Buggery Referendum Still On The Cards says Holness ......

So here we are again this old familiar place with the political football of buggery referendum. The Gleaner in part carried the captioned statement and Prime Minister Holness in a prior interview with Nationwide's Cliff Hughes also hinted the same sentiments.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has vowed that the major legislative changes he proposed during the lead-up to the 2016 general election will be implemented, but he is just not prepared to give a commitment as to when.

Going in to the February 25, 2016, general election, Holness promised that within the first 100 days of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government, he would start the legislative, process to set a fixed date for general elections in Jamaica.

The then opposition leader further promised that within the first 100 days, his Government would start the legislative process to institute impeachment proceedings in Parliament and the process to institute term limits on the Office of Prime Minister.

In addition, Holness told Jamaicans that at a convenient time, there would be a referendum on the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's final appellate court and the removal of the buggery law, while the full legalisation of ganja could also be considered as questions for Jamaicans as part of a grand referendum.

"All of those legislative things are still on the agenda," Holness told The Gleaner during a recent interview to mark his government's first year in office.

"Governments have to take the right time to do things. Trying to address issues that you put through a referendum, that doesn't happen overnight, and if it is not properly planned, if the populace is not properly educated, and if the political climate is not right, then the outcome that you would want might not be the outcome that you would get," added Holness as he pointed to the vote to leave the European Union in Britain (Brexit), which was against the wishes of the British Government.

"Yes, we should move ahead with the referendum. It is very important, especially as it has to deal with what I call the architecture of the society. But you have to deal with an extended period of public education, and you really have to ensure that the stakeholders are properly informed and that there is a system where the question that is going to be put is properly worked out," said Holness.

"That is not something that you could do within a year," added Holness.

I am not surprised as while the referendum business is a ace boon coon playing in the back pocket of Holness to whip up support, the pending constitutional challenge and the Belizean judgement have in a way thrown a wrench in the mix of using that card. Holness is well aware of the antigay fanatical penny section who can easily whip up support in a heartbeat, case in point the Half Way Tree rallies which are well supported, groups such as JCHS have essentially threatened the government and with a slim one seat majority things have to be played rather carefully.

remember this one?:

We just have to wait and see I guess.

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H 

here are some previous entries on sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch on this matter:

On referenda, politicians, integrity & buggery 

Suggestions that court victory in Belize could set precedent for decriminalisation  

Justice Minister says Belizean buggery law ruling a possible game changer 

Gay rights through referendum ........... 2005

also see:

New opposition spokesman on Justice says referendum not needed to amend Buggery Law

Buggery law referendum baiting by JLP in #Javote2016 campaign

Minister Golding trying to manipulate anti-gay sentiments (Jamaica Observer Editorial) .....

Justice Minister (Golding) exploits homophobia to gain CCJ support

The line in the sand for the PNP part 10 : Buggery referendum & more CCJ

No Buggery Law Removal says Justice Minister, Gay Marriage parachuted in yet again

Justice Minister reiterates his personal position on the Buggery Law, Anal Intercourse and Opposition Leader sides with antigay groups on Referendum on The Buggery Law 2014

Defintition of sex business back on the agenda again

So here we are again this old familiar place when will it just end already? it is indeed sad the backwardness on many fronts coupled with fearmongering, intellectual dishonesty and playing on the ignorance factor and moral correctness as it were still persists from the very first parliamentary submission on this in 1998 onwards see the 2014 version HERE. Talk about rubbish about gay marriage sneak in attempts as was hinted to a radio show this morning as well by church folk, oh boi!

The old debate about anal sex has been resurrected with a United Nations (UN) recommendation that Jamaica's Parliament approve a redefinition of sexual intercourse to add penetration of the mouth or anus in order to fairly protect men and women against sexual violence.

However, the local church lobby, through the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS) and the Associated Gospel Assembles (AGA), has been quick to advise lawmakers to reject the proposal. The fanatics are at it again even in the midst of accused shoddy pastors being named as suspects in inappropriate sexual assault of children of all things yet very little stridency in that department, homosexuality or related matters gets full attention non the less. Also see: Clerical abuse ugliness revealed as antigay religious voices barely respond

Radio talk show host made a startling revelation on his show that in trying to get clergymen to discuss the child sex abuse issue for his show all contacted where either travelling or not able to commit to an interview. 

