2 more suspects for the John Terry case

According to media reports noteably from RJR and the Gleaner two more men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Honorary British Consul John Terry last month.One is from St. James and the other is from Bushy Park in St Catherine.

The two were picked up during an operation at a house in Bushy Park Friday morning. Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green says the police have established a motive for Mr. Terry's Killing but are not prepared to release it at this time. Earlier this month, a 23-year old man was arrested in connection with the murder.

He is still in custody awaiting an identification parade. Mr. Terry's body was found at his home in Mount Carey, St. James on September 9.

Mr. Terry was said to have died from strangulation. Why do I get the feeling that the Police are gonna tell us it's gay panic or some gays planned to extort him or something to that effect.

Anyway let us wait and see some more. Seeing the whole Buju thing going on now and his pronouncements that gays are killing each other off instead of the JFLAG and other human rights bodies reports of anti gay or homophobic killings that proposed theory of mine may just fit in perfectly timed to bolster that original argument and belief by many in our society.

H

Continuing Breast Cancer Month Posts

Frequently Asked Questions from the Jamaica Cancer Society, visit their website for more useful information.

Here you will find some answers to the most often asked questions relating to cancer and cancer treatment. Hopefully you will find an answer to your question below.
If you do not see your question here or on their website(click image), email JCS at: mail@jamaicacancersociety.org and they will post your question and the answer there. Your privacy will be maintained of course.

Q. What Is A Pap Smear ?

A. The Pap smear, or cervical smear, is an early warning test, which shows whether there are any changes in the cervix, which might develop
into cancer (precancerous changes), as well as detecting cancer of the cervix if it is already present.

Q. What Causes Cervical Cancer ?

A. It is now known that the human papilloma virus (HPV) is found in nearly all cases of cervical cancer and is therefore the primary risk factor.
There are over 100 types of HPV, most of which do not cause cancer, however some HPV are high risk and associated with cervical cancer.

Q. What Are The First Signs Of Cervical Cancer ?

A. The first identifiable symptoms are:
Watery or bloody vagina discharge
Post Coital Bleeding (bleeding after intercourse)
Bleeding between periods or after menopause

Causes of the cancer are linked to sexually transmitted viral infection, such as, genital herpes or human papilloma virus (HPV) that often causes genital warts. Women are likely to develop dysplasia or cervical cancer if they:
had sexual intercourse before 18
had multiple sex partners
had several multiple full term pregnancies
had sexually transmitted diseases
smoke
Most cases of cervical cancer are cured or controlled if caught at an early stage. That is why screening is so important. Every woman over 18 years should have an annual Pap smear.

Q. What Is Chemotherapy ?

A. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. The drugs are often called "anticancer" drugs.

Q. What Chemotherapy Achieves ?

A. Depending on the type of cancer and its stage of development, chemotherapy can be used to:

cure cancer
keep the cancer spreading;
slow the cancer’s growth;
relieve symptoms that may be caused by cancer.
Chemotherapy is a very effective cancer treatment. Even when chemotherapy cannot cure the disease, it can help people live longer and more comfortably.

Q. What Causes Side Effects?

A. Because cancer cells grow and divide rapidly, anticancer drugs are made to kill faster growing cells. But certain normal, healthy cells also multiply quickly, and chemotherapy can affect these cells, too. When it does, side effects may result. The fast-growing, normal cells most likely to be affected are blood cells forming in the bone marrow and cells in the digestive tract, reproductive system, and hair follicles. Anticancer drugs can also damage cells of the heart, kidney, bladder, lungs, and nervous system. The most common side effects of chemotherapy include nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and fatigue.
Most normal cells recover quickly when chemotherapy is over, so most side effects gradually disappear after treatment ends and the healthy cells have a chance to grow normally. The time it takes to get over some side effects and regain energy varies from person to person. How soon you will feel better depends on many factors, including your overall health and the kinds of drugs you have been taking.

While many side effects go away fairly rapidly, certain ones may take months or years to disappear completely. Sometimes, the side effects can last a lifetime, as when chemotherapy causes permanent damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, or reproductive organs.
It is important to remember that many people have no long-term problems due to chemotherapy. It is also reassuring to know that doctors are making great progress in preventing some of chemotherapy’s more serious side effects.

Disclaimer
(image and parts of the information herein are owned by the JCS and is no way affilliated with GLBTQ Jamaica or my allies)

Recent scenes from a Buju show Protest

more here:

Gays Protest Buju Banton – and Banton says: ‘No end to the war between me and the gays’

Many in the lgbt community are upset and just now realising that the whole meeting thing was just a joke, I could have easily predicted that.

Why can’t people see that this is a PR stunt by Buju and his mgmt to plagiarize the lgbt community as if he will ever offer an olive branch of peace.
Cmon people look thru the smoke screen and see the thing for what it is. It’s like an American superstar then doing damage control when something goes wrong with their career or image.
I never bought the idea that he was in a conceeding mood and he reiterates his war comments yet again.

It seems we are no where near tolerance at all in this matter.

According to the report as well, Club patrons, unimpressed by the protests, lined up one hour before Banton’s show. Some laughed andone said, “This is 10 years old. Why are you doing this for something that’s 10 years old. He’s apologized. He’s apologized over and over. Why don’t you go take care of Prop 8?”

Over? How this for over?

Peace and luv
H

Gleaner - Prime Minister Golding: No to same-sex unions ....

Gleaner Page

see more commentry on Gay Jamaica Watch as well

also: PM Says No To Gay Marriage as posted below

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says the nation's Parliament will not recognise same-sex marriage under his watch.

"There is the possibility that some time in the future, Parliamen

t could pass a law that says same sex unions are legal, but it won't be done in this Parliament - not as long as I sit here," Golding said Tuesday.

The prime minister was opening the debate on the Charter of Rights, which is set to replace chapter three of the Constitution.

