Homeless Awareness Month 2016 issues part 2

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when after some forty plus years of some kind of organized LGBT advocacy from Gay Freedom Movement to present, to include the HIV years in the 1990s and slow periods yet with all the hard and anecdotal evidence of stigma driven displacement and homelessness there is no proper response to same. The fundamental question as to why this is so is yet to be properly and honestly answered.

In part one on sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch the home of this annual feature the focus was on MSM and transgender to a certain extent, seeing that women never normally feature in forced evictions and or homelessness under the LGBT populations label. However as hinted in part 1 the growing challenge with women is evident more so than ever coupled with the under reporting or late reporting sometimes years after the fact; persons feel the available systems and or NGOs will not be able to identify with their issues so they supposedly suffer in silence or keep the information in a close network of friends.

Apart from the two women who have been struggling to find permanent accommodations linked to the ongoing weed whacking project in St Catherine most same gender loving women who find themselves in challenges tend to rely on a closely knit network of friends; as mentioned before on this blog women being the naturals social creatures they are tend to recover from these matters way better both generally and SGL specifically, the trust factor is way stronger between lesbians and bisexual women to a certain extent despite biphobia and bi-invisibility as highlighted in a previous post on Bi-visibility Day.

Unconfirmed reports also speak to an arson matter in St James as well after thugs have been demanding the woman and her roommates should move as they (the thugs) want the house, coupled with that are reports of persons being either forced to sell their properties under some form of duress or undue pressure via visits to push the deal/sale through and sadly supported by high powered attorneys-at-law. The hesitancy in reporting those issues is quite stark specific to that case as the feeling is the NGOs and those who serve them are too young to understand the complexities or may not be able to identify with the issues as the class divide comes into play as it does and have been doing for decades.

Numbers suggest an increase in reports as some five reports involving women as outcomes of forced evictions and death threats, as per usual confirmation is a challenge but sources in the police have been helpful.

Standout cases:

Lesbian in her twenties in St James forced to relocate from her home nearing Glendevon in St James and other residents as well as thugs declare war on other lotto scammers and a recent deportee who is intent on cleaning up the area of all ‘fish’ (derogatory term for effeminate men) and ‘man royal’ (derogatory term for masculine acting women) an earlier shooting of a man and his friend in nearby geography seems to suggest a festering of this recent surge in shootings in broad daylight; the pressure from the police, US diplomacy (with an FBI office now fully present) and or the lotto scam task force seems to be causing in fighting with factions employing gunmen to protect their interest; avenues for scamming dry up and LGBT persons either directly involved or not but are identified as such can and have been finding themselves in challenges.

LGBT event planning to a certain extent has not escaped the effects of the growing crime tinged with homophobia, a small bar and club (not Bubbles Bar private membership that I am a resident DJ at in Discovery Bay) operated by an older lesbian for her friends and visitors by the old and short lived Calabash Club location has had to close its doors and extortionists have paid her visit and claimed they are aware of the patrons who support her whilst demanding some $100k a month in exchange for protection. The operator has since closed since July especially after a shooting incident several miles away of a sixteen year old scammer at a birthday party he paid for of a two year old; the alleged perpetrators were part of the crew who attempted to extort the woman.

A small guest house also was visited by three men aboard a white car some time ago according to a Facebook post now deleted in August which caters to a myriad of guests including LGBT visitors looking for rustic scenery was forced to employ stronger security measures as the men were demanding money, deep mistrust with the police only adds more fuel to the issues, the rotation of police personnel only confirms that mistrust so impacted folks simply move so as to avoid any problems.

A recent shooting incident in early September of a male call centre employee who was gay has only sought to muddy the waters regarding what is really going on in Western Jamaica, he was cut down as he exited a taxi and had been according to reports a target of verbal abuse, threats and pressure to either get involved in scamming or do more for the thugs who were aware of his association to the call centre business.

I found myself despite financial challenges offering some temporary accommodation to two persons since this year in one month stints each. They both encountered difficulties culminating from prolonged tense relations with community, family members and in-laws.

Even as this issues attend reports of forced evictions are around, mistakes on social media and or poor monitoring if not scuttling of online profiles lead to unintended outcomes. The use or misuse of older homeless persons for all kinds of things by some is so distasteful including photo shoots by foreign photographers; while the men as subjects for the most part remain homeless struggling to eek out a living mostly by commercial work and said photographers and so called pro-lgbt artists get paid via royalties but somehow it does not trickle down to the homeless used as subjects in their work. Repeated clashes with female commercial sex workers especially with the CSW explosion overall in New Kingston yet again proves the urgent need for proper interventions from both governmental and NGOs who are as in recent times very well funded yet not on the ground results. Said clashes also have traversed to Portmore’s infamous hip strip as we say ‘more water than flour’ groups and individuals clash for ‘business’ and with the appearance of a novelty of cross dressers openly operated assigned females feel threatened in a sense coupled with transwomen as it were who use inappropriately birth control pills and so on to feminize their look as they cannot afford legitimate hormonal courses.

Kingston's Mayor Burke receive Death Threats... so she claims yet with all her optics with JFLAG and such claiming she is concerned she cannot deal with homelessness citywide; some over a 1000ft westwards from her Church Street Mayor's office, infront of all places the Supreme & Appeals court also seen as the hallowed halls of justice buildings as seen below. 

homeless man on bench

How is she therefore going to address MSM/transgender homelessness that requires specialist interventions when the very JFLAG isn't showing any forward momentum on this for so many years?

Immediate service needs attention are not enough.

Proposals sit idly, unused with good recommendations conceptualised by then eager volunteers but as is the issue on a national scale reports abound but the action items or recommendations do not get the light of day. It seems as if some just want to use the homeless for superficial reasons for photo reels on Facebook yet no real change comes by way of the impacted persons. Asking a homeless person to be a part of some online campaign as this person as to either suck a dick to find the next meal or such whilst offering mere tokenistic gestures by way of feeding programs that only foster a dependency is so unethical. If the populations feel that Aunty so and so or Uncle so and so are coming with a care package or cook food then how can the groups feel to move towards some self efficacy? A recent so called small business effort where snacks and such were offered for sale to some of the persons has since fizzled and I am worried that such dependency driven responses can lead to entitlement issues later and as history has taught us breaking of attention can have disastrous effects.