The science of it all cannot be discounted but as per usual that is left out even with  Wayne West talking about biology and such, anyone remembers this case?: Labourer suffer near two years in prison on false accusation of buggery and other cases where it is suspect as to the efficacy of doctors' reports that are submitted into evidence when no physical examination was conducted on the accused in the first place and one's doom can be so easily sealed over a couple glasses of Wray & Nephew on the rocks.

meanwhile The Gleaner carried:

Mark Connolly, from the UN Country Team, on Wednesday, read out the recommendation to a parliamentary committee that has resumed its review of Jamaica's sex laws.

Sexual intercourse under the Sexual Offences Act is "penetration of the vagina of one person by the penis of another person".

But Connolly said that if the definition is "too narrow, the legal recognition of sexual violence against men and boys would not fall under it in an equally protective way as against women and girls.

"If sexual intercourse does not consider the possibility of other penetrative practices that may be used for inflicting grave sexual violence to any person, it does not recognise the same nature of any sexual penetration and diminishes particular humiliating or painful traumatic experiences that victims may go through."

Wayne West, head of the JCHS, said that the proposal disregards the 'biology of sex' and promotes the 'gay agenda'. "The UN is working an ideological framework that is seeking to remove consideration of the reality of biology in order to advance its political agenda. You don't have to redefine sex from its biological moorings in order to punish people who offend other individuals."

Like West, the AGA's first vice-president, the Reverend Peter Garth, insists that the redefinition to include anal sex is a route to legalise same-sex marriage in Jamaica. He said that an "honest" medical doctor would admit that that form of penetration is unhealthy.

"I believe anal penetration is wrong in 2017 and anal penetration will still be wrong in the year 3000," he said.

Rape Is Rape!

For Public Defender Arlene Harrison Henry, however, the United Nations' proposal is important especially because it also recommends a redefinition of rape as an act committed "against any person".

Under Jamaican law, only a woman can be raped - an offence that carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment, unlike buggery, which carries up to seven years' imprisonment.

"There is need for this broader protection of rights of men and women and it ought to be gender neutral. Rape is rape. Right now, a male child who is buggered, no one under our law committed the act of rape against him," argued Harrison Henry.

Janet Farr, president of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica, said that redefining sex is accepting the reality. "The definition that we had before was rather archaic. The definition might be speaking to a certain ideology, but this is what the reality is."

SHOULDN'T BE A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE

Noting the importance of equality before the law, rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and the gay lobby JFLAG have dismissed critics of the proposal.

"Protecting men and women from rape should not be controversial. The same groups opposing this common-sense reform are also arguing to maintain archaic marital rape exceptions that allow married men to rape their wives," said Rodje Malcolm, JFJ's advocacy manager

According to JFLAG's Glenroy Murray, it is "unfortunate" that Christian critics are taking a position that gives greater significance to some sexual violence over others.

Delroy Chuck, justice minister and committee chairman, has said that the review will run for up to six months, after which a report on the recommendations will be done.

ENDS

This business of rape where man as victims was raised for example in 2012 APPROXIMATELY three years after Jamaican policymakers ended a lengthy debate over changing the definition of rape, the United States last Friday upgraded their 80-year definition of the gruesome act to make it more gender-neutral, after much pressure from gender advocates.

also see: PNP Opposition unimpressed with 'painful and troubled' passage of Sexual Offences Bill 2009

Rape in the US was originally defined as "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will". However, the Justice Department upgraded the definition to mean the "penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim".

The new definition now makes it possible for men and women to be the victims as well as the perpetrators of rape, and is expected to solve inconsistencies in data regarding the number of rape victims in that country.

But while the move is being lauded in that jurisdiction by law enforcement and government officials, some believe that a changing of the definition for rape is not necessary in Jamaica at this time. This is especially so given the fact that persons, whether males or females, can now be charged for the carnal knowledge of another without their consent under the Sexual Offences Act of 2009.

The Act was a spin-off to the Incest Punishment Act and the Offences Against the Person Act, which addressed sex crimes; however, the current Act still recognises rape as a crime that can only be committed by a man against a woman. A man commits this offence when he has sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent, or recklessly not caring whether or not she consents. All other sexual acts carried out against an individual without their consent is considered a grievous sexual assault; therefore an individual, whether male or female, commits this offence when they penetrate the vagina or the anus of a victim with a body part other than the penis or with an object manipulated by the offender.