The Charter of Rights

At present, the Constitution does not guarantee certain rights to citizens, a situation which the Charter of Rights is intended to change.
However, Golding said same-sex unions and marriages would not become rights under the legislation.

"I make no apology in saying decisively and emphatically that the Government of Jamaica remains irrevocably opposed to the recognition, legitimisation or acceptance of same-sex marriages or same-sex unions," Golding declared.

The provision being proposed would entrench within the Constitution that laws passed in Parliament relating to the form of unions between people cannot be held in violation of person's fundamental rights and freedom.

Not preventing homosexuality

In explaining how the law would work, Golding said, "We are not putting in the Constitution something to prevent homosexuality. What we are putting in the Constitution is something that says that if you pass a law against homosexuality, that law cannot be challenged."

The prime minister said that while he accepts that Government "should not interfere in what two consenting adults choose to do within their own pro-tected privacy, I will not accept that homosexuality must be accepted as a legitimate form of behaviour or the equivalent of marriage".

 The Prime Minister on Same Sex Marriages and the Charter of Rights Debate by glbtqja 

He acknowledged that there were international risks the country faces as a result of its position on homosexuality,but said Jamaica would hold dearly to its values on sexuality and the family.

Also let us not forget the rhetoric from the People's National Party when they were in power from the then Attorney General AJ Nicholson and that infamous Gleaner cartoon too:

he also issued a statement regarding No to Gay Marriage a right that was never pushed for exclusively by any local activist as we have more pressing problems of homophobic violence and lack of basic regards for life once one is just suspected to be gay in certain respects.

here is a flashback to a statement he made while he was Attorney General on Same Sex Unions:

"There is no intention whatsoever on the part of the Government or the Joint Select Committee of Parliament that any door should be opened by provisions in the proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or otherwise, to decriminalize homosexuality or to pave the way for same-sex marriages to be accepted as lawful in Jamaica.

In seeking to make submissions to the Joint Select Committee at this eleventh hour, the church representatives and the group of lawyers who complain about certain provisions of the Charter, concerning the protection of the right to privacy, need to be reminded of the history and purport of those provisions as they were developed.
First, those provisions are to the same effect as those that are contained in the recommendations of the Constitutional Commission of the early 1990s, under the chairmanship of Dr. Lloyd Barnett, in their draft Bill on the Charter


Second, the Joint Select Committee that sat for a long time to consider the Charter provisions, in the late 1990s, heard presentations from groups who take a completely opposite view to that taken by the church representatives and group of lawyers. Those entities, including J-FLAG, even though approaching the matter from the base of a different provision in the Bill, were of the view that the Charter should move away from the recommendations of the Constitutional Commission on this score and that there should be no discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation.


The Joint Select Committee did not agree that such a recommendation should be made to Parliament since it saw such a measure as opening the door to the legalisation, or at least, the decriminalisation of homosexuality.


Third, the Parliamentary Opposition tabled a Charter of Rights Bill in the name of its former leader, in which the provisions of which the church representatives and group of lawyers now complain are in the same terms as those recommended by the Constitutional Commission that was chaired by Dr. Barnett.


The church representatives and group of lawyers ought to be mindful of the following:
• It is not possible to have a policeman placed in every bedroom in Jamaica. So that, within the confines of a person’s home, this particular mischief cannot be prevented or punished except, of course, someone complains.


• Every provision in a law or a constitution is subject to interpretation by judges. Interpretation of laws, however narrowly or broadly drafted, is always coloured by the experience, culture and prevailing circumstances by which the interpreter is guided in coming to a conclusion. That is one of the reasons why the final interpreter of a country’s laws and constitutional provisions should be exposed to and be keenly aware of the socio-cultural imperatives that must guide his decision."


Senator A.J. Nicholson, Q.C.

'No end to the war between me and the gays,' Buju tells Mutabaruka

so it seems after much criticisms on the kind of reporting the Obsever has been giving this issue they awakened. Also we see Buju is at it again, Read this:

By Steven Jackson

International reggae artiste Buju Banton, who this week met with gay activists in San Francisco, says he will not "surrender" to the group's philanthropy proposals as they would contradict his religion and culture.

Banton also said his concert that night was pepper-sprayed following the meeting with the gay lobby.

"This is a fight, and as I said in one of my songs 'there is no end to the war between me and faggot' and it's clear. The same night after I met with them (gay associates), they pepper-sprayed the concert. So what are you trying to tell me?" claimed Banton who phoned Mutabaruka's Cutting Edge talk-show on Wednesday in order to clarify his meeting in the US gay capital. "I owe dem nothing, they don't owe I nothing."

Buju said that he felt legally and not financially compelled to meet the group.

"It is not about boxing food out my mouth, if a that I would have surrendered to the system a long time ago," he later added. "The mayor of San Francisco, or the mayor-to-be, claimed that I was in his district and that it was imperative for him and his organisation to meet with me to further see what kind of personality or character (I have)."

The gay activists in San Francisco reportedly want the proceeds from Boom Bye Bye to be donated to J-FLAG. They also want Banton to hold a town hall meeting in Kingston about the need to respect gays.

"Them come with demands which I and I a go flop dem right now, because give thanks to my culture and upbringing I coulda never endorse them things. I can't sell myself out, neither would I do that in a thousand years," he continued. "I love everyone in the world. I don't love no special group from another group. There are other needy organisations out there."

The meeting included convenor Bevan Duffy; Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the San Francisco gay community centre; Andrea Shorter of Equality California; advocate Michael Petrelis and members of Banton's management team.

Buju is on a US tour to promote his new album Rasta Got Soul, yet it has been his anti-gay song, Boom Bye Bye, written almost two decades ago, which continues to spur gay protests. "I said to him that this transpired 17 years ago and every year is the same thing," he said.

Banton said that the US gay lobby was tipped-off by gays in Jamaica. "The 'mayor' .said that there are people in Jamaica who are feeding him these information and giving Jamaica a bad reputation, saying that we are the murder capital of the world for gays," said Banton.

