Lesbian injured at gambling table brawl

typical crown & anchor gambling table

A woman from the east Kingston area is nursing injuries to her face, back and hands in the form of cuts after a brawl at a lively gambling table on East Queen Street around three in the afternoon. The incident occurred as a series very lively games of corn seed bingo, crown and anchor and cards with money involved were in session at the four tables respectively; an accusation however of cheating or mishandling of the game by one man led to an argument which quickly grew into a brawl, the woman who tried to calm the tempers was in essence turned against by one man at first but it quickly moved to three others joining the fray as harsh words and expletives were thrown around at each other.

According to a witness things got really heated when two of the men got physical with each other and what appeared to be one of the men bumping into the lesbian woman who in turned bumped into another man sent the verbal clash into another place. The corn seeds used for the games were scattered, the gambling tables were shifted out of place and a crowd had gathered by the top of the lane adjoining the location of the incident with some looking puzzled or laughing dependent on what they saw.

The woman who is seen as a friend to several of the men suddenly found herself the subject of Lesbophobic verbal abuse as she and ‘her kind’ was accused of taking away ‘good woman’ an accusation used in such melee to stigmatise and vilify butch identified women, the usual ‘man royal’ term accusation seemed missing from this one when I queried if it was used. As the fight continued a knife was pulled by one of the men on another and the outcome of the bumping became evident, the woman got in a tussle with another man apart from the one who had bumped into her after she reportedly made a threatening remark to him which he did not take kindly. 

the typical 'thug' look that heterosexual men sometimes tolerate: also see Lesbian rapper to perform in Jamaica

He grabbed her locked hair as they fought for about half a minute but was parted by a hefty bleached face woman who was her friend (none intimately) who owns a nearby food establishment of which the lesbian is a regular customer alongside other persons. She sustained cuts to her hands inflicted by the knife as she sought to defend herself and a necklace she was wearing was damaged and was on the sidewalk. Threats from all angles were heard as the brawl cooled to a standoff, persons attempted to go to the nearby Central Kingston police station after proclaiming their intent but they were dissuaded from doing so. The visibly upset woman and others vowed that ‘it wasn’t over’ and in Jamaican thinking some sort of retribution is implied. Things cooled eventually and the woman and others were seen conversing at a bar across the street.

A similar challenge occurred in Half Way Tree Square by the bus/taxi bay in 2015 also had as one of the injured parties an identified lesbian who was once seen as one of the boys given her mannerisms. The origin of that one was unclear but the disruption led to her shirt being grabbed by another man, her face being slapped up even as she also managed to deliver blows to her assailant much to the delight of a cheering crowd of passers-by comprising school children and adults alike.

Though there were no major injuries or known ones similar Lesbophobic terms were flying around then and always seem to come to the surface whenever there is a disagreement then one hears one is this or that. In 2016 there was another such clash though short lived in downtown Kingston along Barry Street at the infamous bleaching cream and street side hair dresser area where men and women buy and use or have applied creams and have their hair extensions added for a small fee. A fight broke out after one accused another of having them wait so long for services, butch identified woman who was among the crowd clashed with other women after she blasted them for being too petty allegedly. One woman sustained a cut to the face and police who were patrolling on Princess Street eventually came by to quell the melee.

The issue of using or resorting to violent reactions to solve simply quarrels comes to the fore and it happens all too easily. While butch identified or masculine acting women suffer way less challenges turning into violent episodes that does not discount the possibility of those such incidents occurring. The often ‘one of the boys’ phenomenon mentioned on this blog usually carries through as sometimes surprisingly men almost welcome them into their social circles. The women take on or display similar traits in behaviour such as ganja smoking and mode of dress and or even go as far as ‘looking women’ for sexual favours for mostly the men involved. There has been this old belief by some that having a ‘man royal’ friend can bring benefits of having more women for sex so the man somehow tolerate known lesbians in that regard. The mannerisms of the women only add to the tolerance level as the language and slangs are adapted or adopted by the lesbians probably to fit into the group.

Strangely our homosocial yet homophobic culture accommodates this type of union with lesbians and heterosexual men but when things go sour that tolerance level is thrown out the window and suddenly her sexuality becomes a problem and is used against her to demonise or belittle her. The ‘one of the boys’ phenomenon includes partying, flossing, skin bleaching and similar modes of dress. Lowered pants, exposed underwear or boxers and other identifying markers or masculinity and or bravado linked to thuggery or thug life that projects some sort of strength. In presenting those physical traits or presentation the lesbians who subscribe to such are easily subsumed into the male social circles while strangely or uniquely the other women (femme types) are not allowed that kind of close access or intermingling in a male circle. In other words to lesbians be like one of us and our circle and you’ll be accepted in a sense.

An earlier phone stealing ring matter in court in 2016 for example had implicated in the mix a butch identified woman so much so that the very judge hearing the matter quizzed the woman as to her mode of dress as she was little hard to identify her, the poor judge must have been puzzled not used to the presentation before her. Her (lesbian) association with a group of men in the ring was also questioned in court at the time but what the judge was not mindful was that she was able to ‘fit in’ (outside of assimilation) and have a cordial relationship with her male accused.

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Homosocial yet homophobic 2008 

Butch finds herself in some trouble for "non disclosure" 

The Butch Dynamic/mystique becoming a problem? 2011

Lesbians clash in car park outside popular strip club

So same gender loving relational matters or fallouts keep spilling over into the public domain and causing some image challenges in my view in terms of carving respectability and such. Not because we are LGBTQI and are impacted by negative pressures from society means we must be violent in all circumstances or display our under carriages to John Public, who for all intents and purposes seek to use anything to deny recognition of LGBT normativity so such clashes as the one I am about to share become ammunition to give credence to such denials. If we can’t be as heterosexuals in other words in terms of socialization then why do we or should we deserve same?