Head of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) superintendent Gladys Brown at the time, believes the Sexual Offences Act is very clear-cut and provides grounds on which a woman can also be charged for sexually assaulting a man without his consent, thereby eliminating concerns that the law is gender-biased. As such, she does not believe Jamaica should be concerned about changing the definition of rape as it now stands.

"If you are a woman and you go home tonight and you and your girlfriend tie up a man and you get a bottle and you insert it into his anus, you are going to go to prison for a good while because you are going to be charged for grievous sexual assault," she said.

"What the law tries to do, is not to minimise or maximise the offence but to separate them and where you could draw the line and make your judgement is when you look at the penalty, because there must be a separation in terms of the degree of the offence," she said.

While not discounting the trauma experienced by a woman who is sexually molested, she pointed out that a woman who has been raped usually has to consider other repercussions such as getting pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease such as HIV/AIDS.

"When a man insert his penis inside of you, a whole range of things can happen to you to include you going crazy, going mad and feeling traumatised for the rest of your life," she said.

Under the Sexual Offences Act of 2009, a person who commits the act of rape is liable on conviction in a Circuit Court to imprisonment for life, or a time determined by the court not being less than 15 years. However, a person who commits the offence of grievous sexual assault is liable upon conviction in a Resident's Magistrates Court to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or upon conviction in a Circuit Court to imprisonment for life, or such other term as the court considers appropriate not being less than 15 years.

Executive Director for the Bureau of Women's Affairs, Faith Webster, believes that while the change in the definition of rape might be necessary for the US at this time, this is not necessarily the case for Jamaica.

"I suppose they are moving to the current situation, after seeing what exists on the ground; and you have to always continuously review and revise your laws in keeping with the current and contemporary situation," she said.

She believes the Sexually Offences Act of 2009, as it now stands, adequately deals with every aspect of the sexual assault of another without their consent.

In 2006, then Minister of Justice and Attorney General Senator AJ Nicholson had put forward a number of amendments to the Offences Against the Person Act, emphasising that there was an urgent need to reform the legislation. Provisions were also being made at the time to change the definition of rape so that women could be charged for committing the offence.

Nicholson argued that the gender-neutral concept of the Bill had been revised on the basis that men and young boys were also exposed to sexual violation and given this reality, they too should be afforded protection from sexual offences.

"I recall that there was a very lengthy discussion at the Joint-Select Committee at Parliament by various stakeholders throughout the island on the issue and the consensus was that they also wanted to keep the traditional definition; that is the penetration of the vagina with the penis," said Webster.

But Webster believes that even though men can get justice for being sexually attacked by a woman under the Sexual Offences Act, males still shy away from reporting cases where they have suffered grievous sexual assault because they have been raised to be macho. The act of a woman forcing a man to have sex in some sections of the society is seen as a good thing rather than something to complain about.

"In our cultural situation and the way we have been socialised in our country, that is always a factor and that could be one of the reasons too why rape of boys and men could be even higher than we really see, because persons are just not going to want to report that kind of an issue. It is even difficult for women to come forward and report a rape, moreover when you look at the situation with men, " she said.

Let's see what obtains in the next six months eh.

Peace & tolerance

H

some related matters:
Member of Parliament Lloyd B Smith on Of Buggery & Rationality 2014 

Parliamentary Committee struggles to define sexual intercourse 2009


JFLAG Tries to Clarify its Agenda 2014

Oh to change hearts and minds

J-FLAG now advocating for decriminalisation of same-sex acts (the change came to late for me) 

Opposition leader (JLP) reiterates his call for a referendum on Buggery .............

Gov't Makes International Commitment To Reduce Violence Against Women, Gays

In a follow up to the previous post comes another promise and hot air sounds from local politicians who always get away with duping us. Been so busy with some other issues but I saw a report on the matter.

The Gleaner reported that a senior legislator in the Portia Simpson Miller administration revealed yesterday that he has adopted a multi-ministerial approach to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

But Justice Minister Mark Golding was silent on Simpson Miller's promised parliamentary vote on the buggery law four years ago.

Golding told journalists that concerns were raised by members of the international community last week in Geneva, Switzerland, on the fate of Jamaica's buggery laws.

