10 men to avoid list for women slams metrosexuality

A list as prepared by Nadine Wilson of the Jamaica Observer's "All Woman" feature slams metrosexuality in men and advises that women should avoid such men. Is this a backlash of sorts of the continued metrosexual revolution in Jamaica where men have become so vain for want of a better word in appearances and have taken on tabooed practice to enhance if not over exaggerate their appearance. Bleaching and tight/close fitted pencil foot made pants are in, of course those were once vilified under pain of death or a proper beating from a mob as punishment if one broke the rule.

FOR some women, the journey to finding Mr Right is so tedious, that some, out of pure frustration, just settle for the first guy who comes along. But no matter how desperate you become, there are some guys that you'd best be warned to stay away from. While they might be okay to date and have as friends, you are practically setting yourself up for disaster if you choose to make husbands out of them.

Certainly leading the metrosexual charge is non other than former skin bleaching opponent and self described teacher "teacha Addi" Vybz Kartel (photo) men everywhere now have either totally mimicked his look or have burrowed and improved upon them so much so that the previous stereotypes on male homosexuals have been shattered and maybe new ones are being written as we look on as history unfolds before us.

have a read of Miss Wilson's list and see if it makes sense, the metrosexual adage is number 5 on the list:

10 Men to avoid

1. The man who refuses to grow up. He seems more compatible with your seven- year-old than with you. Yes, his boyish charm is very appealing, but how does that compensate for the fact that he is perpetually unemployed and only spends money on video games, pizza and beer? If he is constantly conning you out of your rent money which he uses to pay for video games, how do you suppose he will handle paying mortgage and utility bills when you decide to start life together.

2. The man who won't be fruitful and multiply. If a man tells you from the onset that he does not want to get married or have children, do not start a debate, just move on. His statements are not meant to challenge you to be the one woman who can change his mind. If you decide to move on with him, you should do so with a clear understanding that you probably won't ever get a ring or get your 2.5 kids.

3. The man who is damaged. His sad story of his ex's betrayal 10 years ago is so touching that it pulls you in. But even after a few more dates, the main topic during romantic evenings out is the compromising position he saw his girlfriend and best friend in. If you stick around for another year, you'll come to find out that he has already committed himself to not caring about anyone ever again.

4. The green-eyed monster. He has an issue with the way you dress because it is too revealing; he has a problem with you smiling with your male co-worker and he doesn't like your family because he believes they are a bit too nosy. Don't even go any further with him, just move on.

5. The metrosexual. He spends more time fluffing his hair and keeping his skin supple than you do, and you can't help but feel ugly standing next to him on the social scene. He is always impeccably dressed and most of your arguments so far have been about him taking over the mirror and taking up too much space on the bathroom vanity.

6. The commitment-phobe. He already has six children by six different women. His disappearing acts remind you so much of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde — today he is here and tomorrow he just conveniently disappears. He shows no intention of introducing you to his friends and family and refers to you as his "fling".

7. The one who's already taken. Do you want to be a mistress or a wife? If he is still sharing a bed and breakfast with his wife, then it means that his love is already invested elsewhere. He will probably say that he is getting a divorce, but if you decide to go forward with him, prepare for the possibility of that divorce never coming through. You could save yourself a lot of hurt by just finding someone who's available.

8. The mama's boy. Every other sentence for him starts with "I like my mama's..." and he takes issue with how you wash, cook and clean because you do not do it like his mama. He talks to his mother several times a day, but when it comes to calling you, he doesn't have any credit. It seems as though there is only one woman for him, and it's certainly not you.

9. The bad boy. The fact that he breaks all the rules and is recklessly dangerous might at first thrill you, but after a while it is bound to wear you down. If you decide to make life with him, prepare for many visits to the courthouse or worse yet, living like a fugitive. You might be able to tame him, but what if you aren't, are you prepared to communicate with him through a jail cell?

10. The one with the wandering eye. A leopard can't change its spots and neither can you change the behaviour of a cheater. If he is the type who flirts with girls or checks out the waitress in your presence, that is all the more reason to believe that he cannot help himself.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/10-men-to-

Transgender Film Gun Hill Road Features Transgender Actress

FOR someone whose only acting experience was playing a Boy George lookalike in a high school production of the musical “The Wedding Singer,” Harmony Santana is having an incredible year. Ms. Santana is making her big-​screen debut in Rashaad Ernesto Green’s coming-​out drama “Gun Hill Road,” which had its première in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

Last month the movie made a splash on the gay film-​festival circuit, opening Outfest in Los Angeles and closing Newfest in New York. It opens commercially in New York on Aug. 5.

meanwhile

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Athletes Increasingly Accepted As Trans Policies Lag

The Outgames Human Rights Conference is a three-​day series of presentations taking place during the second annual GLISA North America Outgames – “a celebration of sport, culture and human rights” — held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, between July 25 – 31, 2011. On July 26, I joined a group of more than 20 leaders from athletics and academia at an all-​day session on homophobia in sports and transgender athletes.