The wave of outlets who claim to be registered as NGO such as Dwayne’s House, Larry Chang Centre names after JFLAG co-founder whom I and some others have lost faith in and Colour Pink where it founder found it necessary to run away from Jamaica all seem dead in the water. One can understand the funding constraints and resource challenges but sheesh all of them are linked to powerful NGOs yet no cohesive response, again as asked in my opening on this entry why this so, why is isn’t there any serious interest? The focus seems to be the more combatively attractive law reform focus or atheism to justify opposition to antigay religious fanatics while a visible outcome of the very homophobia outfits so designed to address just keep homelessness on the periphery. Instead such stay in the comfort of social media as it is way easier to manipulate whilst lulling persons into a false sense of security with superficial hash tags, tweets and such that really matters none in the final analysis.

Mayors have made grandstanding pronouncements on social media and elsewhere of concerns for LGBT homelessness whilst carrying out removal exercises of same, yet we are to believe that a mayor like their predecessors who could not address city wide homelessness as it exists some 1000 ft literally from the office in Kingston expects us to believe that a marginalised group often underground and who require specialist interventions will be addressed by said office! Even as the group the mayor was seen at and made the announcement is not interested in direct interventions, who do these folks, think they are fooling?

Finding good solutions as these many years has shown is still problematic when the persons who control the cogs of HIV and LGBT advocacy simply do not care, they do not have to worry about where the next meal will come from or whether if it rains or a storm as we are in the hurricane season will re-displace them, as for the rest of the LGBT populations some have dismissed homelessness as someone else’s problem. But hope remains while company is true as some forward thinking is still resident out there, despite the slow disappearance of those who would help due in part to the media pigeon-holing of the Kingston populations some are seeing the issues for what it is, urgent.

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

VACANT AT LAST! SHOEMAKER GULLY: DISPLACED MSM/TRANS PERSONS WERE IS CLEARED DECEMBER 2014

the CVM NEWS Story HERE on the previous eviction/raid taken by the police

Housing Minister seeks funds for Shelter from NHT Money ....... Will the LGBT Homeless be Assisted?

also see a flashback to some of the troubling issues with the populations and the descending relationships between JASL, JFLAG and the displaced/homeless GBT youth in New Kingston: Rowdy Gays Strike - J-FLAG Abandons Raucous Homosexuals Misbehaving In New Kingston

also see all the posts in chronological order by date from Gay Jamaica Watch HERE and GLBTQ Jamaica HERE

GLBTQJA (Blogger): HERE

see previous entries on LGBT Homelessness from the Wordpress Blog HERE

May 22, 2015 update, see: MP Seeks Solutions For Homeless Gay Youth In New Kingston yet to date: NOTHING! 

must read: And we continue to reap the world-wind for not addressing homelessness when it was manageable

Lesbophobic landlord clash with woman after illegal eviction attempt

The Hagely Park Road area nearing Lewis Villa Drive was the scene of a clash between a woman who had been renting a single bedroom flat on April 23, 2016. The expletives from both sides were what greeted the other tenants and the small cul-de-sac on what would have been a quiet Sunday morning. The landlord has been known to be troublesome overall as he has had clashes before with tenants in general as he is accused of using the proximity of the property to most major business points and shopping zones as he tries to capitalize on the advantage with adhoc rental increases and sometimes impromptu rules and guidelines including demanding two months deposit prior to handing over the keys according to the woman and arguments from others including another former tenant who moved out and is now residing in another house on the same avenue.

The impacted woman had rented the flat from December of last year as she said it aided her to get to school, the area is quiet relatively and the flat was cute given the area it is in; I should know I too used to live near the same avenue for two and a half years. The landlord of the woman would make unannounced visits and asking questions with inane subject matter, then he advised her that the flat water rate she was paying would be increased whilst an electrical problem with an outside light socket having a short-out she had complained about was not fixed as she comes in from work under dark at times and needs light to see, a repair the landlord had promised to address prior to her moving in. The relationship had been slipping slowly over time as the woman became irritated she expressed her displeasure to the man’s unannounced visits when it was not time for rent payments. The landlord according to her did not take kindly to the boundaries she wanted set and it allegedly became the subject of gossip with another woman next door who allegedly told the man the impacted woman did not have a ‘man’

Despite the fact that the woman’s rent was on time save and except for March 2016 which she settled later in the month as it was due of the 3rd of each month she was floored with a surprise notice to quit with no proper explanation as to why she was being asked to quit. The landlord had only had another nasty argument and eviction of a long time tenant of some ten years who hardly was at home given the type of job the man was in yet he too was served with a notice to quit. Many suspect that he is capitalising on the aforementioned proximity to business areas and raising the rent at every cycle with a new tenant. But in this case lesbophobia was clearly a part of the reason as evidenced during the shouting match the man referenced repeatedly with disparaging remarks of the ‘lesbian’ and that fact that she did not have a man; as if to suggest a single woman is an anathema. But the landlord is a senior man estimated in his seventies or older so he may not be ofe with the new dispensation, sinically many surmise that maybe the landlord was trying to make the moves on the woman but he resoluteness and insistence on boundaries was what turned him off.

Interestingly the other residents nearby came in large part to the woman’s defence as the quarrel spilled over onto the avenue; especially from a group of persons who occasionally play dominoes under a tree regularly at the end of the road. The landlord felt justified but it turns out the notice to quit was too short in the required by law as it allotted below the thirty day minimum as the standard. The breach was discovered by the woman and as she showed it to others in the uproar it caused a backlash from the supportive persons who demanded she must not move and if necessary let him take her to court; the courts normally would give an additional thirty days and owing to the fact she has two deposits paid she may be entitled to live them out.