Despite the controversy, Banton and others called his tour the biggest-selling reggae tour of the year. "I have two-and-a-half more weeks and let me tell you this, if a show has been cancelled or postponed by this group of people, it has been picked up and replaced in another venue. Let the struggle continue," said Banton. "Pray for I, don't cry for I," he said on the programme.

J-FLAG not impressed with Buju's meeting in San Fran

By Steven Jackson
The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) is "unimpressed" by Buju Banton's meeting with the San Francisco group, adding that the impasse tarnishes Jamaica's reputation.
At the same time, J-FLAG said it doesn't want philanthropy but, rather, tolerance from Banton and other deejays.

"In a word, J-FLAG is not convinced that the meeting has produced any tangible results for the gay community that has been the target of Mr Myrie's violent 1992 lyrics, sung a number of times in recent years as a mark of defiance against gay rights protesters," said Jason McFarlane J-FLAG programmes manager in response to Splash queries.

J-FLAG remains resolute in its position that no agreement can be reached between Banton and the gay community until (a) he desists from publicly performing Boom Bye-Bye and (b) repudiates the call for the "murder" of gay and lesbian Jamaicans.

Banton said on a Wednesday night radio programme that gay murders in Jamaica are predominantly crimes of passion and not hate.

"These are the minimum conditions required by decency for him to be absolved of his incitement of violence against these groups. Anything less is mere farce and a public relations stunt to garner support for his music," noted J-FLAG.

This week, dancehall artiste Mark Myrie, aka Buju Banton, met gay rights activists in San Francisco, USA. The meeting was to discuss concerns of the gay community who have long protested his shows. Banton's international career has been dogged by protesters and show cancellations since recording his 17-year-old, anti-gay song, Boom Bye Bye.
The meeting's participants wanted Banton to give the proceeds from the song to J-FLAG, hold a pro-gay town hall meeting and sing pro-gay lyrics. These requests were berated by Banton and also J-FLAG.

"J-FLAG is under no illusion that Mr Myrie or other DJs of his ilk will ever be minded to produce music that preaches the dignity of all life, including that of gays and lesbians. Neither do we expect contributions of any sort from them. In fact, such an engagement with the gay community is not our goal," said J-FLAG.
"What we insist on, however, is that no one treats us as less deserving of the right to life than other Jamaicans by virtue of our sexual orientation."

CONTINUE HERE

Here are some of the comments mostly negative as usual:
Bunny
10/16/2009 3:42 AM
Jamaica;s tolerance towards you gays will never increase. Because of your continued and high profile attack on Buju, people are likely to be even less tolerant,
You hipocrites, you have committed some of the most heinous murders in this country and have the gall to talk about this impasse marring Jamaica's reputation.

D
10/16/2009 4:34 AM
Unu stop tell lie seh people a murder unu !, and stop kill unu oneanother !, be responsible and keep unu activities at unu yard lol. Like how Peterking du him ting untill one of him boyfriend murdered him. And stop pressure Buju, him nah sel out like sum artiste and evry ting will be fine.

dadda
10/16/2009 6:10 AM
lol@ those nasty ppl in jflag

gar
10/16/2009 6:38 AM
God say be fruitful and multiply. Why you gays and lesbian cant stop infiltrating your nastiness in Jamaica.
Be logical gays,without a man and a woman, there will be no YOU. Hence,no further generation.
You people are just selfish about your lifestyle. You are greedy and unethical.

Pauline
10/16/2009 6:57 AM
The members of JFLAG need to look within and counsel their member that when a relationship goes sour the parties should just leave...end of relationship. or try and mediate...work it out or something.... Instead they just downright murder each other in the most vicious manner.

E Morgan10/16/2009 7:10 AM
Well said. Unfortunately, thing will not change in Jamaica as it continues to produce uneducated, ignorant and intolerant people (see any international report on illiteracy in Jamaica, and it is not getting better, it is getting worst). You want proof? See the previous comments.

livity10/16/2009 7:53 AM
jflag you are an agent of the devil.

Ever10/16/2009 8:18 AM
Jamaica will not be the nasty paradise you all dream about , i am sure you all have visas so use them go somewhere else where you dont have to worry about how much we will not bow to your dydfunctional demands

END

Charter of Rights Discussion continues with JFLAG & IJCHR

Radio interview October 15, 2009

Scroll to the relevant post or just peruse the listings hosted on the NING social network page.


Find more music like this on GLBTQ Jamaica Members' LINKUP


The noise in this interview shows where we are in the discussion on rights, no one wants to listen and agree to disagree. I am happy one got to hear from the horses mouth being JFLAG that LGBTQ community never outrightly asked for gay marriage before.

I was never a fan per say of Nancy Anderson from the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights ICJHR but she did raise important points to have rights covering everyone despite orientation and gender.

The discussion as usual drowns out the main points that must be heard clearly and Jason McFarlane, JFLAG's Programs Manager only got to say his piece then it desecended.

JFLAG - Gay marriage debate used as a smoke screen

IJCHR - rights should be afforded to everyone, "We need to say everybody is equal," the church is afraid of everyhting.

2001 JFLAG in fact made representations to include non-discriminationatory in the Charter but it was not accpeted.

The religious right's representative Reverend Al Miller reinforced the theocratic view of the church that gays somehow should not be allowed to challenge the law on marriage as he expects it to come. He fears that rights afforded to gays now will open the flood gates for future demands for gay marriage.

I was relieved that the interviewer Miss Emily Crooks tried to strike a balance in rights generally for everyone. She responded to the Prime Minister's comments at his suprise at South Africa's acceptance in legislation of rights to gay unions.

Peace and tolerance.

