Observer Chat publishes: Gay Rage Story

So another story from the Observer but appearing in full in the Observer Chat's print edition on an alleged gay on gay violence episode. Pieces liked this further fuels the public belief that gays only fight amongst ourselves and viciously so, while there maybe some truth to that it doesn't discount the reality of homophobia and the violence associated with it that are sometimes vicious in nature or even have ended up in murder. The most recent murder on record was the man who was found decomposed in the hills St. Andrew last year after he was accused of making a "move" on another man in his community, the man and his friend befriended the perpetrator and lured him to a spot where he was believed to have been killed and his body dumped.

What is also disturbing in this story seen below is that the person described as "Emily" has been written about in the Jamaica Observer some time ago in a piece called "Confessions of a Homosexual Man" (- Says gay men are most often killed by their jealous lovers) which the online version seems to have mysteriously disappeared. It was published in December 24, 2006 written by KERRY MCCATTTY where he (Emily) was quoted as saying
"Our love is unusual. It's not normal .we don't even want our partner to have a best friend, to even be close to somebody, the moment we realise we start assuming........."

I remember it well as the original article also contained a photo of the funeral home team removing Brian Williamson's body from his home where he was murdered on June 9, 2004 in New Kingston. Also two photos of "Emily" was present as well with his face blurred to protect his identity.

See the comments on the Observer page and decide for yourselves as to the public's cynical views on homophobia in Jamaica.

We have a long way to go in just to gain peace with each other despite our differences.

What is also sad is that we cannot rectify relationship issues in a peaceful manner, where is JFLAG with the conflict resolution interventions that are required in the community?

For academic purposes I recommend an old article by Mr. John Maxwell from late 2004 entitled

The Abomination of Cowardice


The Observer story reads in part:
Purchase the printed version to see the entire piece.
BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE
Observer staff reporter
husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com

Man says his lover and friends beat and cripple him

A 25-year-old homosexual man who said he was left crippled from a brutal attack by his lover and four other men has forgiven his attackers and has resumed the relationship with his boyfriend.

The well-known Kingston gay man, who goes by the name Emily, told Chat! that the assault, carried out last October, was the third act of violence meted out to him by jealous gay lovers since 2007.

Emily, who is now confined to a wheelchair, said he suffered spinal injuries in the October 2009 attack.

He said he was at his Stony Hill home on October 12 when his lover, along with four of his friends, armed with weapons, forced their way into his apartment.

“I don’t know what they came to do. I don’t know if they wanted to kill me, but I saw them with the weapons,” he told Chat! from the compound of a rehabilitation centre Tuesday. “I remember seeing my lover with a machete and one of the others with acid and other things.”

Emily said he remembered being pushed from his second floor balcony and falling to the ground, then waking up in the Kingston Public Hospital.

“I held onto the rail trying to escape, but because it was so many of them I fell from the second floor to the ground. I was unconscious, I knew nothing,” he said.

It wasn’t until January, after being unable to move his body for over two months and developing severe bed sores, that Emily was discharged from the hospital. Since then, he has been forced to use a catheter.

Another disturbing paedophile accusation, homosexuality & paedohilia misconstrued

According to the Star News today 72-Y-O BUGGERS HIS OWN GRANDSON? - Grandpa accused of molesting 8-year-old an elderly man was charged with allegedly buggering his grandson. If this story is to be believed it's cases like this that make the case for justifying adult male homosexuality as not preditory weak as the public usual arrives at the conclusion with the aid of those who ought to know better that gays are interested in getting into little boys pants.

The story in the Star reads:

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

A 72-year-old St Catherine man who was accused of buggering his eight-year-old grandson has been charged by the Ewarton Police in St Catherine.

THE STAR was informed that it was alleged that on May 1 the senior citizen sexually molested the boy who lived with him. It is said that the child's parents also live in the same yard, however, the boy lived with the old man.

After the ordeal, the child was alleged to have been threatened by his attacker and warned not to tell anyone about what had happened. However, it is said that relatives observed the child behaving in an unusual manner and when he was questioned, he alleged that the accused man had molested him. The child was medically examined and it was reportedly proven that he had been buggered.

An investigation was launched in the matter, which resulted in criminal charges being brought against the elderly man.

The accused man, whose name is being withheld, is to appear in the Linstead Resident Magistrate's Court later this week to answer to the charge.