The topic is timely: 2011 has already proven to be a watershed period for LGBT visibility in athletics, with more than 25 sports figures publicly coming out before June.

The morning workshop was facilitated by Jennifer Birch-​Jones, Lead for the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sports and Physical Activity (CAAWS)Addressing Homophobia in Sports program. High-​level executives, LGBT athletes and organizers of recreational leagues engaged in frank discussion and interactive exercises, and at the end of three hours, two things were clear: the sporting world is increasingly looking for ways to include its lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes; and the issue of transgender athletes is more complicated.

First, the good news. In the working groups I participated in, the topic of trans athletes came up organically, the product of genuine curiosity and a desire to improve policy. The issue of trans participation is complex because of the physiological changes associated with sex reassignment. Put simply, testosterone is a banned substance, so beyond discrimination and transphobia, female to male (FTM) athletes face performance restrictions. The very process of transitioning requires attention to competitive advantage and sporting fairness.

Sports organizations may have an easier policy position in including male to female (MTF) transgender athletes, and those who do not seek hormone treatment. The presenters characterized this latter group as undergoing a “social transition” – they present themselves as the gender with which they identify, but don’t take hormones or undergo surgery. A recent example is Kye Allums, a transgender FTM basketball player on the women’s team at George Washington University, who came out in 2010 and with the support of his team, finished the season.

The inclusion of trans athletes is going to take time, education, and a policy shift but the push for a working model has begun. Afternoon session facilitators Dr. Pat Griffin and Helen J. Carroll presented their report, “On the Team: Equal Opportunity for Transgender Student Athletes”, which documents policy recommendations and best practices for transgender inclusion in student athletics.

The sports programs at high schools and colleges feed into professional sporting associations. The inclusion of trans athletes at the school level bodes well for inclusive policies shifts in the future.

Read more HERE

Certainly there are some good developments though slow in coming overseas in the transgender arena, we are yet to see any major thrusts locally, our leading transgender activist is not getting the desired support as expected despite eloquent lip service from the antiquated and politically twisted advocacy structure in various press releases and reports but no direct engagement or interventions to include that demographic in LGBT rights and forumatic activity. Some engagement has come from a small entity that being in the form of Couture Elements/The Underlined Response but not as nearly as enough to bring the issues squarely in the public domain.

Also see a recent radio discussion linked below with the leading voice locally "Laura" on NEWSTALK 93FM's "Love and Sex" with Dr. Karen Carpenter who is an internationally respected Clinical Sexologist who has been sympathetic to the cause, also on that program which was entitiled "Was I Born in The Wrong Body? was world reknowned Dr. Susam Volker:

Radio program "Love & Sex" on Sexual Identities & Transgenderism (Were you born in the wrong body?)

Transgender/transexual discourse ...... Open Mic Open Soul 22.06.11

Peace and tolerance

H

Ragashanti suggests JFLAG for job seeking "Butch" lesbian

Controversial and sometimes lesbophobic media personality, Anthropologist Dr. Kingsley "Ragashanti" Stewart suggested to a supposed lesbian letter writer to his weekly Star News and website column in seeking a job while declaring her orientation and identity under same letter.

Since his move from mainstream radio that of NEWSTALK FM and Nationwide radio under questionable circumstances some say and due to pressure from quarters in the media landscape he has found a home with his growing popular online show where previous restrictions as to content cannot be applied. His own sexuality has been questioned by his listenership as his semi effeminate style and twists of the colloquial , his appearances on controversial roots play actor Keith "Shebada" Ramsey's parties has many walking with a magnifying glass looking for the slightest hints in our prying eyes society as profiling is how many determine questions to ones orientation. His steamy and racy, suggestive commentary is a hit with gay and straights alike and he has accommodated some LGBT persons on his shows a few times with the outcomes sometimes not as balanced as one would have hoped but opinions vary within the LGBT body politic.

Whether the J will be able to help get a job for this letter writer and several other same gender loving seekers well that's another matter as many expectations we have are not forthcoming in reality from them.

