The Cruising community’s dilemma
In recent months we have seen some serious dents occurring in the section of the community hardly talked about openly or even recognized, the cruisers, with the Jamaica Observer story this year of a nude man found dead in the Coronation Market region with his throat slashed and his anus apparently penetrated which was deduced as a male rape by the police many have become nervous about their regular manhunt for sex or be it commercial sex activity in certain parts of Kingston. Certainly there are minor skirmishes in this risky form of sexual behaviour as done by men who have sex with men and given the sensitivities involved locally ever more so.
The follow up incidents that have also happened have not helped either with chases and the destruction of one male’s vending stall earlier in April as he was accused of stalking another man in the downtown Kingston area some of the guys who not only derive pleasure from their cruising habits but also some income are wondering if the walls are caving in on them and their version of the MSM lifestyle.
In recent months we have seen some serious dents occurring in the section of the community hardly talked about openly or even recognized, the cruisers, with the Jamaica Observer story this year of a nude man found dead in the Coronation Market region with his throat slashed and his anus apparently penetrated which was deduced as a male rape by the police many have become nervous about their regular manhunt for sex or be it commercial sex activity in certain parts of Kingston. Certainly there are minor skirmishes in this risky form of sexual behaviour as done by men who have sex with men and given the sensitivities involved locally ever more so.
The follow up incidents that have also happened have not helped either with chases and the destruction of one male’s vending stall earlier in April as he was accused of stalking another man in the downtown Kingston area some of the guys who not only derive pleasure from their cruising habits but also some income are wondering if the walls are caving in on them and their version of the MSM lifestyle.
Some negative factors expressed include:
1) The loss of stomping grounds in downtown and surrounding regions
2) Stiff competition as more and more new faces join the fold some of whom resort to public homophobic taunts to scare would be competitors from turf or open war and fights for control of the business and traffic, many so called homophobic incidents that occur sometimes are as a direct result of this
3) Increased commercialization of once valuable areas of pleasure
4) Increased policing by the security forces of once quiet regions in and around Kingston and St. Andrew
5) Cross competition from other resident and nonresident street walkers such as homeless youths (windshield wipers who may or may not be MSMs themselves who use certain spots as their homes thus blocking traffic or “cock blocking”)
6) The increasing disappearance of easy access to public restrooms and specific gay cruising landmark buildings as stomping or hookup grounds as errors either from inexperienced persons or from more adept cruisers themselves have led to more vigilant security measures implemented thus leading to more “cock blocking”
7) Infiltration by “gay pretenders” on spaces and in the business who demand high payola, ultra secrecy and who also resort to public anti gay rhetoric in a few instances to threaten or intimidate the more affluent participants to comply in payment.
8) Trick cruisers (most of whom are MSMs) or other “gay pretenders” who use online or chat sites to get their prey to meet and may resort to even killing to protect their identities being revealed post an encounter or deal gone wrong.
The fallout is already creating havoc in the circle of things especially in sections of Kingston on January 8th a report that a man had to beat a hasty retreat in the downtown Kingston area after a cruising attempt went wrong as the intended target turned out to be not as he anticipated was true I have since gathered that a small mob was hastily put together by the man (the target of the cruiser) from the nearby rural municipal bus park as there are major works being done in that section of downtown Kingston with the new bus park being hastily put together beyond the old park.
January 8th a report that a man had to beat a hasty retreat in the downtown Kingston area after a cruising attempt went wrong as the intended target turned out to be not as he anticipated was true I have since gathered that a small mob was hastily put together by the man (the target of the cruiser) from the nearby rural municipal bus park as there are major works being done in that section of downtown Kingston with the new bus park being hastily put together beyond the old park.
The downtown area in particular like most other urban centers is a haven for "catching something" for a quickie or some outdoor action for the more daring MSMs around. Sadly many of these cruisers are not your average gays who frequent gay parties, clubs, interested, exposed or involved in advocacy typed activities or issues hence the actions go unnoticed or grossly under reported as incidents as the persons involved simply move on.
Read the rest of the Cruising Challenges post here from Gay Jamaica Watch, there was another chase typed event in Kingston some evenings ago but how do we reach these guys except the one off meetings or hanging with them in their own environment without disrupting their activities. Their recent revolve to protect each other following the gruesome murder of a cross dresser on Half Way Tree Road was a start in as far as their own protection mechanism which is commendable.
Read the rest of the Cruising Challenges post here from Gay Jamaica Watch, there was another chase typed event in Kingston some evenings ago but how do we reach these guys except the one off meetings or hanging with them in their own environment without disrupting their activities. Their recent revolve to protect each other following the gruesome murder of a cross dresser on Half Way Tree Road was a start in as far as their own protection mechanism which is commendable.
But given the fact there are several questionable cases of murder this year so far to include one prominent event promoter which is cause for concern.
No comments:
Post a Comment