He was speaking during a joint press conference convened by his ministry and the A.J. Nicholson-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on Jamaica's presentation at the Universal Periodic Review (Human Rights).

"There were concerns raised by delegations on the issues of discrimination and stigma against such groups such as women and LGBT persons," said Golding.

"There were concerns expressed about the treatment, particularly violence against LGBT persons, with several delegations calling for [the] repeal of the buggery law," he added.

INITIATIVES PUT IN PLACE

Golding said he told the international community that

in order to create a better understanding of the concerns of the LGBT community, several initiatives have been put in place.

These, he said, include the Jamaica Constabulary Force Diversity Policy, implemented in August 2011, as well as the enactment of Section 18A of the Offences Against the Person Act.

"I expressed the commitment of the Jamaican Government to take measures to reduce violence against all groups, including women and LGBT persons," said Golding.

The Universal Periodic Review is a methodical assessment by the international community of each country's adherence

to enshrined human-rights principles.

Of 168 recommendations made to Jamaica, Golding said the Government plans to address 24 in a more fulsome way in the follow-up session in September.

Among those which will take priority are:

n The establishment of a National Human Rights Institute.

n The removal of the death penalty from the books.

n Tackling gender-based violence.

n Conditions of detention.

Golding told journalists that Jamaica was commended for its positive strides, especially in the issue of justice reform, gender equality, and the increased participation of women in various spheres of life.

Click HERE for the previous post on the subject but I am weary of promises and nice narratives to look good on the international scene so as to get in line with grant funding as austerity grips us further.

or see:

Justice Minister reiterates his personal position on the Buggery Law, Anal Intercourse, Consent & Privacy

When did anyone ask for gay marriage rights in Jamaica when we can't get basic tolerance

Jamaican Opposition Leader says he would allow homosexuals in his cabinet .

Opposition Leader sides with antigay groups on Referendum on The Buggery Law

Promised (I mean suggested) Conscience vote on Buggery law not a priority right now (yet again)

Foreign Affairs Minister says Govt should be cautious on gay rights issues in Jamaica

Promised Conscience Vote on Buggery in Jamaica was a fluke

PNP’s Bobby Pickersgill differs on Conscience Vote route to decide on Buggery Law

The PNP's first 100 days ............. buggery review looks far away

PNP's Damion Crawford says it's highly unlikely buggery review will happen ........ it's not important now

PM scolds gay-rights protesters in New York ........ challenges truthfulness of Homophobic Claims

Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson’s call for tolerance not genuine & sheer hypocrisy

Opposition leader (JLP) reiterates his call for a referendum on Buggery

Non Governmental Organization Consultant says JLP suggested Referendum on Buggery is not a good idea

Portia Reneges On Gay Promise says Gordon Robinson

Milk River PNP Councillor says no to buggery repeal ...

J-FLAG Disappointed With PM's Unfulfilled Promise, Though She Remains Best Hope

also see the latest faux pas by the JCHS: US Exporting buggery to Jamaica

Peace and tolerance

UPDATE:
No Buggery Law Removal says Justice Minister

No Healthy Society Without Equality

see this CVM TV discussion if you can stomach it right through with gay marriage being parachuted in to distort the discussion:

or click HERE for CVM TV's page


Clovis toons have been on a roll on the subject with the latest one on top, the others were previous releases:

UPDATE November 2015
Minister Golding trying to manipulate anti-gay sentiments (Jamaica Observer Editorial)

H

Hardened Positions by Religious Fanatics & Their LGBT Detractors Will Only Leave More Blood on the Floor

also see from Gay Jamaica Watch: The Deliberate Misuse of the “Sexual Grooming” Term by Antigay Fanatics to Promote Their Hysteria and Reverend Al Miller continues his antigay advocacy while his integrity is severely damaged

We already have subtly supported condoning of violence towards LGBT persons committed by non Christians for the most part when such acts occur, the outrage that rightly ought to come from real Christians who are concerned about balance, fairness and respect while espousing God’s over-arching principles despite who are involved does not; as if there is a serve them right psychological snicker in the deafening silence from the now loud church fanatics on the Bain/JFJ Sex Education matter. So much blood has been spilt on that account with dozens of near misses in years the most recent one in Clarendon as shown on TVJ News last week on Fathers' Day yet no word from the hysteria making crew on concern or their so called love the sinner hate the sin posture or their pretentious non support of violence when they really do not mean it.