So I was forced to drop my usual routine at home on a weekend Friday evening as I normally prepared to make my way down to my DJ gig on the north west of the island; I was coaxed quite forcibly [mi vex still] into accompanying a lesbian friend of mine and two other persons to a popular strip club in New Kingston known as Palais Royale that attracts many same gender loving women over the years and has had its reputation reach international status. In the same breath it has had some awful incidents as well to dent that otherwise good reputation in as far as open entertainment for lesbians and some gay men are tolerated although the DJs can get very caustic when perceived gays or drag queens are in the house; with sometimes cheering support from lesbians. The old rift of lesbians despising effeminate men in public sometimes show up.

We have had shooting incidents by lesbians in that of one some years ago where a security guard who clashed with a woman was shot twice by her or COPS HUNT LESBIAN "SHOTTAS" or Lesbians Take Over Exotic Clubs 2008 (Wordpress Blog)

We arrived at Palais, entered, settled in, drinks in hand around 10pm or so (my DJ gig starts later on, maybe it was a good warmup for me) and we enjoyed the entertainment interspersed with laughter and reacquainting myself with some ladies I have not seen for quite some time when I was closer to the WomenforWomen group who would often drag us along for the fun of it to the same club. We noticed a minor skirmish by one of the tables between two women as evidenced in the crowd parting and a very animated butch appearing person clearly displaying some displeasure but the thing died down and festivities continued.

One thing I can tell you my readers butch women do not play when pursuing their entertainment and are heavy tippers; I stood almost in shock at the kinds of cash including foreign currency I saw being thrown on the stage and the heightened cheering and satisfaction. The previously animated woman was also in the mix making her contribution to one particular exotic dancer as the DJ vigorously encouraged the excitement, a job I know all too well in whipping a crowd into a frenzy. I ran into an older lesbian DJ who I occasionally worked with back in the day as well.

Time came for me to make my early exit as my out of town gig time was approaching and the drive though shortened thanks to the highway [yeah!] was still near two hours long; we made our way to the car parked some ways down on Ripon Road only to walk into an obvious fight as the shouts were audible. To my surprise it was the same butch identified woman who was animated before inside the club and another woman who were at it. The other woman grabbed her and throw her to the ground where they wrestled for a short time, much to the delight of the mostly male onlookers who were cheering and laughing; supposedly making light of the masculinity of the women in the melee and as if it were a boxing match described who punched who or who was more aggressive than the other.

Most of the men watching this go down were vendors on the outside on the street or male patrons or just hang-abouts who were engaging the female commercial sex workers who peddle on the outside of the club. I was not pleased with what I saw go down and to think the matter became a scene for excitement as if we were watching a knock out drag out fight in a Roman venue with one persons expected to die for entertainment. My lesbian friend was livid and expressed same while encouraging the ladies to stop the fighting and solve the matter another way. Another lady friend of hers who was with us gave some background suggesting that the aforementioned animated butch was a known trouble maker and her reputation preceded her; so no sympathy in essence was not offered towards her.

The fight was eventually parted by other women and a soup vendor who addressed the butch woman by a name as he pulled her away from the other person. Even as that was in progress the cheering men went into the after drama commentary that usually accompany these things gay or straight as the case may be. I found it offensive as it reduced in a sense gays and lesbians as constantly jealous and engage in fights over ‘pussy’ as loudly claimed by one of the misogynistically sounding laughing men. Words to the effect came from him and others that lesbians were not easy or determined in their quest for women lovers and would kill if necessary to achieve same. In other words all we are as gay people are sex hungry freaks at any costs.

We need to be careful how we play out our differences and clearly even after all these years for me we still have conflict resolution issues that require sustained interventions ad support. A fight along East Queen Street recently nearing Wildman Street was a case in point in about March 2015 when I was at a nearby betting shop making my punts for cash pot when a man walked in and proudly announcing that ‘two lesbian gal a fight’ by the location. By the time we got there one of the ladies clearly a stud identified type had her marina torn with her left breast showing under her bra while the other’s hat was on the sidewalk and her hair totally out of whack. And what were they fighting over allegedly? A woman it was surmised much to amusement of the men nearby at the two drinking spots; again the reduction of same gender identity to just sex seeking freaks devoid of emotion at any cost came up.

So much work maybe in a next lifetime maybe needed to change hearts and minds on dignity of LGBT people whilst reducing aggression as a way to solve conflict.

Peace and tolerance

H

also see:

The raid the night before by the cops:

LESBIAN ACTIVITY ON STAGE IN LINSTEAD CLUB RAISES CONCERNS 2008 

LESBIAN CLUB IN PORTMORE (THE STAR 4.12.08)

THE RESPONSE TO LESBIAN CLUB IN PORTMORE

(Wordpress archive blog)

Lesbians, robbery, mistaken Identity & a wrongly accused man beaten

Queen Latifah from 'Set it Off' 2012 blockbuster immortalizing the butch woman gangsta aka 'Man Royal' in Jamaica

Gordon Pen, St Catherine by a popular community shop was the scene as persons were both angry and laughing as to the pieces to a strange puzzle of a robbery of the house shop as is customary in such depressed communities. A robbery via a break in took place somewhere between Friday night November 13, 2015 and Saturday the 14th with the result of some $60,000 cash and several grocery items went missing; no dollar value was ascertained for the groceries at the time of gathering this report as I made my way into the community thanks to a brethren who towed me on his bicycle and my investigative curiosity kicked in; I spoke to two ladies I know who reside nearby and who are angry as well as to the allegations and outcomes. The shop is popularly known as ‘Whitey’ nearing the popular section in the community known as ‘the gulf’ and is known for its music and jovial atmosphere with the occasional bashment street dances.

