Lawyers' Christian Fellowship's Shirley Richards says lesbian sex should be criminalized as buggery ...........

I sat frozen this morning in my seat after I changed dials on my radio and caught the end of a discussion on buggery that was not previously advertised or promoted by the station it was aired on as normally there would be some promos, is this the new way of getting the anti gay message out there? after listening to the radio program on the religious station Love 101FM hosted by Reverend Clinton Chisholm the discussion centered around the Importance of the Buggery Law, other guests were Dr. Wayne West of the Isaachar Foundation the group that had that anti gay/buggery full paged ad in the Gleaner, a Reverend Pitkin and a Pastor Garth. 

This fear as if gay issues are some how going to become the pariah of the century and reduce the religious perspective and morals of Jamaican society is just beyond me. Affording same gender loving persons rights due to them is not going to decrease the rights of others or somehow unleash homosexuality (often confused or conjoined with same sex paedophilia) on the nation when persons are already practising, exploring as is done when things are made taboo in this country which raises curiosity and persons coming out on their own merit, why do persons in the anti gay lobby continue to confuse consenting adults making their choices versus homo-paedophilia which is often committed by non homosexuals or is it a deliberate co-joining them so as to bolster their position? we all know that there are heterosexual abusers themselves who have been abused as children not necessarily either by same sex abusers but they in turn becoming perpetrators of homo-paedophilia, it's about psychological control of a victim of least resistance more so than acting out a homosexual attraction and indoctrinating a child. Early initiation either by players in the same age group or an adult and a teen is also a separate matter as that also happens in a hebephilic sense in heterosexual circles right before our eyes, we see on coaster buses everyday via school girls and older men, girls who leave for school dressed in uniforms but change clothes and go elsewhere, we see the hundreds of missing teens via Ananda alerts mostly females some of whom are found in brothels or being trafficked for the sex trade or a few murdered yet these same anti gay pundits are silent in that regard yet matters that are private between same sex adults must be stopped and restricting our decision to fuck each other via consent. Get out of our bedroom!!!!!

Shirley Richards - past President of the anti gay Lawyers' Christian Fellowship

The usual pointers were represented as in other discussions with the anti gay religious agenda as subject matter and the fear and or almost hysteria or paranoia that legalizing buggery somehow is going to unleash some horror on the nation and silence religious voices were repeatedly suggested. The fear of the promised Buggery Law review is so pronounced that it was suggested that if the law is reviewed it will silence the church, how so? it was not clearly said. When the question was posed by host Rev Chisholm as to whether or not the law should remain? all guests expressed a clear no, in as far as the fact that the present buggery law does not speak to same gender sex between females former President of the Lawyer's Christian Fellowship, LCF Shirley Richards said that she would push for such a law, "I see nothing wrong with pushing for such a law.... not an amendment of the current one but an additional bit of legislation which criminalizes unnatural acts between women, at the same time however I want to say, I certainly want to recommend that the existing sodomy law that's there be not amended in anyway , what we possibly can look at is actually putting in a bit of legislation that covers these practices between women."

The other guest Pastor Pitkin was asked to also respond to the same question to which he expressed that he agreed with Shirley's comment " ...unfortunately there is no law that exists at this present time where two females are concerned but that does not dictate that it is right in the sight of God morally it is also wrong and I would support any moves to legislate that it is also unlawful." 
When asked directly by the host Reverend Chisholm "What if somebody says to you as a pastor of a church aren't you just restricting the spectrum of sexual options people can have if you are gonna insist on a law that would forbid a woman to have sex with another woman?" he responded "Truth is truth, truth is absolute and whatever is wrong is wrong and it has to be viewed from that perspective."

Reverend Chisholm then asked to all the guests "What is your suggestion about the buggery law?"

Shirley Richards went first by saying "I say let's go for keeping the law, don't touch it,if you touch it you'll loose it, keep the law."   

Dr. Wayne West who is also aligned to the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship the said "We must be clear that the sodomy  law, removing the buggery law is neither necessary nor is it sufficient in reducing HIV among men who have sex with men because in Singapore where there is a law it has one of the lowest prevalence rates for men who have sex with men in the world, lower than places than France, The Netherlands, The United States for example where sodomy laws have been removed so there is no need to remove the law to decrease HIV among men who have sex with men."  he continued " ... the buggery law assists in defining the nature of a society that you have, it goes way beyond health and sexual transmitted disease, it goes to defining whether in your society marriage is between a man and a woman or whether fisting, felching, rimming and so on are equivalent to what takes between an adult male and female who above the age of consent."

The other guest Pastor Garth sought to bring in the paranoia bit in my view, he contended that there was a dimension left out of the loop, "If you remove buggery law the church is going to come under enormous pressure, pastors and marriages because it is going to be legal so my advice is for churches to re-examine their constitution because it can be very critical putting in their what is your view clearly on marriage between a male and a female because to amend that law then a lot pastors will loose their license because it will no longer be illegal and you cannot refuse unless you show constitution," Reverend Chisholm intervened that unless a pastor wants to give up his right to marry people, Pastor Garth continued "....the pressure and the other dimension is that they not only do not want us to speak they are wanting government and legislation to institute punitive measures to those who try to uphold what the scripture says."

I am not aware of anyone in the gay lobby as it were who has said that the church and or its representatives must not be allowed to speak on buggery or homosexuality even if it is an opposite opinion as is the case in most instances, the problem is the tacit insighting of violence as has been done by some voices from the church and the hate via strong comments by some, where was any call for legislation and by whom was such made to restrict the speech or opinions of the church in regards to homosexuality as a whole when there is freedom of speech in this country? a religious community by the way that still wheels enormous power in political circles, I smell dishonesty there and it stinks to high heaven.

Pastor Pitkin said he is encouraging pastors to begin to lobby their members of parliament as he said not long from now there are going to be moves to re-examine the buggery law in parliament. He said a lot of other freedoms are going to be taken away if the law is removed or amended. "The church will not be able to speak and further to that the church will come under severe attack," by whom he did not say.

Sadly this is the fear these people continue to drive in the not so knowledgeable religious communities and followers as if the gay lobby is this evil bastion of darkness to destroy humanity through same gender sex all because persons make a choice via adult consent based on their sexual orientation for the most part while strongly and unethically imputing paedophilic motives by supposed male homosexuals as a reason to keep an archaic buggery law when we know that most same sex paedophiles are not homosexuals as we are not interested in pre-pubescent individuals. I found it interesting that Dr. West seems to be infusing European anal same sex practices with Jamaican gay males as if we also indulge in felching and fisting on a large scale which are not practices widely done in African descented gay communities worldwide, the graphic nature of anal activity he is trying to infuse is to create repulsed responses from persons may very well backfire as what is taboo in this country tends to become a magnet for some. More and more women have been reporting that their male partners have been asking for anal sex especially during the menstrual cycle periods when vaginal sex maybe either untidy for both parties or painful for the woman. 