Have a read below of the piece:

Butch and looking a job

with Ragashanti

Tambareen Fambily an Mix Up nation bless up unu self to warra warra! Lol! An big up all listeners pon Tambareen Radio ova mixupyaad.com. Right ya now mi naa hitch, a straight to di letta dem mi say:

Butch and Looking a Job

Raga, why can't I get a job and I'm qualified? I'm a lesbian, a butch. If u don't know who that is, it's a woman one dat people call a 'man-royal'. I've being looking a job for ova 2 yrs now and it proves to be unsuccessful. I even went as far as to do some interviews and they all wanted a full image ofma-self. I gave them the pictures. One of my interviewers called me one day, however, to say that the post for the job I was seeking was not vacant anymore. About a week after, my gut feelings told me to give the organisation a call to find out if the post was really filled, only to find out that the post was still open. But I still have a positive mind and I know dat one day I'll find a good job. And I'm not gonna change who I am to please people. People sit and judge us every day and then they say that Jamaica is a good place. I'm not telling you to accept homosexuals, but jus treat dem with equality and respect as if they weren't homosexuals. Why can't I get a job?

Your email requires a response on several levels:

First, be careful that you do not believe that the TOTAL reason for you not getting a job is SOLELY due to you being a gay woman who has a culturally defined look of a man ('man-royal'). Unemployment in Jamaica is pretty high. Many people cannot get jobs, not just gay people. Jamaica is filled with qualified university graduates who are unemployed. Unemployment abounds in the areas of menial jobs to skilled and highly specialised professions.

I know of unemployed helpers and I know of unemployed doctors. It rough pon a whole heap a people out deh. So be careful that you don't go thinking it's just a gay discrimination issue. Don't believe that each time you don't get a job is due only to you being gay, because if you do so, then you will not be motivated to improve the other areas that will increase your chances of getting a job.

Second: while it is the case that unemployment affects many, it is TRUE that homosexual women and men do suffer discrimination in the workplace based on their sexuality. To put it bluntly, most Jamaicans do NOT like gay people, and this fact negatively influences the hiring process for employment. Therefore, given this reality, are there things you could do differently that will increase your chances of securing employment? Can you make changes in your career search that will not make you feel like you are changing to please people who do not like you because you're gay?

Remember, most people seeking or keeping a job have to adjust to certain pressures, whether or not they are gay. In order to excel in job interviews or to keep their jobs, they have to dress appropriately, speak in a particular manner, present themselves professionally, etc. So please make sure you're making the critical behavioral and presentational adjustments that are required of ALL job applicants.

Third: while some jobs require behavioral adjustment and presentation that might run contrary to who you are as a gay, butch woman, there are other jobs that are more accepting of you just as you are. For example, there are some community-based, social-work jobs that are LESS preoccupied with the sexuality and presentation of applicants and employees. However, it will be up to you to decide if you would like to do those types of jobs.

My advice would be for you to contact the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) and explain your situation to them. Even if they are not able to immediately guarantee you employment, they should be able to competently advise you on the best steps forward.

In the meantime, NEVER GIVE UP!! Bless up.

Reach Ragashanti at mixupraga@gmail.com or PO Box 5866, Liguanea PO, Kingston 6.

Insensitive parents & Displaced MSMs part 2

In part 1 way back in 2009 we looked at some cases and reports that came to light then and a flashback story that was disturbing where a father outed his son at a prominent high school only to watch other students beat him mercilessly fortunately he was rescued by some staff members present and a few well thinking students who literally used their bodies to block or absorb some of the blows.

See more Here: Father encourages students to maul 'gay' son at Dunoon Tech

Also Here: Insensitive Parents & Displaced MSMs part 1

In recent weeks a series of complaints and expressions have been forthcoming from mostly early male teens and a couple of same gender loving females as well with one case reaching a drastic point where a nineteen year old woman was forced to leave under the watchful eye of her stepfather, others have not gotten so bad in the ladies department but persons are uncomfortable in their family homes or places of shelter with other siblings. The age old problem of improper monitoring and securing of cellphones, personal computers/laptops and blackberries have also contributed to unwarranted outings and exposures with one male being prayed for in earnest by a weeping mother and the good book thrown at him while she insists his life is all wrong and he must accept God or burn in hell.

Hope remains while company is true and another 20 year old has been fortunate to have a good circle of friends who offered temporary crisis shelter as he makes the transition from a "bitter" set of parents while fortunately landing a job recently, he was outed due to prying eyes on his computer where his brother glanced male images scantily clad and made a report to their mother. He said he has been meeting hell ever since and was glad when he reached out he got the response from "true" friends, a type he said was hard to find in times of trouble. Privacy is a major problem even in the family home and as previous posts have brought to bear it is an issue of protection of ones space and equipment and others around are questioning,

"why don't you have a girlfriend (boyfriend)?" as the case may be

"why are you always on your computer?"