The woman is hunting for a new spot after the argument cooled and a tense calm is now in effect, she has been encouraged to peacefully make her way out of the flat and by extension the situation, the stigmatizing landlord has been bitter ever since as reported back-handed comments have been rumoured but the woman is not perturbed and says she intends to live out her deposit until it expires before moving and is prepared to go to court and explain her situation in fairness.

I wished her all the best in her endeavours and encouraged her to report the matter if it gets out of control to the relevant bodies namely the rent board and other LGBT related outlets if needed.

Peace & tolerance

H

An uneasy reintegration; time will tell

Hope remains while company is true.

The old definition of re-integration but as times change and more and more LGBT people in Jamaica find themselves outside looking in after being kicked out for either coming out or outed things have to change.

It is not very often from the myriad of reports and cases or forced evictions or voluntary exile by persons due to homo-negative reactions, stigma and sheer ignorance that comes impacted person’s reintegration news which suggest all is not lost. My experience has taught me that same gender loving women tend to be more successful than their male counterparts as the trade off of a higher tolerance of lesbianism if you will is way higher; all one has to do is visit the gentleman’s clubs all over the island and see the appetite for women whether lesbian or not mimicking such acts on stage with much cheering from the penny section and sometimes huge tips in the form of money rained on the stage. This has been seen by some experts as a clear sign of the kind of misogyny that pervades our society.

Same gender loving women who are impacted by forced evictions tend to find alleviation easier as trust seems more present, they do not have the spectre of being trouble makers such as their male and transgender displaced or homeless counterparts by virtue of the reporting over the years. Even in general homelessness it is more males than females that dot our suburban thoroughfare as opposed to women.

This latest case involves a then 18 year old bisexual woman who presents as stud she says and who was forced out of home by her mother in Portmore St Catherine in 2013. Thanks to her for sharing this and for the operative who reached out to me by via email in discussing the matters; she was concerned about the reporting on homelessness predominantly on males (the old lesbian oversight or invisibility hints) and hardly any reintegration highlights so she asked if she could make the link to which I replied and hence this post. I am grateful for the number of respondents in recent times to the posts and the sharing of issues freely.

Things however got tense form some time for the bisexual lady and her mother in particular as the relationship became tenuous between the two; arguments dotted with condemnatory remarks, the occasional lockout or ever changing appearing curfews and house rules. Arguments got louder in decibel range, other siblings were encouraged to support the mother’s anti-lesbian stance to which some did and others did not and asked her to ‘cool it’; especially coming from younger family members but older ones held on to a Leviticusal typed mantra in reminding the bisexual woman that Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed because of homosexuality.

Things came to a head in December 2013 when she was forced to remove despite the tense agreement that if she found a job she would go for a peaceful life. These kinds of tense moments as in other cases often have tied up in the resistance by family members a lack of employment and economic stability or a job as mettle for justifying the pushback or forced evictions towards LGBTQ persons; the young lady was job hunting as she pursued a course at a nearby Community College. Thanks to friends who offered temporary shelter as she requested and has been riding the waves comfortably despite the challenges.

Two senior female community influentials are also involved in providing guidance and keeping close to the situation as well. I do wish there are more influentials like those who are not into fluff but real people and engagement. The impacted woman has been approached by her mother surprisingly and she asked for regular visits to the old home but insisting on lesbian business as it were; the woman had agreed at the time but exchanges in previous visits so far have been tense and guarded she indicated on both fronts. Where it will lead only time will tell but the influentials have encouraged both parties to commence some sort of counselling/talk therapy to deflect any future conflict with a view to mend the relational differences.

I hope this one ends up in a good place and that mutual respect and understanding can come forth out of all this.

Peace & tolerance

H

Insensitive Parents & displaced Adolescent MSM part 4

Insensitive Parents & displaced Adolescent MSM

So two more cases of forced evictions have come to hand involving gay males and their parents who simply do not want to endure their own siblings simply due to their sexual orientation and a pervasive homo-negativity that has come to dominate our attitudes towards homosexuality.

The first case involves an 18 year old who is described as slightly effeminate but somewhat soft spoken; he has been meeting some challenges according to him for some time in his younger days at school as his demeanour raised the suspicion level with other classmates. His non participation in male orientated sports such as football and cricket whilst not selecting other sports mostly female oriented sports as an alternative; those being netball or so he was ridiculed sometimes on the grounds as a sissy or too standoffish. Such antecedences are too common place in many crisis interviews with subjects who make reports. His mother had been asking him about a girlfriend similar to my own upbringing and veiled warnings about making sure that he was not funny or being gay.

This case also had a social media element to it as his Facebook profile was supposedly seen by another person close to his mother had been feeding her information that he has several males on his friends list and it looked suspicious. I do not know how many times I have carried entries on this blog and GLBTQ Jamaica of outings due to misuse or poor usage and monitoring of Facebook and other platforms with siblings or strangers who comb through for clues in their eyes about person’s sexual orientation for supposed proof so as to enact their stigma and hate.

The young man was eventually forced to leave the home and was assisted by a professional linked to a youth group who in turn reached out to JFLAG and others. My spare room is already occupied so I could not assist when I was contacted by Aphrodite’s P.R.I.D.E Jamaica APJ who originally handled the case. He has since settled thankfully at a temporary shelter arrangement as is the case these arrangements have expiry dates and how he will fear afterwards is unclear for now. His mother has been engaged but she is impatient to hear any consoling words and is adamant she does not want him back at home ad that he should find his way now he is an adult in her eyes seeing he has now 18 years old. Efforts are still in train to enable some sort of dialogue and re-integration with the mother; other family members are said to be mum with one uncle siding with the mother on the stance she has taken.

Case 2:

19 year old gay male forced to leave after gay nonfiction book was discovered in his bedroom.

In this case a best friend has offered accommodation temporarily as he is pursuing a short course at a skills training institution.

A simple book burrowed from a colleague that has no suggestive photos or such imagery on its cover was scanned by a relative which in turn led to a series or conversations within the family; there was some history before of tense situations with his mother as evidenced in arguments where she would hint that he has no interest in women and she knows. They say mothers always know and by all accounts with regards to this case it is true.

