Female cisgender imperative thwarted: 17y/o trans-woman murdered

Condolences to the family and friends of Dwayne, firstly;

IRIE FM reported on Monday the following:

Cross dressing teen killed by mob

A teenager was set upon by a mob and killed at a party in St. James overnight.

Reports are that between a 10:00 p-m and 3:00 this morning (July 22), there was river party being held in the Irwin community.

It's reported that the 17-year-old was dressed as a female and was dancing with a male, when a woman at the party recognized him and told other patrons that he was not a female, but a male.

It's understood that one of the men at the party, held on to the teen, searched him and discovered that he was in fact, male.

Some of the patrons reportedly set up on the teen, and chopped and stabbed him to death.

His body was then dumped in bushes along the Orange Main Road.

Police discovered the body about 5:00 this morning.

The police have said they will be increasing their presence in the Irwin community, as two brothers were also murdered there just over a week ago.

ENDS

JFLAG now jumps on it with the following:

Violence is an Affront to Democracy

J-FLAG is appealing to Jamaicans to be more respectful of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) and encourages all persons to stand up for justice.

J-FLAG notes with deep concern the recent mob killing of Dwayne Jones, a teenager in St James who is gender non-conforming; the recent murder of two gay men at an anti-gay religious rally organized by a coalition of evangelical churches in Haiti; and the continued misuse of medical data by some members of the faith-based community to fuel anti-gay animus in society.

We send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the teenager who was slain as well as to our friends in Haiti. We call for a thorough investigation into the murder of the teenager in Montego Bay and hope that the family and loved ones of the slained teen will find the justice they deserve. We encourage persons in the Irwin community of St. James to support the police with any information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators .

It is time that these murders, beatings, and evictions are seen and treated as an affront to democracy, peace, justice, harmony, and freedom of our society.

Jamaica cannot become the place of choice to raise families if we continue killing our children, expelling our most productive, and perpetuating a divisive atmosphere through the skewing of objective truth to suit subjective prejudices.

In response to the mob killing of two gay men on the weekend, the Haitian Government issued a release which is most instructive to us in Jamaica: “The country is in effect at a stage where it needs the energies of all its citizens to undertake great and true battles: the battle against extreme poverty, against illiteracy, against hunger and malnutrition, against ignorance and intolerance. In such a context, tolerance, being a necessary virtue for the establishment of a just and democratic society, becomes a patriotic duty to the extent that a society that is not just cannot progress, and there can be no justice without tolerance.”

Tolerance underpins democracy. Tolerance protects justice. Tolerance promotes harmony.

Our National Anthem beseeches ‘true respect for all’ and our National Pledge urges us all to ‘stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace’.

J-FLAG therefore urges the government, churches, and other stakeholders to join with us in our ongoing commitment to be faithful to these principles for the future of our nation.

Editors Note:

“Gender non-conforming” refers to people who do not follow other people’s ideas or stereotypes about how they should look or act based on the female or male sex they were assigned at birth (Silva Rivera Law Project).

ENDS

Also more dishonest reporting by overseas LGBT outfits that seem to want to capitalize on the homo-negaitve situation here by hopping on an old perception of Jamaica being the most homophobic place on earth as done by Queerty: Jamaica Still “Most Homophobic Place On Earth” As Cross-Dressing Teen “Chopped And Stabbed” To Death but I am not surprised as some of our advocates have prodded them to do so hence it continues.

Frankly speaking young cross dressers or indeed pre-operative transwomen in their quest for the female cisgender imperative to live their truths need to be careful of the spaces they choose to do so especially in Jamaica with a general population not yet educated or sensitized enough about such issues, if deception was the deal here where the deceased was with a man who did not know "she" was a cross dresser or pre-operative transwoman that perceived deception is used as justification to attack such persons. If the partner knew he could may have to pretend he didn't in order to avoid attack on himself as well as has happened before. Older cross dressers or pre-op transwomen know all too well this business of passing or operating in stealth and know how to do so based on experience, this young one was not so lucky.

