Give Gays A Break (Gleaner Letter)

THE EDITOR, Sir:

It is almost eight months since Christopher 'Dudus' Coke was extradited. Some of us did not want him to go.

I, for one, wanted him to stay in Jamaica. I could walk into my community without fear of being called names or being beaten to death. I simply went to Dudus and told him that I am gay and just wanted to live in peace.

I wasn't there to cause trouble, and I am still alive.

A new adult club opened in Half-Way Tree and it is the only place where I can be me. I can dance with my partner, I can drink in peace. Recently, this club was visited by policemen and women, who do not wear any badge.

The vest had a silver tape obscuring their police number. They point their long guns at us and shone flashlights in our faces. They shouted bad things at us, and we felt threatened.

I only want to have a place where I can have a drink and dance. I am not on the street performing for any public and I am not making noise or disturbing the peace.

I feel my life is in danger from the police.

I am, etc.,

GAY AND AFRAID
Tivoli Gardens

ENDS

My Notes:

The letter while in good spirits of asking to be left alone an just wanting a peaceful existence it seems to be coming at a time when there is pressure from the police in certain circles of lgbt people in Kingston in particular and that of the homeless MSMs (men who have sex with men) who are facing a new round of harassment from new faces at the police stations in the Half Way Tree and New Kingston areas due to the transfers that have been taking place.

I Have some concerns about this letter and if it was actually written by the so called Tivoli Gardens Resident given the sensitivities involved in inner city life and the actual naming of a private gay club's location. The area of Tivoli Gardens was in news of course with the controversial extradition issue of the Area leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke who himself has been ridiculed and made out a a closeted bisexual himself worse yet with the wig he was wearing at the time of his capture in the company of strangely enough anti-gay pastor Reverend Al Miller.

see "A word to anti-gay Rev Al Miller"

The recent problems too with certain party promoters and the police as well with rouge elements in the force with inside certain knowledge taking sides to discredit and disrupt the operations of other party promoters and club owners is not going down with some persons including myself in the community. It is reported that officers arrived recently at the venue alluded to in the letter above and were hurling abusive language at some of the persons who were attending a function that was in progress at the time. Sad that we have these persons associating with us which may only lead to our own harm.

There has been however some intervention from sections of the police high command in dealing with the attendant issues, those discussions are ongoing.

Peace and tolerance

H

Trans Horror in Honduras

In this picture the brutal beating of advocate and activist for the rights of transsexuals , barbara paola vargueza, president of an association in trans Honduras. May 13, 2009

L ' Honduras (officially República de Honduras ) is a nation of (112 492 km ², 7,326,496 inhabitants, with the capitalTegucigalpa ) 's Central American isthmus. It is the second poorest country in the Americas.

In the space of two months have killed six women transsexuals in this small town in America Centrale.I homicide rates in Honduras are the highest in Central America and are ten times higher than those in the United States.

From 28 June 2009 when there was a coup, began the murders, which amount to 34 deaths in the LGBT community, and many of them belong to the trans community.

The director of the Red Lesbian, Indyra Mendoza, said the killings have rocked the entire gay and trans communities in Honduras. "We need changes in laws and prevention programs to end discrimination in Honduras, because at the moment we are living our lives in hiding," he added.

In December, Lorenza Hernandez, a young trans woman of 23 years, raped, stoned to death and his body burned by members of a gang. That same month, Cheo, trans sex worker was found dead with a knife. Also in December, Lady Oscar Martinez Salgado, a 45 year old transgender woman is stabbed to death many times in his home and his body burned, allegedly by two strangers.

Earlier this month, Cheo, a young transgender woman was stabbed to death in a street in Tegucigalpa, Genesis, trans a wild woman between 23 and 27y.o., is strangled by unknown assailants. And a young transsexual is not identified, was killed with multiple gunshot wounds.

Human Rights Watch said that the six transgender women who were killed in the past two months have also been tortured.

The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Ana Pineda, has condemned these hate crimes against the LGBT community in Honduras.

The main leaders of the LGBT community will ask the government to clarify these crimes.

In turn, the U.S. embassy in Honduras expressed concern at the six crimes against the community transsexual / transgender people, recalling that the Honduran laws offer protection to all its citizens regardless of sexual orientation and asked the police of 'in Honduras investigate these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice and to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of this community.

Source: http://portugalgay.pt/news/Y210111A/honduras:_transcausto_nas_honduras

Source: http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2011/01/honduras-ask-authorities-to-put-end-to.html

Source: http://www.defensoresenlinea.com/cms/index.php?Itemid=166&catid=71:def&id=211:barbara-paola-otra-victima-de-la-homofobia-en-honduras&option=com_content&view=article