Her repeated hints to the 19 year old made him uncomfortable and as if he spotted the forthcoming doom he had already dropped hints to friends that he wanted to leave the house as he is not so steady. It was that forewarning that made a way open for him so soon as opposed to other cases where persons struggle in the initial displacement or forced eviction. Family member’s reaction since his removal from the home has been mixed; more so negative than positive with one relative residing overseas blasting him by phone claiming that he and his kind want to impose homosexuality as in the US where she lives but Jamaica will have none of that she reportedly shouted at him or words to such effect.

Beds are hard to come by these days as many persons simply clam shut their assistance for newly displaced as the image of homelessness is not so good a near complete dismissal to engage such is the easier way out.

Hope that both cases can be dealt with some long term resolve.

Meanwhile Kingston's Mayor is claiming she has recieved death threats:

Oh boi will this ever be solved? even with all the aspirational social media posts and announcements of projects but no serious answer yet.

In a previous post this video was featured:

Trina Bo$$ Bitch is her own boss, but suffers in a country that has no LGBTQ rights. Find out more on GAYCATION Jamaica tonight at 10pm.
Posted by VICELAND on Wednesday, March 16, 2016

also see:
Ellen Page's Gay Imperialism is Not Activism

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:
Gay homeless return ‘HOME’ … say housing promises were not fulfilled


Insensitive Parents and Displaced MSMs Part III 2011

Accused Gay Killers of Megamart employee still at large

Homeless gays accused of Megamart employee murder

Clash of cruisers & homeless again

Fighting noisy lesbians forced to relocate as neighbours loose patience

Normally when one hears of forced evictions or impromptu notices with LGBT persons at the receiving end it has something to do with stigma & discrimination and or homo/trans/bi/lesbophobia of some kind. Somehow we never fail; we never fail however to annoy folks and then cause undo resentment and intolerance when the causations are as a result of our very own actions. I cannot tell how many time reports like this one have been circulated or rumoured. However in this case it was too close to home for me. Two women sharing a space and who identify as lesbians in a swanky St Catherine community of Avon Park in recent months were forced to leave the rented premises last month and rent/deposit returned as occasional fights and arguments much to the annoyance of neighbours (according to the neighbours).

I came by way of the information in assisting a friend of mine to find a flat to rent and in asking around I was told of the empty flat and the subsequent background to the residence which is still empty. I am told but not able to confirm that the landlord in intent on not renting any suspected homosexuals or lesbians as they do not want a repeat of the incident with the now removed ladies. In early February the women woke up the cul-de-sac at the end of the avenue on a Sunday morning of February 21st. The women were arguing allegedly about monies owed and other domestic matters; it was as the decibel levels rose that the subject changed to other intimate matters in earshot of persons near by who allegedly snickered as the verbal onslaught ensued.

Matters concerning a previous date with another woman and other more salacious issues were aired quite openly for the growing audience as more persons opened their doors to the melee. The women did not care one person I was able to speak to in my quest to find out about the availability of the house for a site visit for the rental attempt for my brethren; they were just letting it all hang out to dry and the word ‘sodomite’ and other colourful Jamaican parlance dotted the exchange with threats of who can shoot whom and such or have bad man friends as it were.

Neighbours subsequently full to the brim with what they were subjected decided to intervene as a retired police officer broke the melee albeit outside the threshold of the property at the gate of the house. His attempts however was met with a strong rebuff from both women who claimed he was ‘fassing’ [inquisitive] in their business but he reportedly quickly reminded them he and others who were watching all this go down were doing exactly that because they could hear the arguments quite clearly. Both the man and the women continued in a tit for tat and then a subsequent phone call was made to the landlord who was reportedly livid, a similar incident took place in Greater Portmore late last year and also in Spanish Town at the court house of all places where an employee had a tiff with her supposed lover which spilled out into the streets. Then there was the chopping incident carried in the Observer in 2015 of a lesbian; the story was presented as a lesbophobic case but subsequent investigations and foot patrol by myself and friends who reside on the very townhouse complex revealed a totally different picture surrounding the incident and why she was chopped.

Annoying neighbours especially one woman who ended up committing the chopping, unneeded kissing and public displays of affection in the common areas of the complex despite cameras are installed by the strata management etc. Getting alleged rogue cops from outside the official precinct jurisdiction involved as well only added fuel to the fire. We must learn how to conduct ourselves in order to command respect and just display that as LGBT people we can be and ought to be dignified; in turn such dignity will give credence to the call for recognition of rights and freedoms and help if in a small way lessen the wall of resistance we face even if persons are not directly in the struggle for change.

The Avon Park matter however ended with the landlord’s visit; discussions (or common gossip) as the case may be with neighbours on the issue and a subsequent notice to quit issued. One of the pair removed the week following while the other agreed to live out her deposit and such. I tried to get more information as to the type of reaction verbally from the captive audience was like but to no avail. It just goes to show we must chill sometimes and try to solve conflicts more peacefully while setting the example so onlookers will have no ammunition to justify their criticisms or lesbo(homo)phobia. Adopting so called badmanship attitudes in out to project strength in a tussle or disagreement is just plain stupid as it makes no sense; or trying to see who can outdo each other. There are just too many issues surrounding intimate partner violence that require some sustained and targeted response.

Hope they learned the lesson. As for the house hunting we had to settle for somewhere else; I did not see the need to pursue that property after learning what happened and it would be a case of transfusion of liked persons and maybe homo-negative responses from curious neighbours given the history of the space.

Peace & tolerance.

H

also see:

Lesbian fined for property damage of neighbour’s house despite lesbophobic provocation

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

Case update: Chopping incident, relocation, truth telling & unneeded attention

Jamaican edition of Gaycation TV series angers viewers

In a followup to a previous post yesterday The Challenges of Running a Queer Homeless Shelter in Jamaica the wall of resistance and disbelief of real homophobia in Jamaica suddenly appears even after being dormant and giving a false sense of tolerance in the minds of some.

The Star and other media carried parts or whole of the backlash as well.

Jamaica's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender societies have once again been thrust into the international spotlight.

This after parts of an episode of Gaycation (a TV series which documents the lives of people from the queer community) emerged on social media.

