LGBTQ History Month - Health Interventions, GLABCOM

GLABCOM - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community was an informal forumatic arm of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life's Targeted Interventions Department, the only private organization of it's kind that interfaces directly the MSM community directly with programs and activities specifically targeted for HIV/AIDS reduction and safer sex from 1991 before other national interventions were added via the Ministry of Health and the new structures under the Global Fund's guidelines that require various stake holders in an active structure.

The GLABCOM project was started to act as a bridge between the groups and the organization through its Steering Committee to tap into the pulse on the ground of the concerns of the groups involved. It was out of that as well that the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays, JFLAG, came forth to handle the advocacy issues that were becoming overbearing chief among them homophobic attacks and homelessness.

Many MSMs in particular choose not to access the public health facilities due to fear of stigmatization and homophobia so the GLABCOM outreach helped greatly in this regard.

It sought to also assist with social intervention activities with the support groups primarily MSMs, Bisexuals and Lesbians.

Mostly MSMs however attended the bi-weekly meetings and peer educator groups and the breakdown of communication between the lesbian and gay groups was said to be the cause of the activities being scrapped in 2009, see full post on the reasons that ended the run and the replacement Gay Mens Association of Jamaica (GMAJ)

GLABCOM officially ended June 2, 2009.

Many had come to know the meetings across the various locations island wide and would attend if not to learn from the seminars and exchanges or to just meet others to socialise.

The behaviour of some of our members too was cause for concern as safe spaces are hard to come by so persons were encouraged to protect the space by displaying proper conduct.

Many persons benefited through the support services and counseling afforded to members who attended meetings or the planned clinic days to see the General Practitioner who would come in.

Please support any of the organizations that help to provide these services to our marginalised groups here in Jamaica.


UPDATE September 29/09/11
It has since been revamped to a skeletal structure and does not operate the general meetings that occurred in the Kingston chapter of the parent organization Jamaica AIDS Support for Life on Tuesdays as long ago. Sadly as recent events which include the civil disobedience by several homeless MSMs who once enjoyed a harmonious relations with both JFLAG and JASL has brought to bear the NGOs have become very insular and seem to have forgotten their mandate or the reasons why they were formed and are there so to serve. Their motto Love, Action and Support seems to have turned to we are here and you better obey us instead.


Sad to say, their website is currently down as at the preparation and updating of this post but we have a long way to go in repairing the broken bridges and returning to that place where we were several years ago.

Peace and tolerance.

H