THE STAR was also told that additional charges could be brought against the accused under the Child Care and Protection Act.ENDS

We must however condemn such acts publicly but then again we must also question why incidents like this happen to our children? The experts tell us that most paedophiles are usually heterosexual even when they comit homosexual rape or abuse.

See the tabs on Ephebophilia and paedohpila below this post

See other rantings and commentry on Paedophilia on Gay Jamaica Watch's Blog

With each story that makes it to the mainstream media like this it paints the an ugly look of the gay community if not by implication then guilt by association given the way the lifestyle has been misrepresented by opponents and by the religious right. Given the recent case also of a paedophilic nature (see post below) where a businessman has been accused of making sexual advances on a 13 year old boy in a popular restaurant's bathroom, the crowds that descended on the day of the trial clearly showed how the public feels about homosexuality in general and by marrying the two issues of adult homosexuality where persons make their own decisions together versus paedophilia that of an adult supposedly imposing sexual will on a minor, they shouted the usual Jamaican parlances of homosexuality and some even openly demanded his death in offering to end his life infront of the police who took him to the court's precinct.

Incidents like this allows us to test the temperature of the public's position on such matters.

So wroth is the public's disdain for homosexuality in general still that the police vehicle that actually took him to the court was mobbed twice, upon entrance and exit to the court and was stoned on the day in question of the incident when the police came to take him away from the restaurant. He has been housed at a facility outside of Mandeville. Here again we find our supposed advocates in the form of an seemingly impotent JFLAG silent and missing in action when there should be some comment and positions presented on this so as to help not only the community but the public grapple with these issues and avoid the unholy marriage which in essence puts us at a greater disadvantage in achieving tolerance and harmony. Where is the vigilance that ought to be present on such public issues that affect the lgbt community?

Peace and tolerance.

H

Crowds gather at Mandeville Courthouse for Trade show man charged with indecent assault on 13yo boy

In a suprise move today in the Mandeville resident magistrate court, the Resident Magistrate, Ms Yvonne Brown who was to hear the charges being brought against a citizen of the Domincian Republic and a member of the popular Columbian trade show that airs on televsion 23 year old George Miguel Silvero Santos ordered the court room cleared of all journalists and other persons waiting for their respective cases to be heard. There was a delay of the petty sessions court next door due to the clearance as only Mr. Salvaro and the boy's mother who is said to be mentally challenged were heard by the sitting judge.

Crowds had gathered from as early as 8am this morning to observe the proceedings with many persons openly expressing disgust at the matter and accusing him of being a battyman. Mr. Salvaro who was hurriedly brought to court from an outstation in Manchester was held in a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in Mandeville on June 6 around 8pm after he allegedly made certain advances to the 13 year old boy where they ended up in a bathroom at the store. It is alleged that the security guards forced open a stall and found the accused man and a boy in a compromising position. It is also alleged that the boy, who was reportedly begging, was given money in exchange for the sexual act.

Both were escorted from the restaurant to the nearby police station, but not before irate residents descended on the scene, armed with stones. The residents allegedly stoned both the police car, damaging the windscreen, as well as the accused man, as he attempted to run into the police station.

One wonders if any charges will be brought against any of those persons stoning the police's property, I doubt it very much.

See the post below named "Leave Our Town Now" for the Star News take on the matter. Of course they sensationlise as per usual by putting the boy's age at 10.

There was the usual combining of paedophile behaviour and adult homosexuality as was heard in the utterances of some of the persons who were waiting outside the court building according to sources who were present and passing by who alerted me. This case is of interest to me though as there has always been a marrying of the two, that of adult homosexuality versus paedophile behaviour which is a terrible mistake which unfortunately has been made by journalists and even so called psychological experts here in Jamaica. This case by the looks of it also suggests the boy was up to it and therefore to me shouldn't be regarded as an indecent assault but I am no legal expert.

The case is to continue on June 23 as Mr. Salvaro who was not asked to enter a plea is to reappear with his attorney Norman Godfrey. The Kingston branch of the popular trade show that wholesales an assortment of items at reduced prices was visibly empty yesterday when I passed the Pavillion Plaza branch there were only two females who look to be staff members and a male at the door who maybe a security guard.
The trade show has caught on all over the island as the very vibrant and attractive infomercials were run on a daily basis advertising and promoting various household, health and personal items to which many Jamaicans responded positively.