As it turned out the robbery was perpetrated by two women departing from the traditional male perpetrators according to investigations done by some of the men in the area but not before a man who has a bad reputation for break ins inside and outside the community and was subsequently accosted and roughed up by men who took matters in their own hands in a vigilante style approach. Further discussions over the weekend and observations by some of a white car deemed a taxi dropping off or appearing to be picking up items aroused suspicion and a subsequent visit to the address where one of the suspected women reside with her cousin resulted in boxes and bags of items of groceries and phone cards similar to what went missing found; which led to further interrogation by men from the lanes nearby of the driver when returned to make another pickup or drop off as the case may be. He could not give a proper account of the items and why he was making so many stop-offs. He was ordered not to return.

Threats of arson in regards to the house where the items were found and the ladies reside were made but one wonders if it was just hot in the heat of the moment.

As regret set in by some of the area men who participated in an assault exercise of the accused man with the bad break-in reputation residents quickly gathered at the house and were boisterous as they could not accept that the women would have been the ones to rob the popular community shop. The shop’s operator has a reputation of offering credit or as we say in Jamaica ‘trust’ where some other shops tend to have misgivings and so makeshift signs on their doors or entrance spots with wording to the effect ‘No trust’ or ‘No credit’ ‘Absolutely no credit’ which tends to turn off patronage to rival shops who do offer some delayed payment system. The popular shop also offers breakfast at reasonable rates from egg sandwiches for only $60 with a cup of tea and breaks down items that would be sold as a package; for example sliced bread as a whole is sold in slices if persons do not have enough money or Vienna sausages or bulk ones are literally opened and sold in low denominations of one to three and upwards. So one can understand the justification of the upset of the residents; the police were notified they did come eventually and the items left in the house were seized with one of the accused ladies present but not before the angry residents and the ‘shotta thugs’ verbally abused them and the castigation included that they were ‘sodomites’ and living together.

The tense standoff lasted according to my sources some twenty minutes with the cops appealing to the residents to keep calm while the ‘shotta thugs’ could not exact their version of justice and were hampered to execute same since the police were there and warned persons; according to my source their faces said it all as they were peeved they could not act and discipline the girls involved. A truck was said to have arrived to remove their belongings yesterday and the driver and crew were verbally abused but that soon died down. There was some concern that the truck would be trailed by bikers who live in the community in the lucrative bike rental business but with the death last Saturday of a man who rented one of the bikes for $300/2hr without any serious experience he was eventually ran over by a motorist on the main road so such bikers are curtailed for now. Some of the bikes have since been seized and deemed illegal without a license both by riders and machinery alike.

Yesterday afternoon the truck returned to collect the remaining stuff with police which was where I was brought into knowledge of the occurrences as the boisterous residents were out again asking or demanding blood in as far as the accused ladies are concerned; none of them has been seen in the area since and the cops’ visit and the one lady who was on site was not taken in or detained for questioning which to me seems strange. One of the women is said to be a butch identified person or as stereotypically sighted ‘man royal’ a term made popular by dancehall acts such as Beenieman and Elephant Man and used to justify opposition verbally or violently to such women as they are seen as a threat to men especially in the department of multi-partnering; some men really believe that such women are sharp and may steal away other women sexually via good oral sex which may make such passive partners extremely satisfied as they may reach an orgasm easier than with a man. On the opposite side of things butch women are also seen as one of the boys in some circles and are treated as men in a social circle construct; so they do the things the guys do and still be a lady in a sense, smoke weed, dress as a typical ‘thug’ and have and share women or be allowed to access women for sex on behalf of the boys in the circle. Problem is when there is a standoff she is the first to be blamed or castigated as a ‘manroyal’ and or a man wanna be so she deserves anything that comes her way, including violent reactions or corrective rape in the extreme. 

more on the manroyal problems:

THE COURAGEOUS REBELLION OF AUTHENTICITY (external blog) and A VIOLATION RARELY SPOKEN ABOUT: THE ASSAULT ON ONE’S GENDER IDENTITY

Lesbian profiled as ‘Manroyal’ in tussle with men at Portmore Mall

Kicked Out! Lesbian told to leave home by father as he can’t stand the site of her

Woman Labelled “Man Royal” Forced to Relocate from a St Catherine Community

Popular "Cash for Gold" lesbian shot by cops, crisis reporting strategy again seems flawed

The Butch Dynamic/mystique becoming a problem? 2011

Tensions were still high this morning as the house is now empty according to my source, I did not get a chance to get back to the lane to get a first hand view as Gordon Pen is close to my housing community. This incident just goes to show the challenges that can come when same gender loving women get into criminal behaviour, I am reminded of the ‘cash for gold’ woman who was subsequently involved in an altercation with one of her male counterparts yet the matter was reported and seen by some including JFLAG as an attack due to her sexuality when that was NOT the trigger for the attack initially; she was accused of relieving cash she was due to hand over to another business partner and could not account for same hence the imbroglio.

Another lesbian was murdered some weeks ago and her nine-night (ninth night remembrance event) was held Saturday last thanks to a colleague who confirmed it; she was killed due to an ongoing gang warfare in Spanish Town and she was said to be related to one of those involved in that war. Meanwhile one ‘Black Marsha’ or 'Marsha Blacks' also passed away recently from kidney failure as she was said to have missed her dialysis treatments over time due to the overwhelming waiting list at public facilities for such services; she had missed several dates as she became frustrated with the system and simply stopped the follow up. Sadly it has caused her her life.