The video has been causing quite a stir on Facebook as users believe the documentary is once again painting a bad image of Jamaica on the international market. But Jamaicans need to remember the truth of homophobia here is uncomfortable for all involved. Bearing in mind also as a nation and at government policy level if we are serious about image building and economic development then LGBT tourism and the all important new pink dollar element would be considered but I guess that won't happen for now.

In the latest episode of the popular Canadian TV show, Canadian movie star, Ellen Page and her best friend, Ian Daniel journey to Jamaica where they meet members of the Gay community who talk about the dangers they encounter based on their sexual orientation. Miss Page unfortunately left out so many other things which often happens when visitors come here to shoot documentaries or features and do not have a fuller grasp of the issues here and our sub-cultural nuances; neither the groups that bring them here too; most voices in that department are mostly protected middle or upper class tertiary level educated folks on behaviour change but who only operate based on reports and not real world experiences.

They interview a transgender man who refers to himself as Trina Boss B**ch who tells them he wants to seek asylum overseas because he fears for his life in Jamaica. He then proceeds to show them where he was burnt with acid and shot allegedly by persons who do not accept his lifestyle.

The video has angered some social media users who believe that the documentary is being used to brand Jamaica as a dangerous homophobic country.

“This celebrity gal really guh Jamaica guh film this,” one user posted. “We keep allowing them to mek we country look bad. Uno stop anywhere in this world u go u have haters of gay lifestyle so stop negatively branding my country,” the post continued.

“Sorry to say I don't like this. People need to remember that we depend on tourism to help our economy. A show like this do more bad than good for us. These gay are looking attention. Me upset and cross because I see gays walking in Jamaica freely and nobody not troubling them,” another said. The video has already been viewed some 51000 times on Facebook.

additional comments rang similar to this one suggesting such features the subjects interviewed are coached:

When marginalized groups hidden from mainstream cannot get to speak and do speak it is welcome relief when opportunities present themselves so to do; but when it is guided by supposed 'foreigners' who are loathed by Jamaicans as imposing homosexuality on the nation or mistrusting the motives as a means to gain rights then we are bound to be at this war for some long ways to come. How does one bring credibility to the crisis reporting component of public advocacy is the key question out of all this.

In the previous post the issue of asylum was referred to but with public antigay advocates pouring cold water on the truth of gays complaining of homophobic attacks by the likes of Betty Ann Blaine then they feel justified in always leading the opposition to any rights seeking or law reform (Buggery). 

also see and view:

Betty Ann Blaine on the big gay lie 

Forced evictions are real and so are genuine cases of homophobia although there is a school of thought that says the cases are all gay on gay crimes. Previous posts on here and Gay Jamaica Watch bring this conundrum to bear:

To the disbelievers ............Yes, J'can LGBTians are still forced to leave Jamaica

NO GAY RAGE - Homosexuals Are Not Targeted For Violent Crime, Say Experts 2013

Meanwhile homelessness has not gotten the proper attention it deserved even from old and experienced NGOs and advocates bearing in mind it is the oldest piece of evidence birthed from stigma and discrimination. That we have to contend with outsiders telling our stories just makes the matter complicated; alliances are crucial but as I hinted above a broader scan of the issues is needed and not skewed look at this while not asking why is it that NGO seem so helpless? Of course the excuse is lack of funding which is somewhat true but outfits such as JFLAG has had to return funding they got as according to them they could not find a place to do the intervention.

Remember this?:

So our displaced cannot settle eh? ....... police raid premises with cross dressers! which was alleged to be funded by the J

So much to ponder.

Peace & tolerance

H

Arson attack @ lesbian’s home in East Kingston

photo provided by impacted lesbian

As November is Homeless Awareness Month and also the 16 day count down for International Elimination of Violence Against Women which commenced yesterday and to end on Human Rights Day December 10; here is further evidence (above photo) of some of the challenges faced by LGBT persons in Jamaica; especially our same gender loving sisters who in recent times have seen a spike in threats and indeed attacks directed at them with disastrous outcomes. I am presently housing a young man who was outed via a smart phone and social media prying by family members. July 15, 2015 will never be the same for a 35 year old woman and her two children in the Rockfort area when her rented flat for some ten years was firebombed by thugs after a tirade by another woman who effectively outed her. She lost nearly all her personal possessions to include: a 2 door fridge, deep freeze, 4 burner gas stove; microwave oven; 2 blenders; sandwich maker; clothes; bedroom furniture; living room furniture; 4 televisions; component set; sound system; desk top computer; lap top computer; 4 cellular phones.

She made her living by operating a small business for herself to support her children and she also lost a certain amount of cash in the blaze. Profiling is the trigger factor in this matter as her more masculine features/aesthetics fed the perception and hate eventually. In her own words in her report she said among other things:

“I was at home asleep with my two children at about 10:30pm, and I smelled smoke and heard a lot of noise and excitement outside my home. My daughter got up and started to cry and so I grabbed her up an then I woke up my son I told him to run outside. I went outside and started to ask people to help me to save items and no one helped. I heard them sayin’ a long time di sodomite fi gweh!

A long time shi fi liff up and lef’! I tried calling the fire brigade but I wasn’t getting through. I don’t know who called them eventually. By the time they arrived I had lost everything. I started asking around to get somewhere for my children to sleep but no one wanted to help the ‘sodomite’. Even my mother was unwilling to help. She said to me if I didn’t think it was a sign for me to leave the lesbian life.”

Thanks to the assistance of kind persons who offered shelter assistance intermittently but the disappointing part of it is that such help cannot be forever and the reality is she has to move on. Some engagement has come via Aphrodite’s PRIDE Ja but some other challenges have since come to the fore as she temporarily stayed with a family member in rural Jamaica where she was physically assaulted as the news got to their ears as to her challenges. She is also concerned for her children as any mother would be as they are elsewhere in not so comforting circumstances. One LGBT agency she approached told her they could help her to asylum if she can find $100K but how would that be possible when most of her possessions were destroyed in the fire including cash she had that was not lodged to a bank account?

