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

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

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

The Challenges of Running a Queer Homeless Shelter in Jamaica

Here is another entry on homelessness presenting the issue as if it is unsolvable all the time, when we all know it is not exactly so; especially given how the only Safe House Project was dubiously closed in 2009/10. We must never forget JFLAG was silent towards JASL's board who made a decision to close the shelter pilot prematurely then leading to a backing up on older populations and new displacement cases.

also see previous homeless matters on Gay Jamaica Watch HERE (newer posts will appear first) Vice conveniently left out the most recent occurrences including internal maters and murder accusations and such (Gay Man Beaten And Left To Die In Sandy Gully, St Andrew) and (22-Y-O Gay Died by Electrocution After Trying to Jump a High Voltage Fence); also see the beginning of the issues from the closure of the project: The Quietus ……… The Safe House Project Closes and The Ultimatum on December 30, 2009

Have a read of the latest presentation on homelessness and see what you make of it:

Source: Viceland (bear in mind it is a paid site so we are subjected to paying to see happenings of our own country/population by a foreigner; talk about the insult to us and lack of principles, but what else is new?)

Homelessness is a massive problem in Jamaica. As of 2015, the unemployment rate in the country was 13.2 percent among adults, and a staggering 38 percent among youth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in January this year, the Jamaica Observer revealed a 26 percent rise in homelessness over the past three years. The problem is particularly prevalent amongst the country's LGBTQ community, who comprise at least 40 percent 2011 of the overall homeless youth population.

Jamaica is not known for its progressive views on queer issues. In 2006, Time magazine asked if the island was "the most homophobic place on Earth." In 2014, a Human Rights Watch report found that over half of respondents in Jamaica had experienced violence on the basis of their identified gender or sexuality. Reports of corrective rape and the mob murder of gender queer youth Dwayne Jones have also made the headlines in recent years. Across the 1990s, dancehall fast became one of Jamaica's biggest exports, but it has been well documented how many of the scene's biggest stars performed lyrics that openly incited homophobia. While in the 1970s and 1980s the gay rights movement operated much more freely (the country even had known gay clubs and visible LGBTQ space), today activists conduct clandestine operations and hold discreet gatherings as mounting homophobic sentiments pervade public discourse.

Back in 2014, VICE News covered a group of queer homeless youth in Kingston, colloquially referred to as the "Gully Queens." This was part of an outpouring of international concern over the country's queer homelessness problem. Despite widespread media attention in the wake of VICE News's report, the very same group of homeless youth are still on the streets, and the hoped-for improvements have not yet materialized.

Part of the reason LGBTQ communities are so neglected in Jamaica might be due to the fact that almost 70 percent of the country identifies as Christian. Amongst many of them, it is believed that acceptance of LGBTQ persons is akin to turning one's back on God.

On the other side of the fence, seeking help from within the LGBTQ community is complex. As part of the investigation for the new episode of the VICELAND series GAYCATION, which focuses on the current state of LGBTQ life in Jamaica, Yvonne McCalla-Sobers, a leading Jamaican human rights activist and co-founder of LGBTQ-friendly shelter Dwayne's House, tries to explain the mentality: "LGBT persons who are able to have well-paying jobs, drive high-end vehicles, live in gated communities, will have few issues of homophobia, and they want to keep it that way so that they don't have to pay much attention to our youth here," she said. "[It's] class prejudice mixed with why are you doing this to draw attention to us? To make us look bad? "

This is not necessarily to say that there is a lack of sympathy for the homeless youth across the board among the middle-class members of the LGBTQ community. Rather, as J-Flag, Jamaica's leading LGBTQ rights organization stated in its 2013 Annual Report: "The diversity of Jamaica's LGBT community has been masked by the advocacy and media narratives that have focused on victimhood, crime and violence, sex and HIV." Therefore, when choosing issues to campaign for year on year, the middle-class members of the LGBTQ rights movement may be wary that consistently prioritizing the cause of the homeless youth will present the rights movement as a single-issue platform.

According to Dane Lewis, director of J-Flag, one of the greatest barriers to providing shelter for the LGBTQ homeless youth is a lack of funding. NGOs seeking to alleviate the burdens of the queer homeless youth were, and still are, locked in ongoing negotiations with both the government and international agencies for financial support that would help them address the issue on the ground. They find themselves consistently overstretched and unable to provide anything more than stop-gap support.

"The reality is such a project requires a significant investment to run a program that has been envisioned and designed by the various stakeholders invested in the response to homelessness." Lewis said. "Despite submitting proposals to major development agencies, the response has not been favorable."

McCalla-Sobers and Lewis have been spearheading efforts to set up The Larry Chang Centre, an LGBT youth homeless shelter named after the pioneering founder of J-Flag. Though they are hopeful that this year they will receive the last leg of funding needed to make the shelter a reality, the country's pervasive homophobia will likely make finding staff willing to work for an LGBTQ organization, as well as keeping the premises safe, significant challenges.

