Butch women interviewed on national television ...... lesbophobia, enlightenment or both?

There is a popular saying here in Jamaica: "What is joke to you is death to me" and while the interview on butch identified or stud identified women here looks light on the surface it is a reflection of the subtle lesbophobia fast making its way very public day by day. As gender roles literally switch with aesthetics changes with Jamaican men becoming far more effeminate or at best openly metrosexual  while the opposite is true for some same gender loving women. 


As seen in the clip especially the last scene with the woman in blue on the bike was labelled as "he/she" suggesting a kind of open discrimination hidden via a joke on television. Jamaicans in general are usually shy on camera so the interviewee may not have even gleaned at first she was being stigmatised cutely and openly so, I bet if she was shown the clip for review afterwards she would have reacted differently.

In part II the more serious side came out where the "bun out" issue/anti gay feelings came through in the first few minutes and why were the women labelled cross dressers? the interviewer was keen on getting the reactions of the women and several times juxtaposing the correlation to lesbianism. The Sodom issue was introduced when the original question was about aesthetics and clothes with gender roles not sexual orientation even though the two can hardly be divorced these days with profiling a major concern, clearly the sensationalism cue is what sells the topic. The persons interviewed also played into the hands of the WAG microphone holder she even described them as butch while openly flirting with an interviewee while asking for her number!. The last few minutes for example the woman in blue was outed literally as she answered to the WAG interviewer who was her female friend? she answered it was someone who was on her street, meaning she is a lesbian like herself, again if she was shown the video after I am sure she may have regretted answering in the manner she did. The things one can get one to say on camera.

The proverbial hatred of men connection to same gender loving women was also infused suggesting that lesbians become so due to previous issues with men so they "switch" a few persons condemned lesbianism clearly when asked problem is we never saw what was actually asked, so we are not sure if the word "lesbian" was included in the question. Good to see however the ease in which the interviews were done in the sometimes problematic Half Way Tree area, remembering that a lesbian was stabbed in the same area some years ago, she now resides in Canada. 


Subtle lesbophobia or a middle ground for the issues relating to same gender loving women and the perceptions of homosexual life?


Given the national furore now dying down from what was viewed as threat to withdraw aid from countries with anti buggery laws and the pressure to decriminalize buggery, at least lesbians get there time to shine as the more male dominated advocacy structure hardly ever recognise or openly discuss lesbian issues when batty business supersedes all else. Lesbo-invisibility? Lesbians never had so much issues over the years but in 2007 there was a spike in incidence towards same gender loving women in terms of the often referred to African phenomenon corrective rape and violent attacks that thankfully have since subsided somewhat. 


After the comfort level of lesbians has rubbed some the wrong way in recent times, headlines such as this made news  there are clubs that do allow same sex activity though limited to females only and very structured in some instances.

while other women have suffered greatly as seen here in June 2008 when this home was picketed by residents in a St. Catherine housing scheme. 

Residents Jeer & Picket Women’s Home

their car tyres were also deflated. Let us watch and be vigilant everyone.Stay strong sisters.


Peace and tolerance


H

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