The belief that Jamaica is more tolerant and that the images or aura coming from some quarters to suggest all is well is NOT so and is in fact a farce. The pre-occupation with LGBT advocate/NGO image on the eyes of international agencies and funders via social media and tweets of the privileged is a piece of effantry towards impacted persons such as this woman and bearing in mind this is the third such arson report that has come to hand in recent times. 

former sleeping area now laid bare as the other old building space was attacked in July of this year so the guys are on the move again with very little help

I conducted a site visit to a previous secret spot for some 5 homeless MSM in downtown Kingston on November 21 despite clashes with other sub groups including cruisers who used to use the space where it was invaded in the men’s absence and destroyed by thugs as the men’s existence was exposed. See: Homeless Awareness Month: Possibilities & Challenges

The murder of longtimer ‘Franky’ at the once popular “Boil up” behind a West Kingston community earlier this year has also had a deleterious effect on safety by not only cruisers but homeless MSM/trans who pass through. Thugs now actively patrol certain areas and old buildings hence the exposure in July and barring the cover that was once offered by some of the gangsters any unusual face seen in some parts of town may land one in serious problems. Franky was warned by not only me but others not to traverse certain parts of town as those spaces are no longer in vogue for that kind of activity but he never listened and has effectively paid for such with his life.

Privileged folks especially those in advocacy all have visas and can leave at a moment’s notice, what happens to those who do not have those privileged gifts to leave indeed some have left under dubious circumstances under the guise of asylum but somehow have managed to travel in and out of Jamaica; while some are concerned about stories going out simply delivering the truth instead of a manufactured tolerance image; even as we see the full exploitation of homophobia by politicians in the election silly season and the ongoing Sexual Offences Bill review seems dead in the water. So many other unconfirmed cases are out there as well plus those who do not make reports at all and prefer to suffer in silence and keep it quiet and move on.

All who have eyes to see do see but sweeping things under the rug won’t help anyone.

See more homeless issues on Gay Jamaica Watch HERE (newer entries will appear first, scroll down to view)

Stem the culture of intolerance (Gleaner letter) ... but what about intolerance from within? 2011

Photos from August 10th firebombing incident in Clarendon 2008

Photos from August 10th firebombing incident in Clarendon part 2

Man flees business after firebomb threat 2011

More MSM Homelessness Issues while agencies shift responsibilities 2013

Case Update - The August 10th Clarendon Firebombing Incident 2008

newer podcast:

Homeless Awareness Month 2015 ..... Recap & Concerns 07.11.15 

MSM Trans homeless - From gully to graveyard 04.10.15. 

Peace & tolerance

H

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

Another case of stigma by appearance and perceived sexual orientation

As more reports come in of problems in the home and communities based on supposed abhorrence predicated on perceived sexual orientation I am a bit concerned as the response systems also seem not to be working in as far as formal LGBT ones are concerned, the lesbian in question did make a report at the insistence of a gay friend and she attempted to do so to an advocacy group but all they seem to have done is collect the report by phone and then no major follow up by them; instead she had to be calling them for what to do next or for further engagement and evidenced by her frustration as she reaches out for advice and some financial intervention.

One hopes that the stipend arrangements for such cases I had redesigned are still in place to assist such individuals or least tweaked for persons who find themselves in such challenges as this one. Fine that reports are being taken but the follow up and closure outside of asylum is still an administrative hiccup it seems.

The matter like most others these days came to my attention via social media which positively affects actions to closure and crisis reporting and a rather lengthy text message from an intervening party who was also included in the social media linkage and at whose house the 22 year old evicted lesbian is staying temporarily. She is also not fully employed which like similar displacement/forced eviction cases makes recovery difficult as support systems as in this community based assisted shelter response the person being assisted is left to the mercy of the kindness (however long it can last or is offered) of that time.

The 22 year old woman who hails from Manchester has been having a series of arguments with her father, according to the young lady who allowed me sharing the matter says her father would repeat a certain line in his rebuttals or rebuke that he cannot stand the site of her as if to send a subtle message that she had to go without saying it in so many words.

Matters came to a head however over the Christmas holidays in 2014 after a gathering at the house of family members and afterwards another one of those sporadic arguments commenced and continued according to the distraught lesbian far longer than usual as was due to her mode of dress for the evening as she was in a white suit presenting as semi butch, the shirt she claimed to have worn was mans and this did not sit well with her father; he claimed at the time it was inappropriate and that as his daughter she was to have presented herself better to the other family members who by the way outwardly do not really express any sign of abhorrence when I asked her if she felt such from them. Sometimes one can get signs from them as well which can suggest how far the rejection of lesbophobia as in this case has spread or is spreading.

The relationship according to the lesbian which was already tense changed for the worse over time and the final blow came in another holiday just ended in Easter interspersed with arguments and standoffs, he then told her the damaging words as usual and issued the ultimatum, his fears according to him was compounded by a revelation that neighbours and others were talking about his manroyal daughter and how she wanted no man.

“Mi nuh want nuh raasclaat manroyal round me, dutty gal......” (I want no [expletive] man royal around me, you dirty girl) the emphasis on ‘manroyal’ is crucial and has factored in previous cases of lesbians and transmen mistaken as lesbian presented aesthetically with masculine features. This hatred of the masculine present in biologically born females is substantiated by songs such as Beenieman’s Man Royal claiming he does not want to seen with such identified or looking persons. So our women also are profiled in this awful misunderstanding of sex, sexual identity and sexuality; a lack most visible in our school systems for several generations hence in part the ignorance playing itself out as in this case in family and community challenges.

He also allegedly went as far as to suggest she should find a man and have a sex life as if to imply some corrective sexual action would hetero-normalise her orientation and by extension her look, a suggestion that has also factored in cases I have seen during my time at JFLAG’s crisis intervention’s desk and via reports to my blog links and so on.