Peace and tolerance

H

Diane Abbott on the UK's Labour leadership ballot with 79% gay voting record

By Jessica Green

Left-wing Labour backbencher Diane Abbott of Jamaican parentage squeezed onto the starting line for the Labour leadership this afternoon just before nominations closed.

She will contest four shadow cabinet members for the post – Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham.

A sixth hopeful, the left-winger John McDonnell, stood aside yesterday in order to allow Ms Abbott to become the only woman and left-winger in the race.

She won the 33 nominations required shortly before 12.30pm.

The party's new leader will be announced on September 25th after Labour members, MPs, MEPs and trade unionists are balloted.

Ms Abbott, who was the first female black MP, said she decided to join the contest to improve its diversity. Her four rivals are all Cambridge or Oxford-educated white men in their forties.

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman said “Over the next few months over four million people will have the chance to help shape Britain’s progressive future by choosing the next leader of the Labour Party.

“This will be the biggest and most widespread election of any political party or any organisation in this country. The contest will be open engaging and energising. It will be a chance to invite supporters to join the party to have a vote."

In the run-up to the close of nominations, gay charity Stonewall ranked each candidate on their gay voting record in the last five years.

Mr Balls, the former education secretary, has the strongest record with a rating of 93 per cent. Both Milibands are on 86 per cent.

Ms Abbott has a rating of 79 per cent.

Although she has spoken in favour of gay rights and been a judge in the Stonewall awards, she has missed more than half of the gay rights votes she could have attended since 1998.

She has never voted against gay rights measures, but was absent for important votes on gay couples adopting, civil partnerships and equalising the age of consent.

Former health secretary Mr Burnham comes last with 71 per cent.

In 2008 he twice voted in favour of amendments that sought to discriminate against lesbian couple's rights to access IVF treatment. He abstained on three votes relating to the rights of gay couples jointing adopting children.

Early life and Career
Ms Abbott was born to Jamaican immigrants, her father a welder and her mother a nurse. She went to Harrow County Grammar School for Girls and then to Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read history. At Cambridge, she was tutored by historian Simon Schama.

After university she became an administration trainee at the Home Office (1976 to 1978), and then a Race Relations Officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties (1978 to 1980).

Sex Change And Surgery questions & answers

Sex: Expert Tips:
Sex Change And Surgery

What is 'sex reassignment surgery'?
Sex reassignment surgery for a transwoman is usually Vaginoplasty. It's a plastic surgery that sort of reconfigures the tissue and nerves of male genitalia to approximate female genitalia as closely as possible. A common misconception is that they remove or cut off genitalia. And, they don't, they reconfigure the existing genitalia, so that you still have genitalia, but it is in a new configuration or form. For transmen the surgical options are a lot more limited; but, there are Phalloplasties when they create a penis for the transmen. And there are Metoidioplasties where they sort of use existing structures to approximate a penis as well as possible.

Do all transgender people want to change their biological sex?All transgender people don't necessarily want to change their biological sex. Some are just comfortable living in the gender role socially. They can blend into society and be happy without ever taking a hormone pill or having any medical interventions whatsoever. And others just have it up to the level they're comfortable in doing. Especially for “F-to-M”, or female-to-male transsexuals, the genital surgery is not very advanced still, so many of them take some medical steps, but they do not have genital surgery. But they still feel very confident, in all of these cases, that they are their chosen gender, and they are comfortable and happy living that way.

How much does it cost to change your biological sex?
The costs involved in changing your sex and gender are vast, and they are spread out over a long time. It's a misconception that you can plink down some cash at some hospital, walk in, and walk out the opposite gender. It doesn't happen that way. The cost for genital surgery, which is where most outsiders seem to focus, for trans-women can be anywhere from, right now in 2008, anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand dollars, all the way up to twenty thousand dollars or more. For trans-men, it is actually a lot more expensive for genital surgery, and unfortunately, the results are often not as satisfying.

Does medical insurance cover sex reassignment surgery?
Insurance very rarely covers surgery for transpeople because most outsiders don't understand transpeople; they are repulsed by the idea and they are not even willing to consider the mental and sexual pain that we endure, just like someone with scoliosis or a club foot, or having a portwine stain on their face or something. Those people endure a lot of social stigma. Although they could so function under those circumstances, insurance does cover those situations. We are making progress though and some companies do cover the surgery, and socialized medicine in England and Canada will cover this.