What about recent headlines with men of the cloth in inappropriate relations with congregants we do not hear the rage and urgency in that regard? albeit the Star News sensationalizes but there is some truth somewhere in the mix you just need to sift it out.

This deliberate twining of the paedophilia and same gender sex and rights agitation is also expressed by non religious persons as well, members of the psychiatric community have been going almost against the DSM guide for their profession, please see: 

The psychological strategy of the homosexual lobby BY DR Leahcim Semaj

As for the matter of pastors rescinding their right to marry same gender loving persons via church constitutions well we do not need pastors to lead that legal activity of a union towards the state's recognition of same, that is of course if same sex marriage is legalized in the future which is NOT being debated now or at all or any time soon as I see it then however we should be able to go to a Justice of the Peace, JP, a judge or maybe a new form of notary public for that matter avenues that already exists for heterosexual persons engaging in mainstream marriages but who do not use the traditional religious ceremonial practice. I feel sometimes it is the fanatical antics of these anti gay zealots that create the very enemies they fear that in effect never existed until they repeatedly put forward the diatribe and sometimes vitriolic statements about what they consider male homosexuality to be thus leading to the parting of the ways by gay lobbies versus sections of the religious communities. Although there has been some enlightened views on the suggested review of the buggery law by the Prime Minister from certain religious leaders and I personally know of ministers who have said they would wed a same sex couple. There is some hope but .........

We have a long way to go it seems.

Peace and tolerance

H   

Stand Up To Same-Sex Lobby says Paul Kokoski .....................

So foreign influences who are opposed to homosexuality continue to get air time and space in local media spewing their neatly worded diatribe and coining or reusing so called terms like theophobia which speaks to a fear of gods or God's wrath or religion but here the writer tries to paint a picture of anti - Christian moves by the gay lobby as if to ask for or promote same sex rights will some how affect existing rights for other persons.


Have a read of the letter and see:

 

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Recently there has been an orchestrated effort on the part of homosexual activists like Dr Stephen Moreton to legalise homosexuality and homosexual marriage throughout the Caribbean. Most of these people are not from the Caribbean but are trying to impose their sordid lifestyle on the Christian Caribbean islands.

People should be made aware of the fact that there is no 'gay gene' and no scientific proof that homosexuality is innate. Homosexuality is, in fact, an abnormal behaviour. Ironically, the homosexual lobby often tries to project their own disorder on heterosexuals by prejudicially labelling them 'homophobes'.

Dr Francis Collins, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work sequencing the human genetic code, has stated that homosexuality is not genetically "hardwired". Homosexuality, like contraception, is contrary to natural law because it thwarts the natural generation of life.

Marriage is an institution that predates civilisation, ordained by God, and exclusive to one man and one woman who are given the responsibility to procreate the human race, and to nurture, educate, and pass on shared values and mores to their offspring.

To redefine marriage to include same-sex couples is to strip marriage of an essential component, namely, the ability and obligation to procreate. This would render marriage meaningless and open it up to endless revision and redefinition.

Gay marriage is a threat to religious freedom and conscience rights. There are already incidents in Canada and the United States of religious adoption and foster-care agencies being pushed out of work, and small business owners being fined or sued for not accommodating same-sex couples.

Town clerks and other officials with objections to participating in same-sex union ceremonies or to the granting of same-sex marriage licences have been told to find other jobs.

Once a state recognises same-sex partnerships as marriages or the equivalent, naturally the argument is made that in family-life classes in schools, this has to be taught to be a valid partnership. Religious parents who do not want their children to be indoctrinated in beliefs contrary to their will be out of luck. They will be branded and labelled as bigots. This is already happening in Canada.

Christians and other people from traditional faith communities are being called in a new way to have courage. The problem today is not homophobia but theophobia - a hatred by some of God, faith, religion, and the Church. The public affirmation of this prejudice is the hallmark of ideological totalitarianism.

PAUL KOKOSKI

pkokoski@shaw.ca

ENDS

This dishonest premise where he repeatedly puts forward in his letters to newspapers all over that "Gay marriage is a threat to religious freedom and conscience rights" coupled with the disruption of the family is a lie in my view as it does not take away from any existing rights for heterosexual couples. In fact I dare say if gay couples marry, adopt and raise children it in no way damages or blights their growth, we have seen undisputed evidence of this where same gender loving couples raise hetersosexual children. Maybe we could adopt some of those abandoned or homeless ones locally left behind by procreation indiscretions or "accidents" 

When LGBT groups or human rights entities ask for gay marriage rights as far as I am concerned it is about the state recognizing the union so as to effect benefits already allotted to heterosexual married couples such as pension benefits, state insurance (where allotted), death benefits, legal divorce proceedings, probate of wills in case one half of the pair passes away, wealth and assets sharing after death or divorce as per relevant state statutes etc. Anti gay lobbyists such as this letter writer make it seem as if heterosexual couples are going to be denied any of those rights and benefits they already enjoy when they sign on the dotted line of a marriage certificate as literally it is at that time and subsequently the registering of that marriage/union at the local registrar office or similar structures that puts into motion all those state benefits and legal coverage for wedded persons.

To present this farce or create hysteria of gay marriage affecting humanity or procreation while making gay lobbyist to be anti Christian principle is a an outright dishonest practice and is what ticks persons off and maybe in fact lead them to become such in order to avoid any confrontation, so they dismiss both the so called Christian individual who is fanatically obsessed as this letter writer is and all that (s)he espouses (we have our local ones too) or stand for including God and sadly many LGBT individuals do not bother to separate them and have become weary of the diatribe, in effect giving atheists and by extension radical anti Christian persons gay or straight more ammunition, believe it or not there are gay Christians who are progressive thinkers and persons like me who were in the church but struggled with the question of my orientation versus my status with God, finally realising God loves me no matter what my orientation is and the need to revisit spiritually and theologically this matter of homosexuality and Christian life.

The question of sexual practice and choices can be argued hereinafter, do we for example continue in celibacy or explore life and love with one faithful partner and not go down the road of multiple partners? Those are the questions fanatics like Paul Kokoski should consider instead of worrying about marriage rights denial for same gender loving folks. Did Paul for example really have an issue with homosexuality while working Rome? a question that was looked at on a previous post on my sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch: 

Did Apostle Paul actually accepted Christian homosexuals?