This also shows the lack of interventions towards the groups of pre-opertaive trans and cross dressers and understanding how to use stealth or passing in a public place, there are consequences (sadly death) in this case, this is not the first time in Montego Bay there has been such an incident but we always have to wait until something goes horribly wrong then the knee-jerk reaction comes. 

To ask for the public here in this case the perpetrators to stop as such awful acts are indeed not needed without the necessary interventions towards the young transwomen and cross dressers about navigating public spaces presenting themselves as they see fit is ridiculous in my view. Taking it on a wing and a prayer and hoping that one survives in the end is not the way to go here; we must teach our younger peeps to pass easily in open spaces but be weary of enclosed spaces and events especially where one may be identifies easily by others who know such persons. We have too many examples of abuse, attacks and ghastly outcomes by attempts at passing in public spaces and places of entertainment; it is yet to be seen if proactivism and the relevant forumatic response towards younger pre-opertive transwomen and crossdressers/drag queens to avoid entertainment spots that one is not sure of and if one chooses to go to them they do so at their own risk.

One cannot be foolish and give away ones life so easily. Where are the older more experienced voices in this department to bring some enlightenment on this issue of feminine aesthetics in public? besides effeminacy in men is not proof of them being homosexual.

Justice Minister condemns killing of St James cross-dresser on  so late in the day Monday, July 29, 2013 

KINGSTON, Jamaica- Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding has condemns the brutal slaying of 17-year-old Dwayne Jones by a mob at a dance in St James on July 22.

"Given our country's history of brutality and the pluralistic nature of our society, all well-thinking Jamaicans must embrace the principle of respect for the basic human rights of all persons," Golding said.

"This principle requires tolerance towards minority groups, and non-violence in our dealings with those who manifest a lifestyle that differs from the majority of us".

It was reported that Jones was beaten to death by the mob after it was discovered that he was dancing with a man while wearing women's clothing.

"Depraved acts of violence against individuals such as Dwayne Jones have to cease. The police must spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice, so that any persons who may be inclined to indulge in such vile brutality will know that they cannot do so with impunity," the Justice Minister added.

The United Nations Jamaica Office issued a statement:

UN Jamaica Statement on the Murder of Dwayne Jones

The United Nations in Jamaica condemns the brutal murder of 17-year-old Dwayne Jones by patrons gathered at a dance party in St. James in the early hours of 22 July 2013.

Dwayne was reportedly chased and attacked by a crowd of assailants after it became known that he was male and dressed in women’s clothing.

We welcome the statement issued by the Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, denouncing the killing and calling on the police to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice. The Government should ensure that the investigation proceeds without delay and is conducted in an independent and thorough manner. Those responsible for this heinous crime must be held to account for their actions.

Dwayne Jones is, sadly, only the latest in a long line of individuals in Jamaica assaulted and killed apparently because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Tolerance, acceptance of diversity and respect for others are all underpinnings of any free and equal society. They are also essential for everyone to enjoy their human rights on an equal footing. The need to ensure human rights for all and to respect the principles of non-discrimination, including for people belonging to sexual minorities has been consistently underscored by the United Nations Secretary General.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched the Free & Equal campaign designed to raise awareness of homophobic violence and discrimination, and promote greater respect for the rights of for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality.

Here is the last video of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen inadvertently done by a television crew when they came across the homeless youths at an abandoned housing scheme in Western Jamaica, little did we know in death he would make such international headlines. He was laid to rest on August 25, 2013. May his soul rest in peace

Peace and tolerance

UPDATE July 2014:

One year review television special

A recent television special one year since the murder shows up the carelessness frankly of Gully Queen herself and friends that faithful night but who is going to say it openly? that in a sense she gave her own life away in a sense as they clearly thought they understood how to "pass" in public which clearly they didn't. See that documentary HERE or HERE ........ Host Dionne Jackson Miller takes a look at the issues of the murder of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen one year ago and some other related issues to do with homelessness, displacements and forced evictions of LGBT youths with guests, issues to do with passing in public, honesty & integrity about one's real gender scream for attention in this presentation which warrants better programs from LGBTQ advocacies & interventions specific to transgender individuals navigating public life in Jamaica as misdirected homophobic violence can lead to more incidents such as the tragic murder of Gully Queen,

H