Until that happens, there are other groups in the country stepping up to help. The National Anti-Discrimination Alliance (NADA) is a Jamaican organization "committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all people regardless of social or cultural biases." They have provided LGBTQ-friendly safe houses and private shelters for the homeless since 2014. NADA is a small-scale operation, relying largely on the kindness of volunteers willing to open their homes for those in need. When that's not an option, the group will pool their resources and rent a residential property that can be run as a safe house. The shelters can only take on a few guests at a time and operate on a word of mouth basis, but nonetheless, NADA represents a small but significant victory in the struggle to provide shelter to displaced members of Jamaica's LGBTQ community.

Andrew Higgins, founder of NADA, believes that they have so far been able to avoid becoming a target of anti-LGBTQ groups by operating as a "non-discriminatory" organization rather than a "pro-LGBTQ" organization.

The fact still stands, though, that NADA's shelters are primarily aimed at people who are newly homeless, rather than those who have been living without shelter for several years. With a high occurrence of HIV and other medical problems within the long-term LGBTQ homeless community, as well as a high rate of unemployment and training, any shelter will have to provide more than just a roof in order to see the long-term homeless youth rejoin broader society. Therefore, for shelters like NADA's with limited funding, the best strategy is to focus energies on those who have just become homeless in the hope that they can prevent them from becoming homeless in the long-term.

For McCalla-Sobers, it is the fate of the youth population who have been homeless for some years now that she is trying to address once and for all.

"They've been traumatized. Re-traumatized. And traumatized ten times on top of that. People often speak about their behavior, and I'm not sure how I would act in their place." McCalla-Sobers says. "They have made it clear to me in the past; what they really want to do is leave this country."

As it becomes clear that even when provided with shelter many among the LGBTQ homeless youth have been displaced for so long that they believe it is impossible to ever feel at home again in their own country, the need to address their circumstances is more crucial than ever.

Follow Roxy on Twitter.

Learn more about the lives of queer Jamaicans on the latest episode of GAYCATION on VICELAND. Find out how to watch by clicking here.

ENDS

While other persons try in there own way to assist the image of the homeless MSM/Trans persons has been tarnished so badly by reports that it is difficult to get cooperation from persons in terms of temporary shelter.

also see:
Jamaican Artistes wanted to 'clean up' the streets, Say homeless gays not a good look for Jamaica, JFLAG yet to respond 2013

YOUNG MSM/TRANSGENDER WANT TO BE TREATED AS CITIZENS NOT POTENTIAL HIV/AIDS VICTIMS 2014 (wordpress blog)

Community based crisis sheltering is still an option for the displaced 2013 and more from GLBTQJA sister blog HERE (newer posts will appear first)

Let us see where things go from here even as groups as old as in their twenties cannot seem to or want to directly deal with homelessness despite knowing homelessness is the most visible consequence of stigma.

Peace & tolerance

H

Weekend raid of CSWs in Mobay had homeless LGBT in dragnet

Gleaner photo

Seventy six persons, 43 females and 33 males to include homeless MSM/transgender, who the police say were operating as illicit sex workers, were rounded up and detained yesterday morning in a massive police operation which covered several sections of downtown Montego Bay.

"Then is so much prostitute deh a Montego Bay ... all man prostitute to, but a wha dis father," remarked a passer-by as he watched lawmen loading the accused persons into several police vehicles.

The operation, which involved the Mobile Reserve as well as a team probing human trafficking, targeted several key locations across the Second City, to include the Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue), Harbour Street, Church Street, Market Street, and the Charles Gordon Market.

Sadly our displaced and homeless MSM are still left out to dry by uncaring family members, the public and sadly or egregiously NGOs who turn their backs on them from years ago not because there was no money but internal politics.

UNDERAGE GIRLS HELD

Among those held were three underage girls, whose unexplained presence on the streets is a major concern to Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor, the commanding officer for the St James Police division.

"Their (the underage girls) cases will be treated differently because this could be a case of human trafficking, which would be most unfortunate," said McGregor, who intimated that the girls' parents could find themselves in trouble with the law if they are found to be complicit in any way.

In addition to the alleged prostitutes, the operators of three of the city's unlicenced clubs, where sex acts were reportedly being carried out, were also taken into custody.

"What is quite glaring is that 90 per cent of these people are not from St James," said McGregor, who held a press conference in the aftermath of the operation. "These ladies are from parishes such as St Ann, Portland and Kingston, as well as neighbouring Westmoreland and Hanover."

SCANTILY DRESSED FEMALES ROAMING THE STREETS

Commenting on the operation, McGregor said that the police had been informed that scantily dressed females were roaming the streets of the city offering sexual favoursat a cost.

