recently released book by mexico city mayor, marcelo ebrard, tu futuro en libertad: por una sexualidad y salud reproductiva con responsabilidad. this book, which has caused much controversy, was published by the government of mexico city and is to be or is being distributed to third year secundaria students, as well as those attending preparatoria (i.e. high school-aged youth). get yours free here or here:



in typical rodríguez fashion, the performance, even from its very title, offers up that witticism that has marked her political cabaret performances for over twenty years. that is, "el libro del sexo gratuito" can be read two ways, "the free book about sex" or "the book about gratuitous sex"...jejejejesusa! it's a one-woman show where rodríguez impersonates (i know, wrong word), i should say parodies elba ester gordillo; her character, elba estéril, stands in front of her class in the appropriately semi-lit room to (mis-)educate the children of mexico city about all things related to sexuality. here's a snippet, where, as you'll see/hear, rodríguez doesn't skip a beat and makes a comment regarding the much-discussed proposal ("reform") that would begin to privatize pemex.


[i apologize for the quality of the video, i have an old camera w/no lights, plus the room was very dark, something that rodríguez used to her advantage by saying that sex and discussions about sexuality in the mexican context are most often kept in the dark.]


p.s.a few weeks ago mexican journalist patricia vega published an essay in emeequis about the controversy of tu futuro en libertad that included an interview with guillermo bustamante manilla. in this interview the leader of the UNPF (unión nacional de padres de familia), a very conservative catholic right-wing organization, states that tu futuro en libertad basically promotes "a culture of death." what would jejejesusa say in regard to this? i'm sure she's integrated the controversy that came about after the book's release in her subsequent performances of "el libro del sexo gratuito."



p.s. #2 updated on sept. 3

i wonder if ms. palin reads spanish. probably not, huh? it may be worthwhile to translate tu futuro en libertad for her and her loved ones. or not, it may be too late; from indexed.