H

No Same Sex Marriage says Prime Minister in Charter of Rights Bill Debate

The 20 year old Charter of Rights document that has been sitting idly in the various houses parliament was reintroduced on the house agenda yesterday. The Bill which is to replace section 3 of the Constitution will be debated in earnest according to the present JLP administration to cover rights on gender and other so called freedoms.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding reiterated his position he took on the BBC early in his administration and was seen as a way to cement his weak majority in the Parliament at 32/28 with the present impasse on the questionable citizenship of members of parliament who have sworn allegiances to other countries being contested in court he said NO to gay marriage.

On his feet yesterday in Parliament October 13, 2009 he went into great detail to name most of the other jurisdictions and countries that have marriage rights extended to same sex couples. He expressed surprise that South Africa had extended marriage rights to same sex couples and went on to list countries such as Nicaragua as well.

Here is the excerpt audio presentation:


Find more music like this on GLBTQ Jamaica Members' LINKUP

or

Nationwide on the PMs speech on same sex marriage October 14, 2009 

No to Gay Marriage in Jamaica etc .. my two cents 

The Prime Minister on Same Sex Marriages and the Charter of Rights Debate by glbtqja

I do not recall anyone ever asking for marriage rights for gays and lesbians in earnest save and except when it was briefly mentioned by JFLAG in an article that appeared in a Gleaner column (trying to find it) and in 2006 when the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship created a panic of sorts suggesting that if gay rights were afforded then the flood gates could open for gay marriage when the Charter was debated under the previous PNP adminstration.

see Feb 15, 2006 Gleaner article here:
'Unholy union' - Charter could sanction gay marriage in Jamaica - Christian lawyers

hear the moral panic from Miss Shirley Richards a member of the LCC:

"Our concern," said Richards, "is that these words, as innocuously sounding as they are, can be interpreted to allow for adult consensual homosexual conduct in private," said Richards. She added that once homosexual acts are decriminalised, there would be no basis to bar to gay marriage. Mrs. Richards added that the concept of privacy also deals with abortion rights.

"If the government wants to decriminalise either homosexuality or abortion then it must do so squarely. Don't tell us that this will never happen under your watch and then allow for a few choice words in the charter which you know are capable of having this meaning," said Mrs. Richards.

Other articles of interest:
Rev. Michael Kelly Jesuit Priest takes on controversial issues
Blair warns politicians - Hits at campaigns, abortion, gay marriage
Defending marriage
Other search results (may appear different depending on your location and browser used)

Obviously this gay marriage opposing argument is being used to bolster the morality stance taken by the panicking Christian right who think that gays rights activists and gays themselves will somehow homosexualise the country. What nonsense? one is either gay, str8 bisexual and all other variants in between and if one so chooses one will act on the sexual urges or not where one feels to. Don't forget AsexualS as well who have no interest in sex but more on emotional connections.

So the Charter of may never recognise gays, lesbians, intersexuals, transsexuals or gender non conformists. So we don't exist and be better of dead, WHAT A WAY TO INSTITUTIONALISE HOMOPHOBIA.

Scroll to the relevant item on the player list or listen them all as hosted on GLBTQJA NING Membership page.

also watch:

Peace and tolerance.

H

Some of the exchanges post the Buju/lgbt group meeting

As the mainstream media in the US follow the intensified campaign the stop Buju Banton's performances especially in the gay capital San Francisco here are some of the comments from those who participated in the LGBT meeting in San Francisco Oct 12, 2009 and more from the local media who now are beginning to catch up or forcefully so based on recent developments.

CBS 5 also reports: http://cbs5.com/video/?id=56580@kpix.dayport.com

"It was a good meeting today. It was cathartic, I think for the artiste because he had never met with representatives of gay organisations. Not in America, not in Jamaica," said Bevan Dufty

"He made some awful anti-gay mistakes when he was younger," Petrelis told CBS. "I was encouraging him to explain that this was his past and that now would be a good time for him to call for love and tolerance of gay people in America."

Jonathan Mack, promoter of Monday's show, said Banton listened to the concerns, but made no promises. He believes the artiste has been unfairly targeted.
"In Jamaica it's illegal to have homosexual activities in public, it's a crime," Mack said. "It's not about lyrics to a song, it's about changing a societal view."

Meanwhile the local media plays catch up as they ignored or skewed the protest action as noise from the penny section of note the Jamaica Observer where one journalist lifted elements of a press release from Traci McGregor (Buju's Manager) to report the few concerts that occurred as success.

Latest publications
The Gleaner today:
Buju meets gay group in San Francisco
Published: Wednesday October 14, 2009
Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica Observer:
Buju breaks under pressure?
Deejay holds meeting with gays

The meeting with the LGBT representatives seems to be an effort yet again by Buju Banton and his team for damage control as his pocket now feels the impact of the cancellations, it does not seem to be about the concerns on the inciteful nature of the song "Boom Bye Bye" and what it seeks to promote which is basically death the gays particularly men. Lesbians are not mentioned.
Will the song be ever pulled? one never knows it seems to be more about grandstanding and using the meeting as a photo opportunity to capitalise on the mainstream attention. I guess Buju's team not so stupid after all and are just working the story like the big names in the US entertainment industry would as well.

There are some in the San Fran area who are questioning the validity of Mr. Petrelis's involvement as his credibility comes into question based on his unique style of activism.

The pepper spray incident does not help anyone in my view as if the meeting is interpreted as a start then such incidences may be seen as setbacks and aggravating a very delicate posture now.

Let's watch this one carefully, the Stop Murder Music has an American base now.

H

Buju show Pepper sprayed in San Fran

Last night, fans of controversial reggae star Buju Banton were pepper-sprayed by an unknown assailant during Banton's concert at the Rock It Room. The assault occurred during the show, when, according to the Rock It Room's booker, Ben Thompson, someone let loose with pepper spray. "This happened directly in the middle of the dance floor, in front of Buju's backup singers," he said. He added that the three singers were all affected by the pepper spray, and Gramps Morgan, Banton's opening act, was also affected. "It got in my eyes and throat," Morgan said. He didn't see the assailant, he said, adding, "It was a dark club and I felt it."