May their souls rest in peace.

 a song for the girls gone

Hope we learn it makes no sense to get involved in criminal activity and this one could have ended up with far more disastrous consequences and outcomes.

Peace & tolerance

H

Lesbian profiled as ‘Manroyal’ in tussle with men at Portmore Mall

As I continue to track and document matters arising .........

Corroborated

On October 14th 2015 a woman became the latest in a series of bizarre occurrences regarding what appears to be a trend in intensified heat against butch identified, indeed studs or androgynous looking women; this instance by a group of three men in the Portmore Mall just adjacent to the Kentucky Fried Chicken Store around 6:30pm. According to reports and a somewhat blurred photograph of the ordeal that was on Facebook but has since been deleted the woman was on her way to the mall or the carpark when somehow an argument ensued with men in the car park. The argument got louder and intense to a point where got to a stage of physical pushing shoving between the woman who refused to be manhandled and the men who were intent on supposedly embarrassing her or teaching her a lesson while ridiculing her appearance or aesthetic.

The heated exchange lasted for some ten or so minutes before security guards by the nearby entrances to the NCB ATM and westwards to the Jamaica Public Service, JPS bill payment office intervened to try to calm things down. One of the guards allegedly sided with the men in castigating the young lady upon hearing the gist of the argument and words to the effect including the grossly stigmatizing ‘Manroyal’ were hurled at her from who was supposed to be a peacemaker in the scheme of things; effectively demonizing her as she was dressed in what appeared to be male attire. So aesthetics factors in this latest matter; this ugly business of profiling has been featuring in recent times again especially with our same gender loving sisters with ghastly outcomes from arson to death threats to police pepper spraying (despite a police diversity training effort) to forced evictions.

Also see:
Kicked Out! Lesbian told to leave home by father as he can’t stand the site of her


Lesbian profiled & pepper sprayed by cops

Public Defender pleased with diversity training for police

Disturbingly it seems some NGOs or personalities in them want to keep the truth away from the public square on said issues as they seem to be more interested in suring up their images and portrayal of a middle to affluent out levity while the less privileged classes are relegated to at risk populations and victims. It has been said that those who carry reports such as these are exaggerating them; when sadly the vast majority of so called advocates are so out of touch with the real world and are comfortable in their own bubble complete with security guards in gated communities or apartment/townhouse complexes are do not dare venture into the byways, fields and hedges where the real heat exists. They only come into contact with such persons after the fact via reports or an office visit by the victim; so I do not expect anything else from such persons lacking real world experience as they try to paint a false rosy less homophobic picture of Jamaica when it comes to homophobia or indeed lesbophobia. The tweets are more about being out and proud and their own personal matters more so than that of the organization’s collective imperative.

The young lady according to my two reliable sources who witnessed aspects of the exchange and picked up more from the aftermath and conversations involving the intervening guards and members of the public some laughing defended herself ably despite the three against one unfair advantage. This ‘Manroyal’ stigmatization has been with us for some time and has been legitimized in a sense by dancehall artists; chief among them is Beenieman who voiced an old recording simply titled “Manroyal” where he claimed he is not interested in any intimate relations with a woman who dresses like a man and even via subtle hints suggest violent rebuffs to change her or suggesting that such a woman is to be then treated as a man since he wants to become one. A street dance on the Heroes Day Weekend nearing my house the song was played several times by the DJ among other antigay songs (Buju’s “Boom Bye Bye” included) driving the audience into a frenzy and I felt I was in the 1990s all over again.

the offending track in question:

more on the lyrics and their meaning here: Lesbian construction worker profiled told not to return to worksite 2013

There are other reports similar to this one but the challenge as usual is confirmation or at least corroboration; so they just remain as hearsay or a report unconfirmed which makes the job of tracking our situation difficult. We may never get a true picture as many other persons choose to remain silent and absorb the disruption or instance and try to recover on their own with only their own circle having knowledge of the situation. Asking persons to make reports to established NGOs as the ones I hinted to above is even more challenging as the old feelings of such groups being male dominated or insensitive lesbian advocates within such structures persons do not come forward so the under-reporting continues. The display for example of two present supposed leaders in a certain women’s group via some disturbing if not embarrassing tweets as their relationships battle is made very public has turned off some lesbians and bisexual women to approach said groups for anything.

Trust is so important in this kind of work especially in crisis intervention but where is the interest apart from promoting coming out & proud? When the reality is certain socio-economic groups simply cannot be out and still homo-negative Jamaica; the appearance of tolerance to me seems dormant and only requires a spark of some kind to revive such feelings; case in point the recent antigay rally deceptive labelled as a concern for the family by groups such as Jamaica CAUSE, Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship LCF & Lovemarch. The week immediately following that rally in Half Way Tree, HWT saw a spike in reports of verbal and physical tussles with suspected LGBT persons, so called Manroyals & androgynous or gender non conforming persons as well a trend I observed after the previous rally in 2014. Tastees Patties store for example smack in the middle of HWT was the scene of a short lived verbal spat earlier this year with a tattoo bearing, sleekly dressed woman often seen as ‘studs’ in the labeling ladder where one of the obnoxious male DVD bootleggers who peddle DVDs in the vicinity followed her to the establishment and attempted to verbally embarrass her while she waited in line to place her order. She responded in no uncertain terms that she was not intimidated by him and proceeded to conduct business as the man tried to repeatedly incite support for his stigmatizing cause which fizzled as other men around reportedly told him to leave the woman alone as it made no sense to proceed down that path. One person allegedly said words to the effect that sodomites will always be around.