"when you on your phone why are you whispering?"

One other male was unfortunate as he was caught in the act of a version of phone sex which led to a heated argument and hence the rest of the family having him off as the "nasty battyman" or black sheep of the brood. At some point I believe we all have our "outing" moments but for some it comes pretty early and they do not know how to cope in most instances. Another new entity in advocacy is already seeing it's fair share of displacement drama as it is not only lower to middle income homes that have this perennial problem although the outcomes maybe less dire than those of their lower socio economic counterparts, exclusion from a will, trust found or funding for a car or tertiary education maybe removed or given with great hesitation are miles away from an embarrassing community move in full view of onlookers jeering or a full homophobic attack with persons suffering blows.

Some sort of sensitization program must be in the works either through JFLAG albeit their stewardship is under serious criticism or the new entity The Underlined Response which seems more geared towards grassroots work in seriously marginalised populations. Outlining how persons can cope with displacement, networking, psycho social support and other avenues where persons can turn to must be in the back of the community's mind where stuff hits the fan.

So far as hinted above the informal community crisis interventions response works well but I still say we need a fixed residential typed space for temporary sheltering for individuals displaced or made full on homeless with the proper amenities, staff and support systems for rehabilitation and assimilation to general society. There was once a short lived group of Parents for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays PFLAG Jamaican chapter/version where it has gone we may never know, it was designed to include supportive parents and guardians for LGBT children and adolescents with some outreach to parents who engage in displacing their own children due to Stigma, homophobia, intolerance of suspected orientations and perceived lifestyles, there was also a small mentorship idea that was floated during the former life of the GLABCOM, Gay Lesbian, Bisexual, Community steering committee as forming part of the peer education drive under targeted interventions division of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, whether such programs still exist they must be a secret.

Talk therapy was also suggested by a Psychologist when the matter of interventions for this group was raised some years ago in the PFLAG/GLABCOM talks specifically on a pro bono basis as recovering displaced persons may not have the financial resources to offset private sessions. These are ideas that can be floated again either in existing structures if they are willing to accommodate them or new entities seeking solutions. Let's continue to watch and thanks to the persons for contributing to this post. through sharing aspects of their stories.

Peace and tolerance

H

Homophobia In Reverse (Gleaner commentary) and a response

Devon Dick

LAST MONTH, head of the Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID), Senior Superintendent of Police Fitz Bailey, claimed that persons in homosexual relationships are the main perpetrators in the illicit lottery scam. Bailey asserted that his observation was based on data collected by OCID about perpetrators in this particular activity. This information about their sexual orientation was offered by them.

Some groups objected, labelling his statement as irresponsible and discriminatory as the sexual orientations of alleged criminals are irrelevant, and saying they further serve to stereotype persons. In response, the Police High Command issued an apology.

If Bailey came to the conclusion that participants in a homosexual lifestyle are the main perpetrators in the illegal lottery scam based on prejudice or based on deportment, then he should be disciplined. However, Bailey's interview appeared without prejudice. It should not be surprising if persons in homosexual relationships volunteered the infor-mation to OCID. Last year, I recall Dr Her-bert Gayle, University of the West Indies lecturer, speaking at a men's breakfast at Boulevard Baptist Church, stating that there is a growing acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle among ghetto youths.

Advocating tolerance

Additionally, at a recent comedy show, Owen 'Blacka' Ellis, returnee from Canada, advocated tolerance of the lifestyle. And more and more persons are coming out of the closet and speaking about their experience. It appears that homophobia is in reverse. This trend tends to support Bailey's claims that his comments were based on data.

Unfortunately, we are not a data-based society. There is no strong tradition and appreciation of research, much less original research. Some journalists and columnists are prone to make statements which are not based on data or supported by information. There is nothing wrong with stating, if true, that most of the lottery crimes are committed by persons in homosexual relations.

Delroy Chuck, then an academic, wrote in his book, Understanding Crime, that the majority of persons in the prisons were from impoverished backgrounds with low educational status and single-parent families with poor housing solutions. Statements of the findings of such research should not and cannot be classified as irresponsible, discriminatory and stereotypical.

On August 4, 2011, The Star stated that AIDS is on the increase among gay and bisexual men in the United States. This is based on a government report. Are we going to claim that the publication of this data is irresponsible, discriminatory and stereotypical? No.

Proper analysis necessary

What is therefore needed is an analysis of Bailey's data. Why are persons in homosexual relations prone to be in illegal lottery scams? Is it because they are faced with discrimination at the workplace and cannot get or retain a legitimate job? Or are they suffering disproportionately because of the economic hardships? Is it that their lifestyle requires big bucks?