After seeing last night’s news on CVM TV (video immediately above) and the hysterical fever that is being propped up as a public education campaign by Jamaica CAUSE to include the old anti gay group the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship for some upcoming mass meeting in Half Way Tree to supposedly oppose some anti-Christian pro-gay agenda that has swept the rest of world, where I do not know when it is more Islamic and other sects that have used intimidation, Sharia law and even murder via torture, church bombings as in Nigeria and some Arab states and such to do so yet I do not hear those concerns coming from groups such as this fly by night Jamaica CAUSE a hurry-come-up coalition of zealots. This group consist of older and newer mostly uninformed Christian lawyers and their young protégés of the Love March Movement who often confuse same gender sex with abuse and since atheism has been added to the Jamaican leg of LGBT public advocacy the misnomer is that the move is now to stop or silence Christians albeit from the confusion coming out of the Professor Bain University of the West Indies conflict of interest matter.

The real essence of that Bain matter has been lost after its hijacking by hysterical Christian mostly led groups and has been for all intents and purposes reinterpreted and misrepresented as punishment for his testimony in Belize two years ago in actual support of the retention of the buggery law in principle when he is head of a program in CHART which is also a part of a greater initiative of PANCAP to actually repeal or decriminalize problematic laws that criminalizes some sexual activity linked to male homosexuals. It is not the content of the testimony/affidavit that is the problem it is the reason for the action taken by Professor Bain via the affidavit that is the bigger issue although some other professors across the region have said that Professor Bain did not go further by using Caribbean statistics and addressing HIV infections, anal sex overall while not limiting his thesis to just gay men.

In offering such testimony even allegedly at the intervention of others linked to the CHART and other HIV prevention initiatives not to do so is indeed problematic as it goes against the greater imperative of the Caribbean HIV prevention thrust, problem is over these many years is it in essence the LGBT groups wearing another hat that also run these programs and agitations so the mistrust is bound to happen and cause more problems than they solve. The tangled web that has been woven seems to have enmeshed the very groups struggling for LGBT recognition and legal coverage with deceptions or perceptions of it the glue that binds the hysterical response, a thinking response from concerned religious folk would be to actually talk to the people who they have a problem with especially owing to the fact that the latter Jamaicans for Justice Sex Education manual/course allegedly snuck in through the back door as it were and not made known to the Child Development Agency although reporting mechanisms from the very privately run children’s homes would have brought it to their attention plus unannounced visits by the monitoring officers and investigators also must have made known the project activities through the monitoring system, I fail to see with that kind of monitoring and find it hard to believe that the CDA was not aware of this activity for so long.

I had described the fears expressed by religious anti gay groups and churches of some kind of persecution of faith because of opposition to “the homosexual lifestyle” as a false dichotomy some years ago but after the events of the last four weeks since the story went public and the hardened positions taken by some via hysteria I might add with no sight of dialogue then there is bound to be action of some sort taken in retaliation as squared off factions take turns in inflicting bigger blows until the knockout I imagine; and to think churches who are supposed to espouse respect, togetherness and such are the actual agents of divisiveness in this matter and the JFJ sex ed matter as well. There is bound to be a causality as in any “war” since the churches or some more worked up groups who are at this and anther added element to the divisive nature of this snide remarks towards more traditional and older churches who have not joined this newly constituted wave of opposition to supposed homosexual imposition but religious history has taught us this when lesser denominations want power they simply demonise the more established ones to gain traction; case in point the very matter of buggery & traditional churches (Catholics in this case) which is the centrepiece of all this as in 1533 under King Henry VIII the buggery act was reconstituted from the French version some two hundred years before under Philip IV and in both instances the law was used to wipe out religious and theological opposition to the dominant order of the day. In Philip’s case it was used to target the Knights Templar allegedly as they were seen as a threat to his reign and to the Catholic Church’s power as well so it was used alongside “spiritual” weapons as well to target them.

Under Henry’s reign of course it was used to assist in the dissolution of the monasteries transferring the enormous wealth from a corrupt church while propping up his own monarchic power and the church of England of which he made himself head on earth after the pope then in Rome who all other monarchs were beholden to did not grant him the divorce of his first wife Catherine of Aragon as she did not bear a male heir. The Catholic Church was declared a den of homosexuals by the chief henchman for King Henry VIII Thomas Cromwell and a law based on an opinion was put into effect with several Bishops going to the gallows for alleged sodomy when many of them were not even homosexuals to begin with.

It seems every time the sodomy laws when enacted since around 390 BC in Rome they were not used for the intended purpose instead it is used as a legal device to belittle or wipe out political and religious opponents, fast forward to now we see the twinning of the Bain matter and the JFJ matter alongside cancellations of shows of Queen Ifrica described freedom of speech so the retention of the buggery laws here in the minds of some is to:

Keep the HIV spreaders at bay as part of the HIV is a gay disease ploy

Protect children from predators and paedophiles when there is a clear conflation between same gender sex and abuse whilst devoid of education on sex and sexuality

Limit the power of LGBT groups to persecute supposed Christians who oppose homosexuality

And not to actually stop homosexuality or in essence homosexual sex for the public good as it were as if we are to follow their logic they would be standing at all our doors to peek through our keyholes to see who is putting what into where.

There was an actual case in England in the 1800s involving James Pratt, John Smith and another male who had left to purchase ale and whose house the keyhole peeking took place as the landlord of the latter person who suspected strange activity and just by his word and that of his wife all three men were humiliated and charged, the ale buyer who returned was charged for being an accessory to the act; the two men who were seen allegedly making love were tried and eventually hung despite the change of opinion and appeal by the very judge who sentenced them and despite the commuting of other harsh criminal charges commuted to life as the death penalty debate raged “sodomites” did not benefit from such commutation. The trial judge in hindsight found the matter or privacy an over-arching principle as others were not exposed save and except for prying eyes by inquisitive persons violating their rights within a threshold. These two men were the last persons to be hung for the crime before the relaxing of aspects of the act in 1861 and then conditional consent and privacy in 1967 although starting at age 21 and not the 16 for everyone else. The equal age of consent came some years later then full removal hence gay marriage rights in 2005 to now.

Our former colonial masters did the right thing in removing this persecution of persons just because of who they are and their private personal choices yet our governments claim they want to leave the privy council as our final court of appeal under the guise of the Lords expression of wanting to be relieved of taking overseas cases (using the country of origin’s laws) and use the Caribbean Court of Justice, the CCJ instead but hysterical groups want to hold on to old visages of colonial rule long removed from their own books.

What is even more disturbing is that this hysteria non thinking response from these groups the very abusers that they are concerned about as we all should be are in the very churches who are involved in this mess and they like other abusers find this public furore as cloud cover to continue their actions undetected with very little vigilance as attentions are diverted to the smoke screen. If one should look even further into the very church itself that’s where the more egregious sexual abuse takes place be it same sexed, opposite sexed or paedophile in nature so this convenient distraction from none thinking or proactive child rights advocates often devoid of any real qualifications for same (including a lack of understanding of sex and sexuality) yet they want to control and sanitise what goes out there to society and as the JFJ sex education matter shows even to our young without any proper proof of where the actual offense lies, some questions come to mind.

Why was the CDA bypassed by JFJ/CVCC?

Why are these groups so quiet on other societal ills, namely corruption or murders of youths? ..... but have so much strength for homosexuals(ity).

What actually was presented to the intended 13 to 18 year olds from the 147 paged instructor’s manual?

Would the CDA have approved this course especially in public run homes if they were approached given the sensitivities involved?

Why hasn’t the CVCC with persons on its board linked to JFLAG and such divert some needed attention to homeless LGBT youth especially instead of landing the rights struggle demonised by mistrust?

Did the privately run homes use their privileged of autonomy to edit or remove some the elements in the multi-module course to suit their comfort level and concerns? (One home’s administrator on radio said they asked some sections to be removed)

What other psycho social measuring or monitoring device were employed either in house by the homes or otherwise prior to or after the delivery of the materials?

Has any of the noise makers actually read the materials involved in this course to actually see what else dominated the course’s outline?

What has been learnt from this pilot project despite the furore emanating from it albeit from uninformed fear-mongering fanatics?

If the dubious anti Christian, pro gay factions as it were are really about persecuting Christians hiding in the LGBT rights lobby then I am sure they are planning their next move as hysterics rule the day but may loose the war in the long run, it seems these groups have not learned the strategy if there is one as the atheists seem more calculated and measured in their thesis or rhetoric and not paranoid or hysterical. These groups are only making the church ripe for the plucking if and when the anti faith opposition chooses to strike as they can use this latest episode to belittle and insult them into a cowering position in terms of public perception even as more persons find the church fast becoming irrelevant and even belief systems on Christian faith are ridiculed and where are LGBT Christians in all of this?

I guess there is blood on already the floor in terms of the Bain issue in the eyes of some although that to me seems more an act of professional suicide on his part and his advisors when he may very well look like a fool in the end if and when the funders decides to pull the plug on funding the CHART initiative in its current dispensation; we must remember the word of the so called groups defending this is that they have no confidence in working with him and if they do not want to be led by him then all the court action and injunctions and even an full contract once reinstated can all be made to fizzle if the CHART project is ended or changed and a new person placed as its head with reconstituted funding. Bain may very well be left holding useless contract papers in his hands with dead injunctions and isolation from the rest of the academic community and the international HIV response core and do not forget a bitter LGBT grouping Caribbean-wide.

Meanwhile my latest podcast:

a previous podcast where I warned of this fallout twinning LGBT rights with secularism:

Think on these things

Peace and tolerance

H

Male Jogger allegedly sodomised in up-scale neighbourhood says Observer

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Milk River PNP Councillor says no to buggery repeal ..............

Milk River PNP Councillor says no to buggery repeal, no need to canvass his division, the answer is no Member of Parliament Carlton Bailey does not need to canvas the views of the constituents of Milk River division in the Clarendon Parish Council when it comes to the previously proposed buggery review as announced by the Minister of Information Sandrea Falconer some time ago and first suggested by the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during the leadership debate on December 2011 when she was opposition leader prior to the elections which her party gained power.

Speaking at a function in late 2013 Carlton Bailey PNP Councillor says there won’t be any support for such a move to remove or repeal the buggery law. He said “We nuh inna nuh agreement wid wah dem a come wid (we are not in agreement with what they are coming with) It is said there is going to be a conscience vote in parliament if it is ever called our member of parliament don’t have to walk around to canvass to make a decision to what the people of Milk River seh (say)” Thousands of Jamaicans had already been registering their opposition to the perceived repeal of the buggery law owing to the poor communication by the groups and individuals such as JFLAG, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays and individual advocates who are more about their own image promotion than really engaging the public including the LGBT populations when many persons still are of the view that a full repeal is being demanded when in fact only certain amendments are proposed but who knew that the position was even changed? Now that the conscience vote has been rescinded so to speak and a new proposal in the form of the amendment to the Sexual Offences Bill has been announced by the Justice Minister Mark Golding I wonder where Mr. Arscott does now stands? 

But some strange things have been happening such as the shake up if you will of the powerful PNP central executive with Mr Peter Bunting Minister of National Security showing signs of non interest to continues as General Secretary and also that of his counterpart Julian Robinson as deputy bearing in mind the latter gentleman is member of parliament for the Trafalgar division where the homeless MSM issue has repeatedly shown up. Church groups nitpicking on issues surrounding homosexuality raising such to the level of the most awful if “sins” while ignoring or barely paying attention to other societal ills that are far more damaging to us have been mobilizing themselves via meetings, demonstrations and public vitriol against supposed “gay lifestyle” while the germane matters of interests have been conflated with secularism, humanism and all other kinds of isms and schisms all wrapped up in deception from all sides surprisingly. I feared from the moment the review was suggested that the political parties are going to use this issue to regain or maintain support, it is important to note that this public outcry is coming from a Peoples National Party Councillor despite the party’s far larger LGBT support nationally and the posturing of the General Secretary last month where he said he is not in support of conscience votes and prefers a referendum without saying it in so many words; such distancing to me is a way to subtly absolve themselves of some blame or perception that the party or administration is slowly allowing ‘homosexuality’ through the back door, such are the fears out there and that somehow a wave of impositions of foreign imperatives via pressure on the government, threats of grant aid removal and more. In the final analysis it is about winning elections despite the will of the people including the minority as powerful as they might be.