I guess we need to defend ourselves sensibly where possible but is shows me that we have a long way to go in terms of changing hearts and minds not just buggery law reform; the amendment to the Offences Against the Persons Act regarding incitement for example seems to have gone quietly into history, how many folks are aware of such an amendment so they can use it? If the buggery law is amended or decriminalized tomorrow what happens after that?

Peace and tolerance

H

Lesbian profiled & pepper sprayed by cops

A huge thank you firstly to Aphrodite’s P.R.I.D.E Jamaica, APJ for granting permission on this one and for the documentation as well.

As we continue to track, document and share where possible or permitted to do so homo(lesbo)phobic and indeed trans, Biphobic & gender non conforming incidents another one involving the police abuse has come forth; let alone those that do not make it to either LGBT crisis interventions outfits, the police complaints arms or even LGBT networks as some persons absorb their extra-ordinary events and try to move on their own. The latest incident involves the practice as espoused by dancehall acts such as Beenieman of the “Manroyal” or masculine acting or looking female profiling of the victim. Other posts with the ‘Manroyal’ stigmatization: HERE:

Woman Labelled “Man Royal” Forced to Relocate from a St Catherine Community

3 LGBT Forced Evictions in Clarendon a Cause for Concern

Lesbian construction worker profiled told not to return to worksite

Concerns about labels & abuse towards same gender loving women 2011

The Butch Dynamic/mystique becoming a problem? 2011

Lesbians Rushed ……….. Left with a warning 2009

The present case:

On July 27 2015 a young lady who was making her way to her home in West Kingston around 11:35am in the morning, upon approaching an intersection nearing a food shop in the Regent Street area she came into view of a police detachment who as it turned out were in the outskirts of another matter as a crime scene cordoned off with yellow tape. The police at that location though visible their numbers were not so clear as they were some distance away. According to the victim’s report of the incident and corroboration from other persons. The primary motives identified here is that the woman’s aesthetic features and how she presents in terms of dress coupled with the abusive nature in police culture in that part of town and their residents and on the backdrop of the ongoing commission of inquiry and the negative labeling of West Kingston overall as a nest for criminals and their supporters, there is some licence that cops tend to have to abuse citizens.

The woman came into engagement with the cops who demanded she not take the route she was about to take to get home which was far closer and less inconveniencing for her; the cops offered no assistance or accompaniment to pass or circumvent the cordoned area; yet the rude cops with one hiding his identifying vest number which is required by law to be visible at all times when on duty or engaging the public insisted she take the long nonsensical route just to get home. The young lady in her report said in part “Mi neva have no hat down inna mi face or anything like dat. And him seh ‘yuh gwaan like yuh a man… soh mi agoh handle yuh like a man’…” (I never had my hat down in my face or anything like that and he said you are acting like a man so we are going to handle you as a man) for all intents and purposes reinforces the aforementioned abusive cops or squaddy culture towards persons from that side of our geography and hence justification for same abuse often left unattended, under or not reported or unsolved.

She alighted from a taxi at the time to make her way into her avenue when she was beckoned by the two cops, she ignored the call at first as she thought it was not directed at her and other persons were also in the space; she continued “. I stopped and looked while answering ‘mi nuh inna yuh way, it nuh mek nuh sense.’ (noticing something had happed on the other road) he then quickly said that I should walk around on Spanish town road, I then said it makes no sense because it’s just right up the road I live that’s where I live why should I walk around and am not even walking through then scene a mean mi did( 20)feet away from dem on a different road .

Then he swiftly ran towards me and grabbed me by the pants and pulled me over to where the crime scene was a then started harassing and then while he was pepper spraying me me said ‘yuh gwaan like yuh a man so mi ago deal wid yuh like yuh a’ man’. He pepper sprayed me 3 times before letting me go. I stood there trying to get badge numbers but I was only able to get the number for one of them (093), as the other person was hiding his. While I was standing there he said ‘why yuh a’ look pon i?!’ (Why are you looking at me?) and mi seh a yuh numba mi want. One of the two was telling me to calm down and if I don’ calm down him agoh lock mi up. So mi turn to him an’ seh ‘lock mi up fi wah? Mi nuh do nutten’ (Lock me up for what, I have not done anything) he had a book in front of him an’ him tell mi fi sign it but I did not sign it, mi jus’ walk off.”

She left the scene: “I stopped at a small shop and was sitting down and telling them what had happened and dem tell mi fi go up and wash off. A little bit later mi go home and tell my mom. An’ when mi tell har she ask mi why it happened and I explained her him tell mi seh fi walk all di way round on Spanish Town road and mi tell him no, it don’ mek no sense because a jus’ right up di road mi live. So mi nah put myself inna nuh danger.” In other words she explained to her mother after stopping at a corner shop and she washed off the contents of the pepper spray; she told her mother that she was being forced to walk the very log route to get home and because she resisted verbally while none violently as she did not want to put her life in danger, she was pepper sprayed.

A police report had not been made at the time of the preparation of this blog entry as she has declared intent to do so. Also a special thanks to the lesbian for allowing usage of the material with a view to highlighting the corresponding issues same gender loving women face as us as gay, bisexual and ever increasing transgender directed atrocities by both agents of the state and publics.

Injury /remedy taken status:

Burning of the eyes and skin,

Temporary blurred vision and some respiratory discomfort evidence which was relieved at the time of washing her face and hands.

Thankfully this one did not go any further than this and she has since settled is moving on though cautious of cops in and around her community.