What hormones does a male-to-female have to take during transition?
Usually take some form of estrogen during transition. And they usually take a testosterone blocker before they have genital surgery to block out whatever testosterone might be in their system. There are all different kinds of estrogen. From the little blue pills that your mom might take after menopause, to injections of Estrodol. There are basically different strengths and origins. But your doctor will help you decide on which of those are for you.

What hormones does a female-to-male have to take during transition?
Female-to-male transsexuals take some variant of testosterone, and they often try to block the estrogen. Testosterone is almost always injected, although there are some gels that you can apply. And the results, especially from testosterone, are pretty dramatic.

What is 'vaginoplasty'?
A vaginoplasty is the general surgery that a lot of male to female transsexuals have when they use the tissue of the penis and they invert it to create a vagina and the other structures of the female sexual anatomy, and they maintain the nerves and everything, so, most transwomen who, you know, go to a good surgeon still retain sexual function and sensation, and it's quiet an advanced surgery at this point, their results are really good from the surgery.

What is 'phalloplasty'?Phalloplasty is the surgery that some female-to-male transsexuals have, or even men who somehow are injured or did not develop a penis which happens occasionally. A phalloplasty is a surgery when they take some skin from another part of the body, often from the thigh or the forearm and they fashion a penis with that skin, and put it on to the body, and sometimes they'll put underlying structures that allow some sexual function, such as an erection in the same way that men who are impotent will sometimes have a little pump or something in there. It's basically just a surgery that creates a penis for female-to-male transsexuals.

Can anyone have sex reassignment surgery?
Anyone can have a vaginoplasty or a phalloplasty. Actually, those surgeries are not limited to the transsexual community. There a some women who are actually born with conditions of having a shallow vagina or even vaginal agenesis where they do not develop a vaginal cavity - so anyone can have a vaginoplasty. Some men due to congenital conditions or a female to male transsexual will have a phalloplasty. So anyone can have that surgery. It is important to note that having that surgery-in my mind at least- does not make you a woman or a man. In my mind you are already a woman or a man and you are just correcting your body. Just as a woman born with vaginal agenesis is already a woman, whether she has a vagina or not. The surgery just sort of makes her life easier.

What is the transition process a transgender person goes through to change their biological sex?
The transition process for a transgender person to change biological sex is very complicated because your dealing with gender issues which are complicated social issues, legal issues and your also dealing with mythical issues that are very complex so basically you got a through a phase of self-realization with you understand that you probably are transsexual and you want to take steps to begin living enroll that you are more countable in then you start doing a lot of research and finding support for your self then a lot of people will begin the essential process where they start going out as there new gender or expiring that then a lot of people will begin miracle inventions in a earful hormones all the way out to surgery and a lot of people somewhere in that process undergo to legal steps such as simply legally changing their names your social security documentation and people can switch up that order some people do only some of those steps but biological sex is an overview of the most of the steps.

What does it mean if someone has 'transitioned'?
The term transitioned is sort of a catch all term and a lot of people will have different definitions of this term, but basically it's used to mean that someone has made the majority of the journey over from their assigned birth gender to their target gender. It doesn't necessarily mean they've had genital surgery or whatever, but for all intents and purposes that person is living as their target gender.

What is a 'gender identity disorder'?Gender identity disorder is a classification in the DSM for the diagnostic and statistical manual, which is used by the psych community to identify mental issues. And it describes the situation when someone is uncomfortable with their assigned gender to the point that it is impacting their life negatively. And gender identity disorder is usually considered to be cured by transition. Whether that is just social transition or whether it is full social, medical and legal transition.

What is 'gender dysphoria'?
Gender dysphoria is the core symptom of gender identity disorder and dysphoria means basically, literally, sort of an unhappiness. It is the opposite of euphoria, and gender dysphoria just describes a situation when you are unhappy with your assigned gender. Used in the medical context, it means that you are unhappy with your assigned gender to the point that it's negatively impacting your function in society.

What are the 'HBIGDA Transgender Standards of Care'?
The Harry Benjamin International Gender Disphoria Association is a collective of medical and psychatric professionals who have come together to study and put out a concensus on issues of gender identity, and how it's dealt with in the medical community. It's named after Dr. Harry Benjamin, an eye doctor who was quite a pioneer in transgender and transexual medicine. "HBIGDA" is now referred to as "WPATH," and it sets out a standard of care that doctors use to treat transgendered people.

Intersex And Hermaphrodite Information Video

Transgender:
Intersex And Hermaphrodite


Intersex And Hermaphrodite

How many people in the world are born intersex?

