Lesbian construction worker profiled told not to return to worksite

As we do not have enough on our hands already here comes another confirmed report this time in Kingston of a same gender loving sister who hails from my home parish St Catherine and who happens to work on a house construction site in Upper St Andrew who was told nicely by the foreman for the site that to avoid any trouble she should just leave her job as threats and verbal assaults increases, strangely not from her original colleagues who she had become used to but from new persons joining the team as the site building proceeded. 

There are also two other women on the site but they on their part do not supposedly mix concrete or act like one of the guys, in other words "manroyal" (butch acting or identified) they are situated in the cook area carrying out traditional roles. I thought that with the increasing presence of women in non traditional female occupied jobs that this kind of thing would be dying or died out by now. 

Often times same gender loving women in Jamaica do not face the kinds of opposition as their male counterparts do and in fact lesbianism is more tolerated that male homosexuality so much so that some strip clubs openly offer such adult entertainment so much so that a popular dancehall act released a song entitled "I Love Girls Who Love Girls" in the form of the artists Busy Signal, whilst at the same time he has in his repertoire that condemns male homosexuals.

 

Butch Identified women or colloquially known as "manroyals" are usually accepted as one of the boys so to speak and blend in well in Jamaica strange homosocial construct despite high homo-negativity and homophobia but every now and again there is a parting of the ways if you will with outcomes such as this one facing more butch women than soft femme or studs in the scheme of things. The new male employees on the site who lead the appeal to have the woman removed arr reported to be boasting that they chased away a "dutty lesbian" (dirty lesbian) and this is also bearing in mind that she has a child to maintain. The other workers as hinted to above were quite OK at first with her but every since the anti lesbian sentiments became clearer some of the workers joined the call and pressured the foreman who reluctantly asked her to leave as he claimed he wanted no trouble on his site and the work must go on uninterrupted.

It is also subsequently revealed that one of the intolerant men who joined the team is aware of the woman from a neighbouring rival community of the woman so in essence that opposition was the reason to use lesbophobia to show bravado in this case, thankfully it did not turn out to be a violent episode and she can recover as best as she can.

Fortunately the foreman has promised that he would try to find another site for her as she has a reputation in his eyes according to her when we last spoke on the issue then with a fairly large marijuana spliff in her mouth, "....Me cool man" she retorted, as she feels comforted by the foreman's promise. Thanks also to that foreman for forging such an alliance but I wonder had it been a man involved here if the outcome would have been so peacefully resolved?

Women who however break the gender norms and roles in society often as labelled as lesbian especially when they meet the stereotypical benchmarks that are used for profiling persons sexuality. My present garbage collection crew for my housing scheme have two females on board and they are very fortright and no nonsense and handle their male counterparts (if one should stand and observe) as equals. 

Also have a listen to the only known anti butch lesbian song recorded by Beenieman some years back as it seeks to dismiss women who supposedly display masculine aesthetics and behaviour.

also see when you can: The Butch Dynamic/mystique becoming a problem? and Ragashanti suggests JFLAG for job seeking "Butch" lesbian

The Lyrics says it all:

Songwriters: MARSDEN, STEVEN MICHAEL / ROBERTS, PATRICK / JACKSON, GARY / DAVIS, MOSES

Intro: 

Yeh man, mi know she mek yu sick man 

Yu see how she a mek yu a vomit, laugh... 

Yu see it a das why mi tell yu nuh Brethren 

Yu see me Beenie Man mi a go tell yu something 

Hear mi 

Chorus: 

Mi nuh wha nuh Man Royal gal, gal 

Gimmi di gal dem wid di real born serial 

Gal come a dance dress up in a man material 

All in a dress like she a go funeral-al 

Mi nuh wha no Man Royal, gal, gal 

Gimme di gal dem wid di real born serial 

Gal come a dance dress up in a man material 

All in a dress like, wol on 

Repeat 

Verse 1: 

Gal come in a dance an all a walk an al a push 

Call har patel that's exactly how she look 

Gal can't even cook, she all a read out a book 

Every night she an a gal gwan in a bush 

Eeh, cause she a husband crook, wol on 

Gal come in a dance an all a stand up an pose 

A wiggle an a wine up ina people ole clothes 

Yuh draw fi a lighter, an she draw fi a hose 

Cause she no wha bun di clothes 

So sing along 

Chorus 2x 

Verse 2: 

A how she walk, a how she talk, a how she flex 

A just di way mi hear she stay 

Bout she wha look di D.J. 

A itch up an a wine up wid har friend dem 

An di ole a dem a guy 

And mi hear she stay di same way 

Reason why mi hate di Man Royal gal dem 

All ways end up wid nuff ole bwoy friend 

All six, seven, eight, nine, fifteen a dem 

Eeh, wid all a one gal friend, so sing again 

Chorus 2x 

Wol on, wol on, wol on 

Verse 3: 

Anytime mi see dem pon di street affi laugh 

Some gal weh a walk wid all dem head bawl off 

Strong like a samson, like a weight dem pop off 

Mi haffi drw fi mi mask, wol on deh 

Mi know a Man Royal gal name Jone 

Feminine creature full a man harmones 

Last week mi hear Patsy in har love zone, muh 

Mi tell har leave mi alone, an fling a stone 

Chorus 2x 

Mix up, mix up, mix up, time again man 

Also see:
Concerns about labels & abuse towards same gender loving women