Peace and tolerance

H

Lesbophobic Rant on RJR’s Afternoon Flagship Program by Broadcasters

Easter Monday around 4pm we were subject to the most ignorance laden lesbophobic stigmatization and homo-negative rants I have heard in a long time on radio and to think this happened on one of Jamaica’s longest running radio stations that has set the standard for broadcasting in terms of quality. I was taken aback by it, this one almost went unchecked for the heightened fever and anticipation of President Obama’s visit to Jamaica that has overshadowed near everything else, maybe the hosts of the show thought such an exercise would have gone unnoticed; if anyone was having traditional bun and cheese for the season and are right thinking they might have felt nauseous after hearing the poor broadcast quality from a supposedly reputable station.

The infraction was platformed on a pretentious search for feedback on a news story carried on social media of a female student identified as a lesbian in the United States who was barred from wearing a tuxedo to a prom when what really it turned out to be was an avenue to push as mentioned before homo-negative rubbish on the strength of the heckling exercise of the Prime Minister in New York by some gay rights activists in March and the expectation that talks may occur now that President is here on law changes, Jamaica’s homophobia and the perception of bullying by LGBT advocacy local and overseas.

Markland ‘Action’ Edwards and co-host Mark Marshall set the tone for the call back section and of the first callers went straight to the old stupid beliefs of a Keep it to yourself mentality or stay in the closet rebuke as is customary; she said ‘if they are two gays they must go in their dress and carry their man things to dem yard.” In other words the hetero-normative modes of dress must remain and no accommodation must be given to other forms of gender or sexual orientation (stereotypical sometimes) in the present rapidly changing environment challenging long held traditions.

Other phone in comments for example that were allowed to reinforce the homo-negative beliefs were:

“Not In my Cabinet .... no woman inna tuxedo”

“She can go wear her tuxedo somewhere else.”

“if she register at the school as a man she should wear her tux.”

“The school must stand up for what they stand for; if you is a girl you is just a girl; you must dress like a girl; no girl must dress inna tuxedo like a man, they must stay aside with it.” That comment again reinforces the stay in the closet mentality and that affirmation via public display of dress or openness is unaccepted, in other words the Keep it to yourself mentality. Sadly the stereotyping of LGBT life by LGBT entertainment has aided such negative perceptions to cement themselves.

“Keep your dirty laundry in your household”

RJR Markland Edwards on Female in Tux Story in US Feedbaack 06.04.15 

There was on sensible caller (with an American accent) brought home the point of freedom of choice @ around 15:25 in the audio posted above.

Mark Marshall was the more offensive of the hosts where he clearly displayed his ignorance suggesting that if he had to give a ride to a man who was known to be gay and members of the public were also aware then he would not engage that man publicly suggesting some predatory intent by homosexuals when in close proximity of someone else. I wonder if the exercise was a way to raise listenership as well as the stiff competition from others northwards on the radio dial is strong and the previous host of the show in question just departed the station so this show is pretty much new. Such types of phobic and stigmatizing rants and broadcasts are often used both in print and electronic media and dancehall music to revive or increase market share and sales capitalizing on the national perception of male homosexuality in particular.

Marshall in response to a caller in his disgusting display of ignorance said “when some girls want to exhibit a certain lifestyle they don’t wear dresses anymore,” clearly the man is not up on his understanding of sexual orientation and using ‘lifestyle’ to imply change is possible to convert persons to hetero-normal socialization. The caller continued and identified himself as a club owner and he knows how lesbians run yet he is offended at a lesbian overseas wearing to tux to an event but has no trouble while turning his head away accepting the patronage of the same group he is upset with.

It was after the aforementioned sensible caller that Marshall pretentiously again went on his poor broadcasting style as if to suggest he has no problem with homosexuals then the preverbal but. He also issued veiled threats that no group or activists can remove him and that he is willing to leave the station if necessary.

Sadly this is what our broadcasting standards have fallen to, I intend to send a copy of this entry to the station manager Francois St Juste to see if he will or can act on this; a warning perhaps and it is left up to us to monitor this duo as clearly they have some agenda as evidenced in this incident. The repeated reference to bullying by lobbyists for example was somehow being made out to be justification for no change of laws that criminalize acts associated with male homosexuals; hence Jamaicans must resist any talk of tolerance or homosexuality came through loud and clear to me in the 25 minute plus segment of the show.

This isolated incident though in earshot of thousands of listeners (mostly older folks) is a clear indication to activists that we have a long way to go in changing hearts and minds and not just amending or repealing archaic laws buggery legislation.

Peace and tolerance

H

Lesbophobia: Woman chased and beaten after being called sodomite

I also want to call this latest case one of butch-o-phobia and there have been a few of them especially in 2014. 

A woman was hauled before the court for reportedly wounding another woman with a bottle after she and her friends chased and beat the victim following a quarrel.

The complainant, who was dressed like a male and sported a ponytail hairstyle on Friday when she appeared in court, received injuries to one of her toes and her left foot after she was hit with a bottle, allegedly flung by the accused, Nikodene Grey of Unity community.

The court heard that on September 8 about 4:00 pm, the complainant was walking on Balcombe Drive when Grey, who was among a number of other women, saw her and shouted out "Sodomite!"

Grey and her friend reportedly started to curse the complainant and during the argument it is alleged that Grey made further disparaging remarks about the complainant.

The complainant, who reported that she was "telling them hot words too" said she was attacked by the group of women.

She ran, but the women caught her and rained several blows on her before she got a chance to escape when a passer-by came to her rescue.

But the group of women, the court heard, chased the complainant to a bar where they began to throw stones and bottles at her.

During the fracas, Grey reportedly threw a bottle which hit the complainant on her toe and foot, causing a wound.

It is alleged that the women continued attacking the complainant, but other people came to her rescue and she managed to get away from the angry group and reported the matter.

Grey was later arrested and charged with unlawful wounding. However, on Thursday when she appeared in court she pleaded not guilty and the case was set back for mention on October 3, awaiting the medical report.