I have expressed even further that this review can go against us as it may be a trap of sorts, if this review goes through and it ends out not in the affirmative what is to stop the PNP from rejecting afterwards any agitation for LGBT rights barring outside pressure as the claim can be made by the administration if they remain in power, as I suspect they will based on the opposition they can say the people have spoken via the conscience vote and not a referendum and in the end will look as if they stood up to the homosexual lobby despite the huge support on the ground by the LGBT populations who voted as part of the diehard support in the last election. The public education drives that are to be done by JFLAG have not been forthcoming and in years gone by the lack of preparedness on many fronts we are now reaping the consequences of that and playing step-n-fetch-it when it is too little too late. Why were the quiet engagements continued with the political directorate on all sides even after the failed parliamentary submission in 1998? There should have been no relaxation as now when it matters most scrambling and use of other obviously ethically challenged methods to woo the intelligentsia, parliamentarians, clergy and theologians while lambasting religiosity over all as a last ditch wave of opposition when all the other more salient methods have been poorly executed and managed leading to failure to move with alacrity. It is clear that some at the local political levels via this pronouncement by this counsellor are prepared to use it to sure up groundswell but it was already used by the opposition namely Daryl Vaz after the leadership debate and proposal of the buggery review, Mr Vaz along with Desmond McKenzie at that infamous St Thomas political meeting launched a broadside against the proposed review and supposed legalization of homosexuality. 

Political parties fear referendums as they tend to reflect the vote patterns along party lines as opposed to the matter that is the subject of the decision but in this case it may very well be used as a last resort for the present administration to test the waters albeit the austerity measures that have rubbed sections of the population the wrong way, a sliding dollar, a sluggish economy and joblessness, the administration however maybe in the black when it comes to a parliamentary opposition that is weak and has its own internal issues but the eligible voting public is also disillusioned in some sense as evidenced in the 2011 elections where just under 50% of voters came out and only the core exercised their right while others remained thus a minority government so to speak, will that changes by the time the buggery review is returned as an option if the SOB amendment does not fly and subsequent general elections? Some speculators are suggesting that such a review will have to come mid way the PNP’s tenure so as to allow for room for addressing mitigating circumstances post the review so as to settle in time for the general elections. 

The soundings coming from the ruling administration is showing up some concerns that all may not be on board with the buggery review not necessarily because of moral grounds but more so the possible loss of political capital in case the review goes as originally outlined or as a referendum of which the powerful church groups prefer, their influence cannot be overlooked as it is known that certain religious groups are politically aligned. The above cartoon from the Jamaica Observer makes that clear as crystal despite the recent utterances from the Jamaica Council of Churches walking cautiously on the matters of buggery and homosexuality. Politics I see is what is going to determine the way forward with this matter of buggery in the end outside of the constitutional challenges and court matters. Let us also not leave out the recently concluded tolerance ad case in the Supreme Court that has left in the minds of some more deception on the part of LGBT advocates, a perception that is not needed at this time of the struggle. 

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The upcoming case as well as launched by Javed Jaghai has both religious groups joining up with secular reggae acts to oppose "the lifestyle" but then again the overzealous actions of some pushed the two together and then we wonder why we have such opposition?

also see: PNP’s Bobby Pickersgill differs on Conscience Vote route to decide on Buggery Law

From left: Angela Templer, group coordinator, Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS); Tony Rebel; Dr Wayne West, JCHS chairman; and Queen Ifrica during the launch and viewing of the JCHS-produced DVD: 'Sex, Lies and Rights'. 

Anti Gay Religious group launches pro buggery law DVD

The recent performances by Queen Ifrica at Rebel Salute 2014 as they continue to oppose supposed muzzling of artists on anti homosexuality feelings also brings to bear the issue of misplaced actions taken on artists who do did not initially qualify for murder music targeting but when will we learn eh? now the lobby is viewed as oppressors and calls for tolerance go unheeded or simply dismissed as hypocrisy. also see:

Murder Music Campaign needs local leadership/ownership once again

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

Sizzla bats for Queen Ifrica as expected

Queen Ifrica's "Freedom of Speech" & advocacy found wanting

'I SPOKE FOR WHAT I BELIEVED IN' - Queen Ifrica defends Grand Gala performance after JFLAG backlash

Queen Ifrica, Tony Rebel call out Jamaican government on buggery law from 2012

Peace and tolerance 

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