Additionally, some persons who appear to be sporting a homosexual lifestyle have been noticed to shop in groups. Is it that they are proud of the lifestyle and want to flaunt it, or are they afraid of violence and feel safe in a group? It seems to me that there needs to be more research done on persons within this community.

Years ago, a young man from the inner city, in responding to my article, said that in Jamaica, persons in homosexual relationships who are from the upper classes and play significant roles in society are accepted; but not so for those from impoverished backgrounds. Is that true?

Unfortunately, what seems to be happening is that persons who are sympathetic to the lifestyle are getting oversensitive to any data on the homosexual community, which is a kind of reverse homophobia. They are intolerant of other views or any negative perception of homosexuality, as if there is any one or any group that is perfect.

Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Comment to columns@gleanerjm.com.

UPDATE: August 15/08/11

A response in the Gleaner

Dick's Comments Were Justified

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I smiled somewhat after reading Elvena Williams Reittie's letter to the editor on August 12, in which she bashed the Rev Devon Dick about not declaring his position on homosexuality.

From my understanding, Rev Dick was not speaking on the topic of homosexuality itself. Rather, his intent was to identify, or at least to encourage us to analyse, the comments of Senior Superintendent of Police Fitz Bailey, which linked persons in homosexual relationships to the illicit lottery scam, to ensure he was not being irresponsible or biased in his assertions.

Ms Reittie's letter further shows that there will be no balance on this issue of homosexuality, for if gays are identified as being responsible for wrongdoing, they argue that they are being singled out, discriminated against, and the subject of abuse.

On the other hand, when well-thinking people like Rev Dick take a view to say it is not simply because of who you are but rather the activities you are engaging in, he is accused of not being Christian enough or compromising.

I do not support the homosexual lifestyle; however, this does not mean that each time I see the word I begin a crusade or pronounce hellfire on these individuals. Being humane or impartial to a gay does not change or conciliate my view on the matter.

Instead of an apology for the comments made by the SSP, what the Police High Command should have done was to release the data from which the SSP drew his conclusions. This would have provided more clarity and support for his arguments. Allow the facts to speak for themselves.

To Rev Dick, continue to enlighten our darkness through your well-written columns and sound doctrine.

ANN-MARIE PATRICK

Little London, Westmoreland

Religious community turns up temperature on LGBT issues ......

Since recent happenings on the LGBTQIA circuits and public agitations in various forms the church community is not taking it lying down and have been landing a battering on the issues casting hell fire on homosexuality and the associated abominations while leaving out the other "sins", the Seventh Day Adventists in particular despite the perception in many circles that their well pressed suited males are on the down low prepared a radio program offering restorative therapy as relief to gays which has been repeated three Sundays in succession on the main religious station LOVE 101 FM here is the post on my sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch where I added the audio as well:

I stood frozen in my living room around 6pm today after coming in from the rain to hear this coming from a psychologist of all persons who ought to know the difference between orientation and practice when it comes to homosexuality. The ease in which he confuses the two is disturbing and I wonder where he got his training? He described homosexuality as a disorder.

http://www.centralja.org/index.htm

Seventh Day Adventist pastor and psychologist (we are seeing more of those popping up in churches) Alton Williams pastor for the Spanish Town District of Churches on a SDA produced program aired on the religious station Love 101 FM went on about the churches stand on the "Homosexual Lifestyle" as himself and the host coins it. On the question of what homosexuality is? he responded:

"Homosexuality is an erotic attraction to persons of ones own sex, it includes sexual thoughts, feelings and fantasies and other overt sexual acts with persons of ones own sex." the host wanted to verify if only thoughts constituted a designation of being gay to which he responded "the volume of the literature on the subject the experts have included sexual thoughts and fantasies in the definition of homosexuality."

I managed to catch the program some two minutes into its run so I may have missed the initial introduction but on the question of the church's stance on homosexuality he responded: "As seventh day Adventists we believe sexual intimacy belongs only with the marital relationship of man and woman, this was God's design at creation God created Adam & Eve male and female Genesis 1:27 male and female created he them. He went on to clarify that the SDA was not homophobic but the biblical positions are what they follow but he affirms the human dignity of persons therefore persons should respect persons, "God hates the sin but loves the sinner." Homosexuality is no different from other sins he tried to point out.