The accused woman's bail was also extended.

Interestingly butch women escaped such attacks in a sense in years gone by and were once considered "one of the boys" in some social circles but what has changed to cause so many attacks on perceived lesbians just due to their masculine attributes is puzzling to me, although the climate may have been influenced by the discourse and deliberations of the sexual offences bill in parliament where church groups continue to conflate same gender sex with abuse/paedophilia with renewed vigour and a well organized campaign and robust funding.

Let us keep on eye on things.

Peace and tolerance

H

Woman Labelled “Man Royal” Forced to Relocate from a St Catherine Community

And the silly season continues.

CONFIRMED

It is not yet clear if this incident is linked to the present national moral panic led by some religious voices who are in opposition to a supposed homosexual agenda and the sacking/temporary reinstatement via court ex-parte injunction of Professor Brendon Bain in a UWI CHART program. Psychologically it feels like ten years ago when the environment felt tense in a sense and persons were far more intolerant and less accommodating.

A woman who resided in the St Johns Road of St Catherine area was given several days to leave the area by men who said they were concerned for her as alleged persons who were not pleased with her masculine tendencies as it turns out said she was unwelcomed all of a sudden in the area; despite her involvement on the youth football team, despite her likeability from other community members for years; despite her dog business where she raises and sells certain breeds of dogs she was still told to avoid any eventualities as she persons who were threatening seems anonymous but better to be safe and sorry. Apart from the face to face discussions with the males in the area, harmonious socialization with them as in her words she was seen as one of the boys so to speak she received a series of phone calls with threatening tones suggesting she was stealing women from men and causing supposed heterosexual women to turn lesbian. Ironically the alliance with a butch identified woman is a plus for some men as it plays out in polyamorous relational matters since some men also find multi female partnering attractive and the evidence is very visible at certain adult entertainment spots where a butch identified woman may be seen with men socializing or at the bar or in the case of the sex club industry networking sometimes very closely with a lesbian of bisexual woman helps for connections and delivery of paid sexual services from more feminine types who may not even be female attracted but engage in the business for purposes of earning an income.

The woman has since taken evasive action and thanks to the community based assisted phenomenon she has moved most of her belongings almost two weeks now and is temporarily staying at a friend’s flat. Days prior to her departure the frequency of the phone calls increased and became far more threatening to which she took no chance, a recent beheading of a man on Job’s Lane nearby and other matters in and around the area though not possibly linked has had many persons cautious overall so it stands to reason for one not to ignore any threatening actions of conversations. Speculation is rife however that a recent area leader who recently returned to the community after a log prison sentence is suspected as he tries to regain territory and intimidate those who he can in doing so to maintain hold on power in the area. Other persons have been moving out of the area as allegations of extortion rental for persons to stay in their houses which is a relatively new feature of wealth creation for criminal minds has also made some residents concerned. Since her departure from the area the calls has stopped after about two days but she has changed her number so as to avoid contact. It seems more and more butch identified or masculine acting women colloquially named ad “Man Royal” made popular locally by Beenieman in an old lesbophobic song he recorded some years ago unconfirmed reports suggests there has been some spike of sorts of attacks from verbal spats with community residents to public fallouts and physical attacks including an alleged corrective rape case in western Jamaica.

Another lesbian from Portmore a case that is still under investigation according to my sources was also forced to leave her rented flat by the landlord as he complained that other home owners and residents on the walkway complained repeatedly to them of the numerous women visiting and allegations of school girls who though not stopping are friendly with her which the residents fear she maybe inveigling them into lesbianism. So one cannot even enjoy the privacy of their home as in a rental agreement as others without proper proof disturbs one comfort of home, the woman in this matter has denied the schoolgirl bit of the allegations but she has supposedly confirmed that she has friends over on a weekend to lyme and relax. Portmore although a surburban area has had its far share of challenges despite the population types as upwardly mobile and more educated that other domiciles yet the level of homo-negativity and homophobia is worrying sometimes, one can remember the days of repeated forced evictions in Greater Portmore for example even as the housing scheme was new and new owners were moving in or renting them to working class persons to offset mortgages.

Perceived gender non conforming aesthetics and behaviours can cause challenges especially during this hot silly season as indicated in the introduction, persons seems to develop a radar specifically to look for those GNC traits so as to launch some opposition often in public to force the target of such abuse into submission while religious voices who are supposed help gel society are busy creating wedges and polarization on misguided perceptions of homosexuality in Jamaica. 

Strangely Beenieman who was mentioned above alongside his old anti lesbian song 'Man Royal' is now in a feud with another murder music accused Elephant Man as their creativity shrinks so they have to resort to staged stand-offs to get attention, see: Dancehall Acts with Anti Gay Legacy Feud with each other as Creativity Fades ....

Thankfully this displacement case ended with a reasonable resolution and I hope she can settle and recommence her life as before in a safe and comfortable zone.

Peace and tolerance

H

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. Obviously this particular episode is direct profiling of the women with supposed satire when it is not funny in my eyes.

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

WAG videos are the property of Media Planners Jamaica and are placed here soley for academic and public discourse reasons.

