I was told by informed sources that the publisher of VIVA magazine pulled the latest issue of the magazine right after it hit the stands because it contained risqué articles (by Jordanian standards) that discussed homosexuality and female sexuality. The magazine was then reissued after these pieces were removed. Well, I have to say I’m not surprised that this happened since so many in Jordan seem to be in denial about both issues. Sadly enough, for many in Jordan the concepts of female sexuality and homosexuality simply do not exist.

What puzzles me, though, is how the publishers figured that in this day and age they could get away with this kind of censoring without being scrutinized. The reason I’m putting these two articles up is to make a point: We cannot continue to live in denial. Someday we are going to have to acknowledge the fact that these issues do exist. And yes, even in Jordan of all places. Other Jordanian bloggers have done the same. Make sure to check out Khalidah and Hala’s blogs. So for those curious or those stuck with the censored edition of the magazine, here’s a chance to read those articles. Click the images (or text) to enlarge the scanned page and make sure your browser shows the image full-size to read. [The images are large.]