"We realise that (we had) females walking on the street scantily dressed, can't properly account for their whereabouts, where they are from or what they are doing, and are posing a danger to themselves and the parish," said McGregor, who also pointed to a recent incident in which an alleged prostitute was killed in downtown Montego Bay - the first murder in St James for 2016. "Police intelligence showed that the woman (who was killed) was a known prostitute who was close to the age of 50 years old," said McGregor.

It is understood that of the men who were detained, some were pimps while others were in the process of engaging the alleged female prostitutes in sexual favours. According to the police, however, at least three of the men were actually "putting themselves out for sale".

At press time, several of the detainees were interviewed, processed and released. Among those kept back were the three teens, whose parents will be brought in for questioning.

see this Jan 9 clearing exercise that made news on TVJ:

Police Raid Jan 09 2016 Homeless MSMTrans... by glbtqjamaica

here is an older eviction by police:


Homeless MSM Eviction 2013 by glbtqjamaica

also see: "DVD Reveller" still displaced? part 2

It was only late last year we saw a series of reports on clashes with men who targeted homeless gays also using the strip to turn a buck while pacing the pavement. As Kingston's challenges persons when they make some case are forced to relocate to other areas to try and keep up; they also track their clients as well to get repeat business.

The Sex Workers' Association of Jamaica has been trying their hand but lack the requisite resources to really make a serious impact while more powerful, older and organised entities are more interested in other issues that creates soundbites sadly than raising to the level of importance.

The detained persons were released the next day and were back on the block working the strip again but with light patrols passing and warning them.

Peace and tolerance

H

also see:
Man accused of extortion tried for coning lecturer of $1.2 
million........ (GJW)

Clash of cruisers & homeless again (GJW)

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:

The priest did nothing wrong washing lesbians feet in church ...

washing of feet of lesbians Jalna Broderick (Quality Citizenship Jamaica) QCJ & Rochelle McPhee (JFLAG) by Rev Sean Major Campbell

I was asked to give my two cents on this so here it is:

Female group defends clergyman who washed lesbians' feet, bearing in mind the moral of the story is Jesus emphasized not to create outcasts as the woman who was a prostitute who washed his feet and when Peter and others scorned her Jesus reminded them to leave her and let her express her feelings and espoused the parable of the money lender.

See: Luke 7:36-50 - Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman NIV

There was a heated discussion this week among a group of vendors as they tried to decide whether homosexuals should be allowed to attend church and participate in worship.

They were responding to reports of a priest washing the feet of two lesbians during a church service last week.

They all came to the conclusion that the priest did nothing wrong and committed no crime.

"All those who are passing remarks and criticisms had better be careful, because we are all sinners," one woman said.

She explained why she believed the priest washed their feet.

"I believe the priest was following the example of Jesus. I know Jesus would have washed their feet and told them to go and sin no more," she said.

An older woman said she initially disagreed with what the priest did, but when she reflected on the matter, she came to the view that the priest could not have turned them away.

"If the priest had turned them away or chased them from the church, some of the very same people running up their mouth about it would criticise the priest and the church," she said.

another angle of the feet washing

She said it is not easy to please people and "those without sin must cast the first stone".

One of the women referred to an incident at her church last year where a pastor had sexual intercourse with one of the female members inside the vestry.

"So what happened to that pastor?" a member of the group asked.

"Nothing happened to him, he is still preaching at the church because they covered it up," she said.

The women began to list out various illegal and ungodly activities happening in some of the churches.

She said she knew of a case where a pastor got one member pregnant and is still head of the church, but not supporting the child.

"Murderers, thieves, rapists, homosexuals, fornicators and adulterers are holding top positions in some churches. So what is wrong in washing the feet of two lesbians ?" she queried.

"This is perhaps the only act of kindness the women have ever received in their life, and this could change their lifestyle," she said.

She also said she had nothing against homosexuals, as long as they do not force themselves on innocent children or influence them.

"Some homosexuals are barefaced. The ones who try to seduce young children should be locked up," she said.

The Sexual Offences Act which was passed in 2009 has provisions in place to severely punish adults who sexually offend children. Under the act, a child is a person who is under the age of 16.

Besides homosexuality is not illegal it is Buggery that is illegal between two men or a man and a woman with or without consent. It must be proven via a physical examination of the alleged persons with certain natural substances found on specific parts of the body (anus) and certain conditions of the said place.

one of our homeless trans sisters being evicted from a house she and others occupied illegally

Where I depart from the Reverend however is his stance on homelessness for LGBT and the seeming tokenistic nature he and other powerful religious figures have taken by not really helping them consistently as I elaborated on an old post on my GLBTQJA 2014 blog: 

Rev Campbell and Yvonne McCallah Sobers in 2013 at Shoemaker Gully Xmas treat

Hypocrisy from the pulpit on homeless MSM in Jamaica? 2013

Peace & tolerance

H