Sometimes fear can bring people together especially if their experiences are similar. Fear can also drive people apart.
The debate within the Caribbean regarding the decriminalization of prostitution and consensual anal intercourse has been ongoing on account of fear from people on various sides of the debate. On the one hand, those who oppose the move to decriminalize prostitution and consensual anal intercourse, argue that if these are allowed the society will fall further into immorality and degradation. Those who are in support argue that this will in some way help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The debate no doubt needs for both sides to objectively dialogue so that the wider public can at least be informed on the issues and perhaps alleviate some, if not all their fears.
Presently those who argue against decriminalization in particular do so mainly on religious grounds without any evidence to show how indeed society will fall deeper into degradation on account of what they consider to be sexual deviancy. Citing scripture and saying this is against God’s law does not necessarily prove their arguments to be sound or valid; neither does it mean that the laws of the society need be one and the same as those which may be considered to be God’s law.
On the other hand, the other argument in favour of decriminalization, stands a better chance at showing real evidence to support its claim, yet, decriminalization should not be done simply as a means of dealing with a serious health crisis in the society. In fact, there are a number of other issues that also have to be addressed regardless of what the final outcome is regarding decriminalization. To this end, this essay will seek to address some of those issues in light of the ongoing debate on homosexuality and will be particularly addressing the argument in opposition to decriminalization.
One thing must be clear in people’s minds as to what is meant by the word homosexual. A homosexual is a person who is sexually attracted or drawn to members of the same sex. In fact it has to be stressed that ‘people do not choose their sexual orientation. Nobody simply makes up his or her mind to become homosexual or a heterosexual. Rather, at some point in their development, “discover” that they are sexually drawn to members of the same sex just as heterosexuals “discover” that they are physically attracted to members of the opposite sex’. It is important that this is borne in mind because one of the issues preceding any talk about decriminalization or any other feelings we may have regarding homosexuals is that they not be treated as criminals but as human beings even if their lifestyle may seem to conflict with that of the rest of the society. It is also necessary to distinguish between people who simply engage in homosexual behaviour and those who are homosexual on account of their orientation; engaging in homosexual acts does not automatically make someone homosexual.
Unfortunately, even some members of the church have not been kind to homosexuals and the many articles in the newspapers and other fora have shown that the many people who call themselves Christian have yet to understand the word “compassion” and in many ways come over as being very unchristian in their attitudes. Each person, of course, has a right to have an opinion and that opinion of course has to be respected.
There are a number of myths about homosexuals and homosexuality. These only seek to increase fear and make people more homophobic. There is no evidence to suggest that most homosexuals are attracted to children and want to have sexual relations with them in the same way that it is not true that all priests are pedophiles. It is also not true that because of one’s homosexual orientation that this automatically means that one is unstable or promiscuous. It would also be shortsighted to think that homosexuals cannot contribute positively to society and that by being homosexual in some way affects their abilities so much so that they are unable to perform in every aspect of the society’s life. It is time for society as a whole to recognize that a person’s sexual orientation does not necessarily debar them from even holding the highest office of the land or working in areas where one’s performance has nothing whatsoever to do with one’s sexual orientation or sex for that matter.
We can say then that society has really got itself in a bind and ‘is trapped in a vicious circle’ for ‘it’s largely intolerant reaction to homosexuality induces many homosexuals to remain invisible, and this invisibility in turn permits the stereotypical characteristics of homosexuals both to dominate our awareness and to cloud our judgments to such an extent that society’s fear of homosexuality is reinforced and it’s discriminatory attitude and behaviour maintained’.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is real and there no immediate end to it in sight; everyone has to play a role in stemming the disease. It does not help us if we simply blame homosexuals for our situation or even suggest that this is God’s punishment to all of us for accepting this kind of behaviour in our society. It is unfortunate that this epidemic and the spreading of it are seen as the fault of the homosexuals and their lifestyle but AIDS/HIV has long moved beyond the realms of homosexuality as we know, is also very rampant among heterosexuals, so everyone in society is affected in one way or another. We have to deal with the facts and work together to educate everyone in our society so that they can play their part in helping to stem the flow of the disease. Much of this will come from our own conscious effort in the way we live our lives. We have to make decisions about what we know to be right or wrong and this does not end at our sexual behaviour; we have to make choices for the whole of our life.
Some of these choices will include our sexual relationships and how we approach them. Heterosexuals and homosexuals alike will have to decide how they will live out their sexual relationships. How many sexual partners will they have? What does practicing of safe sex mean if it means anything at all? Our choices will be affected by our whole attitudes to sexuality and to sex in particular. HIV/AIDS also challenges our understanding of sexuality and must continue to affect our choices so much so that we will make the right decisions about our sexual behaviour. We may make some good choices as we will make some bad ones, but we have to make them, homosexuals included. Our people also need to be educated so that they can understand the issues which can then help them make informed choices. To this end, supporters and non-supporters of decriminalization have to work together because the issues go deeper than the question of making something legal or not; or it being sinful or not.
CONTINUE
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Indigenously developed AIDS vaccine found safe
CHENNAI: The successful completion of phase-1 of clinical trials of the ASIDS vaccine developed here has indicated that it had acceptable levels of safety and was well tolerated, say the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). The trial relied on an Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) based AIDS vaccine candidate (TBC-M4).
The response levels of volunteers suggested that it holds promise, the three organisations said in a joint statement. The trial used two doses of the MVA. After three injections, 82 percent of the volunteers who received a low dose and 100 percent of those who received a high dose registered immune responses to the vaccine. The 100 percent response rate is greater than that seen with the majority of AIDS vaccine candidates tested in humans to date. However the strength and diversity of these immune responses were modest.
It may be possible to boost the immune response, if this vaccine is used in combination with other candidate AIDS vaccines. "We are pleased to see that the MVA-based candidate tested in Chennai was safe and showed promising initial immune responses. We do not know whether these observed responses will ultimately translate into an effective vaccine ... but hope to learn more through further testing," said S.K. Bhattacharya, additional director general of ICMR.
"India is playing a significant role in global AIDS vaccine discovery efforts given our strong medical and scientific capabilities. There is a need for continued efforts for the creation of novel, reliable mechanisms for long-term research on AIDS vaccines and other new prevention technologies," he added. The phase I clinical trial was started in January 2006 at the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), an ICMR institute in Chennai, and was completed in February 2008.
This trial was conducted under the aegis of a MoU between the central government through ICMR and NACO and IAVI. YRG CARE, based in Chennai, collaborated with TRC to mobilise the community around the phase I trial.
Gay sex becomes legal in Panama
President Martin Torrijos Espino has decriminalised gay sex in Panama.
On 29th July, President Espino and Health Minister Rosario E. Turner signed a decree repealing a 1949 law that made gay sex an illegal offence that would incur a $500 (£266) fine or a prison sentence.
The decriminalisation came after protests from gay equality group New Men and Women of Panama, the San Fransisco Bay Times reports.
The ban on gay sex was found to be inconsistent with international human rights treaties that Panama has signed, as well as the Panamanian Constitution.
The law was also in conflict with the Health Ministry's policy to 'maintain respect for the sexual preferences of each person, without the existence of any type of discrimination' in the administration of its sexually transmitted diseases programs.
Amnesty International states that there are currently 11 nations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean where homosexuality is illegal.
Those countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
On 29th July, President Espino and Health Minister Rosario E. Turner signed a decree repealing a 1949 law that made gay sex an illegal offence that would incur a $500 (£266) fine or a prison sentence.
The decriminalisation came after protests from gay equality group New Men and Women of Panama, the San Fransisco Bay Times reports.
The ban on gay sex was found to be inconsistent with international human rights treaties that Panama has signed, as well as the Panamanian Constitution.
The law was also in conflict with the Health Ministry's policy to 'maintain respect for the sexual preferences of each person, without the existence of any type of discrimination' in the administration of its sexually transmitted diseases programs.
Amnesty International states that there are currently 11 nations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean where homosexuality is illegal.
Those countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Bisexuality passed on by "hyper-heterosexuals", researchers claim
By Rachel Charman
Academics at the University of Padua, Italy, claim that bisexual men may have inherited their attraction to men through "hyper-heterosexual" female family members.
Dr Andrea Camperio Ciani and colleagues showed that the female relatives of homosexual men tend to have more children, which they believe suggests that genes on the X chromosome are responsible.
The team now believes that the same is true for bisexuality.