An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified Pollo Del Mar and other LGBT activists as being responsible for the incident, based on misinformation from Banton's management. SFWeekly regrets the error.

Thompson said the assailant was "absolutely" not Pollo del Mar, who was in full drag and would have been instantly recognizable.

Before the concert, a small group of protestors--including Del Mar--stood outside chanting slogans and attempting to engage clubgoers in dialogue about Banton's lyrics. Thompson says the protesters left before the pepper spray incident and never entered the venue.

"My side is simple," says Del Mar. "We showed up. It was a peaceful protest. Violence of any kind is unacceptable," he adds. Del Mar says he first heard of the incident that night at 2 a.m., and his first thought was that he hoped no one was hurt.

Andrea Shorter, Director of And Marriage For All, who attended the meeting earlier in the day between Banton and members of the LGBT community, derided the pepper spray incident as counter-productive: "Assaulting concert goers is totally unacceptable," she said in an email.


Following the incident, Banton said, "We play America for the fans, not for the protesters," declining to make any additional statement on the matter.

This however is NOT funny to me if we expect to broker peace and harmonious relations we cannot going do stuff like this to reintroduce tensions, come on folks whoever you are stop that!

H
(SFWeekly)

How breast-aware are you?

BREAST cancer does not develop overnight. In most cases it's detected by women who notice that something is not right whether through self-examination or because they have taken the time to do a mammogram.

Unfortunately some women are too laid back and remain unaware as they don't take the time to monitor their bodies. Take our quiz to find out which category you fall in.

1. When it comes to Breast Self Exam (BSE) you do that:
a. Once every month
b. Never
c. Maybe twice for the year

2. You think mammograms are:.
a. Very important and ensure you do it once per year
b. For old women
c. You plan on doing it 'sometime in the future'

3. When it comes to informing yourself about the risk of breast cancer you:
a. Read everything you can get your hands on.
b. Figure what's the use? It's not in your family anyway
c. Make a mental note to start researching soon

4. If you looked at your breasts would you would be able to:
a. Detect the slightest change.
b. You couldn't tell if anything was amiss
c. You would need a few more days to tell

5. Do you know the earliest signs of breast cancer?
a. Definitely
b. Don't have a clue
c. Have some vague idea

Scoring

Mostly A's
Congratulations, you are a real health police when it comes on to your body. You are one of those persons who will detect the slightest change and act quickly on it.

Mostly B's
Wake up! You need to be more vigilant about your breasts. You don't want to be caught off guard do you?

Mostly C's
You are on the brink of getting careless about your health...but it's not too late for you. Stop putting off for tomorrow what can be done today.

- Cecelia Campbell-Livingston

Buju Banton meets with gays in San Fran

courtesy of Petrelis Files

(Back row, L - R: Jonathan, Buju p.r. rep, Bevan Dufty, Andrea Shorter, Eric Mar, Rebecca Rolfe, Tracii McGregor. Front row, Michael Petrelis and Buju Banton.)

Four members of San Francisco's gay community met this afternoon for 40-minutes with Jamaican singer Buju Banton in Larkspur, up in Marin County, to discuss his troubling history with gay people.According to Buju and his advisers, this was his first meeting ever with gay advocates, and they really want to put an end to the controversy that continues to dog him over violent homo-hating song he sang in his late teens, "Boom Bye Bye."


At the meeting were gay leaders Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who arranged the meeting, Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the SF gay community center, Andrea Shorter of Equality California and myself. Also present was Supervisor Eric Mar, a progressive straight leader in the Asian community, and, of course, Buju and Tracii McGregor, president of his music company.

About ten minutes into the meeting in the hotel lobby of where the singer is staying, some of his p.r. people joined the conversation.The meeting was very civil and productive, even though at times I had to play the "bad cop" activist, especially when Buju was dominating the discussion, and we made several suggestions for him to consider, in order to start to undo some of the problems he has in the gay community because of his past anti-gay lyrics.

We proposed that he think about making statements in Jamaica calling for love toward gays, donating to the JFLAG group, hold a town hall meeting in Kingston about the need to respect gays, and sing about loving gay people. All the suggestions were rejected, frustrating us.It was explained by us that American gays are not singling him out, as we advocate for gay tolerance in Jamaica, but that we have also applied pressure on the government and business leaders to affect change that benefits gays across the island nation.

While there certainly was little movement on his part, and we didn't agree to tell any other gays to stop protesting his concert tour or suggesting he do more to confront the terrible, and sometimes deadly, anti-gay violence in Jamaica, we felt it was a very positive step forward that the meeting took place.Our hope is that we will continue to speak with him and his representatives to address the pervasive hatred gays face in Jamaica, and work together to reduce homo-hate. I believe Buju fully understands that today's meeting was a beneficial first step and that the gay community will want more concrete steps taken, before our actions against his concerts cease. Many thanks to Bevan for arranging this important first meeting, and thanks to Buju for taking the time to listen to us, and to let us hear his views.

Let's keep the communication going.

from Petrelis Files

Peace and tolerance


H

The Art of Erotic Biting

In modern American culture we are familiar with love bites characterized by the neck hickey, a red, discolored spot or bruise resulting from biting or pinching with the mouth. Among young teens the hickey is almost a rite of passage, a badge of honor symbolizing sexual maturity and success at winning a lover. They become a somewhat subtle way of saying "I got laid last night". Among younger children the hickey is sometimes given without much sexual involvement as something of a love game from their earliest attempts at serious kissing. We have heard of cases of older boys pinching "virginal" girl's necks (creating a false hickey) to embarrass them before their parents and other youth. Of course kids (especially boys) quickly discover they can fabricate their own false hickeys to win admiration or envy of their peers.

