Insensitive parents & Displaced MSM

Many Jamaican adolescent gay men are the victims of displacement and or ostracism by family members and others when they are found to be gay. A most recent case that came to my attention is that of a 23 year old male who frequents his family home and stops in to supervise his other siblings. According to him in a recent conversation his mother demanded he leave the home as she told him she found out about his lifestyle after years of rumours and suspicions of his orientation. She told him that she doesn't intend to share even utensils with him thus he cannot stay in the home.

Suprisingly his father is much more understanding in this case as usually fathers are much more angered by their son's homosexual lifestyle. The difficulty with stories like this one is that many of the displaced males are usually in their teens and who find themselves in difficult situations to eek out an existence for themselves, they are taken advantage of by other gay men who prey on their weakened positions and often use them for sexual favours.

It is an admission that many in the GLBT community don't really want to discuss directly and sad to say there are very little social intervention strategies that can capture these young men and women who fall through the cracks. Lesbians tend to fear off better as there support systems are usually emotionally connected and they tend to be nurturing thus outcomes yield more positive results. Another reason also could be that lesbianism is tolerated much more than male homosexuality so the girls can "survive".

Other accounts speak of parents checking emails of teens while they may have left the computer, browsing text messages of cell phones without the victims knowledge, scrutinizing phone calls and listening in on conversations. There was an incident several years ago where a father allegedly handed his gay son to students at his school to be beaten but was rescued by compassionate ancillary staff who took several blows to shield him and called for police intervention.

Jamaica Observer article 19/02/04: Father encourages students to maul 'gay' son

"According to students and teachers at the school, the boy's father apparently found pictures of nude men in the boy's school bag.
Infuriated, he turned up at the school yesterday with the pictures and encouraged the mob to turn on his son. As students began to maul his son, the man is reported to have driven away."

In notoriously homophobic Jamaica gay men can hardly expect protection even from their parents - as was made very clear yesterday.
A father, concerned that his son might be gay, turned up at the Dunoon Park Technical High School in east Kingston and apparently encouraged other students to beat the boy, an eleventh grader.

"Them bruck up desk and bench and beat him up badly," one Dunoon student told the Observer. "Him get nuff lick, box, kick and thump from boy and girl."
The boy's name was withheld by school officials and the extent of his injuries was not immediately known. But whatever they were, it would have been worse were it not for the intervention of ancillary staff.
According to students and teachers at the school, the boy's father apparently found pictures of nude men in the boy's school bag.

Infuriated, he turned up at the school yesterday with the pictures and encouraged the mob to turn on his son. As students began to maul his son, the man is reported to have driven away.
In the frenzy, students hurled stones at police who were called to the school to restore order, in the process damaging police cars and motorbikes. The police eventually were able to rescue the youngster from the other students, most of whom wore uniforms, and whisked him off the campus.
According to a teacher at the school, people from outside the school joined in the fracas.

"They were intent on killing him," this teacher said. "They were like a pack of wild animals who had smelled blood and if it wasn't for a staff member who jumped on top of him, you would be reporting on a mob killing."
The teacher described the behaviour of the student's father as "careless".
"A me save him," an ancillary staff member told the Observer. "Me have to jump on him and shield him cause them was going to kill him. Me get a whole heap of licks, but me push him in the office and lock him in."
School authorities were forced to call the Elletson Road police to escort the boy off the compound when the angry mob became uncontrollable.

But the cops were also attacked, leaving some with minor injuries. After calm was restored, at least a dozen Dunoon students were taken to the Elletson Road police station where they were given a stern warning by officers from the station's Criminal Investigation Bureau before being released.
"We went to the school to calm down a situation and protect the students and they turn around and fling stones on us," an Elletson Road police office complained. "What has the society come to?"
The parent who has been accused of ordering the students to maul his son, reportedly drove away from the school as soon as the fracas started.

Read more:

I don't know where to begin as to how to address this issue, why cant we just be tolerant and try to understand the issue of homosexuality before cursing it?

Peace and tolerance

H

The reasons and realities behind the ex-gay movement

By Ramsey Dehani
source: Pink News
The ex-gay movement, which professes to 'cure' homosexuality, is in the news yet again following the disappearance of American student Bryce Faulkner, who is thought to have been sent to one of the controversial centres by his parents after they discovered he was gay.

Ex-gay ministries were founded in the mid-1970s in a reactionary move against the advance of the gay rights movement in America. Rather than focusing on any biblical exegenesis or psycho-biological studies, the movement focused on popularised stereotypes of gays and lesbians, concentrating their actions on such things as 'gender-specific' role playing and ways of thinking.

The ideals of what the movement preaches, a move from homosexuality through to heterosexuality, are said to be ineffective and "potentially harmful" by American psychologist groups such as the American Psychological Association, which claims that such direct intolerance and lack of acceptance can cause mental health problems.

PinkNews.co.uk spoke to Dr Adrian Coyle, a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey and co-author of 'The Social Psychology of Sexuality', about how these negative connotations affect the person involved.

With regards to reparative therapy, Dr Coyle said that there is "no evidence it works" and that the "research evidence just isn't there".

"As a psychologist and a scientist, I want to know about the evidence they have," he said.

"I don't think its wise to engage with the desire to change, the reinforcement of pre-existing negative ideas of one's sexuality presents a huge risk.

When asked further about ex-gay treatments he said that the only positive outcome would be that "conceivably, once, say, a religious Christian who is forced to go or chooses to go [to a centre], engages with it and tries their best only to find it doesn't work . . . it could be a catalyst for some critical thinking and a realisation that maybe they are not 'wrong'".

He went on to stress: "The risk is so huge for feelings of complete isolation of social context and the implications for a person's life and wellbeing."

He added that this could potentially lead to suicide.

Ex-gay groups tend to say that members who come to them want to change, and lose their "unwanted same-sex attraction", but when reading accounts from these people, many of whom come from small towns or cities throughout America where there is harsh intolerance towards gays, one can see reasons why they think that this is their only option.

The groups themselves often cite personal trauma as reasons for undertaking the therapy, with the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) claiming: "Early [during childhood or adolescence] sexual experiences with an older, same-sex person are commonly reported by our homosexual clients."

Peterson Toscano is the co-founder of beyondexgay.com, an online community for people who have gone through the ex-gay process and found it unsuccessful.

He submitted himself to reparative therapy, and spent 17 years of his life attempting to address his same-sex attraction, before finally coming out as openly gay in 1999. He told PinkNews.co.uk about his experience at ex-gay residential programme 'Love in Action' (LIA), as well as the three exorcisms he went through.

Describing a reparative therapy session, he said: "In LIA a typical day meant group sessions where we talked about our issues and get teachings about why we are gay based on the template they provide. Often parents get blamed and participants need to match their personal histories with the template the programme leaders provide thus creating a new mythology about themselves.

"We had to spend a great deal of time writing about our former sexual experiences," he continued, "and then filtering them through a lens that deemed such activity as sinful, dysfunctional and addictive.

"We also had to stand up in front of family and friends and share one of the most shameful sexual experiences we had, much like people do at AA when they talk about hitting rock bottom. This is a devastating and shaming event for both the participants and the parents".

Toscano talked about how they were given training in "proper" gender roles and personal presentation, and "how to dress, walk, act like proper men and women". Examples included men going to football "clinics" and women receiving baking lessons.

However, it seems that LIA itself does not even believe gays can be changed.

Toscano described how John Smid, the director of LIA, announced in a welcoming speech to them that the goal of heterosexuality was "unrealistic" and added that many would struggle with their desires for the rest of their lives.

Even Exodus International, the ex-gay group that is one of the largest of its kind and also the place where Bryce Faulkner is said to be being 'treated', now teaches this very message: "Change in orientation is not possible.”

Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International, spoke at the Love Won Out conference in 2007 and said: "Heterosexuality shouldn't be your number one goal . . . the opposite of homosexuality isn't heterosexuality. It's holiness."

Mr Chambers continued: "I think we in the church often get that wrong. We think, 'okay, the best thing for this person who's involved with homosexuality or involved with lesbianism is that they come out of that lifestyle and go into heterosexuality'".

He added that this was "setting people up for a terrible fall".

So the president of the group itself is saying that the heterosexuality that he is attempting to push on gay and lesbian people is unattainable.

Bryce Faulkner has been criticised from a number of quarters for not choosing to leave therapy.

However, Toscano warned of the difficulties of trying to leave ex-gay ministries.

"Cut off from the world - friends, TV, news, etc -the teachings of the programme fills the head. You get trapped in a world within a world," he continued, "an alternate universe that warns of all sorts of dangers outside, that to leave, one is also leaving God's will for your life."

"Looking at it from the outside this may seem silly," he went on, "but inside that world that is filled with shame and fear, it becomes harder and harder to think clearly for one's self."

"Also, to know that once you leave you may be destitute . . . without the support from your parents . . . it makes it all the harder to get out," he said.

"Some kids do resist their parents and make it, but there are also far too many homeless LGBT people out there."

With the case of Bryce Faulkner still ongoing, and people such as his boyfriend Travis Swanson saying that he was "allegedly brow beaten, manipulated and economically bullied into 'agreeing' to an intervention to 'cure' his homosexuality", one can see that the movement continues.

Despite the assertion from its leaders that it doesn't work, ex-gay therapy continues and more and more people like Bryce Faulkner are sent there every day.

The movement in the US, and indeed, the UK, is going stronger, something which undeniably calls for more research into such false 'cures', which even the centres' leaders say does not work.

NARTH and Exodus did not return calls for comment.

The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir by Staceyann Chin

Order Book HERE

WIKIPEDIA Says:

Staceyann Chin is a 35-year-old spoken word poet born in Jamaica and living in New York City. Chin is a full-time artist. Openly lesbian, she has been an "out poet and political activist" since 1998. In addition to performing in and co-writing the Tony-nominated Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Chin has appeared in Off-Broadway one-woman shows and at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. She has also held poetry workshops worldwide. Chin credits her accomplishments to her hard-working grandmother's and the pain of her mother's absence.
Her work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Pittsburgh Daily, as well as being featured on "60 Minutes." Her poems can be found in her first chapbook, Wildcat Woman, the one she now carries on her back, Stories Surrounding My Coming, and numerous the anthologies, including Skyscrapers, Taxis and Tampons, Poetry Slam, Role Call, Cultural Studies: Critical Methodologies. Staceyann's voice can be heard on CD compilations out of Bar 13- Union Square, Pow Wow productions and many more. She is a host on Logo's After Ellen internet show "She Said What?" and a co-host of BET J's My Two Cents.
Chin's "activist driven"work has garnered praise in various publications. Of her one-woman show Border/Clash, The New York Times wrote that Chin "is sassy, rageful and sometimes softly self-mocking." The Advocate wrote, "With poems that combine hilarious one-liners ("I told her I liked the way she made that pink push-up bra look intellectual") with a refusal to conform ("I want to be the dyke that fucks men"), Chin is out to confront more than just the straight world." And in the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz referred to Chin as "definitely the prize to win" among the three New York City Poetry Slam venues during the years she competed, adding:
“
To watch Chin perform is to watch the very essence of poetry manifested: her performances are imperfect, volatile and beautiful. Chin's poetry is passionate and well-written, sure; but it's her ability to communicate that passion in performance that is unparalled. She becomes the poetry.

Big up sista!

Guyana - Sexual Offences Bill Developments

Letter to the Editor from the only source it seems that is following the Bill's run.

Proposed Sexual Offences Bill most advanced in the Caribbean

Dear Editor,
If the Sexual Offences Bill 2009 laid in Parliament last week is passed in its current form, Guyanese will benefit from the most enlightened legislation in the Caribbean.
Currently before a Parliamentary Select Committee, the Bill addresses all of the obstacles which have made court proceedings almost as traumatic an experience for women and girls as the original crime.
Apart from more certain justice, the law also provides for extensive awareness and training mechanisms to prevent the incidence of crimes of sexual violence.
An important innovation of the Bill is shifting the burden of proof away from the victim onto the accused by a new definition of rape.
At present sexual offence trials, especially rape cases, focus on whether or not the victim consented to the sexual activity.

The spotlight, therefore, is on the victim rather than the accused.
The new Bill requires that the first thing to be established is the presence of coercive circumstances. Only when an exhaustive list of such circumstances has been ruled out, does the question arise of consent taking place.
The court must ask whether violence was used or the victim had cause to fear violence (art.7(2)(a); was violence threatened against others (7(2)(b); ‘the complainant was, and the accused was not, unlawfully detained at the time’ (7(2)(c); was the victim overpowered by drugs (7)(2)(d); was the presence of other people used to intimidate (7)(2)(e); was the complainant asleep (7)(2)(f); was she unable to refuse by virtue of physical or mental disability (7)(2)(g,h); abuse of a position of authority which the complainant could not resist. Should any of these circumstances be present, it can be conclusively presumed that the complainant did not consent to sexual activity.

These features of the Bill have assumed greater significance in recent years because availability of DNA testing has foreclosed on many accused denying that sexual activity took place.
The issue of whether it took place with consent then becomes the centre of attention. The proposed legislation ensures the focus remains on the accused.
Although the threat or use of violence renders women largely powerless over their own physical and sexual integrity, the concept of consent presumes a woman can control the situation if she really tries hard enough.
This myth then encourages exploration by the court of women’s attitudes: was she impulsive, provocative or passive, why didn’t she scream, did she fight, has she consented before? Introducing the element of coercion into the assessment starts to right this balance.

Many features of sexual offences investigations and trials will become more sensitive in future: giving evidence from behind a screen, or by video-link will be available for children (below the age of 18 years); confrontations in police-stations are abolished, as are references to previous sexual history of the victim.
Abolition of Preliminary Inquiries finally takes the Guyanese judiciary from the oral into the print era.
This long-overdue step ought to eliminate a major cause of attrition in rape cases, namely, the interminable delays allowed in the Magistrates’ Court which, along with the casual humiliation by uncaring lawyers, contributed to the abandonment of countless cases.
Measures to address grooming of young girls by male predators are a welcome addition to the law, providing the police with an instrument to counter the growing number of solicitations, abductions and seduction of young girls.

Despite these proposed sweeping changes to procedures in police-stations and courts, victims of sexual offences still have to contend with ingrained and widespread public prejudices.
Public surveys from other societies show that 1 in 3 persons believe a woman is partly or wholly to blame for rape if she flirted with the man and 1 in 4 if she wore revealing clothing or had been drinking.
These figures translate into one-third and one-quarter of jurors sharing these prejudices.
The only weakness of the Bill lies in the multiplicity of official mechanisms charged with promoting sensitivity training, awareness, data-collection and community support.
Too many official agencies charged with vague mandates and dependent on uncertain funding is a recipe for duplication and vacillation.

A more sustainable approach might have seen attention focused on ensuring greater integration of existing services for victims of sexual crimes, leading up to the creation Sexual Assault Referral Centres in which victims can have all their needs addressed in one place and in an integrated manner.
The Bill stands as testimony to the fact that sustained effort can pay dividends.
In this respect the GHRA wishes to recognize the 160 organizations and community groups who supported the ‘Stamp It Out’ campaign, helping to create an environment from which such a Bill could emerge.
In particular we acknowledge Rights Of Children (ROC) activities outside of Parliament on International Day to Stop Violence Against Women in 2006 in which the slogan “Stamp It Out” was coined when women were invited to stamp painted footprints on large zinc sheets.
Executive Committee
Guyana Human Rights Association

Guyana - Sexual Offences Bill GHRA lauds

`An important innovation of the Bill is shifting the burden of proof away from the victim onto the accused by a new definition of rape’
The Executive Committee of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has lauded the tabling of the Sexual Offences Bill 2009, and said that if the bill is passed in its current form, “Guyanese will benefit from the most enlightened legislation in the Caribbean. “
The bill was tabled last week Thursday and was sent to a Special Select Committee of Parliament for deliberations.

According to a release from the GHRA, “the bill addresses all of the obstacles which have made court proceedings almost as traumatic an experience for women and girls as the original crime. Apart from more certain justice, the law also provides for extensive awareness and training mechanisms to prevent the incidence of crimes of sexual violence.”

The GHRA identified an important innovation of the Bill as the shifting of the “burden of proof away from the victim onto the accused by a new definition of rape.” The body noted that “at present sexual offence trials, especially, rape cases, focus on whether or not the victim consented to the sexual activity.” According to the GHRA, this means that the spotlight is on the victim rather than the accused.
The new piece of legislation requires that the first thing to be established is the presence of coercive circumstances. “Only when an exhaustive list of such circumstances has been ruled out, does the question arise of consent taking place.”

The body has acknowledged that the “abolition of Preliminary Inquiries finally takes the Guyanese judiciary from the oral into the print era. This long-overdue step ought to eliminate a major cause of attrition in rape cases, namely, the interminable delays allowed in the Magistrates’ Court which, the casual humiliation by uncaring lawyers, contributed to the abandonment of countless cases.”

Additionally, “measures to address grooming of young girls by male predators” were acknowledged as “a welcome addition to the law”, as it provides “the police with an instrument to counter the growing number of solicitations, abductions and seduction of young girls.”

Meanwhile, according to the GHRA “the only weakness of the Bill lies in the multiplicity of official mechanisms charged with promoting sensitivity training, awareness, data-collection and community support. Too many official agencies charged with vague mandates and dependent on uncertain funding is a recipe for duplication and vacillation”, the GHRA stated.

He said that “a more sustainable approach might have seen attention focused on ensuring greater integration of existing services for victims of sexual crimes, leading up to the creation [of] Sexual Assault Referral Centres in which victims can have all their needs addressed in one place and in an integrated manner.”

The GHRA added that the bill is testimony that sustained efforts can pay dividends. “In this respect the GHRA wishes to recognize the 160 organizations and community groups who supported the `Stamp It Out’ campaign.”

It acknowledged in particular the Rights Of Children activities outside of Parliament on International Day to Stop Violence Against Women in 2006 when the slogan was coined after women were invited to stamp painted footprints on zinc sheets.