Facebook algorithm to treat with Suicides & Cries for Help .............

This is good news on the suicide prevention front and indeed there may be just a dent in attempts made public or when they can be so identified via status messages and so on.

Building a Safer Community With New Suicide Prevention Tools

By Vanessa Callison-Burch, Product Manager, Jennifer Guadagno, Researcher, and Antigone Davis, Head of Global Safety

There is one death by suicide in the world every 40 seconds, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-29 year olds. Experts say that one of the best ways to prevent suicide is for those in distress to hear from people who care about them.

Facebook is in a unique position — through friendships on the site — to help connect a person in distress with people who can support them. It’s part of our ongoing effort to help build a safe community on and off Facebook.

Today we’re updating the tools and resources we offer to people who may be thinking of suicide, as well as the support we offer to their concerned friends and family members:

Integrated suicide prevention tools to help people in real time on Facebook Live

Live chat support from crisis support organizations through Messenger

Streamlined reporting for suicide, assisted by artificial intelligence

Already on Facebook if someone posts something that makes you concerned about their well-being, you can reach out to them directly or report the post to us. We have teams working around the world, 24/7, who review reports that come in and prioritize the most serious reports like suicide. We provide people who have expressed suicidal thoughts with a number of support options. For example, we prompt people to reach out to a friend and even offer pre-populated text to make it easier for people to start a conversation. We also suggest contacting a help line and offer other tips and resources for people to help themselves in that moment.

Suicide prevention tools have been available on Facebook for more than 10 years and were developed in collaboration with mental health organizations such as Save.org, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Forefront and Crisis Text Line, and with input from people who have personal experience thinking about or attempting suicide. In 2016 we expanded the availability of the latest tools globally — with the help of over 70 partners around the world — and improved how they work based on new technology and feedback from the community.

Supporting Someone on Facebook Live
Our suicide prevention tools for Facebook posts will now be integrated into Facebook Live. People watching a live video have the option to reach out to the person directly and to report the video to us. We will also provide resources to the person reporting the live video to assist them in helping their friend.

The person sharing a live video will see a set of resources on their screen. They can choose to reach out to a friend, contact a help line or see tips. If you or someone you know is in crisis, it is important to call local emergency services right away. You can also visit our Help Center for information about how to support yourself or a friend.

Empowering Crisis Support Partners

Partners are key to our work in suicide prevention and mental health support.
We recently added the ability for people to connect with our crisis support partners over Messenger. Now people will see the option to message with someone in real time directly from the organization’s Page or through our suicide prevention tools.

Participating organizations include Crisis Text Line, the National Eating Disorder Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

This test will expand over the next several months, ensuring the organizations can support any new volume of communication. Zendesk donated some of the company’s back end tools to make this integration possible.
Today, we are also launching a video campaign with partner organizations across the globe to raise awareness about ways to help a friend in need.

Making Reporting Easier

We work to address posts expressing thoughts of suicide as quickly and accurately as possible.
Based on feedback from experts, we are testing a streamlined reporting process using pattern recognition in posts previously reported for suicide. This artificial intelligence approach will make the option to report a post about “suicide or self injury” more prominent for potentially concerning posts like these.

We’re also testing pattern recognition to identify posts as very likely to include thoughts of suicide. Our Community Operations team will review these posts and, if appropriate, provide resources to the person who posted the content, even if someone on Facebook has not reported it yet.
We are starting this limited test in the US and will continue working closely with suicide prevention experts to understand other ways we can use technology to help provide support.

Suicide prevention is one way we’re working to build a safer community on Facebook. With the help of our partners and people’s friends and family members on Facebook, we’re hopeful we can support more people over time.

And as for trust, credibility & more on changing hearts & minds

In recent weeks a series of violent attacks to include two LGBT related ones have come to the fore with some unexpected and disturbing outcomes with this ugly business of intimate partner violence, domestic and power differential outcomes have had some major impact, there are at least eight murders of women by men within a three week period with last night’s shooting at the Bahai Principe hotel where a woman was stabbed by a lover (she survived) at a party on property who in turn was shot by a security guard, he died later. The unprecedented amount of domestic disagreement driven murders is strange to say the least as most murder cases are more on male on male side and based on some form of gangsterism often rooted in deep sociological challenges and or as the latest major reason being lotto scamming fallout and gun play; then there are other happenings on the funding front which made the mainstream news cycle, then came that article about the EU’s grant aid in the Gleaner and the supposed non-linking of gay rights and other legal considerations if not imposition of their will in order to qualify for said aid, we however know that said considerations are as real as the air we breathe and are done behind the scenes, pay close attention to how the Justice Minister effectively sang for his supper at the same signing ceremony for the grant aid making grand announcements as preceding ministers when such large support is extended to us.

Comments, if not shouting matches, quarrels online and on air framed as discussion misguidedly have ensued on social media especially since as to how to address this disturbing trend of women being killed for the slightest thing but what is supposed to be a solutions seeking activity seems to have morphed into angry men who call talk shows blasting women’s’ groups and feminists for being too sensitive and that all lives should matter whether they are men or women, some also suggest that some of the women deserve what they get as they should be submissive and are too emboldened and they cause men to supposedly lose it. This is a slight take off from the American ‘all lives matter’ campaign which was to designed to neutralize the ‘black lives matter’ campaign after the series of murders of black men by police and the unfair harassment of African American men more so than other races. But there is something else that has come to the fore which forced me to prepare this post.