He continued that, "homosexuality is a manifestation of disorder and brokenness in human inclination and is caused by sin coming into the world, we believe that while everyone is subject to fall by God's grace and encouragement of the community of faith .... should reach out in compassion to these individuals, should be God's heart or hands"

To the question if homosexuality is natural or learnt, genetic or cultural? he answered: "....this has been a long debate, as to whether or not persons are born homosexual or later on they learnt and embrace the behaviour, the studies done on the subject are not conclusive that there is any causal relationship between genetics or biology ....... all the findings have been controversial and speculative ...." on the social setting and family setting he concludes that "based on observation ones family setting and background shapes who that person becomes, socialization all objects and products if socialization, there have been studies that suggest a dominating mother or a weak ineffective father could shape the orientation or the inclination of the male towards homosexuality or the absent father or weak ineffective father could also influence a girl turning towards her own sex, past sexual experience, trauma, maybe the person was violated or raped by an older person or a child was exposed to the practice and sometimes this affects their self esteem and they practice later on as an alternative lifestyle.

The host suggested lesbians do not know how to relate to males so they become gay the girls may have gone to a girls school or have no brothers or have no exposure to males, Mr. Williams went on to add that sons feel ignored or rejected by fathers so he seeks it in other males as part of male bonding where persons take advantage suggesting paedophilia I think. Mr. Williams also said that if a mother distrust or fear males she can teach this to her sons or daughters which could influence sexual behaviour or ones orientation.

I thought orientation was more a genetic matter than a behavioural one.

Mr. Williams went on to quote Genesis 2:24 .... therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife .... sex is for pleasure and procreation in the context of marriage he was careful to say that the SDA does not condone singling out a particular group for scorn "We don't believe we should abuse persons or kill them because they are homosexuals but God's word condemns homosexuality" He said that through the redemptive process individuals can be helped to overcome homosexuality as they can any other sin. The restorative recommendations came near the end where he said "you might need to get counseling and intervention, change the environment, what you read"he continued that professional help is needed and an exercise of will. He discourages the habits once they have been discovered and try to enter a healthy home environment. He would look at what the person is watching or reading, he would present a healthy perspective of what a human sexuality should be.

"Homosexuality is a deviation from God's will"

Then as expected the Sodom and Gomorrah issue came up, he was quick to point out that homosexuality was not the only reason that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah but because they refused to take the word of God and his compassion.

To contact the SDA office:

Lifeline

Communications Dept

Central Jamaica Conference SDA

P.O Box 81

Spanish Town

St. Catherine

communcation@centralja.org

Tel: 984 - 5576 0r 7

www.centralja.org

Here is what I could capture as I caught it after it began plus it was raining outside, apologies for the slight distortions:

Lifeline SDA 17.07.11 on Homosexuality by glbtqja1

Will this argument between the LGBT lobby and the sections of the evangelical community ever end anytime soon as recent publications and responses to the ad campaign though heavily critiqued by myself and others and a barely luke warm response from the community itself ever end? Check out this article from the Jamaica Observer on the pastoral responses to the video JFLAG launched,

Please see: Gay TV advert angers clerics

Some quotes include:

".................associate pastor of the Tower Hill Missionary Church in Kingston, Mark Dawes, suggested that the church needed to be more vocal in denouncing the homosexual lifestyle.

“I am prepared to be loving and compassionate to all persons, irrespective of their class or creed or persuasion, but that love and compassion to all and sundry will not stop me from speaking the truth in love as I see the truth,” said Dawes, a former journalist.

“As innocuous and as innocent as that public service announcement might appear, it is part of a wider plan by militant homosexuals to gradually desensitise Jamaicans to homosexuality, so that homosexual behaviour and practice can become mainstream in Jamaica,” asserted the pastor.

Rev Monsignor Kenneth Richards, rector at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston, was just as sceptical of the message of the PSA, pointing out that the Catholic church did not embrace homosexual unions since they were not in keeping with religious principles.

“I don’t think we should tolerate it, we should object to it. I don’t think it should be broadcast,” said the priest when asked his views on the PSA."

Other sermons have been caustic on the subject with some giving the impression that the lobby is about to launch a gay blitz to force everyone to accept homosexuality and that even the expected Antichrist figure head will also be gay and hate women, why are some church leaders and commercial preachers using this now to make themselves look good in their followers' eyes? sad that the word of God is being twisted I feel to create panic and fear whilst making the big bucks with prosperity gospel messages. What is the church really about?

Peace and tolerance

H

Jamaican Law, Homophobia, and HIV .........