The notion that marriage must not be re-invented is a farce as marriage to day in all its aspects has been reinvented and reshaped repeatedly be they the romantic elements, the financial, the spiritual, gender roles/partner responsibilities as per societal norms and even how states recognise unions and accord benefits have changed radically over time, there were days when in Palestine and those parts where women were and in some cases still are subservient to men, couples do not exchange vows but a woman is pegged to her husband for life while he can have as many wives as he sees fit. Dowry practices still exist in India and other societies. Even in biblical days David the Psalms writer had concubines, Solomon had concubines yet married as well yet those men were used by God for his glory, what about the controversial love between David and Jonathan while carrying out the instructions of God for leading his people? What about the inappropriate relationship between David and Bathsheba? we do not hear these anti gay pundits bringing related pointers in their arguments or pronouncements.

Procreation is no longer a matter of sexual relations or copulation between the opposite sexes anymore there are medical advances that allow other methods for creating, growing and carrying a foetus including surrogacy for those persons who cannot bear children naturally or as an option for same sexed couple wishing to become parents but do not want to use their own bodies. As I have said before in previous posts what a wonderful job we are already doing in terms of procreation by Paul Kokoski's standards here, ever climbing divorce rates, thousands of missing children, most born out of wedlock, hundreds of boys wiping wind-shields daily at stop lights and those same religious pundits/fanatics pass them in the vehicles with windows wound up and tinted yet we have the most churches per square miles with very little social outreach for these vulnerable populations, indeed the most churches per square miles we have yet we are having ever increasing numbers of homeless homo and heterosexual populations alike plus others in abject poverty especially the elderly per square inch on our city side walks and towns and golden aged homes who are abandoned, where are the numerous or matching social work numbers to meet these issues? yet there is this grand attempt to stop private consenting adults from having their rights with big bucks being spent in some instances to do so, lest we forget that full paged ad in the Gleaner estimated cost $JA250, 000 money that could have been used for some outreach or donated to a home. We have also seen the zeal at which conservatives fund other anti gay action in Uganda: 

In The Life Series: Coalition & Allies (anti gay conservatives & Ugandan links)

Mr Kokoski needs to take a trip to Jamaica and let us take him around to see the REAL WORLD. He needs to stop pushing this ultra conservative garbage on us from afar.

Peace and tolerance

H

Civil-Society Groups Put Pressure On Patricia House Board ........

Yvonne McCalla-Sobers (right), convener for Families Against State Terrorism, speaks to members of the media while looking on (from left) are Howard Gough, manager of Patricia House; Joyce Hewett, advocacy and legal reform, Women Inc; Jaevion Nelson and Noelle Ingledew, chairpersons, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, during a press conference on Tuesday. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer

THE BOARD of Patricia House must go. That is the demand from Jamaica's civil society.

On Tuesday, a joint coalition of Civil Society Forum of Jamaica on HIV/AIDS, Woman Inc, Families Against State Terrorism and Jamaica AIDS Support for Life called a press conference at the Council of Voluntary Social Services' St Andrew offices, to outline the gross negligence of the board of the rehab centre, which they claim was affecting clients and staff.

"The members of this board have consistently failed to protect the rights and welfare of persons who use drugs, persons living with HIV, and other minority groups. In fact, their callous actions have led to the further marginalisation of these already vulnerable populations," noted Carla Bingham-Ledgister, chair of the Civil Society Forum of Jamaica on HIV/AIDS.

The issue stemmed from an incident last year where the board of Richmond Fellowship Jamaica Drug Rehab Centre, which operates the St Andrew-based Patricia House, hired a manager who turned out to have fake qualifications and was abusive to staff and clients. They also alleged that he sexually harassed a female staff member. He was later dismissed and given a reported $500,000 severance package.

Five months of terror

The "five months of terror meted out to them by the new manager" has reportedly continued to traumatise the staff and client, Bingham-Ledgister stated.

The coalition demanded an explanation from the board, but they said, to date, there has been no response.

Based on the "neglectful manner in which they handled the matter", the coalition is claiming the board cannot be relied on to manage the welfare of the clients and staff members.

"We ask you to join us in calling on all the remaining members of the Richmond Fellowship Jamaica board to step down and allow the local representatives of the parent company to install a new board made of persons who have the interest of drug users, persons living with HIV," Bingham-Ledgister added.

ENDS

Some questions come to mind to me and a few others upon seeing this article in the Gleaner though as to the hypocrisy and selectivity of issues here, so the Board of Patricia House erred and are being called to book but what about some of these same organizations represented here at this press conference, shouldn't they be called to answer to some pressing issues as well?

Where were they when the homeless msms were locked out and left to fend for themselves last August and the subsequent civil disobedience the men had to take to get attention or when the original shelter idea was closed?

Why did anyone from this so called co-coalitionists group as it were speak out publicly against this or call a press conference seeing that the matter was made public and exposed by the Jamaica Observer?

Is it that some of the same persons present here were the ones who gave the edict to have the men banned along with a canine team at the gates of the organizations, namely Jamaica AIDS Support for Life instead of trying to deal with the group of homeless males directly?

Why is it that till this day any serious attention has been given to the men to solve the issues of bad behaviour as the reasons given for taking the banning action in the first place by this coalition or its representatives?

Do you find it strange how selective these organizations and individuals spring into action on issues when LGBT matters that need urgent attention are left to supposedly die down hoping no one will pay attention? 

Now that the main spin doctor of diversions does not reside here anymore what will be used as damage control to now divert us from this matter as it shows a clear professional hypocrisy? whenever questions are asked of groups to account to the population convenient ways are found to move us in another direction.

In regards to terror, what about the terror and homophobic violence the homeless men have had to endure while on the streets as organizations continue business as usual ignoring the men while dealing with more well to do msms instead in a grand data collection reporting exercise while our brothers who really need the frontline work are left to end up in criminal activity in some cases or commercial sex work to fend for themselves? MORE HERE from GJW

Only a few weeks ago a homeless young man (one of the many new comers to the population) was beaten in the Spanish Town area and left with a broken leg after being accused of being gay, if it weren't for concerned persons outside the community and a couple church sisters from a nearby church organization who fortunately looked passed the orientation issues and saw humanity he would have had to fend for himself. Thanks to their kind hearts.
Other incidents are still coming to hand across Kingston in particular and one in St. Ann in December 2011.

When is this hypocrisy and over looking of this section of our population going to end? Very few of the total population when last I checked numbered some fifty plus men have not been able to either find hosts to stay with or find alternative legal income earning activity while the others still are nomads in their own country. A couple have been able to leave Jamaica via asylum seeking with some financial help from community members but that is not enough to put a dent on this problem. 

Think on these things people, the foolishness continues and then a false image is presented to the world as if work is being done overall.

Even the great super powers of the world see a need to deal with homelessness just recently the United States White House announced it is to hold a conference to discuss the matter by itself on March 9, 2012

The March 9 conference will provide advocates, community leaders, and members of the public an opportunity to engage with the Obama Administration on housing and homelessness issues that impact LGBT Americans, including the youth served by the Ruth Ellis Center. Participants will receive updates from Obama Administration officials, connect with federal government resources and opportunities through workshop sessions, and provide valuable feedback through the “Open Space” process.

“We are honored to join with the White House for this historic conference, taking place in one of the cities most impacted by LGBTQ homelessness,” said Laura Hughes, Executive Director of the Ruth Ellis Center. “Nationally, about 40 percent of the 1.7 million runaway and homeless youth self-identify as LGBTQ. In Detroit alone, up to an estimated 800 homeless LGBT youth are on the streets every day. The Ruth Ellis Center works daily with our city’s and state’s leadership to help improve outcomes for the homeless LGBTQ youth we serve. It sends a powerful message to now have the commitment from the Federal government to discuss these issues.” MORE HEREAlso see: INCREASE IN MALE HOOKERS - More men doing 'business' in New Kingston says the Star ............ but

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

From the pen of one of our homeless brothers ........

Sad that in 2012 we have to be on this same issue coming from as far as 2007/8 when I and others started to zoom in on this and long before that when we as a community used to just see the evidence around us of homelessness and in instances abject poverty in our community. We have seen so many fallouts and problems and it is as if few care about this group more than to use them for statistical dart boarding rather than help them or concerned persons to bring some closure or solutions to this matter once and for all. The incremental interventions by influentials are not enough as persons like myself do not have the resources to tackle this head on but the organizations that do have the where it all obviously do not care. 

UPDATE: a petition has been launched by the former Chairman of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life with support from the rest of the clan yet no such action was done or entertained when they banned the homeless from their property.

The very same organization that barred homeless MSM some of whom are also HIV positive last year yet they pride themselves on offering care and treatment for vulnerable populations and when called the book they snubbed the voices who wanted above board advocacy as they do not feel accountable to the persons they claim to represent. You decide readers, who holds others accountable for neglect, and further ostracizing the already vulnerable? that's the question.

Peace and tolerance

H

Caribbean plans regional approach to abolish gay laws

Dr. Greene recently on a radio program

Denis Scott Chabrol 

Caribbean countries, faced with potential political and religious fall-out, plan to take a regional approach in scrapping laws against buggery and prostitution by 2015, according to a senior United Nations (UN) official.

Most of the former British colonies that are Caricom member-nations have been coming under increasing international pressure to abolish those laws that also include prohibiting cross-dressing.

Politicians remain wary of losing votes from, among others, the religious communities and other people who argue against erasing those laws for moral and ethical reasons.

UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS to the Caribbean, Dr. Edward Greene, however, notes that at least 20 percent of some Caribbean countries are gays, a cultural shift that must be considered.

Experts like Greene say those laws force vulnerable communities like commercial sex workers and Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) to go underground and so being unable to access HIV education, diagnosis care and treatment. Human rights advocates also believe that pursuing those lifestyles is a basic human right.

Acknowledging that moral, religious and political reasons have forestalled the revision, revamping and rejection of the century-old laws, he said the Caribbean plans to take a two-pronged approach. That strategy, he explained, would include rallying support from Champions for Change such as vulnerable groups, Faith Based Organisations and women’s groups as well as capitalizing on the convention that regional laws are more easily acceptable. Experts also intend to produce research on the impact of decriminalization in other countries. In that way, he explained, politicians in each jurisdiction would be better insulated from criticisms.

“I think what we have to do is to project a regional position on revamping the laws which would be in tune with international trends and enunciate them in such a way that we save national politicians from having to put forward these views as if they were theirs,” said Greene, a former Caricom Assistant Secretary General for Human and Social Development (COHSOD).

The UN official expects that Caribbean countries will gradually overhaul their laws in time for 2015 when the world is expected to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in keeping with the principles of universal access and equity. “I believe we can incrementally move towards the position of revamping the laws.”

“It might be a long struggle in some countries but once we get a couple of countries to move in a more enlightened way, I think we can move the process along,” he said on a recent edition of Demerara Waves Internet Radio's programme, Periscope,' that you can go here to listen.

The Pan- Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has been drafting model legislation, he said, for the past five years but “I think very often the thing is become tied up in politics.”

The UN Envoy took a shot at then Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding who had vowed that gays would not have been allowed to join his cabinet. “To deny a gay a rightful place in the politics is to go against the cultural trends that are developing,” said Greene.

Jamaica lesbians suffer from under-reported violence but whose fault is that ???

The representative agencies are culpable in this regard and here is why in my view:

This sudden new found concern for same gender loving women's advocacy was never there that much over the many years of the life of the representative organizations is suspect, not all of us can be fooled by supposed concerns. As a male I am becoming more and more fed up with the grandstanding and embellished representations of advocacy that are presented to the world.

Lesbophobia never really did create the excitement or accord the level of importance as repealing the buggery law and men who are victims of beatings and other serious happenings get from the male dominated agencies so they do not get the articles and media spotlight and subsequent on the ground attention required. We know that MSM issues are far more pronounced locally but in as far as the responses to same gender loving women's issues they are woefully lacking even after a total of thirty plus years of combined advocacy over respective groups, individuals and organizations.

The article below appeared on an overseas website showing yet again that news about us has to be generated off shore maybe in a bid to impress folks that work is somehow being done locally and which plays into the criticism about certain voices and that persons play on the reputation that Jamaica has gained, and using it to their own ends to push themselves as superstar advocates while persons on the ground suffer literally and counting on the silence and gullibility of lgbt Jamaicans as well as the fears of straight people to help them. All elements of the elitist culture at work.

Even from the early days of GLABCOM, gay lesbian & bisexual community meetings although it was designed to be an interface between the community and certain AIDS organizations mostly MSM issues were covered so much so that at most meetings men who be in far greater attendance than women and both JFLAG and WFW (formerly lesbians in action renamed) representatives were absent for years until the project was closed down.

At the intervention level same gender loving women who have been raped for example may not necessarily want to sit in front of a male crisis intervention officer or even a counsellor for that matter to rehash or relive a horrific rape experience, the sensitivities must be observed when we are talking about rehabilitation or victim's support. A female counselor or officer would suit the job far better when the men who hold such position cannot empathise with a woman who has been raped, very few males can do so.

The article read:
By Branka Juran and Maria Caspani

LONDON (TrustLaw) - Lesbians in Jamaica face attacks such as gang rape due to rife homophobia in the country, but few of these abuses get reported, Jamaica’s leading gay activist said.

“In Jamaican culture women are generally expected to be quiet about harassment and abuse,” Maurice Tomlinson, Jamaica’s leading gay activist and HIV/AIDS campaigner, said in an interview with TrustLaw.

Women are not the only victims. Tomlinson said 70 percent of attacks reported to rights organisations between 2009 and 2011 concerned gay men.

Under Jamaican law it is legal to punish any act of physical intimacy between men with jail and the possibility of 10-years hard labour.

Tomlinson was in London this week to receive the inaugural David Kato award for gay human rights activism.

“When we find out about these cases (involving gay women), they are usually so horrible that they rise up to the level of having to be reported,” he said.

Tomlinson works as a legal advisor for rights group AIDS Free World, helping them forge a structured way to address homophobia in the country and documenting human rights abuses against LGBT people.

When he first started recording accounts of abuses, Tomlinson was appalled by the sheer brutality of some of these acts.

“There was one instance where a gang of four men raped a lesbian because they said she was ‘taking over all good looking women’, Tomlinson recalled.

“They cut her genitals, so she could ‘better take men’ because ‘that is why she was a lesbian’, they said.

With 82 percent of its citizens opposing homosexuality – according to the results of a recent survey – Jamaica is one of the most dangerous places in the world for gay people.

"The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG) reported in June (2011) that 51 homophobic incidents had been registered in Jamaica between January and June 2011, representing a rise compared to the same period over 2010,” according to a report released in September 2011 by Amnesty International.

Endorsement of homophobic behaviour used to come straight from the country’s political establishment. Former PM Bruce Golding was openly homophobic and stated he would never appoint a gay person to cabinet.

Now, some – even if feeble – signals of change are starting to emerge.

In January, the newly elected Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller has made some promising statements regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT).

“I think she (Simpson-Miller) genuinely does not have a problem with LGBT people and does not pry to people’s bedrooms,” Tomlinson said.

Nonetheless, homophobia still permeates almost every aspect of the Caribbean island’s society.

People go to church where they listen to pastors preaching that homophobia causes diseases, then they turn on the radio and hear popular Jamaican musicians Buju Banton and Beenie Man using anti-gay lyrics.

Tomlinson himself has received numerous death threats.

After news of his marriage to a Canadian man sparked a row in Jamaica, it was deemed best for him not to return home. He is waiting on Jamaican authorities assure him it is going to be safe for him to travel back.

(Editing by Rebekah Curtis)

ENDS

And why can't JFLAG speak for themselves and why wasn't Women for Women (WFW) consulted on this issue? why doesn't JFLAG put out a press release (as it's good at that) to talk about same gender loving women's issues directly? it cannot!!! simply because the organizational behaviour which is male dominated has over these many years contributed to a culture of silence on same gender female issues as homophobia towards males take center stage and lesbian issues do not generate the sound bites or is a lightening rod for funding. 

Lesbians and bisexual women have been getting their share of drama for decades as many suffering in silence as they feel their pleas may fall on deaf ears but even with a stark increase in reports in 2007 onwards of corrective rape, arson, forced evictions and even displacement/homelessness, even with an arm of the J named WomenforWomen they are tied, resource starved and cannot stand up to the male dominated executive structure of JFLAG, parent organization Jamaica AIDS Support or the other associated groups, the men call the shots. Butch lesbians in particualr have been feeling the pinch but why should women report anything when they feel they are ignored by the groups? and now to use  their plight to sure up image is so unethical.

Also see: 

Women for Women still on the move. 

Being a woman & gay in Jamaica

and

A marriage and another activist seeks asylum

The culture of silence as well where interventions and activities that are to benefit the entire LGBTQIQ2S body politic are held close to the chest of some as if others are not deserving of the impact they ought to have on the movement hence not rolled out generally. Sadly this is our reality and all kinds of media manipulations and PR are used to quash criticisms including labeling persons who point out the inadequacies as enemies of progress when very little progress in all these 37 plus years of the struggle in total have passed.

We need to put women's issues and I dare say homelessness on a equal footing to that of their male counterparts in the struggle in a transparent way and not try to sneak it in the backdoor as the rare let's give them some attention ploy. A loud cry here for proper and meaningful frontline interventions as it is not all about repealing buggery.

What is also coming to the fore is the belief that this is a smoke screen to divert persons from the questionable departure of the gentleman mentioned in the interview from Jamaica as some sections of the community have doubts as to the ethical basis on which he left and how the timing seemed well planned with what is suspected to be a leaked photo of a wedding to the press and a set up to get an award. We need to call it out when we see it, who waan vex a fi dem business dat. Not all of us can be fooled anymore.

more here via audio:

 Lesbian issues left out of the Jamaican advocacy thrust until now? 

Want more evidence of the gloss over of same gender loving issues for women then check this post on sister blog GLBTQJA done in December 2011 of the murder of two lesbians and the non response from the so called LGBT rights groups:

2 SGL Women lost, corrective rape & virtual silence from the male dominated advocacy structure

here is the corresponding audio for that post:

2 SGL Women lost, corrective rape and virtual silence from the male dominated advocacy structure 

also here is the audio from the original shocking news of Mr Tomlinson's departure:

   Ethical Professionlism & LGBT Advocates 01.02.12 

Peace and tolerance

H

Love 101FM's Family Time on Homosexuality

Love 101 FM carried another edition of Family Time series this week they continued on the subject of homosexuality following up on last weeks edition with none other than Dr. Wayne West on the homosexual agenda. This week they took a more Christian view on it almost conflicting as also a psychological approach was used as the guest is both a pastor and psychologist and the two seems to have almost clashed as the discourse outlined below will bring to bear but of course as Love 101 is a religious station the Leviticusal line has to be carried with a so called sympathetic approach to gays with a view for change, obviously suggesting reparative therapy. The causality issue was prominent as well where early initiation, loss of bonding from same sexed parent (old belief that is still used by the religious opposition) and effeminate men with a supposed hormonal imbalance who are rejected by society but welcomed by gays hence going into same sex activity. In other words all these persons are forced into gaydom, no mention is made of the person who realises very early that they are same sex attracted which leads me to believe the agenda here was mainly reparative therapy. The guest is also linked to the Back to the Bible which is linked to Focus on the Family and we all know (Dr.) James Dobson though untrained in psychology has deemed homosexuality an abnormality and curable. 

Dr. Barry Davidson was the guest in this discussion, he is a family Psychologist, serves as Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Family Life Ministries. He holds Master Degrees in Theology and Psychology as well as a Doctorate in Family Psychology, majoring in Marriage and Family Therapy, from The Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, Pasadena, California.
Since 1981, Dr. Davidson has been counseling with couples, adults, adolescents, and families, and assisting them in resolving personal and relational problems. In May of 1989 and 1990 respectively, he received the Jeff Balswick Memorial Award, and the Faculty Award for academic performance in Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Graduate School Awards Convocation, culminating his work with Project Family Outreach, an agency for ethnic minorities living with multiple or severe social, emotional, and spiritual problems in Pasadena, California.
His contributions to academia have been numerous, as a visiting lecturer at Azuza Pacific College in California, lecturer at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Dr. Davidson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Family Life Ministries, has served this Organization since 1983 in the capacities of Executive Director, Director of Counselling, and Chairman. He is a consultant to the Executive Team of the Jamaica Psychological Society and sits on the Board of the 'Back to the Bible Broadcast'. He authored the well-known pre-marital counselling manual Before They Say "I Do", and co-authored "Healthy Families A Caribbean Perspective," with Ms. Maureen Watson.

We will use the following keys for this post - DB - Dr. Barry Davidson and the Host as The Host.

The Hosts: Who is a homosexual?

DB: Broadly defined homosexuality is an erotic attraction to persons of one owns sex although homosexuality includes sexual thoughts feelings fantasies and overt sexual acts with same sex partners, the term usually is not applied to pre-adolescents, to individuals usually young people whose curiosity leads to brief experimentation of erotic involvement with persons of the same sex or to people in prisons or to isolated same sex environments who temporarily engage in homosexual behaviour because opposite sex partners are not available, it is important I believe to distinguish between homosexual behaviour that is engaging in at least periodically in sexually stimulating actions with another person of the same sex and homosexual orientation which are feelings, sexual attraction towards members of the same sex many people with a homosexual orientation never let others know of this same sex preference and never engage in homosexual behaviour with other human beings sometimes we don't make the distinction and as a result create difficulty for people.

So when we talk about homosexuals we need to realise that what we are saying is that these are people who engage in sexual activities and sexual behaviour with those of the same sex. Man with man woman with woman

The Hosts: So you mean it's intentional not necessarily something you fell into at one time or you were testing out at some point?

DB: It's not something you experiment with it's something you have grown to like and continue to do

The Hosts: Can you describe a homosexuality type(s)?

DB: There is no such thing as a homosexual personality type or types homosexuals are of all age they come from all occupational fields and socio economic levels, some of them walk effeminately or behave effeminately some don't some are very masculine and so it is always erroneous because you see somebody who seem effeminate to assume that person is a homosexual 

The Hosts: Is any person born a homosexual?

DB: The research does not support that, in at least, Masters & Johnsons did a major research some years ago and from the research that they did it suggests that homosexuality is neither inborn or nor genetic 

The Hosts: If its neither inborn or genetic then is it normal?

DB: It depends on what you mean by normal, when we think of normal quite often we think of majority so it is normal for us to drive on the left hand side of the road in Jamaica because that's the norm, so when you think of normal statistically the majority of people are heterosexual and not homosexual so in that sense it would be considered abnormal because it is not the true case for the majority of people ........

The Hosts: is it wrong to experience homosexual thoughts?

DB: There are many people who experience the thoughts, there are many of us who experience all kinds of thoughts, you might experience the thought of lusting but do you act on it? you might experience the thought of stealing but do you act on it? the thoughts are things we experience because we live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with all kinds of ideas, what we need to be able to do is to recognise, understand our thoughts but to focus on the appropriate behaviour, so for instance a man who is not homosexual and is completely heterosexual and he sees a beautiful woman and so the thought of sleeping with that woman might come through his mind, does he act on it? no he can't because she is not his wife so it would be inappropriate, so we need to recognise that people do experience thoughts of all kinds, for instance one of the things that challenges us today why I believe the whole homosexuality is such a big issue is that pornography is a big thing access to pornography is very easy these days, you just have to have a computer and you go online go on the Internet and you can access thousands of pornographic sites and alot of them are homosexual sites and so you have alot of our youngsters who spend a tremendous amount of time on the computer they access these sites, they see this and observe it again and again so it becomes something that is apart of  their thinking and because its a part of their thinking they now want to act on it, it is very easy for two guys to be in a room and nobody thinks anything so we don't know if any experimentation took place. Experimentation might lead to further experimentation then it might become habit and then it might form for them what is now their perspective, their preference in their own sexual expression.

The Hosts: How does someone really become a homosexual?

Get the rest here:

   Love 101 FM Family Time on Homosexuality 19.01.12 by glbtqja7                  

Certainly we have a long way to go in the discourse and understanding between parties what is striking to me is that pastors who are psychologists tend to ignore the DSM rules in as far as homosexuality is concerned when it has not been a disorder since 1973. Other questions asked were how does one counsel a homosexual? does the Bible allow any room for homosexual relationships? 
Then there were the callers who in large part opposed homosexuality as was expected. I tried calling in but the lines were busy as is usually the case whenever homosexuality is discussed on any station.

Peace and tolerance

H

Ooops! ..... Not so fast with compliments for Cuba just yet......

photo credit: 

In the previous post we saw news of the expected passing of gay marriage and possibly other LGBT rights for Cubans, a positive step by amidst this come awful news of a murder of a member of the community there and police harrassment of native bloggers to that island. I tend to agree with a fellow blogger who also had the post title captioned in his opinion on the new developments in Cuba.

Florida-based news website Cubanet is reporting that a young transgender woman has been beaten to death in police custody in Cuba.
¨Eighteen-year-old Leidel Luis, who was known as Jessica, originally from the province of Santiago de Cuba and who lived with her partner named Yariel in Las Tunas, died after receiving a brutal beating in Guáimaro in Camaguey, southern Cuba.

It is alledged that she was picked up at a traffic stop 4 January by police calling her "faggot, nigger and disgusting."

The report is sourced to a prison inmate, Rolando Castro Sanchez who names those he alleges beat Luis to death as police officers Galindo Yarian Larena, Juan Ramon Lorenzo, their commanding officer Heriberto, and the sector chief Boris Luis Caballero. It is alleged that her body was removed after she was found dead in her cell in the middle of the night to an unknown location.

Cuba's Communist Party Congress, which opens 28 January, will reportedly adopt pro-gay provisions. Mariela Castro Espín, the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro and the leading advocate for LGBT rights in Cuba, wrote on her blog this week that the revision of the Family Code in 2013 will include recognition of same-sex couples.

However, continuing police harassment in Cuba, including arrests, has been reported on a number gay Cuban blogs, such as that of the Reinaldo Arenas Memorial Foundation. Gay Cuban blogger Francisco Rodríguez Cruz has also condemned 'irregularities' committed by Cuban police, who, he says, have repeatedly fined visitors to a gay meeting spot in central Havana. In September a death in custody of a transgender man was reported in Havana...¨ read it all, ¨Muere Travesti Tras Golpiza Propinada Por Policias¨

ENDS

Sorry to hear of this tragedy. Like us in Jamaica our Cuban brothers and sisters alike have their share of drama with the authorities although same sex and transgender aesthetics are more publicly accepted than any other island in the belt here but apparently violence is still a feature as is even in more progressive or "free" states where displays of affection are normative in a sense and legislation provides protection and recourse for aggrieved persons. 

The adoption however of any pro LGBT legislation may push into over-drive the demand from the ground here in Jamaica to the promised review of the Buggery Law by the new government the People's National Party, PNP. Recently after the Prime Minister's first parliamentary address on her own mandate she said to journalists that talks are proceeding and that a timeline is not set as to when the review and subsequent conscience vote will take place, but bearing in mind the makeup of the cabinet and the all important Senate with individuals who have openly expressed anti gay views over many years one wonders if they will get pass their original positions.

Earlier in 2009 the former Prime Minister Bruce Golding had used Cuba as an example in the Charter of Rights Bill debate as one of the countries who supposedly stood up to the "avalanche" as he puts it to legalizing homosexuality bearing in mind it is not illegal in Jamaica but Buggery is (despite the gender of the recipient).

We are keeping our fingers crossed things work out and as for our blogging friends there, we have you in our prayers.

Peace and tolerance

H  

Cuba Makes Progress in Sex Reassignment Surgery ... expects communist party to accept LGBT rights

Havana, Jan 17 (Prensa Latina) Cuban surgeons have performed 15 sex reassignment surgeries, and other transsexual people, who are assisted by a committee in compliance with international standards, are applying to that kind of procedure, an expert said on Monday.

The director of the National Sex Education Center (CENESEX), Mariela Castro Espin, explained that the first such surgery in Cuba was performed in 1988. However, it was not until 2007 that the Ministry of Public Health decided to perform sex reassignment surgeries again. As we spread this service in the media, more people going through the conflict and who do not know that they can get help will come to us, said the expert in an interview with the website Cubasi.

So far, transgender people must go through a follow-up period of two years, during which they are assisted by specialists, along with a personalized hormone therapy for the duration of the transition to the gender with which they are identified.

At the end of the process, the committee endorses those eligible for sex reassignment surgery (commonly known as sex change) and for a legal identity change, said Castro Espin.

However, she explained that surgery is not an aesthetic whim, but a scientific procedure agreed upon internationally, which benefits transsexual people.

The surgical procedure helps them to relieve the distress they experience since early childhood, as a result of prejudices that lead to misunderstanding and discrimination, she assured.

On the other hand, she noted that since 2008, Cuba has been working on an educational strategy, supported by the media, state institutions, the Communist Party and civil society organizations, to respect free, responsible sexual orientation and gender identity.

This is a profound process of cultural transformation to provide elements of analysis to dismantle the prejudices that have historically dominate people, their sexuality and their bodies.

These and other important issues will be discussed extensively in the 4th Cuban Congress on Guidance, Education and Sex Therapy, scheduled for January 23-26, at Havana's Conference Center.

The event, which will be attended by experts from the United States, Spain, Canada, Venezuela and Argentina, among other countries, will be held under the theme "Sex Education in the Processes of Social Transformation".

rma/jg/abo/msl/vm
Modificado el ( martes, 17 de enero de 2012 )

ENDS

with regards to LGBT rights in Cuba reports state:
“I believe the party conference will define an explicit policy of non-descrimination in matters of sexual orientation and gender identity and that, in turn, it will help dismantle the prejudices standing in the way of its approval,” Mariela Castro, director of the National Sexual Education Center, said in an interview on the Web site CubaSi.

She made her comments when asked about the draft bill that seeks to modify the Cuban Family Code to legalize same-sex unions, among other rights it aims to secure.

For now, according to Mariela Castro, the bill is being studied by specialists of the Justice Ministry and experts of Cuba’s National Jurists Union with the idea of including it in the 2012 legislative schedule.

For several years Mariela Castro has promoted legal reforms on the island in favor of sexual minorities.

In 2008, the Cuban government approved sex-change operations by ministerial decree, but no progress has been made in Parliament to reform the Family Code.

At certain times the sexologist has also asked the Communist Party to rid itself of anti-gay discrimination.

Cuba’s Communist Party will gather on Jan. 28 for its first National Conference, a meeting that has sparked great expectations about the possible changes and guidelines it will come up with for a generational “changing of the guard,” as Raul Castro requested at the sixth party congress last April.

But the president put a damper on such expectations last week when he told reporters “we shouldn’t get our hopes up” about the conference since this is an “internal matter” of Cuba’s only legally recognized political party.

meanwhile - VI Cuban Congress on Education, Sexual Orientation and Therapy

The National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and the Cuban Multidisciplinary Society for the Study of Sexuality (SOCUMES) announce the VI Cuban Congress on Education, Sexual Orientation and Therapy, to be held in Havana from 23 to 26 January 2012 in its usual venue of the Palace of Conventions in Havana. Session under the theme "Sex education in the processes of social transformation."

The purpose of this event is to contribute to interdisciplinary discussion of the notion of human sexuality, and complex process of transformation in various areas of social reality.

In parallel, develop the II Symposium Transidentidades, gender and culture , the Second Symposium of Clinical Sexology and I Consensus Chronic diseases and sexual dysfunctions .

These meetings are intended to facilitate dialogue and the system of best practices and theoretical experiences, as well as joint academic partnerships between institutions and civil society groups, regional and international organizations to contribute to the development and implementation of strategies and public policy around sexuality and sexual health, integrated into the processes of social transformation.

Sexuality education from emancipatory paradigms, compared to learned patterns of domination, presents us with a commitment to social transformation and weigh the humanist values ​​of solidarity, equality and social equity.