Thanks to the informal crisis shelter assistance from a young man in Porus Manchester for now and she is talking to a cousin in another parish to relocate and find an online job with PPL Register as I suggested to her in a subsequent conversation by phone. There are other stories and unconfirmed reports that I and others are tracking as the traditional spike that occurs when LGBT matters are most public seems evident yet again. Owing to a most public of them all and a shot in visibility by no less a person than the US President during his visit to Jamaica while positive in one sense has a price for some of our brothers and sisters but sometimes inevitable martyrdom is unavoidable, even if LGBTians do not necessarily subscribe to the cause of the struggle they may be affected by the spin offs positive or negatively from same.

As more displacements occur islandwide the trends seem to be suggesting more same gender loving women are factoring as victims and are older as well, just a basic scan islandwide which I attempted in late 2014 proved to me there is a challenge for the population overall and there is hardly any funding for family preservation or re-integration work just now. I am not sure if Obama’s visit will assist or change that department. Our New Kingston group friends have since scattered after the police removal in December 2014 and the outcome presented itself via a brawl just some days ago as one of them was accused of stealing a phone and another phone stealer was sentenced in a dubious case. Other minor clashes with the public have been reported as well but unconfirmed, since the dubious closure of a pilot project in 2009 the welfare and haphazard social issues that attend to MSM/Transgender displacement/homelessness have skyrocketed.

Also see my last post on MSM eviction that I was able to confirm:

Hope this sister keeps her head up and builds from this temporary fall.

Peace and tolerance

also see:

Outcomes when offering community based shelter for displaced gay/bi brethren

KSAC working to clear streets of homeless people, will the LGBT populations be assisted as well?

Housing Minister seeks funds for Shelter from NHT Money ....... Will the LGBT Homeless be Assisted?

More Jamaican LGBTQ displacements & homeless challenges in 2014

Pirates' Cove named as base for "homosexual prostitutes" KSAC asked to address homelessness by UDC

Some good news on the homeless front ..... guarded and waiting 2012 ( and I am still waiting)

Some considerations ..... would you assist someone who has been displaced ? 2011 

or the podcast I had done at the time

H

Concerns about continued MSM/Trans displacements & forced evictions in 2015

Since one of my last posts in July 2014 3 LGBT Forced Evictions in Clarendon a Cause for Concern on displacements (Gay Jamaica Watch) and other unconfirmed, corroborated and other dismissed reports as made up on the issue of forced evictions and displacements continue and in fact seems to be on the rise. We already have an islandwide challenge of homeless MSM/Transgender population mostly seen in Kingston at the Shoemaker Gully in recent times but as that group has been forcibly removed by the police and the authorities I fear the problem has been simply relocated to somewhere else. Spanish Town’s group has also grown upon my last check and a house some of them had captured (yet again) has since been emptied leaving them exposed.

The weed whacking project started by an interfaith group including myself is still struggling with equipment challenges and dwindling interest by the participants as they feel demotivated.

As per usual whenever LGBT issues are on the mainstream in terms of discourse there is some corresponding spike in incidents usually already in train via profiling, verbal abuse and the final blow comes with physical attacks and or evictions.

Most of the matters seem to have a profiling motive attached to them and while persons are encouraged to formally file reports to the police (even if the precinct officers refuse to take the statement of this nature and by extension to groups such as JFLAG noting the refusal, some persons prefer to private absorb the shocks and move on avoiding any publicity. I fear this refusal or hesitation in making reports hints to a long suspected challenge of under-reporting of infractions.

I still do get reports via Facebook mostly these days via referrals and via emails and phone calls for verification, (will not share all of them as requested by parties making them) thankfully social media has assisted in reporting homo/lesbo/trans/biphobic incidents and persons do not have to necessarily use phone/text/walk in office ways which can delay possible restorative responses to such matters as in the old days where it was more paper based incident taking exercise.

Here are some reports that have come to hand that have me concerned, thanks to persons for granting some clearance in sharing the relevant details.

Report 1: via Facebook

Teen told to leave the house by month’s end – in October 2014 in East Kingston, Rockfort to be precise after a series of verbal homo-negative encounters with a sibling based a perceived sexual orientation mantra finally ended in a fight and threats of a mobbing to have the teen removed if he did not comply. Profiling by family members seem to be the springboard for this one. After a prolonged tense relations the ultimatum was issued, the teen as others in a similar position get help from friends but for a short period.

To date he is still ‘kotching’ by a friend but is seeking a job while doing evening classes.

Report 2: via phone

Man forced to relocate (another such case yet again since my tracking) after assisting or accommodating an effeminate man for a short time in Portmore. After offering some kindness to another man who is said to be “real” (our term for effeminacy) he found himself being profiled and accused of bringing his ‘woman man’ to his home and suggesting the community has been poisoned by his actions. Community members insisted they did not want him to remain in the housing scheme and he has reported that he was literally being watched over a period of months prior to the advise/warning given to him by a nearby neighbour.

There was a similar incident I carried on sister archive blog on the wordpress platform where a man had helped a displaced man and found himself in major challenges while forced to leave his home but thankfully with police protection. The man via his Facebook status has since publicly declared he will not assist anyone else as he is now in trouble, this has garnered much response from persons on his friends list who are in agreement.

The tone of the comments suggest out of protectionism persons are cautious or refusing to offer any type of informal crisis intervention via the assisted shelter. This is a blow in that department I feel as this community level each one reach one typed help has been instrumental for decades in Jamaica as persons rally around persons genuinely concerned in working towards closure. I have also seen where persons offer assistance under deceptive guises too which also when made public have an impact of such avenues for closure as mistrust drives refusal.

Report 3: via Facebook(a very lengthy one)

Transgender teen told by mother she does not want a child who is gay in her house in St Andrew, while the separation process was not violent as the mother claimed she loves ‘her’ she says for safety reasons for her part (not her child as was expected) she wants her out of the house so as to avoid problems with neighbours and other family members. The teen has since found temporary refuse via a friend but for how long one is not sure as such help has time limits and costs financially speaking.