By Maurice Tomlinson of AIDSFREEWORLD
August 1, 2011

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law has been holding a series of regional consultations to interrogate the connection between punitive laws and their impact on the HIV epidemic. The Caribbean leg took place from April 14-15, 2011, and Maurice Tomlinson made the following submission highlighting the nexus between the 147-year-old Jamaican anti-buggery law, the country’s notorious homophobia (measured at 82.2% of the population), and the grossly disproportionate HIV prevalence rate of 32% among Jamaican men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) as against 1.6% in the general population.

Section 13.1 of the 2004 revision of the Staff Orders for the Jamaican Public Service prohibits discrimination on the grounds of, inter alia, sexual orientation.1 However, Jamaica’s 1864 colonially-imposed buggery law still criminalizes any form of consensual adult male same-sex intimacy, whether private or public.

2 The HIV prevalence rate among Jamaican men who have sex with men (MSM) is 32% as against 1.6% in the general population.

3 Alternatively, in Cuba, Suriname, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic (Caribbean countries without such legislation), the HIV prevalence among MSM ranges from one to eight per cent. It would be an over-simplification to argue that the presence of Jamaica’s anti-buggery/gross-indecency legislation is the cause of the high HIV prevalence rate among MSM. However, the legislation certainly contributes to the island’s legendary climate of homophobic violence, discrimination, and deep stigma associated with homosexuality that the Jamaican Ministry of Health has acknowledged are among the factors driving the national epidemic.

4 For example, popular Jamaican dancehall artiste and 2010 Grammy winner, Buju Banton, sang about shooting and killing gays and when challenged about his homophobia he said it was justified under Jamaican law.

5 The criminalization of male same-sex conduct not only breeds homophobic violence, it also systematically drives Jamaican lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals (LGBTI) underground, away from effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support interventions.

6 The major LGBTI organization on the island, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG), reports that homophobic attacks by state and non-state actors are common. AIDS-Free World is working with J-FLAG to effectively document these attacks. In February, 2011, there were two police raids of gay clubs in Kingston and Montego Bay, and during the Montego Bay raid, heavily armed officers kicked in doors, aggressively accosted patrons, indiscriminately beat and pistol-whipped them and chased everyone from the venue. Throughout the operation the police hurled homophobic slurs encouraging clientele of nearby clubs to join in the melee by throwing bottles, stones and other missiles as individuals fled for their lives. The club served to house many LGBTI who had been evicted from their homes because of their sexual identity, and the major AIDS NGO on the island, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, regularly used it for HIV outreach. Even though Jamaica does not criminalize same-sex female intimacy, amongst the general population, the belief is that any form of homosexuality is outlawed. The result is that “corrective rapes” of lesbians to make them straight are not uncommon.

7 There is no record that such rapes have ever been perpetrated with the use of condoms.

8 The presence of the anti-buggery/gross-indecency law also precludes the distribution of condoms in Jamaican prisons with the result that the HIV prevalence rate among inmates is twice the national average. In 1997, the Commissioner of Corrections, on the advice of his prison doctor, proposed the distribution of condoms in the island’s prisons but was advised that he would be aiding and abetting a criminal offence namely buggery. Condoms thus remain contraband in Jamaica’s prisons although there are reports that prison warders do a thriving business trading in them. Prisoners who can’t afford to pay resort to the use of plastic bags. Jamaica’s supermarkets are now “going green” and will soon cease to distribute this major prophylaxis used by inmates. The result is that the HIV and AIDS prevalence among prisoners is expected to rise. Once they are released, their partners are also at risk, as the Ministry of Health has recorded high levels of unprotected sex and promiscuity among the Jamaican population.

Section 26 (b) of the Jamaican Constitution ”saves” the country’s 1864 anti-buggery law from judicial review, along with all pre-independence laws. Although the Constitution is being reviewed in order to provide for an expanded Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, a savings law clause is being re-inserted with regard to sexual offences. The result is that Jamaican courts will still be precluded from reviewing these laws in line with evolving societal standards and norms. A domestic legal challenge (as happened in India to repeal that country’s anti-sodomy law9) is therefore seemingly impossible in Jamaica.

Jamaica’s homophobic laws have been justified by relativist arguments based on Judeo-Christian theology. Notwithstanding the fact that section 21 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion,10 the very idea that homosexual identity or practice is somehow “non-Christian” demonstrates the unfortunate role that religious leaders have played in perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Cultural arguments are also often used as justification for retaining Jamaica’s homophobic laws. However, as the UN Secretary General reminded the world on World Human Rights Day December 10, 2010, while cultural sensitivities may make it difficult to recognize the human rights of LGBTI, culture must never be used as justification for the denial of fundamental human rights. Finally, some of Jamaica’s elected officials have claimed that they are unable to change Jamaica’s buggery/gross indecency law until “society changes first.” While reasonable people may disagree as to the relationship between laws and attitudes, it is clear that the job of legislators is to ensure that all laws are fair, non-discriminatory, and comport with basic principles of civil and human rights. Jamaica’s legislators have failed to address the fundamentally discriminatory nature of the buggery/gross indecency law by allowing it to stand.