Butch finds herself in some trouble for "non disclosure"

pic source

A butch identified woman or at best a presented one who recently attended a mainstream event on the weekend of June 25th in Kingston where she posed as a male with a female patron who she socialized with is now in trouble as it turns out she revealed her true identity several days after via a text message to her date for the night. This practice is becoming widespread even though some entertainment spots especially in Kingston and Montego Bay encourage same gender loving patrons to attend. The issue was confirmed recently by the sister of the woman who was courted at the event. She (courted woman's sister) said in a conversation I had with her recently that she did not have a problem with gay people or homosexuals but when we supposedly lie our way into people's lives without disclosure then

"we muss tek wah we get" (we must take what we get or what comes to us)

A clearly upset sister to the flirtee continued with a questions to the effect that why would someone do such a thing and not tell who you are before hand? This to me seems like anger coming from the mainstream perception that homosexuals are trying to change everybody else into gays as well so an innocent flirt could lead to big trouble if this is not allowed to die down soon or sorted out properly. Reports from the woman (flirtee) sister suggest the butch lesbian who they thought was a man approached her for a dance and spent almost the rest of the life of the event courting her albeit with a deep voice which did not suggest he was in fact a "she"

The flirtee's sister said she did notice that other females would approach or beckon to her upon arriving at the venue or passing by which suggested (s)he was well known and liked but in hindset she commented that men usually have other men or "bredrens" who under normal would also say hello or hail their friend as is customary in our homosocial tendencies in male networking by local standards.

Word has since come that the male relatives in particular of the flirtee have been up in arms since news spread and that a hunt is on for anything that can identify her as it is said "they want to talk to her" I do not like where this is going and my sister butch or stud we need to be cognisant that an innocent flirt to you can and may lead to something else that was not intended, here now we may very well end up with a case of lesbophobia turning ugly to violence which I hope doesn't happen. The flirtee's sister though a little angered by the turn of events since the disclosure and obvious sharing of the information by the flirtee to others was very careful in our conversation to say she was not condemning all of us just those who are not honest and "trick people" she continued "... a nuh everybody like dem tings deh my yute, we noh seh lesbian deh a party and dance but nuh so brave."

The other side of the coin also is did the butch have to disclose? or maybe she figured that doing so based on the flirtee's personality at the time she may not have reacted negatively.

Should she (the butch) have left the issue just as a flirt for one night and not pursue the following days? I say yes but you may have a different take. This is not the first time occasions such as these have occurred but I guess not written on for analysis.

Given Jamaica's sensitive nature with regards to homosexuality should one flirt openly with a possible heterosexual subject in a public space without disclosure?

Is there an ethical dilemma when one flirts openly without proper gender disclosure?

Is one risking ones safety when one chances non disclosure then chooses to disclose afterwards?

Just some questions that come to mind given the recent upward trends in attacks verbal and physical towards same gender loving women, in this instance I think the word "must" is needed as safety is tantamount to all else, we must be careful when taking on these risky behaviuour in public, in private that's another matter, at best subject and flirter can be in control of their actions and manage the situations better. The perception of the flirter being dishonest with ulterior motives as hinted to above coupled with perceived predatory practices of gays may not help the flirter in the long run.

Think before we act please, there is certainly more to come on this subject of disclosure or coming out.

Peace and tolerance

H

Concerns about labels & abuse towards same gender loving women

Concerns have been raised and are being vigorously debated in the same gender loving female communities and by extension the MSM and bisexual arenas as well, the following poll question was posed in a particular group on Facebook which sparked some serious debate with a thread having some one hundred and fifty plus responses and comments. Some persons were not aware based on those responses in the thread that lesbian and bisexual women were going through the public backlashes we have been seeing as of late, well to be precise this blog has been carrying the marked increases on attacks and lesbophobia towards same gender loving women since its inception in 2008.

The verbal assaults have seen a marked increase especially since 2011 and some leading to unprovoked physical exchanges and beatings. The usual names that were used before as included in the poll captured above were

"Dyke" (a more US used title but burrowed here),

"Man Royal" (a more localized colloquial description of butches set to be derived from the dancehall arena where artists such as Beenieman have captured in song),

"Pot Covers" (another local colloquial derived from the use of pot covers for noise making or neighbourhood watch alarm systems and the analogy that two pot covers when clanged together cannot produce anything but noise and is non productive juxtaposed to procreation),

"Crotch rubber/rug muncher (local colloquial as well from the dancehall/exotic nightclub arena where same sex themes have slowly crept into the mix and are accepted by male attendees in selected spots across the island to include a now defunct nightclub owned by a dancehall performer in New Kingston),

"Sadamite Gal" (local colloquial, patois for Sodomite girl, emphasis on the enunciation of the words when heard to reflect the disgust of the lifestyle),

"Dutty Suck pussy sadamite" (an extension to imply serious hatred of lesbianism, also a to declare a threatening posture close to some violent action when heard with emphasis on the enunciation as well)

"My Yute" (a more friendly description normally used by men in the company of close friends but used here towards a butch sister viewed as "one of the boys" or "one of us" bearing in mind the homosocial trends in Jamaican culture by males that also is supported in dancehall)

These of course are just a few of the many names conjured up within the past years as the opposition always seem to use the new names to continue the hate and stigma, sadly many of the sisters have seen their fair share of abuse, forced evictions (two in May 2011) profiling as seen above in the question posed, the sister who posed it was verbally attacked and almost accosted by a group of domino playing men in a section of Half Way Tree in April, another sister was almost abducted in April as well as has since then lived as a hermit barely venturing out to the streets except for needed occasions.

Another sister was driven down by a taxi driver also near the Half Way Tree area as well who was clearly not pleased with her aesthetic presentation accusing her of "taking away women" from men and the other awful stereotypes of same gender loving women. I encourage everyone to be vigilant out there although sadly some folks have a simple minded view that persons "cause" incidents to reach them simply by how they look so they recommend persons must change their look in order to avoid attacks or abuse, should we change to suit others who are ignorant?

No, I say we must be ourselves no matter what persons may think, frankly speaking some homophobes make it their business to get into others business, an unneeded move on their part.

Peace and tolerance

H