Some gay and bisexual men are aroused by slight bites on the buttocks, the crotch area, the spinchter opening of the anus and the balls (slight nibbling)

Erotic biting has long been a part of serious sexuality. The Kama Sutra devotes an entire chapter to it and like other chapters has a complete taxonomy of forms and styles. "Local customs should be consulted" since the practice varied widely. In some cities the practice was offensive (even dangerous) where in other places it was a honor to one's lover and even expected. The women of Koshala for example loved violent biting and "dildos are much employed". The author(s) warned "One should not be led by a state of excitation into performing acts that are considered unfitting". These practices "if lightly performed, arouse desire and provoke sighs". Biting and scratching is observed "in all species" and the main goal is excitation prior to copulation. In some women this can produce a true orgasm.

All parts of the body were considered suitable except the upper lip, tongue, and eyes. The forehead, lower lip, neck, cheeks, chest, breasts, sides, crotch, ear, feet, armpits and genitals were favored. Attention to specific erotic zones in the woman was essential. The writer advises that "kiss marks on the ear, as well as scratch marks on the cheeks are considered ornamental". These ancient lovers of sex also left fingernail marks in conjunction with bites.

The major types of bites are as follows:

Discreet: gentle bite to the lower lip, leaving only short-term redness. Today we might call this a love nip.

Impressed: firm bite to the lower lip or cheeks, leaving lasting redness.

Pointed: a tiny piece of skin is bitten by the teeth and pulled.

Coral Jewel: a spot is squeezed several times between the top teeth and lower lip, leaving a dark rose mark in a jewel shape.

Necklace of Gems: coral jewel (larger) marks left in a line along some part of the body. They were favored along the neck in two lines, down both sides of the torso, or near the sexual organs.

Necklace of Dots: pointed (smaller) marks left in a line or two on the body.

Scattered Cloud: small teeth marks arranged in an irregular pattern (ie. cloud shapes) on the body. Leaving these marks below the breast is mentioned.

Chewing the Wild Boar: Closely spaced bites over a wide area "forming a red center" below the breasts. Due to the swine association this term is best avoided in modern times!

THE FOLLOWING ARE MODERN VARIATIONS NOT FOUND IN THE KAMA SUTRA:

Initialing: bites form the initials of the lover's name. These variations serve as a type of short duration tattoo and denote a type of "ownership" of the lover's body.
Symbology: bites form a symbol of a group, gang, or organization. Shape of a heart is also very common in symbol of general love. We have heard of one fraternity who bit females from a sister sorority with a Greek letter.
Circling: bites form a circle around an object such as the naval, nipple, tattoo, piercing, or male glans. The Necklace styles are generally a line rather than a circle and do not ring a specific landmark on the body.
Vampire: two small bites (perhaps Pointed type) on the neck to resemble the two punctures of vampire fangs. This was a Halloween pastime among a group of swinging friends.
The practices of erotic biting varied in their violence according to the type of lover, their tradition, and personality. In some cases the Indian man would bite the woman with a necklace. He/She would return the favor, giving him a necklace "as if she were in anger" or "like a madwoman". In some cases the hair is grabbed and light bondage is involved. For instance "she bites wherever he had bitten her and rejoices in his efforts to free himself".

Like scratches these bite marks were considered "a souvenir of sexual relations". They were also marks of adultery and might serve as legal evidence. Necklaces were considered proof the woman have consented for an extended period of a time with her lover. Recent, visible bite marks also told others that a man or woman had a current lover and might be unavailable. It was also a sort of advertisement of the lover's erotic skills. If the lover was known others could admire his or her skill in this important erotic artistry or lack thereof. This is why some bites were done on visible places (neck, arms) vs. hidden places (below breasts, pubic area) to be either public or private knowledge. But in our modern beach culture with skimpy outfits few such protections are possible.

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Frottage & Toucherism

Frottage or frotteurism is rubbing against unknown persons (usually female), often with the clothed penis, for sexual gratification of some kind. Frottage usually involves rubbing the clothed penis against a clothed woman's leg, buttocks, or pubic region in a public place. Toucheurism is similar but involves full use of the hands on an unknown female's body, often including the buttocks, legs, crotch, and breasts. Both of these practices usually imply a lack of permission and in this manner are distinguished from activities such as tribadism and "dry humping". The term frottage is sometimes used to indicate any public rubbing while standing, consentual or not. Indeed some of the sexual fantasy involved in these practices has to do with the fact the victims, usually women, are strangers. The term toucheurism derives from the French toucher meaning touch.
Both frottage and toucheurism are considered sexual deviations or paraphilias (even by the most liberal minds) because they involve violation of personal space and privacy. In most modern societies these practices are punished by law. Psychiatrists have made a clear connection between toucheurism in particular with propensity for sexual aggression including rape. Thus persons, usually men, having a fondness for or record of toucheurism are often carefully watched. Attempts at either frottage or toucheurism in a confined, secluded space is usually classed as attempted rape by law enforcement authorities. For example, a man finding a woman alone using a payphone who attempts to rub against her would usually be subject to more severe charges than one acting so on a crowded subway.

Frottage is not uncommon in young males and is sometimes considered harmless if outgrown towards puberty. There is sometimes an illusion that this activity will please the girl and become consentual. The fact that some popular dances and bar scenes encourage similar contact (thought consentual) may encourage them. Yet older males may practice frottage almost as a hobby - though frottage is rarely their exclusivve form of sexual expression according to studies (Wilson, Glenn. 1987. Variant Sexuality: Research and Theory. Johns Hopkins. Baltimore). Concerts, crowded noisy bars, and rush-hour transportation systems (mainly subways, buses, and trains) are popular locations for this activity. Indeed some devoted practioners of frottage have been known to plan trips on subway trains during specific times when it is most successful for them. These crowded public forums for frottage provide some "cover" because the male may offer a false apology if caught or easily disappear into a dynamic mass of other people. When alcohol is involved such men often claim a sort of clumsiness or exaggerated intoxication to explain their movements. Frottage and toucheurism is also common with mentally defective (ie. Downs syndrome) or socially inadequate (ie. very shy) men.