A disturbing narrative laced with deep mistrust that has made itself front and center by talk show hosts, public commentators, and print media in letters to the editor and on social media. Some women’s groups and their supporters in particular are the target of the criticisms if not castigation but other human rights groups are also targeted and named as well, this feelings in some circles have always been around which is one of the reasons not much has been achieved on the ‘gay rights’ front in terms of public advocacy and the all important crisis communications; the latter requires so much work and healing it is not funny as if the public or sections of it do not believe that the loudest voices are telling the truth then one can scream from now to the next millennia you won’t change their minds and advocacy will be seen as an imposition on others and that homophobia is justified. Antigay religious fanatics have been the loudest voices leading that charge of hidden hand in the dark seeking to impose some nastiness on the nation and these misguided groups still do have influence on a large group of Jamaicans who seem more servile to the narrative than anything else without analysing what they are being asked to subscribe to or believe.

Subtextual context

Social media has its place and can make reaching larger audiences way easier bearing in mind where we have come from in the days when traditional media refused such as the now ‘friendly’ Gleaner and indeed tabloids as the Star (owned by the new conglomerate of TVJ et al) to publish press releases or carry tolerant and or balanced items on homosexuality but the seeming over reliance on the new media platforms in the present reality often with some appearance of arrogance and barring any real world follow up only further complicates matters; real world action usually via the proverbial ‘workshop’ are done in comfortable settings such as hotels of university campuses well away from the location of the problems or in privilege which feeds the very mistrust that is the obstacle to change and not in the spaces that may require those interventions. As the women’s groups and indeed LGBT ones as well as one new outfit in particular is the main dartboard for the ‘fire’ the subtext says that these newer groups online cannot be trusted as they coin the latest buzzwords, launch hashtags, run online campaigns but have no impact on the ground in the real world. 

They put themselves in line for grant aid funding as they have the foreign grantors in their pockets and attach themselves to causes real or imagined, small or embellished so as to embarrass Jamaica and force us to change our ways and impose foreign values. The latest voice to join the throng in that department was Dennis Broox of Nationwide 90FM as he sat in for Cliff Hughes who was ill on his “Cliff Hughes Online Show” Mr Broox was not so terse as the other commentators such as a certain opposition MP and a man of the cloth who recently returned to radio show hosting on Power 106FM but Mr Broox said that he did not like how some groups are using the whole gender based or intimate partner violence buzzwords to simply get access to grant aid funding which struck me, he never named the groups in question but the usual suspects come to mind such as the 51% Coalition, WE-Change and Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) to name a few as they have developed a bad reputation in the minds of many while launching all kinds of online campaigns they seem not to have any real effect on the ground so the cynicism comes out every time they do. Problem is that these groups are so busy often time on social media that they miss the mistrust formed about them and one wonders sometimes where they find time for real work with real people.

This business of trust or the lack thereof is something that has concerned me from my very entry into rights work and volunteerism especially in the early days of LGBT work since 1996; the hue and cry has and continue to be that gay groups are lying about homophobia to gain foreign support and that so called homophobic murders or violence are simply crimes of passion or lovers’ quarrels gone bad for the most part. 

Such conflations are walls that have not been properly surmounted but when the loudest speakers most of whom do not any real world experience to bring to bear and speak truth to their advocacy it literally rings out in the voice and in the narrative as they carry out such advocacy. In a previous post I shared some continued concerns I have on some of this as some seem to believe that just by changing laws such as the ‘buggery’ all will be well afterwards; it is quite the opposite as that is when the real work will begin if that change in law happens and if the groundwork in terms of establishing trust prior to that then the work is doubly harder thereafter.

It is really said that mistrust is still so high when trust is the glue or supposed to be the key ingredient but with a social media which aids but also poisons the goals and objectives then there are those who get carried away by mirroring, complacency and comfort in social media often unfettered and improperly managed with hashtag campaign that some think can make a universal difference; we must remember that the vast majority of Jamaicans are still not on social media and are locked into deeply comforting and justified old feelings driven by phobia and indeed hatred; real work with real people is still the most effective means of making change, face to face is still the best way especially in a world of permitted if not accepted deceit, falsehoods, bettered or altered versions of oneself on social media it is going to be difficult to penetrate some of that with just plain truth and honesty, so some resort to partaking in the farce to gain acceptance and a following. Besides despite social media’s impact on Jamaica figures show us that it is not the panacea as some want us to believe, yes more and more younger cohort of Jamaicans are using the platforms but the vast numbers of us are not even online with a basic Facebook profile let alone the others. Therefore we can conclude a lot of the campaigns really may only target and reach the converted while the campaigns fly over the heads of who are to be the intended targets.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again hashtags/tweets only last as they are allowed to and are mostly forgotten the moment another one replaces them and become short lived often not revisited as the latest hype takes over and a desire to conform drives the said short lived interest, therefore no learning and retention of what has been dispensed can be of any lasting value in order to effect contemplation and real behaviour change; hashtagging also appears to be becoming monotonous so many persons either un-follow some groups, effectively disconnecting or do not value or have long attention spans to the efforts, a point made by a media manager recently at a forum I attended. The campaign can be major turns off so, persons literally turn off on groups by discontinuing notifications to emails or their phones just to avoid the perceived annoyance. Then there is an appearance of arrogance that comes with the persons behind some of the groups due to the frequency of the posts and tweets, the choice of buzzwords & phrases plus the comments thereafter and again the mirroring phenomenon where the proverbial patting on the back ‘good job’ sentiments. Then there is the feeling by audience members of a prescriptive imperative which may be needed in some respects to force thinking towards change but it may sting of the said arrogance so it is resisted and not seen as an invitation to consider suggestions when they are made.