When you are trying to determine the number of how many people are born intersexed, it can be a little difficult because there are a lot of different conditions that can be considered intersex. From genetic conditions to physical actual structural conditions. And so you can look at ISA.ORG which is The Intersex Society Of America, for exact breakdowns, but they estimate that one in a hundred births actually have some situation going on that pushes them along the continuum between male and female. 

Some of those of course are out liars when it is one in ten to twenty thousand. And they have more dramatic issues. And then there are some who have minor issues, hormonal issues and such that might not ever be detected without pretty intensive testing.

What are the similarities and differences between an intersex person and a transgender person?

Intersex people and transgendered people are different because some intersex people are facing a congenital condition that is manifested very detectably through different physical tests. Transgendered or transsexual people are dealing with sexual and gender issues that are not so easily diagnosable, and often seem to come more from the soul and the heart than from a chromosomal test. 

But by and large both intersex and transgendered people face similar issues of discrimination from society, stemming from society's discomfort with our failure to conform to the either/or gender binary. Although we're very different in a lot of ways, we often pool our resources to get legal and sexual rights.

UN committee moves to keep out gay-lesbian NGO

UNITED NATIONS, June 3 (Reuters) - A United Nations committee that decides which nongovernmental organizations can be accredited to the world body moved on Thursday to keep out the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

The group, which had applied for "consultative status" at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) three years ago, is an international NGO and advocacy group focusing on protecting the rights of homosexuals and lesbians worldwide.

Diplomats from Western nations that support gay rights complained that Egypt and other developing states that have been criticized by rights groups for discriminating against gays and lesbians prevented the committee from voting on whether to accredit the group, thereby leaving it in limbo.

"IGLHRC is disappointed by the vote of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to block action on our application," Cary Alan Johnson, head of the New York-based group, said in a statement to Reuters.

The U.N. NGO committee has 19 members, among them the United States and Britain, who supported the NGO. Among those who voted against it were Egypt, Sudan, Qatar, Pakistan, China, Russia, Angola, Burundi and Sudan. Turkey abstained.

Johnson said it was "a clear case of discrimination against an organization because it defends the human rights of LGBT people around the world and promotes non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."

LGBT refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

The U.S. delegation defended the work of IGLHRC (www.iglhrc.org).

"This NGO is committed to combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity," the U.S. statement said. "It has contributed to valuable research on HIV/AIDs and its work is well known to this committee."

A Western diplomat told Reuters that "unfortunately we didn't have the votes" on the committee to overcome opposition from countries like Egypt, Qatar, Sudan and others. The diplomat added that IGLHRC clearly fulfills all the criteria for U.N. accreditation.

The British delegation issued a statement expressing its "deep regret" for the decision to reject a U.S. proposal to take action on IGLHRC's application for a U.N. accreditation. The British statement said the move not to accredit the group was proposed by Egypt on behalf of African countries.

"This act of simple discrimination runs contrary to the principles of the U.N., of ECOSOC and of the NGO Committee," it said.

One envoy told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the United States and Europeans would push for the U.N. Economic and Social Council itself to move to accredit the group, a strategy that he said would have a better chance of success.

IPM 015 Phase I/II expanded Safety Trial in Africa of an Antiretroviral-Containing Vaginal Ring Designed to Prevent HIV

Study in Southern and East Africa evaluates safety and acceptability of combining proven, long-acting women's health technology with antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV


WASHINGTON, June 8 /PRNewswire/ --
The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today announced the initiation of the first trial among women in Africa testing a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug (ARV) that could one day be used to prevent HIV transmission during sex. The clinical trial, known as IPM 015, tests the safety and acceptability of an innovative approach that adapts a successful technology from the reproductive health field to give women around the world a tool to protect themselves from HIV infection.
"Vaginal rings, commonly used in Europe and the U.S. for hormone delivery, could be well-suited to deliver HIV prevention drugs for women in developing countries," said Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, IPM's Chief Executive Officer. "This study will provide key information on the safety and acceptability of this technology for HIV prevention. It is an important step forward in our efforts to give women options they can use to safeguard their health."

Since 2001, women in developed countries have successfully used vaginal rings, such as the NuvaRing®, ESTRING® and Femring®, for birth control and hormonal therapy. These rings are appealing because they are self-administered, discreet and provide protection for a month or more. The vaginal ring being tested in IPM 015 is an ARV-based microbicide -- a class of vaginal products currently being developed to prevent HIV infection in women. ARVs have revolutionized HIV treatment and have already been proven to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV. They are now being tested for their ability to prevent HIV infection.