Conclusions
Jamaica’s anti-buggery/gross-indecency law contributes to violence and abuse by police and private citizens of LGBTI citizens. The laws also marginalize LGTI and inhibit them from seeking treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that increase the risk of HIV transmission. The prevailing association of HIV and AIDS with homosexuality compounds the marginalization of many people living with HIV and AIDS, who face additional stigmatization through the presumption that they have engaged in illegal sex. It also keeps those at highest risk of the disease—including people who do not engage in homosexual sex—from seeking HIV-related information and health services.

Recommendations to the Commission
• Denounce and condemn Jamaica’s anti-buggery/gross-indecency laws;
• Demand that Jamaica ensure that all allegations of excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officials based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression are investigated promptly and thoroughly;
• Demand that Jamaica train all law enforcement and criminal justice officials on international human rights standards and nondiscrimination;
• Demand that Jamaica conduct awareness raising programs, especially through the education system, to address social stigma and exclusion of individuals and communities on grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and
• Demand that Jamaica facilitate access to social services, and especially health services, regardless of the individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and/or HIV status.

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ENDS

1 http://www.moj.gov.jm/pdf/rev_staff_order.pdf, page 80.
2 Offences Against the Person Act 1864 s 76 criminalizes anal intercourse; s 77 criminalizes any attempt by males to engage in anal intercourse; and s 79 criminalizes any act of “gross indecency” between men.
3 2009 UNAIDS report.
4 See, e.g., Jamaican Ministry of Health, Jamaica HIV/AIDS/STI National Strategic Plan 2002-2006, January 2002, p. 10; see also Zadie Neufville, “Fear Among Gay Men Said to Fuel HIV/AIDS Cases,” Inter Press Service, March 5, 2002; Garwin Davis, “Homophobia Remains High. Gays Remain in Seclusion, Health Officials Worry,” The Jamaica Gleaner, July 26, 2001.
5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIRmQNM4xUk, accessed March 2, 2011. Other popular Jamaican dancehall artistes are also notorious for their performance of virulently homophobic songs, such as Elephant Man, who justifies the corrective rape of lesbians, Capleton, who invokes the burning of gays, and the group T.O.K., which endorses the stomping and kicking of gays.
6 Human Rights Watch interview with Dr. Yitades Gebre, executive director, Ministry of Health Program Coordination Unit, Kingston, June 23, 2004, and Human Rights Watch interview with Dr. Peter Figueroa, chief, Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit, Kingston, June 23, 2004, demonstrate that providing HIV education and prevention services to men who have sex with men is extremely difficult because they are forced to remain invisible due to prejudice and abuse.
7 See Makeda Silvera, “Man Royals and Sodomites: Some Thoughts on the Invisibility of Afro-Caribbean Lesbians,” Feminist Studies, vol. 18, no. 3, Fall 1992, pp. 521-532 (reporting gang rape of women “suspected” of lesbianism in 1950s Jamaican towns).
8 In 2010, J-FLAG received reports of three (3) corrective rapes, two of which occurred within days of each other. In one instance, four men gang-raped a lesbian and used a knife to cut her so she can better “tek man.” In the other instance, the lesbian was savagely raped at gun-point, and then dumped half-naked after her ordeal. Her rapist commented on how “tight” she was and promised that the next time he would use a condom.
9 In Naz Foundation v. Government of NCT of Delhi and Others WP(C) No.7455/2001 the High Court of Delhi struck down much of S. 377 of the Indian Penal Code as being unconstitutional. The Court held that to the extent S. 377 criminalised consensual non-vaginal sexual acts between adults, it violated an individual's fundamental rights to equality before the law, freedom from discrimination and to life and personal liberty under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India. Jamaica’s Constitution guarantees similar rights in Article 13.
10 In September 2010, the Jamaican Prime Minister said at an interview at the United Nations in New York that homosexual acts remain illegal in Jamaica because the country is a Christian country.

Quick Two Cents

Another well written paper but like many before they come and go and very little or no improvements, let us see if there will be action this time around. It's one thing to prepare lovely papers it's another to properly engage the community, a set of criticisms that will continue to come until we see major improvements in that department. See the post below on that:

JFLAG/AIDSFREEWORLD unimpressive show at community meeting

Peace and tolerance

H