The very launch of that so called peace initiative in western Jamaica in a so called bid to address crimes lotto scam related was laughable in a sense. The actual launch complete with celebrities who lend their names was not done in the actual communities where it really matters where the killings and fear exist but at a five star hotel where the very residents might not be even able to pay for a night let alone a cupcake if they desired it; yet we expect to make change on the outside or in comfortable zones while expecting results. At least the church groups in March Pen alongside the Peace Management Initiatives PMI folks after those awful killings earlier this year they launched an initiative right there in the heart of the conflict in the geography where it matters most as gangs jostle for power and not at some fancy hotel as one has to be in it to win it not outside and then expect penetration afterwards to solve issues. The hotel launch was heavily criticized which also helps to feed into the mistrust that bedevils advocacy of any sort on social media as well and basically dismissed the moment as a grand show and media hype and that not much will emerge after to begin to adequately address the root causes, it made news as some suggest and I agree that location is everything including how the launch is done; that however is one part, the follow up work is next and how much money is left after salaries and administrative costs are tallied and paid out which usually end up ending and starving the efforts/initiatives in the final analysis sometimes well before the priority or scheduled dates.

The church groups in Montego Bay and other parts in western Jamaica also made sure that the marches and initiatives were done in the very geography where it matters albeit they are seen as hypocrites by some including Christians as they reactionary than proactive and while the marches and outdoor services have a psychological effect some are skeptical that as before we have these cycles, there are marches and then the thrust whittles away as the crime drops and persons find themselves in a false sense of security.

It is going to be difficult to shake off some of this belief that some NGOs and outfits are only there to use issues to enrich themselves via grant aid and with little tangible results to show in the eyes of many that only cements the mistrust in the national psyche. The reality in NGO work is that funding is always a challenge and qualifying for same can be challenging as grantors do not just dole out funds like that but how it is done and how the work appears to the public is not reassuring confidence on a larger scale; that lingering mistrust is often thrown most unfairly at others who do similar work. The very homeless MSM/transgender matter was not spared the castigation as persons like Mutabaruka have asked and are still asking why aren’t popular and powerful gay groups who get shed loads of funding seem not wanting to address their own or words to that effect. That PMI and others highly publicized press conference is another such example with the UK high commission in 2015 on MSM/transgender homelessness albeit the very homeless were absent (yet again) and not given voice with the very member of parliament in attendance yet no help can seem to come to the populations yet still after so many years of grief in New Kingston proper for the past twenty plus years of the problem. Perception is everything in the world of behaviour and legislative change; there is no way around it and truth is slowly dying or is in trouble if we believe change can come otherwise; even if it does it will be fleeting and not long lasting.

Think on these things

Peace & tolerance

H


also see:
Oh to change hearts and minds

Sexual assault of a same sex nature part 2

also see part 1 from 2013 HERE

As April is observed on this blog as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and also recognized in the United States where many of my readers hail and who encouraged me to mark the activities locally; some responses have come in via social media and by phone (the number located on the blogs 1-876-799-2231). Two respondents have shared their issues less than twenty four hours after the previous post to mark the awareness activity for 2016. I reminds me of the need for trustworthy spaces to air such issues as persons seek outlets to share and find if ever some emotional release.

Both respondents also granted permission to share the central issues from their experiences on here as well to whom I am very grateful, while observing the sensitivities involved I think it is important to raise the issue to indicate they are happening and out of sight is not necessarily out of mind; and that they read the original post on the subject for this year. Many suffer in silence or feel they have nowhere to really vent or share their concern. There is also deep mistrust indeed under reporting of such matters and even as more visible advocates are out there these days while commendable some persons see such advocates as unapproachable; a sentiment ringing out more and more in recent years and is as old as the life of advocacy itself since the nineties. Some persons are seen as cocky and standoffish and too ‘up there’ to identify with such issues or give a listening ear. Both respondents expressed such sentiments; I guess image is everything that is something that really needs to be addressed; the vain displays via social media can be a turnoff to many who want to reach to real people and not superficial appearing individuals via their social media profiles.

In each case the assault if not abuse was of a same gender nature and stemmed from a date gone overboard by the perpetrator who it seems misinterpreted their friendliness and or familiarity as an open initiation to sex or entitlement. 

The first case involves a long term dating couple who had been seeing each other for some time but also had intermittent hints of subtle demands for sex as a way to end the dating cycle. After an evening out on the town with all the pleasantries a working professional in her mid twenties was ready to call it a night and was expecting a chivalrous end to the date only to have groping and insisting by the date who was described as a stud that she wants some of the ‘sweet stuff’

Upon refusal things got far more physical and the think you’re better than me’ philosophy presented itself in the conversation wrapped up in an entitlement mantra as seen or displayed by misogynistic men in Jamaica. So because the aggressor was known to the impacted woman and slightly intimate the suddenly the latter is obligated to ‘let off a ting’ or give up her body to consummate whatever the aggressor thinks is happening or they are together all of a sudden in terms of a permanent relationship. Things got really rough after a while but thankfully never went to the stage of full rape but the woman was assaulted none the less. The matter was not reported to the police but she was considering it and wondered if there was any legislation that would protect her; I suggested yes as a previous case had intimated regarding a so called lesbian who was charged for assault after using a bottle to penetrate another female. She has not seen the aggressor in person and several attempts by same to contact her via Facebook has subsequently blocked her and has gone as far as to change her number. She is even considering relocating to a new address just to avoid impromptu visits by the aggressor. I suggested if it gets really weird or stalking becomes the means to pursue her then a police report is definitely in the works if not a restraining order of some kind. She sounded more upbeat by the end of the exchange none the less and is trying to move on with her life she says.