In crowded buses here in Jamaica many have been heard to give accounts of their experiences being aroused by close contact with other passengers and the bus conductor, if he or she is attractive. The infamous barber shop rub up is also of note where barbers have been known to let their "equipment come to rest on ones shoulder while one is trimmed or shaved and same equipment is known to have risen to the occassion in full attention.

There is a also a rare paraphila (deviant sexuality) which we may term frottophilia for lack of an existing term. It refers to one being aroused by being touched or rubbed by strangers in a public place. While most recipients of frottage or toucheurism do not consent nor enjoy the practice, the occasional person does. We have found reference to teen girls at rock concerts and men in crowded gay bars admitting to enjoyment of the activity by others. It has been described as anonymous, mysterious, and low risk arousal.
SEX ED 601

Tribadism and safer sex

Tribadism (pronounced /ˈtrɪ bæd ɪzm/) or tribbing, also known by the slang term scissoring, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation. This may involve female-to-female genital contact or a female rubbing her vulva against her partner's thigh, arm or stomach; it can also refer to a masturbation technique in which a woman rubs her vulva against an inanimate object such as a bolster, in an effort to achieve orgasm. The term is most often used in the context of lesbian sex, but is not exclusive to lesbians.

History

In the sexuality of the ancient Romans, a tribas was a woman who wanted to be an active partner or "top" in intercourse. The Romans did not classify according to homosexuality and heterosexuality. They instead had words for who was the active partner and who was the "bottom".

Until the 20th century, the term was used to refer to lesbian sexual practices in general. Therefore, lesbians were occasionally called tribades.

This position is not exclusive to humans. Females of the bonobo species, found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also engage in female-female genital sex, usually known as GG rubbing (genito-genital).

Safe sex issues
As with any exchange of bodily fluids during sexual activities, tribadism has the potential to transfer sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) if those are present in one or more of the partners. Participants have the option of safe sex practices.

Tribadism in popular culture
The glam pop band Scissor Sisters derived their name from the scissoring position.
Bands named after tribadism include Scissorfight and the lesbian punk band Tribe
Genital-genital tribadism was depicted three times during the "D-Yikes!" episode of the cartoon South Park, referred to in that episode as "scissoring".
Australian band Rocksteady pay homage to tribadism with their song "Scissoring".

SEE: Bonobo Sex and Society
The behavior of a close relative challenges assumptions about male supremacy in human evolution

Remember HIV OK:
It infects CD4 cells and uses them to make new copies of HIV, which go on to infect more cells. The lower a person's CD4 count, the weaker their immune system will be.

Very low risk but NOT No risk
HIV is transmitted when blood, vaginal fluids (including menstrual blood), breast milk or semen from an HIV+ person enters your bloodstream.

It is true that instances of female-to-female HIV transmissions that have been documented are far less than the other modes of transmission mainly unprotected heterosexual and homosexual penetrative sex. The route possibly being sex toys, used vigorously enough to cause exchange of blood-tinged body fluids.

Lesbians are fortunate enough to be in the lowest risk and it’s very rare for women to transmit HIV to each other sexually.

Each woman must assess the risks for herself and decide how she’s going to conduct her sex life. Many of us consider monogamy to offer all the ‘safety’ we need sexually. Although it can’t protect against HIV if someone already carries the virus.

Sexual identity does not necessarily predict behaviour. Just stay aware and enjoy what and who you do!

Safety first
Safer sex for women who have sex with women is a personal choice. If you are concerned you may want to follow the following tips:

Use protection during oral sex. Dental dams, cut up condoms, or cling film can be used to minimise contact with fluids during oral sex

Don’t share sex toys, or if you chose to, make sure you use a new condom every time it enters a new hole!
Cuts on hands create risk during vaginal masturbation/ fisting so you may want to use latex gloves
Rough sex is safe if there is no blood involved
If you are piercing each other then disinfect the needle and body areas

If shaving the vaginal area, do not share razors.
One can cut a FEMIDOM II or a regular condom open to act as a shield between both genitals but the FEMIDOM II is well lubed with water based liquids so it helps to avoid hair cuts and reduces friction, also the FEMIDOM can be used on large sex toys as well if those are introduced in the session.

Frottage (rubbing bodies together) is better and recommended by most experts in HIV as the risks as outlined briefly above can pass HIV and other STIs if the action is rigid and there is contact with blood and other bodily fluids to blood.

Peace & tolerance

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Understanding Self Acceptance

In order to achieve effective results, through self-counselling, an individual will have to willingly explore a number of essential qualities. These include self-acceptance and the ability to work towards creating positive changes in the behaviour, thoughts and emotions that are considered to be unacceptable.


What is Self-Acceptance?
Being accepted for who you are, regardless of your thoughts, beliefs, feelings, values and behaviour is a liberating experience. It allows us to move through life with less concern about holding ourselves in check.


Acceptance usually comes after other people have taken the time to understand who we are, what we do and how we deal with issues and situations, as well as how we interact with other people. If we feel judgment is being passed on us however, it creates a barrier, which may stop an individual accepting him or herself.


Being able to accept ourselves fully can only happen if we accept that our psyche does not judge us in any way, and that it will therefore help us overcome our issue with acceptance of self.



Non-Acceptance
When we judge others, or ourselves, we are being non-accepting. Our psyche, or inner self however, accepts us without questioning, although we will often attempt to work against it by trying to be someone we are not or by acting in a way that does not feel natural to us. Putting ourselves down, being harshly self- critical or concentrating on our weaknesses are all actions of non-acceptance.



Bridging the Gap
Self-counselling provides an opportunity to explore all the areas of our personality or behaviour that we do not like or accept. Developing our skills and personal awareness of self-acceptance can only be possible if we recognise that changes need to be made, and are prepared to accept this. In order to make the changes we want to we need to bridge the gap between our current actual state of self-acceptance and the ideal.


