Beyond Ganymede

Logroño, February 19, 2015. Psychologist and columnist of the Sitges Quarterly Magazine, Juan Carlos Uríszar, was asked to give another presentation about his book, Después de Ganímedes*. 

Although Después de Ganímedes has been available to the public since 2012, it's subject of mature gay men transitioning to later life while trying to retain their youthful beauty or attractiveness is still current and will continue to be relevant for years to come as we forge the way with efforts to achieving equality and acceptance for same sex marriage, a relatively new legal option for LGBT people in many countries around the world.

The well-attended event took the audience through a journey of self-awareness, self-acceptance, identity and growth, not to mention the correlation with and brief explanation of the Ganymede** myth itself - all within the chapters of the book.

The timing of the presentation is perfect as I am currently in the final phase of completing the second issue of the GSL-Visión magazine, with its central theme of identity. 

*(Spanish language only) available in stores and on Amazon.com

**English spelling

The Myth of Ganymede

Ganymede is the young, beautiful boy that became one of Zeus' lovers. One source of the myth says that Zeus fell in love with Ganymede when he spotted him herding his flock on Mount Ida. Zeus then came down in the form of an eagle to carry Ganymede to Mount Olympus where he became cupbearer to the gods and given immortality, retaining his beauty forever. 

Rubens "Abduction of Ganymede"

All of Zeus' scandalous liaisons have allegorical meanings. Some sources say that Zeus' affair with Ganymede was a (religious) justification for homosexuality within the Greek culture, yet others state that this is merely a reflection of Greek life at that time. The myth was a model for the Greek social custom of the socially acceptable erotic relationship between a man and a youth. The philosopher Plato also used this myth to justify his sexual feelings towards male pupils.

For a complete telling of the myth go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rJLLV7U-XY

The English language version of the book, Después de Ganímedes (Beyond Ganymede) will be available soon.