In the second matter it is a more midterm relationship issues involving non consent or forced sexual advances. Both women cohabit in the home of the impacted lesbian for less than two years and while there was some sexual activity based mostly on consent or some light aphrodisiac resistance as foreplay things got testier as time progressed. The impacted woman shared that the partner would demand sex almost immediately via phone or social media and upon arrival at home the demand was expected to be met; when not met the aggressor goes into ‘take it’ mode with occasional struggles that do not go to a full rape. However one moment led to a full assault in her eyes as she was pinned down for a few minutes as the aggressor kissed and attempted to undo her blouse etc. Since then the women were not on speaking terms and a third party was made aware of some of the challenges who in turn offered temporary shelter until she was able to fully relocate to another rented premises. The matter was not reported to the police as usual the fear is perceptions are that the cops may not be equipped to address such matters given the sentiments on homosexuality generally and exposure to family and others.

The near misogynistic appearing practices by some women especially studs and butch identified in a kind of masculine and manly experiences in same gender loving women populations is a bit disturbing to me; they adopt almost totally the attitudes of some men in Jamaica or their bravado to project strength on their partners or prospect and the age old entitlement phenomenon sets in. There are some outlets to assist women to navigate those issues thankfully as some training have been ongoing with even non LGBT outfits for women. It seems maybe some awareness campaign is needed or fine tune the ones already out there to let women know there are such outlets with confidential operatives to share and work out solutions.

Most of us can only offer emotional support and encouragement towards moving on while addressing the concerns including safety. It is hard to measure how deep these sensitivities lie as well as I still suspect some under-reporting is still at work.

Peace & tolerance

H

Backlash for J-FLAG Faceebook advert

It never rains but it pours, I tell you there is never a dull day in Jamaica and advocacy or the mess thereof that it has become in recent years classism, ageism, elitism and all; now this headline in the Star News, one would have thought that a careful analysis of an ad feature for Facebook should have been done prior to launch but I guess I am over-thinking here. JFLAG and indeed its newer blood have so much to learn and they refuse to take heed from older folks like me having volunteering with them from inception to working via contract up to 2010. The rudeness of some of the staff to former staff as well is most disturbing and a recent exchange with a former Programs Manager who now resides abroad displays it most clearly that something is amiss. 

Not to mention the tweet/Facebook tirade by two of the newer female advocates of the WE-Change (they both have BScs) group was even more grating to read as what appeared to be a lover's quarrel at a workshop in Trinidad was publicly displayed for all to see and embarrassingly so; then we were treated to a blog some days after to literally justify the behaviour while the author declaring that she is not a leader; then my question is why are you in the position still? I am not even going to get into too much of the frosty customer/client agency experience complaints of which are on the rise yet again from persons who try to access the office. 

Sigh

Anyway the Star News carried:

Prominent gay rights activist group, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), has been receiving heavy backlash in cyberspace for advertising job opportunities on people's social media pages without their consent.

THE STAR understands that the organisation used a paid Facebook service called sponsored advertising, which allows people to promote goods or services on Facebook users' timelines regardless of whether they like or follow the promoter's page.

J-FLAG first advertised a job opening for a communication and social media coordinator on November 7. However, numerous disgruntled social media users took to the group's Facebook page to complain about the advertisements which have been surfacing on their timelines.

Among the comments from some social media users who expressed their dissatisfaction was one user who posted; "Big man thing don't post no J-FLAG thing on my page. If u think u need to share them delete mi right now. Idk (I don't know) where our morals have gone ... smh."
confused

Another commented on the post saying, "Don't share J-FLAG on my page. Thank you."

"Not hating on anyone but why is this on my page?" questioned one confused Facebook user.

Such comments did not go unnoticed by supporters of the organisation as they retorted with much fire.

"The job advertised is promoting something that can help persons, and ppl are commenting that J-FLAG need God. The ignorance baffles me," said one J-FLAG supporter.

Another added, "These ppl r so silly, dunce, dark and fool like. Don't u ppl have anything to do with y'all time. We living nice an comfortable, nah worry bout y'all an y'all make it a duty to come ere to bash."

THE STAR sought to clarify whether the organisation would discontinue using sponsored advertising at the request of those who did not want to see J-FLAG content on their page, however, the correspondence has gone unanswered.

ENDS

Now when the J should seek to clear the air it goes silent yet has no problem reeling press releases from the conveyor belt on less important matters, typical! I am so used to it I have become immune; the disappointment my JFLAG has turned out to be; don't even get me started on their poor record for addressing homelessness or indeed abandonment of certain lower socio economic classes saved and except for seeing them as victims. 

Then comes the pre-occupation with having a pristine image for the international community especially: See: Jaevion Nelson: PM Must Find Alternate Ways To Support LGBT Community (Gleaner Nov 2015)

Oh boi, what's next?

Peace & tolerance needed indeed

H

Petition: Don't Deport Orashia

You can sign HERE

UPDATE - Orashia is currently in Morton Hall detention centre, this is the 4th time he has been detained! This is putting a huge strain on his mental & physical health.

His fantastic legal team are working around the clock but the Home Office might try & issue yet more removal directions soon so please be ready to once again call the airline. 

Keep an eye on Defend Orashia FB page for updates :)

Thank you so much for all the support so far.

If he is forcibly removed by the Home Office, his life is in severe danger in Jamaica. All is family are settled in the UK and he would be completely isolated and in hiding. His case has gained mass media attention and support in the past months and he has become well known both here in the UK and in Jamaica.

In 2013 a Home Office spokesman said: ”We have changed our guidance to ensure that we do not remove individuals who have demonstrated a proven risk of persecution on grounds of sexual orientation.'' (PinkNews.co.uk). Why is this then happening to people like Orashia?

Orashia is an amazing person who has the ability to shine so much more than he has been given a chance to here in Britain. He is a faithful friend and does what he can to help and support others going through similar issues to him. He has a close family, many friends and is involved in various groups and organisations around Leeds. His situation has meant that life is a daily unknown battle for himself, his family, especially his mother who works overtime on order to support him, and those closest to him. Please sign this petition and demand Orashia be given a fair chance at a real life now and not be punished for his sexuality.