For example I would love to help more persons in my spare room as I have done before in my home but apart from an incident I had with one such persons two years ago where I had to take a break in doing so financially it costs to have another mouth in house to feed. This is a sentiment expressed by the few these days I am aware of who will help in this department in shelter assistance, seeing that no formal shelters for MSM/Trans persons currently exist (despite we have had our expectations raised by state and none state actors) this avenue is a viable option. During my tenure at JFLAG I had formalized a rent cheque/shelter assistance stipend for persons opening up their homes to offer such help but it does not seem it is in effect or if so in a new form.

Some complaints from persons who have engaged the goodly J for such assistance and maintaining same for let’s say two months which was the maximum I had allowed suggest that they were not afforded such benefits and instead it was reduced to one (financial issues maybe or limited funding) this is of course outside those more serious cases that require asylum for closure. The first month rental deposit cheque for example seems to have died down and just a stipend for groceries and such personal effects, JFLAG too based on unconfirmed reports seem to have been encouraging or continue to encourage the community based shelter assistance avenues for displaced or threatened persons.

Report 4: Gay man given illegal notice to quit property (September 2014) via phone

St Catherine my home parish was the place for this one in Portmore (Waterford) to be precise, there seems to be a spike in recent times in the surburb (historically so despite its unique mostly while collar working middle class demographic) The man has only just settled after the forced eviction issues verbally by the landlord of the property as he claimed he has been informed by phone that he the victim has had too many men coming to the property and again as above neighbours are grumbling.

Profiling has been always a challenge as previous entries on this and on Gay Jamaica Watch bring to bear, persons especially gay men worst yet when they have effeminate traits are scrutinized closely, their socialization patterns are monitored and discussed over the dinner table, the corner shop, verandas and so on and where such persons claim to have ‘evidence’ of their suspicions then it is converted into in their minds justifiable action normally planned homophobic attack of some sort or forced evictions. In this case the landlord literally came with a notice form but it was not written and served properly. After a lengthy and tense conversation with the young man according to his report the landlord went to his car and returned with the partially completed notice form which he slipped under the door despite the fact the tenant was present in house so it was not served properly in my eyes.

He has had to send his furniture and so on all over with other friends and suffer the inconvenience of prolonged travel to work and costs with very little recourse for some time. He has since found a new rented spot and has settled but says he is far more circumspect about his neighbours and has curtailed visiting activity by friends.

Report 5: via Facebook

Gay man in fight at workplace over battyman comment, photos were available via his Facebook profile but have since been removed in January 2015 (not sure the actual time/date of the incident but it seems recent, again profiling is the chief springboard for supposed justified homo-negative attack. The status message that was visibly public and not limited to friends garnered some comments from other users mostly negative ones. I suspect the man did not know how to navigate the privacy setting on FB, a problem I have seen for years leading to fallouts and such. Apparently it was this lack of knowledge on FB that got the attention of the offending co-worker apart from the in house subtle bashing or influenced it so much so that it got physical and the man defended himself.

The man has since reported the matter to the supervisors who have since tried to separate or reduce the level of opportunities for contact between the offender and the victim which seems to me as a temporary fix as anything can happen outside in public or during breaks.

What about other co-workers is unclear in the public post but it seems as previous cases show miscreants always have company or support to carry out their quests.

Report 6 via Facebook then followed up by phone

Butch identified woman relocates after concerns raised when she has been repeated verbally attacked by men in her former community on the corner shop. The actions by the men has a chief instigator who was in prison and absent from the area for some time and upon his return with misplaced bravado tries to reassert his dominance as it were in the community so he targets persons including this woman.

The woman made initial contact via Facebook (I suspect a group I am in) then she made a friends request to which I responded she then proceeded to lay her case in a lengthy message and a chat thread where she released what she described as pent up worry.

She claimed she has been living as a hermit in her home and only venture out when it is absolutely necessary she has since in order to avoid her pending fears coming to reality she asked a relative to assist but her true home (occupied with other family) is where she wants to be and be comfortable, to relocate for safety reasons is just too much for her she fears.

There are other cases that I am not able or have been able to confirm and those made to other groups and individuals, I have no doubt but the under-reporting, hesitation to formally make such reports and avenues for closure are concerns for me yet still after all these years.

Even though the discussion around homosexuality is ever so slowly becoming more sensible in large part the homo-negativity, old perceptions and mistrust towards LGBT advocacy still have an impact on tolerance and understanding that ought to exist.

Please be safe out there, vigilance is required for personal safety especially social media privacy or monitoring is key.

Peace and tolerance

also see some previous entries on here and on Gay Jamaica Watch:
Lesbophobic Rant on RJR’s Afternoon Flagship Program by Broadcasters

More Jamaican LGBTQ displacements & homeless challenges in 2014
Some considerations ..... would you assist someone who has been displaced ??? (podcast from 2011)

Same gender loving sister clashes with bus crew in Half Way Tree


Schoolboys in custody for assault of soft spoken male student

Man Bites Another in Argument after Allegedly Called a Battyman 

Jamaican Transgender Activist Turned Away From Bacchanal

Women Accused of Assaulting Teen with Bottle to be Tried in September

KSAC working to clear streets of homeless people, will the LGBT populations be assisted as well?

Bisexual Teen Killed due to her Sexual Orientation? ......... Father says yes

Woman assumed to be a lesbian chopped viciously allegedly by neighbours

Lesbophobia: Woman chased and beaten after being called sodomite

You Can't Catch Being Gay ................ Excellent Letter to the Gleaner Editor

ON THE DOWN LOW: MEN SLEEPING WITH MEN – ANOTHER VIEW

Inmate attacks alleged gay prisoner

Montego Bay Male Sex Worker misses a beating at popular sex site 

3 Schoolboys face the court for beating other male student allegedly for calling them "battybois"

Bisexual teen faced psychological prison, told not to tell anyone or else ..............

H

also visit Google plus HERE

Recent Homophobic Incidents CLICK HERE for related posts/labels from glbtqjamaica's blog & HERE for those I am aware of on Gay Jamaica Watch.

also one of my latest podcasts on the crimes of passion issued tied into homophobia in Jamaica

Bad Man Nuh F*** Batty (Masculine Men Don't F*** Ass) (The Fear of The Feminine in JA ) 16.04.15

older podcasts for a historical context: