"Corrective Rape" in Jamaica? ..... Yes

Yet again another lesbian has suffered at the hands of men who think they can rape away lesbianism out of a woman. The sick act took place in a rural community in upper St. Andrew hills. The woman who is a visiting Jamaican student from a University on study leave resided in her family home and was scheduled to return to the Unites States this September for continued studies.

According to my source she returned from a house a few chains away where she had gone to ask a favour about 7pm on July 31, 2009.

She was met at her gate's entrance which was dark by two men who tried the usual improper Jamaica male advances with suggestive remarks. Other family members had gone out, apparently she has been eyed by the men in the area since her arrival. It was mentioned that she went to the local shop where men heckled her after she ignored their verbal advances again laced with suggestive remarks.

The accusation of her lesbianism began there actually but she ignored the remarks thinking her family's name and reputation in the community would be a buffer for her. Jamaican men are notorious for accusing a woman of being a lesbian if she ignores his public utterances usually laced with sexual overtones.

The men as it turns out where apart of that group who heckled her before and they reminded her before and while committing the gruesome act. The men took turns assaulting the woman before threatening her not to say anything or they would get other men to kill her. The family is stunned. Unfortunately this is the third major case of Corrective Rape this year to my knowledge, the other two involved lesbian couples living together and were committed in Kingston and Portmore communities.

So as it stands our sisters in South Africa aren't the only victims (sorry to use that term but it is what it is) of this awful practice and we must now face yet another ugly reality of homophobic violence towards lesbians. There has been a steady increase in homophobia resulting in violence towards lesbians since my time at a GLBT organisation to present, from stabbings to illegal evictions and beatings.

Just earlier this year a "butch" was beaten as she was told to leave her community of her birth as she was nasty.

The men couldn't physically handle her to rape her so they treated her as a man based on some of the comments that came to my attention as the act was committed. Cases like this leave many women scared and they don't even bother to report these issues to the police as mistrust is a primary reason and the slow pace of the justice system is another.

I haven't been able to contact the woman in question and I wouldn't want to rehash the event with her either, she has since removed from the town but her father is livid and has vowed that it is not over. One of the men in question has been seen leaving the area with a large bag. Wonder where is he going? At least in this case she has a father who has shown some concern other incidents over time have revealed un-supportive families and siblings which sometimes lead to displacements or self imposed exile by the person(s) involved.

I am praying for her speedy recovery so she can return to building her life, sad that in the land of her birth this is the gift she receives for a coming home visit.

Stay strong people, why can't we be tolerant for god's sake.

Peace and tolerance.

H

Sexual Dysfunction & the Gay Man

by the love coach

Sex is all the craze nowadays! Everybody wants to be having it and they want it to be out of this world with eyes rolling into the back of their heads and throats sore from all the unbridled shrieking of ecstasy. While sexual bliss seems to be glamorized in our society, what if you and your partner are experiencing troubles in the bedroom behind closed doors? This can be quite traumatizing and a blow to one’s self-esteem and sense of masculinity, particularly since we men are socialized to be adept and skilled at sexual prowess and conquest.

These stereotypes of men “always being ready” and “virile with lots of stamina” put a lot of pressure on men to sexually perform like gods and threatens their identity as a man should problems arise in that part of their lives; they can feel like a failure or that they don’t “measure up” because so much emphasis is put on perfectionism in this area.If you are going through a rough patch in your intimate life, you are not alone! Sexual dysfunctions are very common, but the good news is that they are usually very treatable! This article will offer gay men a glimpse at some of the more common sexual problems that exist and will provide some tips for coping and potential resolution.

The Clinical Syndromes
In both my therapy and coaching practices, sexual issues make up a large percentage of the relationship problems that clients bring to the table, whether it’s the primary emphasis or a side-symptom of something else that’s going on between the couple. At some point in their lives, most men will experience some kind of sexual-based problem and this is perfectly normal and to be expected. It is when these issues become frequent and the predominant norm in your sex life that you will really want to take notice and take some steps toward addressing it.

In her book (*)“The Art of Sex Coaching”, Dr. Patti Britton, PhD (“The Sex Coach”) outlines nine common sexual concerns that men can experience. I agree with her naming these issues as “concerns”; the medical field has long used such words as “dysfunction” and “problems” to label peoples’ sexual impasses and this only serves to pathologize them. What’s important to understand is that these sexual “bumps-in-the-road” are very common. Buying into the concept that there’s something wrong with you because this is happening to you will only perpetuate your struggles and keep you trapped in a vicious cycle of shame and belief in yourself as being deficient. Couldn’t be further from the truth! These issues can be overcome! The popular concerns cited include:

1. Low or no sexual desire (low sex drive, infrequent sexual urges)

2. Early ejaculation (coming sooner than wanted)

3. Erectile dysfunction (impotence, unable to produce or maintain an erection)

4. Delayed ejaculation (inability to ejaculate)

5. Sexual inhibitions (unable to be free and “let loose” during sex due to past trauma or having internalized negative messages/values about sex being “bad”)

6. Body dysphoria (worries about sexual performance, penis size, masculinity, or adequacy; vanity, body image issues)

7. Social/dating skill deficits (lack of experience, awkwardness, lack of confidence, poor communication)

8. Desire for enhanced pleasure (wanting to become a more skillful lover)

9. Sexual trauma (difficulties with intimacy due to past history of rape or childhood sexual abuse)

CONTINUE

Elephant Man axed from Canadian Concert

By Julie Bolcer
Complaints from Toronto LGBT rights advocates prompted concert promoters to oust a high-profile Jamaican dancehall artist known for antigay lyrics, reports the Toronto Star .
Elephant Man (pictured), also known as O’Neil Bryan, was scheduled to perform at the Caribana Celebrity Ball this Sunday at Circa nightclub. A spokeswoman for the club told the Star that after gay activists complained to the venue, Circa asked the outside promoter to remove the artist from the lineup.

In a hit 2001 track called “Log On,” Elephant Man sings "Log on, and step pon chi-chi man / Dance wi a dance and a bun out a freaky man.” According to numerous sources, including the 2008 book Dark Side of the Tune: Popular Music and Violence, the Jamaican patois lyrics celebrate stamping on a gay man and setting him on fire. Critics have charged a number of dancehall artists with inciting mob attacks against gay people in Jamaica.

Protests also greeted Elephant Man when he was issued a visa to perform in Canada in 2007, resulting in police monitoring his concerts for antigay lyrics

MORE:

Homophobic dancehall musician Elephant Man was booked to perform at Circa nightclub on Aug 2 as part of Caribana weekend. But after some in Toronto’s gay communities expressed outrage, Circa staffers say they cancelled his appearance. Even so, independent event promoters say Elephant Man is still planning to appear.Circa staff released a schedule of events for Caribana on Jul 28 that included a poster for the Celebrity Ball, a Sunday night event featuring a photo of Elephant Man as the headlining performer. Minutes after the material was sent, the Twitterfacefriendspacebook-o-net twitched to life with outrage among some of Toronto’s gay people. Circa staff quickly backpedalled, telling the Twitterfacefriendspacebook-o-net that his booking was cancelled. On the promo poster, the musician’s image was replaced by a question mark. “Elephant Man will not be performing,” Circa staffer Tika Simone told Xtra on Jul 27.

Staff at Circa say they were unaware of Elephant Man’s homophobic lyrics prior to the backlash and pulled him from the lineup as soon as they realized what a fuss it would create.However, when Xtra called some of the event’s independent promoters they sang a different tune. “As far as I know, he’ll be there,” said Prawjectz, one of the Celebrity Ball’s promoters and MCs, on Jul 29. “If there was a change we would have known about it by now.” Xtra contacted Jag a promoter for Soulshock, the promotion company behind the event, to ask if Elephant Man would be performing at Circa’s Celebrity Ball, but he refused to comment and hung up. Three other promoters linked with Soulshock who spoke with Xtra said they were unaware that Circa had dropped Elephant Man from the bill, and that the event was going ahead as planned, Elephant Man included. Xtra contacted Elephant Man’s booking firm, Solid Agency, but after some back and forth calls, no one returned our inquires.

In all of Xtra’s inquires there is so far no indication that Elephant Man will simply be performing in another venue.The controversial musician last made headlines in 2007 when he was scheduled to perform at Koolhaus in Toronto after the concert club cancelled his appearance because outrage erupted from some in the gay community. Elephant Man has been the target of international activist organization Stop Murder Music. The Canadian branch of the coalition helped convince Apple i-Tunes to stop selling songs that incited violence against gay and lesbian people. Matt Thomas, an associate editor of Toronto’s fab magazine, which is operated by Pink Triangle Press, which also publishes Xtra, says he posted a note on his Facebook account about Elephant Man performing at Circa soon after he received the promotional material from Circa. He was surprised by how fast word spread online and by how fast Circa acted. “As an activist I’m used to not getting what I want,” says Thomas. However this time, “I didn’t have to leave my desk and it took three hours.”

Thomas says banning homophobic artists, like Elephant Man, from entering Canada isn’t a good way to oppose homophobia. He says in this case the protest is about putting “socio-economic pressure” on businesses that make a living partly from the support of gay people. Thomas says he wants to encourage venues to think twice before booking homophobic musicians. “It’s about targeting people who profit from hate,” says Thomas. Akim Adé Larcher of Stop Murder Music Canada says that some Jamaican dancehall artists with homophobic lyrics will pull their homophobic songs from their show when performing in some countries. However, “They sing those songs when they return to their home countries,” he says. “The songs still incite violence and hate.” Some of Elephant Man’s lyrics include lines such as, “Battyman fi dead! Tek dem by surprise” (queers must be killed! Take them by surprise) and “When yuh hear a Sodomite get raped/but a fi wi fault/it’s wrong/two women gonna hock up inna bed/that’s two Sodomites dat fi dead” (“When you hear a lesbian getting raped/ It’s not our fault ... Two women in bed/ That’s two Sodomites who should be dead.”)