You can watch a short documentary about Orashia's story called State of Limbo here: http://youtu.be/Wy3R2QtqONM

Another documentary called Judgement Day about Orashia's court hearing on 30th June can be watched here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVib2Hh6Oog

Here is a Channel 4 documentary - Unreported World, Jamaica's Underground Gays. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/4od#3705272 

Also the Guardian newspaper carried a piece on the issue:

Bisexual asylum seeker facing imminent deportation from UK to Jamaica

An asylum seeker who says he will be killed if he is returned to Jamaica because he is bisexual could be deported from Britain imminently, his family has said.

Thirty-four-year-old Orashia Edwards, who is currently being held at Morton Hall immigration removal centre in Lincolnshire, was refused refugee status in December 2013 when an asylum tribunal refused to accept that he was bisexual. He has since been embroiled in a long-running appeals process to have the decision overturned.

His supporters insist that he has had relationships with men as well as women, including his current same-sex partner, with whom he has been in a relationship with for around two years.

Speaking from detention, Edwards accused the Home Office of handling his case unjustly. He said that an asylum tribunal had rejected his claim that he had been in a relationship with a man in Antigua, where he lived for a time before coming to the UK.

“They said I was lying about my sexuality because I couldn’t remember details of the relationship,” said Edwards, who has agreed to be identified to highlight his case.

“I couldn’t tell them his date of birth, all I could remember was his star sign. He wrote a letter confirming that we had been in a relationship, but they refused to believe that we had been more than friends.”

The Home Office also pointed to the fact that Edwards was unsure of whether his partner had had any brothers or sisters, although LGBT immigration campaigners say that in countries such as Antigua – where male same-sex activity is punished by up to 15 years in prison – it is not unusual for gay, lesbian and bisexual people to withhold personal information even from intimate partners.

Edwards said he feared for his life if forced to leave the UK. “In Jamaica there is a huge amount of homophobia,” he said.

“If you go into the dancehalls and the clubs they play music saying: ‘If you are a batty man [a derogatory term for a gay or bisexual man] you get a bullet in the head, if you are a batty man you are condemned.’

“If I go back I will be tortured, I will be killed for sure. Because my case has been covered in Jamaican media there will be no way for me to hide. I’ve already received death threats on social media, people say I’m making the country look bad.”

Jamaica has repeatedly come under fire from human rights organisations over its treatment of LGBT people. The country’s anti-sodomy law carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. LGBT rights activists have been murdered and one campaign group has documented hundreds of homophobic attacks. A video posted on a Jamaican blog in March 2015 purported to show a mob stoning to death a young man they suspected of being gay.

Edwards said he believed the Home Office had unfairly weighted the fact that he had been married to a woman and has a young daughter against his claim.

He added that he had submitted intimate pictures of himself and another man to the Home Office in an attempt to prove his sexuality, but that they had been discounted because he was not in a relationship with the man in the photographs.

“I told him about my situation and he suggested making the pictures,” Edwards said.

“It was extremely degrading for me to have to do, and still they didn’t believe me. I’m not a liar, it has taken years for me to be honest with myself about my sexuality and I’m not trying to lie to anyone else.”

Edwards’ mother, Vienna Brown, who is a resident of the UK, said her son would be left without any form of support in Jamaica.

“He has no one there,” she said. “His friends, his partner Michael, his entire life is here in the UK. If they send him back everyone will know who he is. He couldn’t hide his sexuality, even if he wanted to. They are sending my son to die.”

Migration and LGBT campaign groups have long been critical of Britain’s treatment of people claiming asylum on the basis of their sexuality. Paul Dillane, from the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, argued that procedures used to determine an applicant’s sexual orientation were inappropriate.

“One of the main problems that our clients face is having to ‘prove’ their sexuality to the Home Office,” he said.

“Many LGBT people are refused asylum as the Home Office simply refuses to accept their stated sexual or gender identity or the evidence they adduce: for example, their own testimony or supporting statements from family, friends and partners.

“For too long civil servants have resorted to relying on false stereotypes and humiliating questions to probe a claimant’s sexuality. These practices are degrading and need to stop.”

He added that bisexual claimants like Edwards faced particular difficulties in dealing with the Home Office.

“Civil servants and judges often wrongly label bisexual men and women as gay or lesbian, failing to appreciate it is a unique identity, or impose their narrow understanding of bisexuality on an asylum claimant,” he said.

“For instance, bisexual men or women with children are frequently dismissed as liars. There have also been cases where bisexual claimants have been asked why they simply cannot limit themselves to the opposite sex.

“These stereotypes and misconceptions corrupt the asylum system. Given the persecution LGBT people face around the world these asylum claims are often matters of life and death.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.”

Also see previous entries here:

Defend Orashia Campaign Launched to Stop Removal from the UK by Home Office

Bisexual man facing deportation to Jamaica

Angeline Jackson on Obama Effect? Quality of Citizenship for all Jamaicans!

Angeline Jackson wrote via FB

To have been recognised as a young leader by the first black president of the United States at the Town Hall for Youth at the University of the West Indies, on April 9, is an honour and a once in a lifetime opportunity. To be one of two young leaders he called by name to highlight their work and their story is amazing.

also see previous post:
Obama Hails Jamaican Lesbian Advocate's Work

This recognition, beyond being a personal accomplishment for me, is a victory for the entire LGBT community, here in Jamaica, throughout our region and beyond. The President carefully, briefly touched on a subject that many I believe were waiting to hear. For us in the LGBT community, as a way of talking about our issues; for others as a way of proving that the US has this plan to impose a “homosexual agenda” on our small nation.