We count on your valuable participation.
Mariela Castro Espin
Chairwoman

ORGANIZE
National Center · Sex Education (CENESEX)
· Society for the Cuban Multidisciplinary Study of Sexuality (SOCUMES)
· Palace of Conventions in Havana, Cuba

SPONSORS
Ministry of Public Health
National Council of Scientific Societies of Health (CNSCS)
Academy of Sciences of Cuba
World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)
Latin American Federation of Sexology and Sexual Education (FLASSES)
Center for Psychological and Sociological Research (CIPS)
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI)
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Unite to End Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean
ONUMujeres
United Nations Program for Development
FOS Belgium
Oxfam Canada
Canadian Embassy
Nations Population Fund, United
Culture and International Cooperation

Watch out, Jamaica (Observer) letter writer on atheism

 

Dear Editor

The homosexual crusade has opened a new front in its assault on society's norms and traditional way of life. Its global centres in America, Canada and Europe have blown a gale-force wind in atheism, giving it much vitality and a new appeal.

Being atheist is now the most happening thing within the gay, lesbian and bi-sexual community. New adherents and veterans alike are now flocking to this newly found mode of awareness, and are using it as a proxy to further their foothold in society.

The choice of atheism — and not some other spiritual belief system — is an excellent preference for them. For one, it helps fortify their fundamental claim of being born gay; and further, it grants them the force necessary to help challenge the main charge against them: that homosexuality is essentially an ungodly lifestyle choice. In other words, atheism provides the free-thinking platform where homosexuals can dismissively reject the absolute notion of a God and of a final arbiter over morality.

By virtue of this, homosexuals are able to bluntly reject all forms of religious condemnation against them. This, of course, is central to their purpose, as they relish the idea of being able to use atheism as a doctrinal counterweight against all religions, especially Christianity, which has been a constant rebuking thorn in their movement's path.

Prior to this, it was the their sagacious use of the American Civil Rights laws to legitimise a lifestyle, which many still consider morally repugnant and totally contrary to the natural order of life. The Civil Rights laws, one of the greatest legislative achievements of the 20th century, was enacted to give minority groups, but primarily African-Americans who have suffered years of colour prejudice, the right to function as full citizens.

However, proponents of the gay rights movement have hijacked the Civil Rights movement and its laws, and have also cunningly used the same model of activism and advocacy as that of African-Americans to gain constitutional protection as a group. 

This added protection guarantees homosexuals their civil rights and bans discrimination against them based on sexual orientation. By reason of this, homosexuals' fundamental rights are protected twice under most civil societies' constitutions; once as members of a free society and once more as members of a special group.

Like body-piercing and tattooing, the new buzz of atheism will find its way into impressionable cultures such as Jamaica that takes its cue from "foreign", so to speak.

The latest crusading effort by international organisations, under the guise of promoting human rights, has come in the form of the US State Department announcing that future foreign aid will only be doled out to countries which are deemed homosexual-friendly, thus delivering a crippling economic blow to countries like Jamaica and Uganda, which oppose homosexuality and which also rely heavily on foreign aid assistance to supplement their budgets.

Recently, an African-American parent in Washington, DC, upon learning of her lesbian daughter's recent conversion to atheism, became distraught and declared that she was more bothered by her becoming an atheist than by being gay. This has become a challenge for parents like her as the spread of Atheism rises with the support of social networking, the Internet, and social clubs.

The concept of a Black atheist or Black atheism was a misnomer in African-American culture. But now, the idea is becoming more ubiquitous and steadily making inroads in bastions such as Harlem, Brooklyn and Washington, DC. This should be cause for consternation in Jamaica, as whatever is flavourful in America, especially with African-Americans, becomes flavourful with Jamaicans.

Very soon, this exotic union of homosexuality and atheism will barrel its way onto our shores and will take with it all vestiges of sexual morality. Watch out, Jamaica, a transforming force of human secularism is heading our way

C Anderson
c.andrsn1@gmail.com

ENDS

This supposed fear and or paranoia is just unbelievable to me but then again the way how some sections of the Christian community lambaste homosexuality and dishonestly link male homosexuality in particular to predatory paedophilia without subscribing to or verifying the facts is a serious cause for concern, then it is no wonder persons turn away and become atheistic when God is for all intents and purposes is a loving God despite the sinner's sin as no supposed sin is greater than any other but homosexuality is marketed as such by some.

Sometimes I really do wonder if these over zealous persons or religious fanatics do not realise the very Antichrist which is so prophesied about is gaining more power by simply the vitriolic way theses persons condemn homosexuals without in some cases inviting dialogue or a movement towards Christ. This continued deceptive anti gay quest is becoming more of a turnoff to the average person if ever so slowly.

Personally I do believe in God but not the one that is being so presented to the world as so vengeful and hateful, how can hate and God be even in the same sentence when he came for the outcasts? only earlier today I posted on my sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch about whether Apostle Paul really condemned homosexuality per say but more so the non monogamous relationships that existed at the time in Rome where he was based.

See:  Did Apostle Paul actually accepted Christian homosexuals?

The widening divide between the religious and the LGBT communities which also include LGBT Christians is worrying to me and there has to be some common ground especially here in Jamaica with talk of a promised review of the Buggery Law, knowing how influential the church still is here in Jamaica the review maybe thwarted especially when it gets to the conscience vote where members of parliament are expected to reflect their constituents' views if and when it occurs (many still see the promised buggery review as an election ploy to get pink votes in the Dec 29th polls).

As for the so called homosexual agenda, whatever that is, what agenda is the writer referring to? LGBT people have always been here but with successive generations things change and judging from the text in the letter the writer lives overseas, hypocritical that he stomachs homosexuality albeit with the necessary state protections where passed in the US and are exporting the hate to us. If I may quote a set of questions posted elsewhere: Isn't it ironic how many of these "Ministers" and Anti-Gay alliance groups readily and hastily flock to Black nations to spread this hate?
When's the last time you've heard of these groups go over to Norway or Denmark?
Makes you think what's their REAL motive in behind the targeting of specific countries and continents?

What is also very interesting is the amount of money being devoted to anti gay campaigns and full paged ads in Caribbean newspapers here (below) was one such as done by a group calling itself the Isaachar Foundation on Dec 1, 2011 bearing in mind a full page ad locally can run you up to half a million dollars depending on the day it's run.

while more pressing matters visible to all are left to simply go on, issues such as homeless kids, children in the care of the state, abused children and the umpteen missing kids here in Jamaica via the Ananda alerts in the papers daily, the zeal at which bishops and others go after or bash homos is far less energetic that developing interventions to solve those aforementioned problems but who cares really? HYPOCRITES!!!!!

Here is a look back at an exposé of homophobic evangelicals in the U.S. who support anti-gay rhetoric and violence in Uganda, thus exporting hate in the name of Christ whilst getting substantial funding in the process. 

Peace and tolerance

H