The researchers carried out a survey of 239 men, asking about their families and sexual experiences.
Academics at the University of Padua, Italy, claim that bisexual men may have inherited their attraction to men through "hyper-heterosexual" female family members.
Dr Andrea Camperio Ciani and colleagues showed that the female relatives of homosexual men tend to have more children, which they believe suggests that genes on the X chromosome are responsible.
The team now believes that the same is true for bisexuality.
The researchers carried out a survey of 239 men, asking about their families and sexual experiences.
The results showed that gay and bisexual men's female relatives on the maternal side had more children than those of straight men.
Dr Camperio Ciani stressed that this does not prove the existence of a "gay gene", but that an unidentified genetic factor promotes sexual attraction to men in both men and women.
This in turn would influence a woman's sexual attitude (but not increase her fertility), making her likely to have more children.
California Neuroscientist Dr Simon LeVay describes this genetic factor as "hyper-heterosexuality", and claims that it would help pass homosexuality on through the generations.
Dr Camperio Ciani and colleagues say that the genetic factor appearing in both bisexual and gay men supports the heory that sexuality is determined by a mixture of genes and experience.
Dr Camperio Ciani told The New Scientist: 'We understand that the genetic component has to interact with something to produce different phenotypes.
"Genetics is not determining the sexual orientation, it's only influencing it."
Dr Camperio Ciani studys sexual behaviour and sexual strategies in primates and humans, and victims of sexual crimes.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Alleged Lesbian Stabbed in Open View - Police Uninterested
On June 23rd 2008 a woman who was identified publicly as a lesbian by another woman was stabbed in Half Way Tree, St. Andrew at least 5 times leaving her with a collapsed lung.
photos he provided the time
She sustained a stab wound to the buttocks, 4 to her left side and was hospitalised for several days.
We have since intervened and offered financial assistance and counseling in her recovery process.
She is recouping at a friend's home.
When she tried to make a report after the incident took place the officers at the post were resistant and not interested as they claimed it was a lesbian matter and they weren't getting involved, only a verbal complaint was taken but no official report documented.
We are following this incident closely as we deem it to be homophobic in no uncertain terms.
The impacted person was seen as a lesbian then as he presented as female prior to transition when the report to me when I was at JFLAG as crisis intervention officer.
Peace.
She sustained a stab wound to the buttocks, 4 to her left side and was hospitalised for several days.
We have since intervened and offered financial assistance and counseling in her recovery process.
She is recouping at a friend's home.
When she tried to make a report after the incident took place the officers at the post were resistant and not interested as they claimed it was a lesbian matter and they weren't getting involved, only a verbal complaint was taken but no official report documented.
We are following this incident closely as we deem it to be homophobic in no uncertain terms.
The impacted person was seen as a lesbian then as he presented as female prior to transition when the report to me when I was at JFLAG as crisis intervention officer.
Peace.
It's Time to Demand Respect for Black People With HIV, Activist Declares
click here for story and audioclip
On Aug. 4, a panel of African-American HIV community leaders held an emotional press conference in which they expressed frustration and anger about the lack of attention being paid to the HIV epidemic among U.S. blacks. Sheryl Lee Ralph, an actress and long-time HIV activist, was one of those who spoke. Here is the text of her speech. (You can also click here to read or hear TheBody.com's interview with Ralph.)
In an Impassioned Speech, Sheryl Lee Ralph Implores the Media to "Do Something Different"
Sheryl Lee Ralph - I thank everybody sitting up here today. I thank them all for the kind of work that they have been doing for so long. But to all of you sitting out there who have the power of the pen, to everybody out there who is going to write a story, to everybody out there who is going to push a button and send a message out into cyberspace: I need you to do something different! It cannot be business as usual when it comes to black people and AIDS, black people and AIDS in America, black people and AIDS around the world! Something must be done differently. Because, if you sprechen sie Deutsches, AIDS is a problem. ¿Usted habla español? El SIDA es una problema. Vous parlez français? Le SIDA est un problème. You speak English? AIDS is a problem. And I want you to deal up front and in your stories about the "ism." Because "ism" is playing a big part in what has happened, what does not happen, and what will not happen in the future if we don't do something different.
I had a moment. I spoke with Senator Hillary Clinton. And I said, "Senator, what about AIDS in America?" She stopped what she was doing. She turned to me and she said, "If AIDS were affecting the general population the way it is affecting women of color, black women especially, there would be a national health emergency." That was two years ago. Two days ago, the report came out from the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] that the numbers of AIDS, as it had been calculated in black America, are far more than they expected. When will the national emergency take place? When will somebody get truly outraged? When is somebody going to value black people?
I'm not a charity case. I'm not a poverty case. I'm not looking for a handout. I am looking to be valued as a full, complete, human being, whether I am on the continent of Africa, whether I'm on the hills in Japan, whether I am in Hawaii, whether I am in the mountains of Central America. If I am Negro, Cimarron, I want to be valued as a human being. [in accented English] I want you to listen to me when I talk to you and I have an accent. I want you to know that I am important, just like you. [ends accented English] I want you to look at black me and stop looking past me. Stop looking around me. I need a seat at the table. I need a seat at the table! [applause]
Stop writing policy for me, and you haven't really talked to me. Stop telling me what I need to be doing, and you don't know me. So if you have got the power of the pen, you're going to push that button into the Internet; I need you to write and do something different. Because I am black. I am in the world. And I matter just like anybody else.
VISIT Sheryl's site HERE
On Aug. 4, a panel of African-American HIV community leaders held an emotional press conference in which they expressed frustration and anger about the lack of attention being paid to the HIV epidemic among U.S. blacks. Sheryl Lee Ralph, an actress and long-time HIV activist, was one of those who spoke. Here is the text of her speech. (You can also click here to read or hear TheBody.com's interview with Ralph.)
In an Impassioned Speech, Sheryl Lee Ralph Implores the Media to "Do Something Different"
Sheryl Lee Ralph - I thank everybody sitting up here today. I thank them all for the kind of work that they have been doing for so long. But to all of you sitting out there who have the power of the pen, to everybody out there who is going to write a story, to everybody out there who is going to push a button and send a message out into cyberspace: I need you to do something different! It cannot be business as usual when it comes to black people and AIDS, black people and AIDS in America, black people and AIDS around the world! Something must be done differently. Because, if you sprechen sie Deutsches, AIDS is a problem. ¿Usted habla español? El SIDA es una problema. Vous parlez français? Le SIDA est un problème. You speak English? AIDS is a problem. And I want you to deal up front and in your stories about the "ism." Because "ism" is playing a big part in what has happened, what does not happen, and what will not happen in the future if we don't do something different.
I had a moment. I spoke with Senator Hillary Clinton. And I said, "Senator, what about AIDS in America?" She stopped what she was doing. She turned to me and she said, "If AIDS were affecting the general population the way it is affecting women of color, black women especially, there would be a national health emergency." That was two years ago. Two days ago, the report came out from the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] that the numbers of AIDS, as it had been calculated in black America, are far more than they expected. When will the national emergency take place? When will somebody get truly outraged? When is somebody going to value black people?
I'm not a charity case. I'm not a poverty case. I'm not looking for a handout. I am looking to be valued as a full, complete, human being, whether I am on the continent of Africa, whether I'm on the hills in Japan, whether I am in Hawaii, whether I am in the mountains of Central America. If I am Negro, Cimarron, I want to be valued as a human being. [in accented English] I want you to listen to me when I talk to you and I have an accent. I want you to know that I am important, just like you. [ends accented English] I want you to look at black me and stop looking past me. Stop looking around me. I need a seat at the table. I need a seat at the table! [applause]
Stop writing policy for me, and you haven't really talked to me. Stop telling me what I need to be doing, and you don't know me. So if you have got the power of the pen, you're going to push that button into the Internet; I need you to write and do something different. Because I am black. I am in the world. And I matter just like anybody else.
VISIT Sheryl's site HERE
LGBT Health Summit to be held in Bristol
On 4th and 5th September this year, Terrence Higgins Trust and Equality South West will host the third annual LGBT Health Summit.
Previous summits in London and Manchester have attracted 450 delegates between them.
The conference is aimed at people with an interest in health issues who wish to contribute to public policy.
The conference will offer a range of speakers and workshops.
Paul Dunn, Chief Executive of Equality South West, said: 'For too long, LGBT issues have been given less favourable treatment than other areas of equality.
'With the introduction of legal protection for LGBT people in the provision of goods and services, this event will provide a great opportunity for both service providers and individuals to discuss and influence future policies and outcomes.'
The conference organisers aim to raise awareness of differences in health outcomes affecting LGBT people and share ideas about the removal of barriers to service access for them.
The event will also focus on the differing needs of elderly, black and minority ethnic, disabled and rural LGBT people.
The event is free to attend, and places are allocated on a first come first serve basis.
Additional information and an on- line application form can be found on the Summit website at http://www.lgbthealth.co.uk/
Previous summits in London and Manchester have attracted 450 delegates between them.
The conference is aimed at people with an interest in health issues who wish to contribute to public policy.
The conference will offer a range of speakers and workshops.
Paul Dunn, Chief Executive of Equality South West, said: 'For too long, LGBT issues have been given less favourable treatment than other areas of equality.
'With the introduction of legal protection for LGBT people in the provision of goods and services, this event will provide a great opportunity for both service providers and individuals to discuss and influence future policies and outcomes.'
The conference organisers aim to raise awareness of differences in health outcomes affecting LGBT people and share ideas about the removal of barriers to service access for them.
The event will also focus on the differing needs of elderly, black and minority ethnic, disabled and rural LGBT people.
The event is free to attend, and places are allocated on a first come first serve basis.
Additional information and an on- line application form can be found on the Summit website at http://www.lgbthealth.co.uk/
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hugh7 has left this comment on our post "Should men be circumcised?":
Hugh7 has left this comment on our post "Should men be circumcised?":
In the English-speaking world outside the US, circumcision rates are residual, not "one quarter". It was fashionable in the 1950s but since it did no good, we gave it up with no regrets.
If your figure for Urinary Tract Infections is correct, 397 circumcisions in 400 are wasted, 396 on boys who will never get them, and one on a boy who will get them anyway. Penile cancer is also very rare, rarer than male breast cancer.
The science claiming to show circumcision protects men against HIV infection from women is very shaky - many times more circumcised men dropped out of the studies, their HIV status unknown, than non-circumcised men were infected, for one thing. In at least six African countries, more of the circumcised men have HIV than the non-circumcised, according to the National Demographic and Health Surveys.
The main reason babies get circumcised is that they can't put up enough of a struggle against it.It is a human rights issue. Whose penis is it, anyway?
Original Story HERE
Thanks Hugh7
In the English-speaking world outside the US, circumcision rates are residual, not "one quarter". It was fashionable in the 1950s but since it did no good, we gave it up with no regrets.
If your figure for Urinary Tract Infections is correct, 397 circumcisions in 400 are wasted, 396 on boys who will never get them, and one on a boy who will get them anyway. Penile cancer is also very rare, rarer than male breast cancer.
The science claiming to show circumcision protects men against HIV infection from women is very shaky - many times more circumcised men dropped out of the studies, their HIV status unknown, than non-circumcised men were infected, for one thing. In at least six African countries, more of the circumcised men have HIV than the non-circumcised, according to the National Demographic and Health Surveys.
The main reason babies get circumcised is that they can't put up enough of a struggle against it.It is a human rights issue. Whose penis is it, anyway?
Original Story HERE
Thanks Hugh7
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Gay quotes
Drag is when a man wears everything a lesbian won't.
~Author Unknown
In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.
~Simone de Beauvoir
The world is not divided into sheeps and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white. It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories. Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separated pigeon-holes. The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects. The sooner we learn this concerning sexual behavior the sooner we shall reach a sound understanding of the realities of sex.
~Alfred Kinsey, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 1948
Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.
~Martina Navratilova
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
~Gore Vidal
~Author Unknown
In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.
~Simone de Beauvoir
The world is not divided into sheeps and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white. It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories. Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separated pigeon-holes. The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects. The sooner we learn this concerning sexual behavior the sooner we shall reach a sound understanding of the realities of sex.
~Alfred Kinsey, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 1948
Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.
~Martina Navratilova
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
~Gore Vidal
Remember Folks To Be Vigilant
Hi Folks a word from me to you:
Visit the newspaper sites or purchase the paper(s)
Read the Letter to the Editor
Write your own Letters to the Editor
Respond Appropriately to the Author(s) where neccessary and respectfully
Keep the dialogue going
Call the talk shows
SPEAK UP!!!
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/
http://www.sunheraldja.com/frontpage/
http://www.nationwidenewsnetwork.com/ (double click the radio dial icon to launch)
http://www.go-jamaica.com/power/ Power 106FM
http://www.newstalk.com.jm/
Visit the newspaper sites or purchase the paper(s)
Read the Letter to the Editor
Write your own Letters to the Editor
Respond Appropriately to the Author(s) where neccessary and respectfully
Keep the dialogue going
Call the talk shows
SPEAK UP!!!
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/
http://www.sunheraldja.com/frontpage/
http://www.nationwidenewsnetwork.com/ (double click the radio dial icon to launch)
http://www.go-jamaica.com/power/ Power 106FM
http://www.newstalk.com.jm/
Jamaican lesbian avoids deportation from Florida
A Jamaican lesbian living in Sunrise, Florida, has been allowed to stay in the U.S.A as she could be at risk of homophobic violence in Jamaica.
Advocate reports that the woman, using her middle name Nichole maintain anonymity, was originally ordered to be deported following two drug convictions.
Immigration judge Irma Lopez-Defillo deferred the order in the same ruling due to Jamaica's criminalisation of homosexuality.
Lopez-Defillo said: ‘The general atmosphere in Jamaica is a feeling of no tolerance towards homosexuals in general, and as such, . . . the respondent's life is definitely at risk,’ according to The Miami Herald.
Nichole, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 10 with her family, stated that being gay ‘is the worst thing you can be stricken with [in Jamaica].
‘You basically have to live undercover.’
The case was handled under the United Nation’s convention against torture, preventing immigrants if it is likely that they will be tortured back in their country of origin.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 28,130 cases were filed under this statute, but only 449 asylum seekers were allowed to stay.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, may still move Nichole to a country other than Jamaica.
She plans to apply for legal residency in the U.S.A.
Advocate reports that the woman, using her middle name Nichole maintain anonymity, was originally ordered to be deported following two drug convictions.
Immigration judge Irma Lopez-Defillo deferred the order in the same ruling due to Jamaica's criminalisation of homosexuality.
Lopez-Defillo said: ‘The general atmosphere in Jamaica is a feeling of no tolerance towards homosexuals in general, and as such, . . . the respondent's life is definitely at risk,’ according to The Miami Herald.
Nichole, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 10 with her family, stated that being gay ‘is the worst thing you can be stricken with [in Jamaica].
‘You basically have to live undercover.’
The case was handled under the United Nation’s convention against torture, preventing immigrants if it is likely that they will be tortured back in their country of origin.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 28,130 cases were filed under this statute, but only 449 asylum seekers were allowed to stay.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, may still move Nichole to a country other than Jamaica.
She plans to apply for legal residency in the U.S.A.
Should men be circumcised?
Are you circumcised?
Should you circumcise your son?
What are the benefits and disadvantages?
Read on for answers to these questions.
The ancient Egyptians and Ethiopians practised circumcision for cleanliness. The Hebrews introduced the practice for religious reasons from the time of Abraham. Muslim boys are also circumcised as part of a religious ritual. In the United States and England, during the 1800s, Victorian physicians believed that circumcised penises would be less sensitive and would therefore prevent masturbation and hypersexuality.
Since the 1950s, it has become less popular with only a quarter of boys in English-speaking countries being routinely circumcised. Only in the United States of America are the majority of boys circumcised for non-religious reasons. Also, circumcision is performed as a puberty rite in some cultures as in some South Pacific Islanders and central Australia.
The foreskin story
The skin of the penis is very loose to allow for expansion during erection. At birth, the foreskin folds over the penis and should not be forcibly retracted for several months. Glands found underneath the foreskin secrete an oily substance that gets mixed up with dead cells to form a cheesy-looking substance called smegma. This smegma causes the foreskin to adhere to the smooth round end of the penis called the glans. Boys must be taught to retract the foreskin and wash away the smegma, which might encourage the growth of bacteria.
Circumcision controversy
Circumcision involves the surgical removal of the foreskin. Although it causes temporary discomfort, complications such as bleeding, and scarring are rare. The only clear medical requirement for circumcision is the inability to retract the foreskin after age three, also called phimosis.
Proponents of circumcision point out that urinary tract infections are more common in uncircumcised baby boys (one in 100) compared to circumcised boys (one in 400). Men who are circumcised at birth are less likely to have penile cancer. This cancer usually occurs in the elderly and is associated with poor penile hygiene and uncontrolled diabetes.
Circumcision and STis
Some studies have found that uncircumcised men are more likely to have sexually transmitted infections. However, other studies have found the same for circumcised men. Among heterosexual men, it was reported that not being circumcised was linked to increased transmission of HIV. On the other hand, among homosexual men, circumcision was associated with greater transmission for HIV among men who were the receptors.
Reasons for circumcision
Sometimes, the foreskin of the child is retracted and then not pulled forward to its usual position. The foreskin then becomes swollen and forms a tight ring around the penis. This painful condition is called paraphimosis. It is usually resolved by reducing the skin under sedation and rarely requires circumcision.
Boys and men may choose circumcision to facilitate proper hygiene especially if the foreskin tends to get infected. The medical reasons for circumcision are phimosis, repeated infections of the foreskin and sometimes paraphimosis. The other reasons for circumcision include religious and cultural beliefs as well as personal preferences.
Dr Pauline Williams-Greenis a family physician and president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians;
email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com
Should you circumcise your son?
What are the benefits and disadvantages?
Read on for answers to these questions.
The ancient Egyptians and Ethiopians practised circumcision for cleanliness. The Hebrews introduced the practice for religious reasons from the time of Abraham. Muslim boys are also circumcised as part of a religious ritual. In the United States and England, during the 1800s, Victorian physicians believed that circumcised penises would be less sensitive and would therefore prevent masturbation and hypersexuality.
Since the 1950s, it has become less popular with only a quarter of boys in English-speaking countries being routinely circumcised. Only in the United States of America are the majority of boys circumcised for non-religious reasons. Also, circumcision is performed as a puberty rite in some cultures as in some South Pacific Islanders and central Australia.
The foreskin story
The skin of the penis is very loose to allow for expansion during erection. At birth, the foreskin folds over the penis and should not be forcibly retracted for several months. Glands found underneath the foreskin secrete an oily substance that gets mixed up with dead cells to form a cheesy-looking substance called smegma. This smegma causes the foreskin to adhere to the smooth round end of the penis called the glans. Boys must be taught to retract the foreskin and wash away the smegma, which might encourage the growth of bacteria.
Circumcision controversy
Circumcision involves the surgical removal of the foreskin. Although it causes temporary discomfort, complications such as bleeding, and scarring are rare. The only clear medical requirement for circumcision is the inability to retract the foreskin after age three, also called phimosis.
Proponents of circumcision point out that urinary tract infections are more common in uncircumcised baby boys (one in 100) compared to circumcised boys (one in 400). Men who are circumcised at birth are less likely to have penile cancer. This cancer usually occurs in the elderly and is associated with poor penile hygiene and uncontrolled diabetes.
Circumcision and STis
Some studies have found that uncircumcised men are more likely to have sexually transmitted infections. However, other studies have found the same for circumcised men. Among heterosexual men, it was reported that not being circumcised was linked to increased transmission of HIV. On the other hand, among homosexual men, circumcision was associated with greater transmission for HIV among men who were the receptors.
Reasons for circumcision
Sometimes, the foreskin of the child is retracted and then not pulled forward to its usual position. The foreskin then becomes swollen and forms a tight ring around the penis. This painful condition is called paraphimosis. It is usually resolved by reducing the skin under sedation and rarely requires circumcision.
Boys and men may choose circumcision to facilitate proper hygiene especially if the foreskin tends to get infected. The medical reasons for circumcision are phimosis, repeated infections of the foreskin and sometimes paraphimosis. The other reasons for circumcision include religious and cultural beliefs as well as personal preferences.
Dr Pauline Williams-Greenis a family physician and president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians;
email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Jamaican Objects to the World’s Impression of Attitudes towards Homosexuals
CLICK POST TITLE FOR ORIGINAL BOX TURTLE ARTICLES
by Timothy Kincaid
Occasionally I’ll remind you why gay people, their friend, neighbors, family, and folks in general that are not fond of an atmosphere of homophobic violence and hatred may wish to avoid the island of Jamaica. It’s time for another reminder.
In an editorial in the Jamaica Observer, Lloyd B. Smith is indignant that the courts in the States and in Europe are providing asylum to gay and lesbian Jamaicans that fear returning back and facing barbarism from their neighbors. He thinks it is the result of “the picture being painted of Jamaica by the international gay lobby”.
However, no one can challenge the fact that many gay men and women in Jamaica are generally ignored by the populace. In fact, the cases of violence directed at homosexuals are far fewer than the gay lobby would have the world believe.
And in many of those cases we have found that it was the public display of homosexual men and their physical response to public criticism that led to them being attacked.
Then Mr. Smith goes on to justify specific incidences of violence.
Mr Carr, the executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, in relating an incident in Half-Way-Tree when gay men were mobbed, chose to ignore the reported fact that the mobbing took place after one of the men splashed liquid on a woman who found their behaviour distasteful and said so.
Perhaps Mr. Smith thinks that in civilized nations a splash of liquid justifies a mob beating and police participation. Perhaps he is unaware that most Americans and Europeans find his attitude nearly as offensive as the violence itself.
And then he offers what he thinks is an acceptable solution.
We’ll repeat a suggestion we offered to the gay lobby three months ago. Instead of trying to sully Jamaica’s name, allow Jamaicans to adapt to changing perceptions of people’s lifestyles and the fact that individuals of all kinds can coexist.
Mr. Smith, let me respond on behalf of “the gay lobby”: If by “coexist” you mean beatings and murder, we reject your offer. If you believe that “public display of homosexual men” justifies a mob attack, we reject your offer. If you think that “people who regard homosexuality as sinful and repulsive” are of more value than peace-loving gay and lesbian men and women, we reject your offer.
We will continue to seek to remove Jamaican Murder Music from our communities. We will continue to protect those gay men and women who have escaped in fear and who seek asylum among modern nations. We will continue to warn our fellow citizens who may be lured by your country’s advertising that you are a nation that celebrates violence and that tourism is unsafe among people who are so eager to coddle their own bigotries.
We will refuse to reward you for your self-justified hatred and incivility and reject your arrogant suggestion.
Rather, let me offer a suggestion to the people of the island of Jamaica. Instead of trying to justify your mob behaviours that civilized people find abhorent, repent of your murderous ways. Rather than congratulate yourselves on your recent “higher level of tolerance for homosexuality among women”, recognize that you have far to go.
Decriminalize homosexuality. Provide civil equality. Commit to protecting all citizens regardless of orientation. Cease finding homosexuality as repulsive and instead place that revulsion on the small minded attitudes that plague your people. And then perhaps the world will cease viewing you as a ignorant, violent, and hateful people.
Man injured in firebombing in Clarendon....this was all the Star could muster!!
A 27-year-old man is now in hospital after he sustained injuries when the house he occupied in the Kennedy Grove community of Clarendon was firebombed on Sunday night.
The police say that they were called to the area about 12:10 a.m. after a one-bedroom concrete structure was seen on fire.
A 24-year-old male companion who was also in the building at the time of the fire escaped unhurt. The house and its contents were completely burnt out.
The police are theorising that they were targeted because residents were questioning their sexual preference.
When theSTAR visited the community almost everyone had something to say. One resident said: "After mi hear the explosion and mi look outside through mi window, mi see de two man dem run out a de house ... ."
The police say that they were called to the area about 12:10 a.m. after a one-bedroom concrete structure was seen on fire.
A 24-year-old male companion who was also in the building at the time of the fire escaped unhurt. The house and its contents were completely burnt out.
The police are theorising that they were targeted because residents were questioning their sexual preference.
When theSTAR visited the community almost everyone had something to say. One resident said: "After mi hear the explosion and mi look outside through mi window, mi see de two man dem run out a de house ... ."
How to be a Great Lesbian Lover
By Felice Newman, Romantic Coach & Sex Educator
How do you cultivate a quality of touch that makes your partner feel like you're really seeing them? No one wants to be thought of as merely going through the motions. Nor does anyone want to be seen as a "slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am" hit-and-run driver. Whether you are touching your partner with your hands, your mouth, or a sex toy, what are the qualities that will have your partner feel that they have been touched by your spirit as well?The first quality is presence. Presence is the physical embodiment of your you-ness.
It's that quality that lets someone feel your aliveness in a room before they can see or hear you. Your presence can be felt by others as open, curious, listening, playful, sparkling, seductive, outpouring with love, or full-bodied with deep resonances. It can also be felt as laser-like in single-minded focus, scattered, shut down, collapsed, angry, untouchable, defensive or intractable. To some degree, you can shape your presence by your intention. You can pause before a first kiss, touch, or entry: Who do you want to be in this moment? What quality of your you-ness do you want your partner to be met with?
Next is the quality of extension. Extension is sending our presence outward. We are great energy transmitters, continuously beaming our selves into the world. Some of us have a quiet presence that's felt as a gentle stirring in the air. Others of us are said to have a "big" presence that's felt as a great gust of wind enlivening the atmosphere.Extension is how you transmit your intentions. You can extend your presence so that your partner "feels" your touch powerfully—regardless of how gently you may press, squeeze, caress, or thrust. Imagine your sexual energy as a force moving through you, one you can direct. Imagine your finger or your penis as a hose through which energy flows. Now imagine directing that energy, and specifically, directly the quality of that energy. Do you want to produce a gentle healing presence? Do you want your energy to hit hard? Are you wanting to create new sensations or intensify sensations that are already there? You can extend vigorously without overreaching or overwhelming your partner. You can cultivate extension by consciously observing how others respond to your presence.
Next comes receptivity. Remember when popular sex guides referred to the "active partner" and the "passive partner"?
That tired notion was laid to rest by the Good Vibrations Guide to Sex more than a dozen years ago. Receptivity is anything but passive. Receptivity is an energetic quality—it isn't necessarily about who's doing what to whom.In fact, you even can be receptive while you are touching your partner. How? Well, you can open to your partner, listening for her responses, which will speak to you through pulsations, changes in temperature, muscular contractions, and release of bodily fluids.In receptivity, you practice being with yourself while being with another, which is the basis of intimacy.
When you are receiving touch, you can meet your partner's presence with your own. Imagine locating your "self" just under your partner's touch, in the soft folds of your labia and clitoris, in the cool expanse of skin on your buttocks. Energetically, you can reach out toward that touch, just as you physically reach out by moving toward the source of pleasure. There is an element of extension in receptivity. You can cultivate receptivity by being open and inviting of the pleasures of the senses.
As appearing on http://lesbiansanddating.blogspot.com/ visit for more interesting Lesbian articles
How do you cultivate a quality of touch that makes your partner feel like you're really seeing them? No one wants to be thought of as merely going through the motions. Nor does anyone want to be seen as a "slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am" hit-and-run driver. Whether you are touching your partner with your hands, your mouth, or a sex toy, what are the qualities that will have your partner feel that they have been touched by your spirit as well?The first quality is presence. Presence is the physical embodiment of your you-ness.
It's that quality that lets someone feel your aliveness in a room before they can see or hear you. Your presence can be felt by others as open, curious, listening, playful, sparkling, seductive, outpouring with love, or full-bodied with deep resonances. It can also be felt as laser-like in single-minded focus, scattered, shut down, collapsed, angry, untouchable, defensive or intractable. To some degree, you can shape your presence by your intention. You can pause before a first kiss, touch, or entry: Who do you want to be in this moment? What quality of your you-ness do you want your partner to be met with?
Next is the quality of extension. Extension is sending our presence outward. We are great energy transmitters, continuously beaming our selves into the world. Some of us have a quiet presence that's felt as a gentle stirring in the air. Others of us are said to have a "big" presence that's felt as a great gust of wind enlivening the atmosphere.Extension is how you transmit your intentions. You can extend your presence so that your partner "feels" your touch powerfully—regardless of how gently you may press, squeeze, caress, or thrust. Imagine your sexual energy as a force moving through you, one you can direct. Imagine your finger or your penis as a hose through which energy flows. Now imagine directing that energy, and specifically, directly the quality of that energy. Do you want to produce a gentle healing presence? Do you want your energy to hit hard? Are you wanting to create new sensations or intensify sensations that are already there? You can extend vigorously without overreaching or overwhelming your partner. You can cultivate extension by consciously observing how others respond to your presence.
Next comes receptivity. Remember when popular sex guides referred to the "active partner" and the "passive partner"?
That tired notion was laid to rest by the Good Vibrations Guide to Sex more than a dozen years ago. Receptivity is anything but passive. Receptivity is an energetic quality—it isn't necessarily about who's doing what to whom.In fact, you even can be receptive while you are touching your partner. How? Well, you can open to your partner, listening for her responses, which will speak to you through pulsations, changes in temperature, muscular contractions, and release of bodily fluids.In receptivity, you practice being with yourself while being with another, which is the basis of intimacy.
When you are receiving touch, you can meet your partner's presence with your own. Imagine locating your "self" just under your partner's touch, in the soft folds of your labia and clitoris, in the cool expanse of skin on your buttocks. Energetically, you can reach out toward that touch, just as you physically reach out by moving toward the source of pleasure. There is an element of extension in receptivity. You can cultivate receptivity by being open and inviting of the pleasures of the senses.
As appearing on http://lesbiansanddating.blogspot.com/ visit for more interesting Lesbian articles
Simply has left a new comment "So Its Gay attack time again in the Media":
Simply left this comment on our post "So Its Gay attack time again in the Media":
Hmmmm I wonder what Lloyd B Smith would called that fire bombing of a house Sunday nite where 2 alleged gay men lived, minding their own business, not bothering a soul?
......... and what about my 2 sisters where were beaten a few months ago in when it was assumed that they were lesbians....1 was beaten beyond a pulp, kicked in the gut even tho 1 of them was born and lived in that community since forever????
What about my sisters who are raped repeatedly because they are accused of being a lesbians???
What about the 2 young men who visited by a group of men at their house to inspect how many beds they had and upon discovering there was only 1 order them to purchase another cuz "it don't look right fi 2 man a sleep pon 1 bed"......then returned a short time after to check if the bed was bought and bcuz it wasn't, the men were ordered to leave immediately or face death "cuz it look like a battyman ting dem dealing wid"???
What about the gay men & women who call the JFLAG telephone line everyday asking for assistance to relocate or get medical attention because they have to beat a hasty retreat from their place of abode or being threatened or have been attacked based on their presumed homosexuality????
I wonder what picture is being painted....when all these atrocities are occurring against our gay & lesbian brothers and sisters?????....ooohhh Holy Jamaica...Land of Blood, Hate & hypocrisies!!!!!
Hmmmm I wonder what Lloyd B Smith would called that fire bombing of a house Sunday nite where 2 alleged gay men lived, minding their own business, not bothering a soul?
......... and what about my 2 sisters where were beaten a few months ago in when it was assumed that they were lesbians....1 was beaten beyond a pulp, kicked in the gut even tho 1 of them was born and lived in that community since forever????
What about my sisters who are raped repeatedly because they are accused of being a lesbians???
What about the 2 young men who visited by a group of men at their house to inspect how many beds they had and upon discovering there was only 1 order them to purchase another cuz "it don't look right fi 2 man a sleep pon 1 bed"......then returned a short time after to check if the bed was bought and bcuz it wasn't, the men were ordered to leave immediately or face death "cuz it look like a battyman ting dem dealing wid"???
What about the gay men & women who call the JFLAG telephone line everyday asking for assistance to relocate or get medical attention because they have to beat a hasty retreat from their place of abode or being threatened or have been attacked based on their presumed homosexuality????
I wonder what picture is being painted....when all these atrocities are occurring against our gay & lesbian brothers and sisters?????....ooohhh Holy Jamaica...Land of Blood, Hate & hypocrisies!!!!!
So Its Gay attack time again in the Media
Wow I find it most strange that the Jamaica Observer found it necessary to put 2 articles in today's edition on gays and especially the editorial by Lloyd B Smith, someone I respected until I read it this morning while his totally ignoring the FACT that two gay men were fire bombed from their home in Clarendon day before yesterday.
I have lost some respect for Lloyd B as he sought to comment on two cases of homophobia without checking the facts. (see his article below)
Fact#1: The attack at the pharmacy in Kingston did involve a woman however she was the one who attacked the men first by deliberately physically pushing herself in their midst to start a commotion.
Fact#2: The lesbian in question whose case was upheld in Miami as posted here was indeed the victim of homophobic attack before in her community where she originally resided she just did not bother to act on taking measures as she deemed it would be fruitless.
I do wish sometimes these writers would stop hiding behind their pens and spewing their shyt and get out of their air conditioned offices and get a sense of the REAL world.
Get the FACTS before writing an article for which you get paid so to do.
Howie seh so
Peace
I have lost some respect for Lloyd B as he sought to comment on two cases of homophobia without checking the facts. (see his article below)
Fact#1: The attack at the pharmacy in Kingston did involve a woman however she was the one who attacked the men first by deliberately physically pushing herself in their midst to start a commotion.
Fact#2: The lesbian in question whose case was upheld in Miami as posted here was indeed the victim of homophobic attack before in her community where she originally resided she just did not bother to act on taking measures as she deemed it would be fruitless.
I do wish sometimes these writers would stop hiding behind their pens and spewing their shyt and get out of their air conditioned offices and get a sense of the REAL world.
Get the FACTS before writing an article for which you get paid so to do.
Howie seh so
Peace
The gay lobby scam (Observer Editorial)
Lloyd B Smith
We'll give the benefit of the doubt to United States immigration judge Irma Lopez-Defillo who last week decided against deporting a Jamaican-born lesbian on the grounds that, because of her sexual orientation, she might be tortured here.
For quite frankly, Judge Lopez-Defillo's ruling would have been informed by the picture being painted of Jamaica by the international gay lobby.
So when Judge Lopez-Defillo is reported as saying, "the general atmosphere in Jamaica is a feeling of no tolerance towards homosexuals in general and, as such, the respondent's life is definitely at risk", we really can't blame her. Because, as we said, that's the impression that the world has of Jamaica, courtesy of gay rights activists who are meeting resistance in their efforts to force their lifestyle upon Jamaicans.
What is becoming clear to us, however, is that homosexual Jamaicans are using this argument to legitimise their immigration status in North America and Europe.
And this most recent case of this 29-year-old lesbian is a perfect example of the scam being perpetrated by gay Jamaicans on the authorities abroad.
In fact, we are sure that every Jamaican who read this story last week had a good chuckle, mostly for the fact that Jamaicans have, over the past decade at least, demonstrated a higher level of tolerance for homosexuality among women.
So, her 33-year-old brother, who was reported in the story as telling the court that she would be ostracised if sent back to Jamaica, was really being disingenuous. And the court bought it, hook, line and sinker.
We are not here denying that gay men have not been attacked and beaten in Jamaica. We have reported on some of these atrocities and have condemned them in this space.
However, no one can challenge the fact that many gay men and women in Jamaica are generally ignored by the populace. In fact, the cases of violence directed at homosexuals are far fewer than the gay lobby would have the world believe.
And in many of those cases we have found that it was the public display of homosexual men and their physical response to public criticism that led to them being attacked.
The nonsense spewed by Mr Robert Carr at the just-concluded International AIDS Society XVII Conference in Mexico does not help the gay lobby either.
Mr Carr, the executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, in relating an incident in Half-Way-Tree when gay men were mobbed, chose to ignore the reported fact that the mobbing took place after one of the men splashed liquid on a woman who found their behaviour distasteful and said so.
He also neglected to point out that the men were rescued by the police, offering only that, "in a context where people denied homophobic violence, the police show up armed and the media show up to take pictures".
That the Jamaican police patrol the streets armed is not an aberration. Neither is the fact that media cover events in public, including disturbances.
As we have argued before, people who regard homosexuality as sinful and repulsive will more easily bristle at the gay lobby's push to force acceptance of their lifestyle.
And that resistance is strengthened when homosexuals are quick to cry homophobia when one of their own is murdered, even in the face of evidence suggesting that the homicide was committed by a jealous lover.
We'll repeat a suggestion we offered to the gay lobby three months ago. Instead of trying to sully Jamaica's name, allow Jamaicans to adapt to changing perceptions of people's lifestyles and the fact that individuals of all kinds can coexist.
We'll give the benefit of the doubt to United States immigration judge Irma Lopez-Defillo who last week decided against deporting a Jamaican-born lesbian on the grounds that, because of her sexual orientation, she might be tortured here.
For quite frankly, Judge Lopez-Defillo's ruling would have been informed by the picture being painted of Jamaica by the international gay lobby.
So when Judge Lopez-Defillo is reported as saying, "the general atmosphere in Jamaica is a feeling of no tolerance towards homosexuals in general and, as such, the respondent's life is definitely at risk", we really can't blame her. Because, as we said, that's the impression that the world has of Jamaica, courtesy of gay rights activists who are meeting resistance in their efforts to force their lifestyle upon Jamaicans.
What is becoming clear to us, however, is that homosexual Jamaicans are using this argument to legitimise their immigration status in North America and Europe.
And this most recent case of this 29-year-old lesbian is a perfect example of the scam being perpetrated by gay Jamaicans on the authorities abroad.
In fact, we are sure that every Jamaican who read this story last week had a good chuckle, mostly for the fact that Jamaicans have, over the past decade at least, demonstrated a higher level of tolerance for homosexuality among women.
So, her 33-year-old brother, who was reported in the story as telling the court that she would be ostracised if sent back to Jamaica, was really being disingenuous. And the court bought it, hook, line and sinker.
We are not here denying that gay men have not been attacked and beaten in Jamaica. We have reported on some of these atrocities and have condemned them in this space.
However, no one can challenge the fact that many gay men and women in Jamaica are generally ignored by the populace. In fact, the cases of violence directed at homosexuals are far fewer than the gay lobby would have the world believe.
And in many of those cases we have found that it was the public display of homosexual men and their physical response to public criticism that led to them being attacked.
The nonsense spewed by Mr Robert Carr at the just-concluded International AIDS Society XVII Conference in Mexico does not help the gay lobby either.
Mr Carr, the executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, in relating an incident in Half-Way-Tree when gay men were mobbed, chose to ignore the reported fact that the mobbing took place after one of the men splashed liquid on a woman who found their behaviour distasteful and said so.
He also neglected to point out that the men were rescued by the police, offering only that, "in a context where people denied homophobic violence, the police show up armed and the media show up to take pictures".
That the Jamaican police patrol the streets armed is not an aberration. Neither is the fact that media cover events in public, including disturbances.
As we have argued before, people who regard homosexuality as sinful and repulsive will more easily bristle at the gay lobby's push to force acceptance of their lifestyle.
And that resistance is strengthened when homosexuals are quick to cry homophobia when one of their own is murdered, even in the face of evidence suggesting that the homicide was committed by a jealous lover.
We'll repeat a suggestion we offered to the gay lobby three months ago. Instead of trying to sully Jamaica's name, allow Jamaicans to adapt to changing perceptions of people's lifestyles and the fact that individuals of all kinds can coexist.
Push for gay law
Caribbean group to present proposal to region's attorneys general
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
THE Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) will in October present proposed legislation to the Caribbean Parliamentary Council, recommending the decriminalisation of homosexuality and commercial sex work in the region.
PANCAP, the grouping mandated to co-ordinate the regional response and mobilise resources to address the AIDS pandemic, said it was crucial for Caricom countries to adopt the proposed legislation if the region is to effectively offer intervention programmes to tackle the spread of the disease in the Caribbean, which has the second highest prevalence rate next to Sub-Saharan Africa.
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
THE Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) will in October present proposed legislation to the Caribbean Parliamentary Council, recommending the decriminalisation of homosexuality and commercial sex work in the region.
PANCAP, the grouping mandated to co-ordinate the regional response and mobilise resources to address the AIDS pandemic, said it was crucial for Caricom countries to adopt the proposed legislation if the region is to effectively offer intervention programmes to tackle the spread of the disease in the Caribbean, which has the second highest prevalence rate next to Sub-Saharan Africa.
PANCAP director Carl Browne said a number of the region's laws were either implicitly or explicitly discriminating against certain vulnerable groups, such as sex workers and gay men. He said they have since had to assess what the law says and how the people feel.
Browne said PANCAP met last month in Barbados where it agreed on a set of policies which need to be revised and amended in order to have the proposed law passed. The proposals will be taken to the next meeting of the region's attorneys general in October, when approval is expected to be sought. The Caribbean Parliamentary Council is made of the region's attorneys general.
Brown, however, told the Observer that the wording of the policy does not say "decriminalise", instead it is phrased as allowing people the right to be of the sexual orientation they choose.
"It might be easier to get sex work to be decriminalised," he said. "However, it will be harder for homosexuality as no attorney general may want to take the responsibility to return to their country and say I approved it."
He said if the attorneys general agree to the proposals, they would then take them back to their countries to seek parliamentary approval and then implementation.
He made it clear that what is done at the regional level cannot be dictated in individual countries.
PANCAP member countries are Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.
At the International AIDS Society (IAS) XVII AIDS conference in Mexico last week, one of the main calls made by political and global health leaders was for homosexuality and sex work to be decriminalised. Thousands of gay men and transgenders, from around the world, participated and facilitated daily discussions on the correlation between HIV and homosexuality.
In the meantime, Dr Kevin Harvey, head of Jamaica's National HIV/STI programme, agreed that if homosexuality was decriminalised more opportunities would be provided to reduce the infection rate among gays.
"In order to have effective programmes we need to reach these groups, but if they are underground how do you do it?" he asked.
Harvey said it is not just about renouncing laws, but there was a lot of work to be done in sensitising the population.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Many Nations Lack HIV Prevention For Gay Men
by Brenda Wilson
Listen Now [5 min 15 sec]
Morning Edition, August 8, 2008 · Many Latin American countries ignore HIV among men who have sex with men because gays, bisexuals and transgenders are social outcasts. A report from the American Foundation for AIDS Research found that many countries and international organizations still don't know the rate of infections in this high-risk group and don't reach out to them.
The story of one gay man from Jamaica exemplifies how violence against gays can be so great that it overshadows concerns about HIV.
Listen Now [5 min 15 sec]
Morning Edition, August 8, 2008 · Many Latin American countries ignore HIV among men who have sex with men because gays, bisexuals and transgenders are social outcasts. A report from the American Foundation for AIDS Research found that many countries and international organizations still don't know the rate of infections in this high-risk group and don't reach out to them.
The story of one gay man from Jamaica exemplifies how violence against gays can be so great that it overshadows concerns about HIV.
Book on LGBT life in Muslim cultures published
The editor of gay Muslim magazine Huriyah has released a book about LGBT people in the Islamic World.
Afdhere Jama's book 'Illegal Citizens: Queer lives in the Muslim world' follows the lives of 33 people in 22 countries including Nigeria, Lebanon, Indonesia, Bosnia, China, India, Israel, and Ukraine.
Jama told YahooNews: 'I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere.
'Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives, including happy ones, sometimes in places I never imagined.
The lives of LGBT people in Islamic countries, however, are not always pleasant.
'Horrible, horrible things happen,' said Jama, 'In many of these countries, people disappear without a trace.
'And that happens only because gay and lesbian Muslims have no voice.
'They can't object to abuse because, as far as anyone is concerned, they don't exist.'
Jama was born in Somalia. He moved to the USA after civil war broke out in his native country.
Jama was inspired to write the book after the execution of a lesbian couple in northern Somalia in 2001.
He said: 'I'm particularly passionate about transgendered people and gay women.
'We all know what it is to be a gay man in Pakisan or Morocco, but how many people have read stories of transsexuals or lesbians in these countries? Not many.'
'Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World' is published by Salaam Press.
ISBN-13: 9780980013887
ISBN-10: 0980013887
Afdhere Jama's book 'Illegal Citizens: Queer lives in the Muslim world' follows the lives of 33 people in 22 countries including Nigeria, Lebanon, Indonesia, Bosnia, China, India, Israel, and Ukraine.
Jama told YahooNews: 'I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere.
'Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives, including happy ones, sometimes in places I never imagined.
The lives of LGBT people in Islamic countries, however, are not always pleasant.
'Horrible, horrible things happen,' said Jama, 'In many of these countries, people disappear without a trace.
'And that happens only because gay and lesbian Muslims have no voice.
'They can't object to abuse because, as far as anyone is concerned, they don't exist.'
Jama was born in Somalia. He moved to the USA after civil war broke out in his native country.
Jama was inspired to write the book after the execution of a lesbian couple in northern Somalia in 2001.
He said: 'I'm particularly passionate about transgendered people and gay women.
'We all know what it is to be a gay man in Pakisan or Morocco, but how many people have read stories of transsexuals or lesbians in these countries? Not many.'
'Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World' is published by Salaam Press.
ISBN-13: 9780980013887
ISBN-10: 0980013887
Don't dis' human rights
Garth Rattray
Ever since the Govern-ment was pressured into ramping up the fight on crime, several human rights organisations and interests have become hyper-vigilant. And, almost stride for stride, people critical of these groups have kept pace by openly 'dissing' (disrespecting) their efforts.
Anyone sensitive to human- rights issues and to the dangers of instituting draconian legislation will understand how they can impact negatively on all our lives - especially on the lives of our many innocent, poor and disenfranchised Jamaicans.
People who are quick to agree with rounding up and detaining any and all suspects within certain areas have no concept of what it's like to live in fear of starvation, fear of the criminals and fear of the police.
Those that profess to be ready and willing to give up their civil rights, albeit in this time of rampant criminality, are probably severely myopic.
Loved ones could be victims
I sometimes wonder if they don't realise that they or their loved ones could be caught up in some operation and thrown in a congested, dungeon-like cell for a long period of time.
Some of the proposed 'cures' (severe legal measures) may turn out to be worse than the 'disease' (crime status). And, some of the 'cures' may actually cause more 'disease'.
Incarcerating innocent suspects in literal hell holes (our horrendously overcrowded, dark, hot, stink and unhygienic lock-ups) with hardened criminals may cause so much distress and frustration in at-risk youth that it can induce them to hate and distrust the police and society.
Some will end up thinking that they might as well take the path of least resistance and engage in criminal activities (since they are already being perceived and treated as such).
Human-rights groups have been vilified by some for attempting to remind this administration that, in spite of our many murders and threat of anarchy, we are still a functioning democracy with entrenched citizens' rights.
For their (limited) success in modifying the proposed anti-crime measures, they have been chided, called 'soft on criminals', 'silly', 'out of touch' and accused of wanting to use powder puffs to engage the criminals.
Shotgun anti-crime methods
Governments have been known to use 'shotgun' (blunderbuss) anti-crime methods in the past. Such strong anti-crime measures (including mandatory sentencing, indefinite detentions, various special 'jump-out' squads and a prolonged state of emergency) failed to curb criminality. Instead, they produced a hardier breed of criminals and a police force that depended heavily on intimidation and brute force. The present proposed measures are more oppressive than they are suppressive.
These measures open the door for anyone to be denied their civil rights. For certain offences, our judges will effectively be no more than figureheads, puppets, automatons and referees.
By their very nature, human rights groups have no political agenda - they are the only real protection that we have against a desperate and sometimes misdirected administration.
We badly need our human-rights groups because there must be balance in society. Our oldest and premier human-rights organisation, the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights, not only defends the rights of suspected, accused and convicted individuals to fair and humane treatment, it also defends the rights of victims.
It not only has programmes in our (so-called) correctional institutions, it also has school programmes and teaches courses at the Police Training School.
Everyone is at risk for arbitrary arrest, prolonged incarceration and inhumane treatment. If any one person is denied his or her human rights, then we are all denied ours. No well-thinking individual should dis' human-rights organisations.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice;
email: garthrattray@gmail.com;
for feedback: columns@gleanerjm.com
Ever since the Govern-ment was pressured into ramping up the fight on crime, several human rights organisations and interests have become hyper-vigilant. And, almost stride for stride, people critical of these groups have kept pace by openly 'dissing' (disrespecting) their efforts.
Anyone sensitive to human- rights issues and to the dangers of instituting draconian legislation will understand how they can impact negatively on all our lives - especially on the lives of our many innocent, poor and disenfranchised Jamaicans.
People who are quick to agree with rounding up and detaining any and all suspects within certain areas have no concept of what it's like to live in fear of starvation, fear of the criminals and fear of the police.
Those that profess to be ready and willing to give up their civil rights, albeit in this time of rampant criminality, are probably severely myopic.
Loved ones could be victims
I sometimes wonder if they don't realise that they or their loved ones could be caught up in some operation and thrown in a congested, dungeon-like cell for a long period of time.
Some of the proposed 'cures' (severe legal measures) may turn out to be worse than the 'disease' (crime status). And, some of the 'cures' may actually cause more 'disease'.
Incarcerating innocent suspects in literal hell holes (our horrendously overcrowded, dark, hot, stink and unhygienic lock-ups) with hardened criminals may cause so much distress and frustration in at-risk youth that it can induce them to hate and distrust the police and society.
Some will end up thinking that they might as well take the path of least resistance and engage in criminal activities (since they are already being perceived and treated as such).
Human-rights groups have been vilified by some for attempting to remind this administration that, in spite of our many murders and threat of anarchy, we are still a functioning democracy with entrenched citizens' rights.
For their (limited) success in modifying the proposed anti-crime measures, they have been chided, called 'soft on criminals', 'silly', 'out of touch' and accused of wanting to use powder puffs to engage the criminals.
Shotgun anti-crime methods
Governments have been known to use 'shotgun' (blunderbuss) anti-crime methods in the past. Such strong anti-crime measures (including mandatory sentencing, indefinite detentions, various special 'jump-out' squads and a prolonged state of emergency) failed to curb criminality. Instead, they produced a hardier breed of criminals and a police force that depended heavily on intimidation and brute force. The present proposed measures are more oppressive than they are suppressive.
These measures open the door for anyone to be denied their civil rights. For certain offences, our judges will effectively be no more than figureheads, puppets, automatons and referees.
By their very nature, human rights groups have no political agenda - they are the only real protection that we have against a desperate and sometimes misdirected administration.
We badly need our human-rights groups because there must be balance in society. Our oldest and premier human-rights organisation, the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights, not only defends the rights of suspected, accused and convicted individuals to fair and humane treatment, it also defends the rights of victims.
It not only has programmes in our (so-called) correctional institutions, it also has school programmes and teaches courses at the Police Training School.
Everyone is at risk for arbitrary arrest, prolonged incarceration and inhumane treatment. If any one person is denied his or her human rights, then we are all denied ours. No well-thinking individual should dis' human-rights organisations.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice;
email: garthrattray@gmail.com;
for feedback: columns@gleanerjm.com
Say instead, 'Ja gets homophobia lashing', Observer Letter
Dear Editor,
After reading the article by Ingrid Brown on August 7, "Ja gets gay lashing", I was compelled to write on what I see as your newspaper's biased reporting on issues about homosexuality and HIV/AIDS. The statement, "It was not immediately clear why the AIDS conference was used to provide a forum for homosexuals", is hypocritical or at the very least, interesting, when in past articles, your newspaper consistently made a correlation between the rise of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and homosexuality, which is actually false. See the following:
"The predominant route of HIV transmission in the Caribbean is heterosexual contact." (AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity based in the UK http://www.avert.org/caribbean.htm).
"The primary mode of transmission in this region is intercourse; unprotected sex between sex workers and clients is a key factor in the spread of HIV" (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.asp).
If I may, I will try to connect the dots for you. Rabid homophobia, as is present in Jamaica, serves to force homosexuals underground. This makes it harder for government services and information on the importance of safer sex practices and regular testing to reach those who are most vulnerable and who need it, therefore perpetuating the ignorance among many homosexuals on how the virus is transmitted. This homophobic attitude will often determine how government resources are spent on combating HIV/AIDS. I believe the heading of the article should have read, "Ja gets homophobia lashing", because the point Mr Carr was trying to make was the correlation between homophobia and the rise in HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.
Ms Brown, if you and your newspaper are truly committed to being of service to Jamaica, and I am sure you both are, then I would suggest that more factual, unbiased research on the issues of homosexuality, homophobia and HIV/AIDS and the intricate relationship they share, be pursued to better help our society understand that what affects one group affects us all. For too long as a society, we have allowed our personal attitudes and views - mostly negative - on homosexuality to affect how we address the social issue of HIV/AIDS and homosexuality, and as a result, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Jamaica has risen steadily over the past two decades.
I read the Observer daily and look forward to more unbiased reporting on these issues, something Jamaica desperately needs.
Patrick Brown
mypalb@rogers.com
After reading the article by Ingrid Brown on August 7, "Ja gets gay lashing", I was compelled to write on what I see as your newspaper's biased reporting on issues about homosexuality and HIV/AIDS. The statement, "It was not immediately clear why the AIDS conference was used to provide a forum for homosexuals", is hypocritical or at the very least, interesting, when in past articles, your newspaper consistently made a correlation between the rise of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and homosexuality, which is actually false. See the following:
"The predominant route of HIV transmission in the Caribbean is heterosexual contact." (AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity based in the UK http://www.avert.org/caribbean.htm).
"The primary mode of transmission in this region is intercourse; unprotected sex between sex workers and clients is a key factor in the spread of HIV" (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.asp).
If I may, I will try to connect the dots for you. Rabid homophobia, as is present in Jamaica, serves to force homosexuals underground. This makes it harder for government services and information on the importance of safer sex practices and regular testing to reach those who are most vulnerable and who need it, therefore perpetuating the ignorance among many homosexuals on how the virus is transmitted. This homophobic attitude will often determine how government resources are spent on combating HIV/AIDS. I believe the heading of the article should have read, "Ja gets homophobia lashing", because the point Mr Carr was trying to make was the correlation between homophobia and the rise in HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.
Ms Brown, if you and your newspaper are truly committed to being of service to Jamaica, and I am sure you both are, then I would suggest that more factual, unbiased research on the issues of homosexuality, homophobia and HIV/AIDS and the intricate relationship they share, be pursued to better help our society understand that what affects one group affects us all. For too long as a society, we have allowed our personal attitudes and views - mostly negative - on homosexuality to affect how we address the social issue of HIV/AIDS and homosexuality, and as a result, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Jamaica has risen steadily over the past two decades.
I read the Observer daily and look forward to more unbiased reporting on these issues, something Jamaica desperately needs.
Patrick Brown
mypalb@rogers.com
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Gay lifestyle is wrong
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Dear Editor,
I must first thank God for my country, Jamaica, and remind us all that this is a country built on the word of God.
Let's not be put off by the high crime level that we are today faced with it as a direct result of the corrupt methods by which previous governments have used to gain political positions of leadership in the notorious '70s.
We must all band together and fight against everything that the word of God has spoken against as being bad or immoral, because if we turn a blind eye to bad or immoral things for financial gain the curse of that will haunt us in the future as is evident with the state of crime and violence today.
There is no question that the gay lifestyle is wrong and though I do not condone violence against such persons, we cannot accept or seem to accept their lifestyle as okay.
It is with this understanding that we cannot therefore accept financial gain from any activity, gay or otherwise, from people who reject the word of God, who is the final authority on how man is to live as His word never changes.
We can all pretend to think that the world has changed and that we can therefore accept certain things as okay, but this will be to our detriment as a nation. The world has certainly changed for the worse because the morality of people has declined since they refuse to acknowledge God's word as final.
We as a nation should not take our ability to excel in all aspects of life - be it in sports, business, music, and countless other areas - for granted. This ability that Jamaicans have is a blessing from God because we are one of the few nations that still stands for what He has spoken many, many years ago.
I implore all Jamaicans who fear The God of Heaven and Earth to keep praying because it is the prayers of the saints of The Most High God that has kept this nation from going under a long, long time ago.
A Morrison
morrisonainsley@hotmail.com
Dear Editor,
I must first thank God for my country, Jamaica, and remind us all that this is a country built on the word of God.
Let's not be put off by the high crime level that we are today faced with it as a direct result of the corrupt methods by which previous governments have used to gain political positions of leadership in the notorious '70s.
We must all band together and fight against everything that the word of God has spoken against as being bad or immoral, because if we turn a blind eye to bad or immoral things for financial gain the curse of that will haunt us in the future as is evident with the state of crime and violence today.
There is no question that the gay lifestyle is wrong and though I do not condone violence against such persons, we cannot accept or seem to accept their lifestyle as okay.
It is with this understanding that we cannot therefore accept financial gain from any activity, gay or otherwise, from people who reject the word of God, who is the final authority on how man is to live as His word never changes.
We can all pretend to think that the world has changed and that we can therefore accept certain things as okay, but this will be to our detriment as a nation. The world has certainly changed for the worse because the morality of people has declined since they refuse to acknowledge God's word as final.
We as a nation should not take our ability to excel in all aspects of life - be it in sports, business, music, and countless other areas - for granted. This ability that Jamaicans have is a blessing from God because we are one of the few nations that still stands for what He has spoken many, many years ago.
I implore all Jamaicans who fear The God of Heaven and Earth to keep praying because it is the prayers of the saints of The Most High God that has kept this nation from going under a long, long time ago.
A Morrison
morrisonainsley@hotmail.com