20,000 people march against "gay agenda"

What President Obama did, was highlight the issue in such a way that made it human; made it more that an LGBT issue, it would take a very cold person (not impossible might I say) to ignore the human aspect of the issue, to not recognise that sexual violence affects many Jamaicans and go straight into the LGBT component.

As former Miss Jamaica World (2007) and Miss Jamaica Universe (2010) Yendi Phillips said, (I’m paraphrasing), this is what we need, these are the personal stories we need. She said she watched my reaction as the President spoke about me and thanked me for my bravery. She by no means said yay for gays. I don’t know her position, but that doesn’t matter, we don’t always need someone jumping for gays to be making progress.

Yendi Phillips

The recognition and encouragement from the President is as much to me as it is to Jalna Broderick and the organisation we co-founded in 2013, Quality of Citizenship Jamaica.

What you don’t know is that we’ve done a lot with very little. For the last two years we’ve operated on a budget of approximately $12,000 USD; we’ve spent that money conducting workshops for lesbian, bisexual women and trans* persons, creating at home posters for the stands in 2013, conducting surveys into the realities of our community, being the only organisation to bring the specific issues of the LBT Jamaican community to the international sphere through a presentation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, collecting some of the early data on the homeless youth for others. Since our beginning we have never taken a paycheck. We’ve been doing a labour of love, and we have had volunteers who have given in their various capacities.

If I begin to name all the organisations, and individuals who truly believed in our vision and our mission, I may leave out someone accidentally. Please know that we fully remember you, remember your faith and help, your encouragement and your support. We tell you thanks.

Now as we celebrate and enjoy the conversations that President Obama has helped to foster, I have a few requests:

Volunteer with us (http://qcjm.org/donate-and-volunteer/), everyday we think of something new to do. If you’d like to volunteer and we don’t know what we want you to do, tell us what you can do. Immediately, we need someone who can dedicate time to social media.

Help us in our search for an office space. So we can actually have desks and chairs, and meet with persons in a comfortable and safe space. If you have a space or you know someone with a space, or would like to rent a space on our behalf. Thank you.

We need counselors and persons with counselling skills, to volunteer their time.

We need experts in various fields to donate their time through presentations at various workshops we will have in the coming months.

Help us to raise $90,000 USD to do important work with and for lesbian, bisexual women and trans person. This will in turn positively impact the landscape for the entire LGBT community and provide much needed attention and empowerment to the LBT community.

Know that our name Quality of Citizenship Jamaica is very deliberate, very strategic. At the end of the day we are all Jamaicans and we want to enjoy the same quality of citizenship as our fellow heterosexual Jamaicans. We are about lesbian, bisexual women and trans people, we are about women and children. We are about a better Jamaica for all.

also hear the follow up interview locally on RJR's 

Beyond The Headlines

and

Dubious Adam4Adam Profiles, Unscrupulous Sports, Gay Imposters, Robberies & Safety ...........

A series of incidents within the last few months have raised concerns about a man or men supposedly from Kingston who is posing on popular international gay hookup site adamforadam as a gay man seeking a one night stand or hookup where three robberies all describing the same person in height and skin complexion while also brandishing a machete or chopper in robbing his victims has resulted, his latest attempt was in the Kingston 3 area last week where the hookup was made at the home of the unfortunate person after which the weapon was brandished and he proceeded to relieve the frightened young man of a laptop, several thousand dollars in cash intended for rent payment, a smart phone and other smaller items. A report was made via phone by the latest victim to me and permission granted in sharing this matter; a previous Facebook posting from another victim also had a warning of what seemingly is the same individual who changes or block his number after each robbery; goes uncover or invisible then resurfaces, he also his usually closes his Adam profile only to resurface and repeat the attack all over again with fresh victims.

The link was made on adamforadam.com sometime in last week after a few days extended messaging albeit the party had no facial photos of himself but that of a torso the final meeting was arranged for a one night stand, I asked the reportee why didn’t he allow the initial meeting to happen at a more neutral or central location in a crowded space while switching his declared identity so he could scrutinise his intended party? he said that he allowed the person to get the best of him and his judgement and decision making was poor at the time to have allowed himself to make such a mistake. He said the man wasted no time in making his intent known upon arriving at his home and so he said he could take what he wanted but not to harm him. 

also see: 

Warning!: Fake Facebook pics and hookup dangers 2011

Inviting an unverified third party for a hook-up can be dangerous 2013

Facebook & unintentional outings to family members

History has taught us this that unscrupulous persons sometimes seize the opportunity in times of high visibility in LBGT public discourse to disguise themselves or even pretend to be looking for a hookup on the face of it when really their intentions are to rob persons, since the start of this year there have been some four such known cases of Facebook hook-ups gone bad with persons being robbed and one person actually suffering what turned out to be a homophobic raid disguised as a hookup. The man who had arrived at the meeting point at a popular guest house in St Andrew had hiding and waiting in a car three other cronies who alighted from the vehicle when they were signalled by the mastermind pretender. The intended victim however had realised that something was amiss and had made arrangements to leave the building in time before the worse could have occurred, he reported that he was alerted to the suspicious behaviour of the mastermind decoy as he kept going to the bathroom and closing the door, the escapee said he noticed at every entrance to the bathroom by the would be culprit muffled conversations could be heard coming from behind the closed doors which made him suspicious so he left a couple thousand dollar notes and made good his separation. It was upon leaving in another car driven by a friend who was alerted and asked to come that the plot was uncovered as they sat in the parking lot windows wound up and noticed the three men now together engaged in what appeared to be very animated conversation with each other as they seemed upset at the disappearance of their intended victim. Several phone calls to the intended victim by the man from his regular number and from private numbers also raised the suspicion of thuggery at play. 

It was a voicemail message by the mastermind that finally confirmed the deception where he issued veiled threats that if he met him again he would do him harm while in the background the other male voices could be heard expressing their disgust at not being able to exact their intended crime.

I have warned about fake profiles and disingenuous intent before by persons on this and the sister blogs and also about e-lationships and the risks involved with parties one may not be familiar with. Sadly there is a lingering perception even by downlow thugs as it were that other gay men are ripe for the picking and easy targets for robbery as they have more material wealth or financial where it all. So they target more effeminate or single gay men living in certain residential areas. One has to be very careful as the latter incident explained above is more likely to happen as the national temperature of homosexuality, perceptions of bullying by the lobby collectively and the hysteria surrounding the JFJ Sex education manual in children’s home supposedly sneaking in homosexuality through the back door may cause some idiot out there to launch a deceptive attack on perceived homosexuals or lesbians for that matter.

see: The Deliberate Misuse of the “Sexual Grooming” Term by Antigay Fanatics to Promote Their Hysteria

Another fake Facebook hookup incident took place in February of this year and was reported through the Aphrodite’s PRIDE Jamaica intake mechanism as the male victim in his late twenties was also lured into meeting someone who had posted a fake photograph of their genitalia and lower torso. The hookup also as the Kingston 3 incident took place at the home of the intended target of the deception and upon arrival he was pounced upon by two other men who arrived via bicycle, several electronic items were stolen including a phone, a tablet and a laptop as well. The similarities in the cases suggest it maybe the same set of persons who are carrying out these attacks via social media as similar items are taken when they occur.

Thankfully some gay and bisexual hookup Facebook groups administrators and other micro-blogging avenues have been heeding the warnings and vetting or monitoring their membership with far more vigilance than before. One lesbian group has been requiring persons declare their sexual orientation in order to remain in the group it has been reported. An older case of corrective rape and grievous sexual assault comes to mind from 2010 when a popular LGBT network page was targeted by a group of men aided by a female in St Catherine to lure women into the trap and then rape them as the victims were led to believe they were conversing online with another woman.

That matter was dealt with as the ring leader was subsequently nabbed, computers seized and other parties arrested, the case however stalled somewhat as the other victims did not come forward to make the case stronger but eventually the main henchman was sentenced to 29 years while the others were pursued by a cooperative Center for Investigations of Sexual Offences & Child Abuse, CISOCA team in the parish, an alleged corrective rape case also came up for mention this year in Western Jamaica but no serious follow up seems to have been done in terms of arrests and charges laid on any suspects.

A word to the wise is sufficient although we cannot stress the importance of being careful on these things as one just can never tell who is who or what are persons’ motives out there.

a previous podcast on tips for hookups, hope they help

Please be safe, please be vigilant

Peace and tolerance

H

Anti gay Facebook group pops up after the Queen Ifrica fiasco

A new group one of many has popped up on Facebook since the Queen Ifrica public debate on freedom of speech and so on and now the moralists have been coming forth. The overall feeling since the euphoria post the cancellation of the work permit of the female singjay is that the gay lobby has over reached and is becoming oppressive instead of showing the tolerance it is agitating for. 

The airwaves have been on fire since this week and persons vowing all kinds of action including a planned march word has it on the street in opposition to the supposed choking of the performance by Queen Ifrica.

The group named Jamaicans' Fight Against Slackness Immorality Nastiness & Homosexuality

Closed Group 
Jamaicans' Fight Against Slackness Immorality Nastiness Corruption & Homosexuality (JFASINCH) is a group on a mission to boldly and fearlessly stand up against ALL forms of persons, entities, groups, and governments that continue to use their wealth and power to brutally force our Jamaican people into accepting, encouraging, and subjecting themselves to their sordid ways of life.

I, Sub-Zero, WILL NOT be accommodating any individual in this group who is not 100% in support of my cause to stand up at ALL cost against the powers of darkness, greed, and immorality. I will not be under the modus operandi of persuading persons to believe in my cause; but will be seeking to find persons who are already of the same faith and conviction to do whatever is necessary to bring Jamaica back to some semblance of morality.

Finally, it is my sincere intention of physically launching this group as a Non-Profit Organization in Jamaica as soon as the Facebook membership reaches a satisfactory total. It is now full time for the Moral side of Jamaica to start making their voices be heard in LARGE numbers; because if we don't, our little island called Jamaica will be a figment of our imagination--a place that would be completely demoralized, demonized, and perfect for Satan to establish his New One World Order domain, similar to that in places like America now.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER IS SURE IF WE DON'T FIGHT!!

the Admin:

The group though young has only managed to get only 16 members as at the preparation of this post but other LGBTians have been insisting on reporting the group, are we taking an intolerant view of intolerance here in some respects? After examining the group there was no indication the more egregious death wish for us seems not present at this time so should we rush to judgement. Of note Delano Sevright of the opposition party the JLP, Jamaica Labour Party is a member which suggests the general view of that party on homosexuality for all intents and purposes. He views may not be those of the group as he has been some what fair on some issues before so I do not want to pre-judge his intentions.

Question is should we watch first before action or report them for closure?

I say wait a little then if any infraction of refusal to admit LGBT persons then we can act.

Peace and tolerance

H

Another anti gay Facebook Group ...... Bun Batty Man Movements

As more anti gay groups continue to crop up on popular social networking site Facebook and are reported and taken down others spring up. Only some two days ago on my sister blog I carried a now defunct group named Bun Batty Man, Str8 Pumz Mi seh .... after much vigilance it was removed and now the above mentioned group has been found Bun Batty Man Movements with its description verbatim saying "Leviticus 20:13 - If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of the have commited an abomniation. They shall surely be put to DEATH. Their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 18:22 - You shall NOT lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination. . . Those two verses justifies what this page is doing." 

