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

Homeless Awareness Month: Flashback to New Kingston's Displaced MSM

A detailed look at some of the older populations of displaced and homeless MSM and their challenges from as early as New Kingston's business district came to being.
recorded November 7th

November is seen as homeless awareness month in some parts of the world and parenting month here in Jamaica but parenting ideology that seems to ignore LGBT youth at varying levels; case in point the recent comments by the Family Planning Board albeit they have merged with national HIV program. MSM homelessness is an ISLANDWIDE problem not just limited to the New Kingston business district that now is the target of a new kind of LGBT crisis reporting to use them to collect data in light of the upcoming buggery case in the Supreme court slated for November 2014, where were the present so called concerned all this time?

Taken from a recent Observer article:

Dr Sharlene Jarrett of the National Family Planning Board said the constraints in providing direct sexual and reproductive health service to gay teens is the same as reaching the wider adolescent population because of the clash between existing policies and the law.

"There is a serious barrier in terms of what we can provide to MSMs," she told the Sunday Observer.
As such, she said these gay teens have to be reached at the treatment sites, albeit that this is usually after they have become infected with a sexually transmitted disease.

"For MSMs our national HIV programme doesn't have data in terms of the age range of these teens coming to the workshops which we have been having for the past three years to link them to support services," she said, noting however, that what is being done to reach these gay teens is just not enough.
"There are limits to where you can carry a group of young men to give them a service which will help them," she said.

Chief executive officer of the Jamaica Family Planning Association, St Rachel Ustanny, also agreed that services for gay teens are limited.

With the conflict between law and policy preventing the wider youth population from accessing contraceptive services such as condoms, Ustanny said the problem must be large within the sub-population group of MSMs.

Ruth Chisholm, country programme manager for Population Services International/Caribbean, said the current environment makes it very difficult to provide information and counselling to these gay teens.

"There would be less demonisation if dialogue started in the home as this is a key solution to some of the challenges," she said.

But this dialogue has not started in the home for gay teens, as the Jamaica Forum for all Sexuals Lesbians and Gays (J-FLAG) Executive Director Dane Lewis said it is becoming an increasingly common practice for some parents to turn out their children when they self-affirm or are suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

JFLAG in the meantime continues to pass the buck on the issue by demanding that government get involved when we know fully well that they are in no way interested or want to see directly addressing this in fear of loss of votes, simply put while no direct programs are being developed within the last four plus years of the very public challenges with the ever changing populations. Homeless MSM have always been in New Kingston mostly migrating from downtown from parks or old buildings. 

The very former JFLAG office and parent NGO Jamaica AIDS Support for Life Office on 4 Upper Musgrave Avenue (above now demolished) was squatted on long before both groups moved in the nineties as the building was empty for some time. The men at that time shared the house with female commercial sex workers while charging them fees as well to use the room while the younger men would use the water supply to shower and cook. Other former open spaces turned buildings and parks such as Emancipation Park had men staying over night on many occasions, other spots now turned town houses also had this occupation problem.

The sudden interest by some in this population especially post the Safe House Pilot project closure in 2009 is interesting to say the least even as the men themselves hung around the old office prior to the landlord taking action by an eviction notice. 

There are three major waves I can recall the main one had both the causation becoming the very thing that diminished the numbers that being HIV/AIDS and related infections, many persons in that 80s era were evicted due to discrimination as AIDS related diseases then were far more visible than today with less sophisticated antiretrovirals around. Then came the second major wave of younger displacees who in turn were distracted by other not so legal activities where some of the men got themselves involved. However since the down turn in the economy, the not so legal activities losing grip and the increase in forced evictions over time caused the present third major wave to include the dubious closure of the Safe House opened under Jamaica AIDS Support, JAS in 2009 which sent the men into New Kingston itself joining others who were already on the road and the subsequent police crack downs and public clashes. 