The vaginal ring used in IPM 015 is made of flexible silicone, is durable and would be easy to distribute -- making it well suited for use in developing countries. Each ring slowly releases 25 mg of the ARV drug dapivirine over the course of 28 days, potentially providing sustained protection against HIV. The ring is manufactured by IPM, which has a royalty-free license for dapivirine from Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Johnson & Johnson.

"Biology and gender inequality continue to place women at greater risk of disease and death, particularly in developing countries," said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa. "All too often, women are not in a position to control their sexual health or protect themselves from HIV infection. By empowering women with new tools to protect their health, this ring technology could bring hope where there was none before."

IPM 015 is a Phase I/II expanded safety trial that will compare the dapivirine ring with a placebo ring containing no active drug among 280 volunteers across Africa. Women in South Africa have begun volunteering for the trial, and it is hoped that other African nations will start the same study shortly. The women volunteers will be randomly assigned to use either the dapivirine or the placebo ring, which will be replaced once monthly for a three-month period.

The vaginal ring containing dapivirine has already been shown to be safe as tested in four prior IPM clinical trials among women in Europe, with another trial ongoing. If IPM 015 further confirms the safety and acceptability of the product among women in Africa, a Phase III program to test the ability of dapivirine rings to prevent HIV infection is scheduled to begin in Africa in 2011, with results due in 2015.
“The roll-out of treatment in the past few years has saved millions of lives, but the AIDS epidemic continues to spread, with women particularly vulnerable,” said Michel Sidibe, the Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Preventing HIV transmission is essential if we are to protect the health and safety of future generations.

If successful, innovations, like microbicides, could have an extraordinary impact.”
Every day more than 3,000 women worldwide become infected with HIV. And HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for women aged 15-49 years in Africa. Despite this challenge, women lack a discreet method to prevent infection. Current prevention options may be impractical for women who lack the power to ensure that their male partners use condoms or remain faithful, and for those who are married, want to have children or are at risk of violence.

The initiation of IPM 015 was announced at the Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C., the largest conference focused on maternal health in more than a decade.

"Women and girls must be given the tools to protect themselves from HIV infection," said Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. "The contraceptive ring has been a formidable tool for women seeking more control over their reproductive health, and it is wonderful to see HIV researchers adapt this technology to tackle the single biggest killer of young women. The simple fact is that we will never be able to fully ensure the health of women and girls globally without halting the spread of HIV and AIDS."

About IPM: IPM is a nonprofit product development partnership established in 2002 to prevent HIV transmission by supporting the development and availability of safe and effective vaginal microbicides and other HIV prevention methods in developing countries where women are at greatest risk for infection. IPM has offices in the United States, South Africa and Belgium. Please visit http://www.ipmglobal.org/

SOURCE: International Partnership for Microbicides

"LEAVE OUR TOWN NOW" - Colombian salesman accused of assaulting boy Residents want trade show to leave Mandeville

Angry residents of Mandeville, Manchester, are demanding that the Colombians affiliated with the popular trade show, which airs on local television, leave their town.
This after one of the men was taken into police custody Friday on suspicion of buggery.

THE STAR was told that sometime after 8 p.m., security personnel at a popular fast-food restaurant in the town were alerted to a strange situation in the male bathroom. It is alleged that the security guards forced open a stall and found the accused man and a boy, believed to be about 10, in a compromising position. It is also alleged that the boy, who was reportedly begging, was given money in exchange for the sexual act.

Both were escorted from the restaurant to the nearby police station, but not before irate residents descended on the scene, armed with stones. The residents, THE STAR was told, stoned both the police car, damaging the windscreen, as well as the accused man, as he attempted to run into the police station.

Police from the Mandeville area confirmed the incident but said they could not divulge details.

The residents, still seething with anger after their failed attempt to dish out a beating to the accused man, say both he and his compatriots must leave. One man told THE STAR, "Dem fi lef man. Wi cyaan harbour dem kind a people deh inna wi place. Not even inna Jamaica wi nuh want dem. It did come in like grand market out deh mi a tell yu, dem did waan gi dem some lick! Dem definitely fi come outta wi country."