Although perfect acceptance probably does not exist, we can work towards bridging the gap, between what we have and what we would ideally like to have, by being open to exploring feelings and emotions through self-counselling and personal development and growth.



Working With Your Psyche
By listening to yourself you will be able to identify the parts of you, and your behaviour, that you do not accept. This may include behaviours and reactions that you would like to change, habits that you would like to break and other things or thoughts that you have which are no longer useful to your personal progress and development. Reviewing this list, from time to time, is a useful exercise that will enable you to acknowledge your continued progress.


Understanding how your personal non-acceptance interferes and creates issues in your relationships with others will enable you to pay closer attention to behaviour. By accepting that you will have to make changes you can begin to identify the best solutions for the outcome that you want to achieve. Letting go of the feeling that everyone, and everything, has to be perfect will also help you deal with self-acceptance.

The Counselor's Guide UK

All that glitters ... LGBTQI people in the US also have issues

Well many folks watching television etc and seeing the mainstream lgbt issues think all is well and queer people are doing well overall in the United States. Well ... wrong, the same bread and butter issues come across probably amplified in our context as our social services do not provide benefits specific to lgbt issues. I was sent a story with this video below linked to a PBS documentary on working class lgbt advocacy issues.

FULL VIDEO

40 years after the Stonewall uprising, the LGBT movement is more visible than ever. But many queer people who do not conform to the image of gender, race and class most pervasive in the media, remain largely invisible-even to the movement. This month, we look at how LGBT people living on the economic margins of our society are organizing themselves to find housing, improve their professional skills, and obtain employment and health care.

Indeed a reality check and all the more reasons we should fix our own business instead of relying on the dream of asylum seeking, it's not an easy road folks as we have seen before many Jamaicans and other nationalities who go to these countries do not adjust well to their new environments and fall in the poverty cracks and find it hard to rebuild or reshape their lives.

Gender non conforming people have it double whammy as here as well often times living in deep stealth or regularise themselves to survive and avoid problems of stigma and violent reactions.

Please watch the full video and think on these things.

lgbtevent@gmail.com

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Promoting homosexuality? No, its about freedom of choice, privacy & tolerance

In Jamaica today many of the anti gay lobby flex their muscles every now and again by grabbing a Bible or the law books and beating us over the head damming us to hell already and saying gays are trying to promote homosexuality as if it's some contagious disease that you get on touch or contact and reminding us buggery is illegal. Some including lawyers and journalists also make the mistake to say homosexuality is illegal when it is not, morality cannot be legislated and this is not a theocracy though by the looks of it we are slowly getting there. It is buggery, the physical act of anal penetration that the law is concerned with not the other factors and stereotypes of male homosexuality.


They also seem to forget that heterosexuals also practice anal sex when presenting their arguments. Intertwined and interwoven in all of that is the hypocrisy and classism where many of these same "moralists" mainly from middle and upper class Jamaica who speak out in public on airwaves and in print through sometimes hateful letters to the respective editors and or editorials have gay friends in their social circles but of course they are rich and educated so those are spared the insults, innuendo and rage that is presented otherwise.


This same anti gay lobby which includes learned professionals, Members of Parliament, legal and religious luminaries would much prefer if we kept our "filth" as MP Ernest Smith calls it to ourselves as he said in a recent interview presented on a Worldfocus report about stigma on homosexuals in Jamaica and HIV. The gay haters pontificate with great pomp and ceremony using the "majority" opinion that battyman fi dead (gays are to die) or at least we must not be seen or heard.

He has been unable to prove his statements about gays being violent all this while using the protection and immunity of parliament, our parliament in essence to slander an entire set of Jamaicans some of whom are sitting in the very house itself but in the name of expediency keep quiet as homosexuality can become politically explosive, if gays were violent half the stuff that reach us including the horrific acts of homophobic violence would have been responded to or be less as people wouldn't mess with us to begin with. Doesn't he realise that we are in a failed state right now? or is he only directing his venom at poorer classes while ignoring the well to do and business elite hence further perpetuating the two Jamaicas sundrome? (rich and poor)


also see: "Keep it to Yuself mentality" on homosexuality part 2 .... on "str8 Jamaica (part 1 linked) and Homophobic Violence Ernie Smith & Venom from this Blog.


Yet while all this is going on the proposed Charter of Rights has been stalling in the Senate and in the house we are then told that consensual buggery is also illegal in the recently updated Sexual Offences Bill get the full PDF version here so the Charter when I last saw it speaks to the right to privacy and the whole question of the domain or threshold of ones home or owned premises is sacred is meaningless then. If I as an adult choose to have sex with another man and the state really wants to get me, whether consensual or not I can be prosecuted even by breaking down my door without a warrant I guess to lock me up on a suspicion simply because I am making love to a man. I don't think we as gays realise how real this is. Oral sex is also covered in the new Bill as well but they have cleverly make it gender neutral along with buggery I think this is so as to avoid the criticism that gays were specially targeted in designing the law.


Why guarantee a right to privacy and then challenge it with pieces of legislation that impedes on that right so profoundly? it doesn't make sense or am I wrong here?


Tolerance:
We seem to think tolerance means that someone gays are gonna get up and try to homosexualise everyone, as far as I am concerned you are either gay, straight, bisexual or any other variant of sexuality that identifies you it depends on if one chooses to act on it. Why can't we all just get along? we readily watch North American and Jamaican gay themed movies, plays and listen to artists Elton John, Rupaul and George Michael who ironically Elton and George's music is popular here played even by the homophobic of DJs on radio and in the dancehall & mixtapes sometimes yet we get worked up over homosexuals or the lifestyles.


I think we have the capacity to co exist with ease if we only try or want to. The stereotypical images of gays are often made into comedy although sometimes it teeters on homophobia with an aire of cynicism and scorn. Respecting people's rights and freedoms from both ends must become the benchmark where we move from, all people can't be the same and people must be free to choose as long as it does not impede greatly on another individual and the nation in general.


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