 

 

This is expected as more and more Jamaicans log on to Facebook and the proliferation of mobile devices and  services the hate will just have another medium to or outlet to release itself however punitive measures can be taken also there is a twist to this a well. literally as a popular group that is a T-shirt company named Twystyd has opened its doors to gays and allows free expression, this has not gone down well with some older members who profess to be heterosexual and there have been heated threads on their group wall. A falling out also in major secret group as well which has many gay Jamaicans on there has also been blamed for this sudden growth on anti gay groups as the previous secret group whose admins have banned rowdy and wayward members have seen hit backs including reporting of the very page and suggestive pics with a view to having Facebook closing the group. The now defunct anti gay group had past members posing as straights in the new group and posting copied threads of exchanges with supposed hookups or hits in the original secret gay group. Here is a snapshot of the now defunct anti gay group

  

Now please report the new group as shown on the very top in the post. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bun-Batty-Man-Movements/143427622383792?sk=wall

Be Vigilant Be Safe

UPDATE October 12, 2011 - The Group has been removed

Peace and tolerance

H

Weirdo Uncle’s ‘come on’ post to nephew disturbing

So a social media post by a disturbed young man has made the rounds and has caused some serious reactions by those who have seen it thus far.

The actual post unedited except for spacing read:

“GUYS I WAS SO UPSET YESTERDAY I ACCIDENTALLY LEFT MY TAGGED PROFILE OPEN AND MY UNCLE WENT AND SAW EVERYTHING!!!!! MY MESSAGES, PICS U NAME IT AND AFTER HE SPOKE TO ME AND SAID THAT HE WAS GAY ALSO WELL TECHNICALLY HE'S BI, BECUZ WELL HE HAVE KIDS , ANYWAYS I WAS LIKE WHEW!! ATLEAST IM SAFE, BUT..............

HE WENT FURTHER AND ASK IF I AND HIM COULD BE TOGETHER I WAS LIKE, WHAT! HELL NO!!! AND BESIDES YOUR MY FAMBILY!!!!! THATS INCEST!!! EEEW!!!! SO I TOLD HIM NO, AND HE SAID O.K THEN BUT IF ITS THE LAST THING HE'LL FUCK ME.

I WAS SHOCKED AND SURPRISE TO HEAR THIS FROM HIM, NOW IM PREPARED AND EQUIPT WITH A KNIFE IF HE TRIES ANYTHING, OH! AND HES A POLICE OFFICER AS WELL WHICH MAKES IT MUCH WORST, SO GUYS I NEED UR ADVICE WHAT SHOULD I DO????????”

ENDS

This shows yet another case of poor management of social media spaces and profiles, a problem that had been rising since social media has becomes the newest way for LGBT people to reach out and link up and so on. I have not used my Tagged in quite a while come to think of it as there are certain features on there that leave my open to exposure apart from someone getting direct access as this case shows by viewing on another device. But the post above goes further than just the typical hunt online but a threat implied that the uncle will have his way in the final analysis by obviously sexual assault. It was suggested to the man who made the post that he should report the matter to the police but he in turn said he was concerned about the repercussions and family fallout if it got to the courts.

His concerns are valid if he does not have any sort of support systems and indeed the patience to fight this in our creaking justice system. If the uncle is advancing hints of violence to get his way then what could he be capable of if he is accused of being gay and pursuing his nephew? Worse yet the man is a police as well and this would not go down well in the squaddie mentality or psychology of the force as well in as far as reputation on his part, the ridicule that could come from this if it goes too public may even cause him to exact violence so as to project strength or bravado. This one is catch 22 situation in my eyes and as for the incest part I am not so sure about that, technically it man on man sex if it happened and children cannot come that way outside of stem cells reprogramming that allows for that without any sexual intercourse.

One of the main purposes of an incest law is to address the children aspect of it and religious or ecclesiastical laws on same as the outcomes can have handicapped offspring as blood lines get too linked with family genes. Others in the social media group suggested he should tell the man’s woman and out him as a freak, others suggested he should try and get a job and move out and not alert him as to where he lives. Family same sex relations are not new as close as cousins, uncles and nephews and even one case some years ago in one of the tabloids (XNEWS) declaring gay sex between brothers allegedly, the item caused outrage nationally as the story spread and led to a backlash against gay men and homosexuality and to a lesser extent a call for keeping the buggery law, as if to suggest that buggery laws are inextricably linked to anal sex by men when heterosexual couples who have men who penetrate women anally.

Sad that the man could not be satisfied with just coming out as gay or technically bisexual if not behaviourally so and not have a predatory imperative, some have asked if he was so “thirsty” for a man that his won relative would be prime target for his advances. This also suggests this man may have had an eye on his nephew all along and now that all has been revealed he can now pounce. The choice is the young man and one hopes this does not escalate into something else more egregious, let us say that this outing did not happen by surprise discovery would this alleged police man would have done as his thirst and urges got more intense? Was the threat meant to be a daring joke or endearment?

Jokes if it was are not to be taken lightly in any way shape or man, when a man declares that kind of thought it can be contemplation and be transformed into action.

Commendations are in order for the young man in openly sharing this and I am in no doubt it was a fabrication given the discourse that ensued in the thread, some in the NGO establishment and JFLAG do not take kindly to these kinds of public discourse on matters, and would prefer things are kept hushed for purposes of being politically correct to sound and look good. What hypocrisy?

Remember to be vigilant on your internet profile/footprint and the requisite privacy.

Peace & tolerance

H