Lovell Griffiths, another resident, said, "Dem fi leave di place, man. Wi nuh want no fh Colombian bwoy inna Mandeville town. Wi want dem pack up and leave now. Dem fi leave! Everybody upset bout it man. All when dem a drive off wid dem, a bare stone deh backa di car. Big ole excitement!"

Another resident, Patrene, suggested that if the accused is indeed guilty, he and his team abused the trust and warm reception they had received from Jamaicans. She said, "Everybody did think say dem nice, now dem just come wid dem foolishness. Wi need dem fi leave now. And if dem go back out deh, it a go cause problem."

Dan, another resident of Mandeville, also joined the chorus. He said, "A bun, di people dem waan bun dung out deh. Right now, to how mi see it, a betta dem lef. If people eva know whe dem deh, dem woulda go bite dem. Everybody mad bout it, man."

Up to press time last night, the accused was still in police custody and had not yet been charged. THE STAR also received reports that the trade show was open for business on Saturday, but that none of the Colombians were there.


Notes:

The English translation amounts to the residents clearly are upset at the news and are demanding he leave the area and the business as well, some suggest that they leave the country and issuing light threats. The story was also carried on CVM TV.



Sadly when one off incidents like this take place the entire homosexual community gets broad brushed as paedophiles which is definitely not true.

Rantings of a Lesbian Christian says: Lesbophobia (for want of a better word)

I'm not a sociologist or psychologist. I'm just one of your everyday lesbians who until recently never really felt the brunt of lesbo-phobia from the MSM (Men who have sex with men) community. Now technically speaking it may not have been lesbo-phobia in so many characters but it was sure discriminatory.

I'm part of a volunteer programme which (in this particular aspect) it is my responsibility as a volunteer to disseminate information on safe sex practices. I as well as a number of other persons have cried out that this programme is geared towards Men who have Sex with Men (MSMs) and that it ignores or at the very most pushes to the back burner the needs of Women who have Sex with Women (WSWs), Transgendered folk and all the others who fall under this umbrella.

I've always heard WSWs say that they would never work with MSMs because the MSMs dislike them, have no respect for them or something along those lines. As I said before I've never really gotten the brunt of it or any of it for that matter (not to my face anyway).

I'm known to be an associate of all and friend of few. I shun no MSM so long as he can carry himself good and don't draw me into the beating he may get because of his behaviour on the road. For this reason I assume (with good reason) that I'm loved or at least tolerated by many and hated by few.

Today in our regular meeting of the volunteers I discretely offered to do a presentation on Leadership and Mentoring since it has been the wide cry that many of these MSMs don't know how to conduct themselves. At the end of the meeting the moderator stated that the next meeting there will be a presentation on leadership and mentoring by a member of our group. All was well until someone said I hope it is a MSM because I don't want a WSW or other non-MSM to do a presentation (not exact words).

Now everyone was quite shocked by the statement and of course questioned him. He went on to say that he doesn't mean to insult anyone but that this is a programme for MSMs so it should be MSMs presenting and that even I as a WSW wasn't really to be counted (again to exact words). Now I won't lie I did get upset. I told him that though I'm a WSW I still have to meet with MSMs in order to continue on this volunteer programme and that I as a WSW is part of the greater lgbt community.

I pointed to him that the MSMs are not separate and apart from the rest of the community. I also pointed out to him that it is for this reason that MANY WSWs do not help, work, mingle, volunteer, participate (in anyway) with MSMs, for we are discounted.

I did get quite angry lashing out saying "dats why sometime mi nuh like battyman" (that's why I sometimes I don't like gay men) pretty harsh but it was in anger and everyone understood what I meant.

(No disrespect to my many gay and bisexual male friends I still love you guys)

This unquestionable discrimination came from someone within the community. This is how we tear down each other, in simple ways such as this. For had I been more upset and had not received an apology I probably would have left quite angry and be ready to leave the MSMs to 'work out their own salvation', I've felt that way before by the sheer behaviour of some of these MSMs.

Today's encounter brings me back to a question I've asked either here or to others. How can we in a community subject to so much intolerance, hate, torture, homophobia continue with this phobia among our own ranks? We fight each other butch fight butch, femme fight femme, top fight top, bottom fight bottom, gays fight lesbians and on and on and on (I don't know much of the TG community nor their fights but I can imagine it is there as well).

Yes there will be differences, we don't live in a perfect place, and we're imperfect people, but jeezam peez mek wi try live betta nuh man (my gosh let's try to live better please guys(and gals).

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