Other spaces in the business district to name a few that housed or were illegally occupied by displaced MSM include:

emancipation park under construction was used when it was an open lot 

the old Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation building when it was closed was occupied by a myriad of homeless persons including MSM now turned the Ministry of Works office.

The new UK visa/document pick up once an old unoccupied house

An old hotel on Trafalgar now turned Scotiabank's Card Center and so on

Unfortunately homelessness has not risen to the level of importance as decriminalizing buggery has so the men are just data collection material and recipients of tokenism by more privileged advocates. Why has this not gotten the attention it deserves folks your guess is as good as mine as HIV prevention and MSM advocacy trumps the welfare issues. We keep hearing of upcoming shelter ideas, donation drives that die as soon as they are born and just side-lining of this group for so long.

also see some previous post from as early as 2009:

On homelessness, evictions, hypocrisy & now JFLAG's own displacement ...............

The Safe House Project background from the conceptualizer …………………

The Quietus ……… The Safe House Project Closes

The Ultimatum on December 30, 2009

And MSM continue to be ready material for data collection

Street MSM Stone J-FLAG – After Being Cleared From Gov’t Property

Kingston’s Homeless MSM challenges scream for proper attention

And we continue to reap the world-wind for not addressing homelessness when it was manageable

Utmost hypocrisy , J-FLAG

A claim on How to help homeless LGBT Jamaicans ..... let us not forget it was the same Jamaica Observer who accused JFLAG of abandoning the homeless MSM specifically in New Kingston in an older editorial:

Marauding homosexuals and J-FLAG (Observer Editorial) ……………………

Homelessness, rape and HIV (Observer)

Think on these things people, lots of our lessers have fallen through the cracks right under the very noses of the ones who shift responsibility and just basic concern and well funded agencies who simply do not care. All this happenings when exactly a year ago in a town-hall meeting JFLAG's Executive Director said a space was identified yet no follow up to actually tell the community the deal fell through due to legal challenges.

also see: Homeless impatient with agencies over slow progress of promised shelter (with a podcast included)

Interfaith group treats homeless MSM in St Catherine

Here is a video from 2007 CVM TV where a party I was supposed to be at in Llandovery St Ann was captured by a video crew but the DVD ended up on the streets thus leading to the influx of homeless from mostly rural Jamaica meeting up on existing populations. Hence the large numbers and new cases added to the mix.

a 2009 Word Focus report also touched the matter:

The history of the major population explosion of homeless MSM/transgender occurred and references to the party DVD that was leaked to the bootleg market which exposed many unsuspecting patrons to the public (3:59), also the caustic remarks made by former member of Parliament in the then JLP administration.

The agencies at the time were also highlighted and the homo negative and homophobic violence met by ordinary Jamaican same gender loving men.

The late founder of the CVC, former ED of JASL and JFLAG Dr. Robert Carr was also interviewed.


At 4:42 that MSM was still homeless to 2012 but has managed to eek out a living but being ever so cautious as his face is recognizable from the exposed party DVD, he has been slowly making his way to recovery despite the very slow pace.

Peace and tolerance

H

EU Court of Justice rules sexual orientation valid ground for fear of persecution in asylum procedures

Today the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that people fleeing their country with a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their sexual orientation may qualify for asylum in the European Union.

Rules to grant asylum in European Union Member States are laid down in the Directive on asylum qualifications. The Directive holds that depending on circumstances in their country of origin, people belonging to “particular social groups” may seek refuge in the EU.

Faced with asylum requests from three gay men from Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda, the Dutch State Council asked the CJEU whether homosexual people were considered a “particular social group” within the meaning of the Directive.

The Court of Justice answered that indeed, people of a specific sexual orientation targeted by laws criminalising their conduct or identity could constitute such a group.

The Court added that prison sentences prescribed by law only counted as “persecution” when they were enforced. This is the case in most of the 76 countries criminalising homosexuality, but not all.

Finally, the Court affirmed that EU Member States could not reasonably expect gay, lesbian and bisexual asylum-seekers to hide their sexual orientation in the countries they fled.

