Compuse Amor Sin Papeles, después de que un sacerdote amigo me pidio que le viniera acompañar a una boda clandestina. En estados unidos en 1994 se dio la barbarie de negarles licencias a gente trabajora que contribuye a esta nación por el hecho de no tener sus papeles en orden. El entonces gobernador Pete Wilson, criminalizó a éstas familias trabajadoras y bienechores a éste país llamándolos "ilegales" negandoles participar en muchas actividades, una de ellas la posibilidad de conseguir una licencia de matrimonio civil. En un momento, me encontré con un Rabino amigo y me dijo, "Francisco, en mi sinagoga estoy teniendo que hacer bodas clandestinas, fuera de la ley..... porque como no permiten licencias de matrimonio si no tienes documentos de identidad y las personas sin documentos de inmigración no los tienen, pues les niegan la licencia.... pero yo creo en Dios y nadie me va negar la posibilidad de casarlos religiosamente, aún sin el permiso de la ciudad" Después me sucedió algo similar con un imam musulman. Cuando me llamó el Cristiano Católico pues ya no era sorpresa y compuse ésta canción, Amor Sin Papeles.
La compuse pensando en Mons. Oscar Arnulfo Romero, martyr de la Iglesia Católica salvadoreña y ejemplo del mundo entero quien dijo "Una ley injusta, nadie tiene que cumplirla." Y me acordé de mi amigo el cura que estaba haciendo eso precisamente, desobedeciendo una ley injusta. Y pensé, "¿cómo vamos a dejar que los racistas se metan hasta con lo más intimo de la vida de uno? ¡Con el amor no se juega!" El amor es la Ley Mas fuerte y es la voluntad de Dios.
Menciono ésta historia porque lo mismo aplica para nuestras hermanas y hermanos que se enamoran de una persona de sus mismo genero sexual. Nadie puede juzgar esa experiencia intima e individual y en muchas comunidades indígenas la gente respeta esa experiencia. ¡qué interesante! en las comunidades más basadas en el colectivismo, es muchas veces (no siempre) donde más se respeta el individualismo. Cuando hay balance hay respeto. Respetar a las personas de nuestras comunidades, es respetar a todas y todos y todoas. Dada la masacre en Orlando, Florida contra nuestra gente de orientacion homosexual, sean lesbianas, gays, transgenero, bisexual, intersexual o como se apoda ahora Queer (qüier) que no solo son negad@s papeles sino la vida misma, solo porque a un loco o loca les tiene miedo, pavor, deseo dedicar esta canción tambien a esa comunidad, en Solidaridad. Cuándo le temes a algo es porque no quieres aceptar que ése algo es parte de tu propia persona. Muchas veces los represores simplemente tienen miedo de reconocer el gay o la lesbiana, la bisexual o transgenero dentro de ell@s mism@s. Así que examinemos nuestra propia identidad, preferencia, llamado antes de hablar, juzgar, actuar. Porque Dios nos hizo a su imagen y semejanza y no se equivocó. El llamado ultimadamente es al amor, que es lo que nos humaniza y nos enseña a ser humildes y felices.
En honor a todas victimas y sobrevivientes,
¡¡Amor Sin Papeles!!
I composed Amor Sin Papeles after a priest friend asked me to sing for a clandestine wedding. In the U.S. in 1994 we saw the barbarous act of the denial of licenses to working people who contribute generously to this nation, simply because their immigration documents are not in order. Then, governor Pete Wilson, criminalized these working families, benefactors to this country, calling them "illegals" and denying them the participation in many activities of life, one of them being the possibility to obtain a marriage license at the county office.
Sometime later I bumped into a Rabi friend who told me "Fraancisco, I am holding clandestine weddings in my synagogue, outside of the law,.... because the county is not granting marriage licenses to folks without ID's and since folks without papers can't get an ID anymore, they are denied marriage license as well..... but I believe in God and no one si going to deny me the possibility of marrying them in our religious tradition, even without the permit of the city." Something similar then happened with another Imam friend who told me about the undocument members of his Mosque. By the time the Catholic came along with the invite to sing at that clandestine wedding I knew what was going on and wrote Amor Sin Papeles.
I wrote the song thinking of the words of Martyr Archbishop Oscar Romero of the Salvadoran Catholic Church who gave an example to the world, who said "No one has to honor an unjust law" and I rememberd my religiuos friends were doing just that, not collaborating, disobeing and unjust law. I thought, "how can we allow that racist elements interfere with the most intimate parts of our life? You don't play around with Love!" Love is stronger and it is God's will.
I mention this story because the same applies to our sisters and brothers from the transgender, queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual communities No one can judge that individual and intimate experience. It's interesting that in many indigenous first nation communities, people respect that experience; In the most communal societies, where community comes before the individual is where the individual is most respected (not always of course). When there is a balnce, there is respect. Respecting people of our communities means respecting each and all individuals. Given the massacre in Orlando Florida against our people of same sex orientation, be they lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, intersexual, queer, etc. who are not only denied papers (though after years of organizing and lobbying, the courts now recognize same sex marriages) but life itself, simply because a person driven by fear (homophobia), I want to therefore dedicate this song in Solidarity with these communities as well. As for the homophobic persons it has to be said that when you are afraid of something it is usually because you do not want to accept that something is part of you as well, part of your very person. Homophobic peopleare simply afraid to recognize the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersexual person within themselves. So, let's examine ourselves before we judge, speak, act. God made us in God's own image and likeness, this is what people of Jewish, Muslim, Christian faith are taught. And we believe God does not make mistakes. Ultimately we are called to Love.and that is what humanizes us and teaches us to be humble and joyful. In honor of all the victims and survivors - Amor Sin Papeles (Love without papers!)