Jean Lambert MEP, European Parliament rapporteur for the Directive when it was re-drafted in 2011, commented: “As Rapporteur on the Asylum Qualification Directive, I am extremely happy to see the Court decided to interpret EU law humanely.”

“Now Member States must heed the Court’s ruling, and carefully consider the dire situation in 76 countries that still make being gay or lesbian a crime.”

Michael Cashman MEP, Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup, added: “This is certainly a landmark decision, and the right one.”

“I hope Member States will work constructively with the excellent guidance being developed by the European Asylum Support Office in Malta, so that our asylum procedures become more accommodating of the terrible realities people flee.”

Germany's New "Third Gender" Law Is Not Progressive for Intersex People

prepared by Claudia Astorino

The internet has been a flurry the last couple of weeks reporting on Germany's new "third gender" law, where individuals' gender can be legally identified as "M," "F," or "X." This legislation is being touted as really progressive and exciting and a step for both intersex people and people who are gender non-conforming.

But this law is far from progressive for intersex kids, even if it's a good thing for gender non-conforming adults. Intersex activists have been opposing this law since it has been publicized, for several good reasons. Let's talk about why this law is not the intersex victory it might appear to be.

1) This law is a good thing for ADULTS, who can consent to their legal gender identifier. This law is NOT a good thing for intersex KIDS, who have their legal gender ID chosen FOR them.

While this law may be a good thing for adults, who can consent to changing their legal gender designation to/from M, F, or X, this law is not good for intersex kids, who get no say in choosing their legal gender identity.

A lot of the news reported thus far focuses on the fact that one can CHOOSE M, F, or X. But for intersex people, these choices are only real choices once they're adults. A closer read indicates that DOCTORS are the ones who assign legal gender for intersex kids - who by default, must get an X.

This is messed up because intersex kids are LITERALLY being marked from birth to be societally misunderstood and potentially harassed - both emotionally and physically. Intersex activism is raising awareness that intersex people are normal, and good, and when conversations (with accurate information on intersex) are had between intersex people and others, many are very accepting and understand why intersex people aren't bad, or a big deal, and should have bodily autonomy over what body parts they do and don't keep.

That being said, there are still people out there who don't understand. We're not at a place where people really know what intersex is, and stereotypes about who we are - and how our existence should be "dealt with" societally - are abundant and draconian. I am worried about intersex kids being born in Germany, because I don't trust our societies are at a place where we will accept them as they are and not mistreat them for having the bodies we have. It is one thing to raise awareness that intersex kids exist, and another to literally "out" these intersex kids from birth, opening them up to the potentially for lifelong harassment.

Intersex activist Hida Viloria recently stated (in my own paraphrasing), "People are more accepting of gays and lesbians, but discrimination exists. If there was a way to know that a baby was lesbian from birth, would it be a good idea to mark that on their birth certificates? Wouldn't this open them up to a lot of discrimination?"

Outing intersex kids from birth is not okay. It's one thing for an intersex adult changing their gender identity to "X" (as it is for any person - intersex or not - that chooses to do so), and having the choice be made for intersex kids. This law results in some other very troubling consequences - leading us to my second point.



2) This law simply promotes non-consensual, cosmetic surgeries on intersex kids, so their parents can change their legal gender to "M" or "F" (because post-surgery, they'll supposedly be "real" boys or girls).

As stated above, doctors are the ones who assign legal gender for intersex kids - and by default, must assign "X." Parents do have some say in assigning their child's legal gender, but doctors have the final say. The way that parents can contribute to their intersex child's legal gender assignment is this: If they want their kid to have "M" or "F" on their child's birth certificate, after the doctor has assigned that child "X," parents can force their children to undergo cosmetic surgery without consent. If parents have their children undergo surgery to alter or remove atypical sex characteristic (in terms of external genitals, internal genitals, or gonads), doctors will recommend changing the "X" to "M" or "F."

This is clearly so fucked up and awful.

Intersex activists have been working for years to STOP these treatments that are not medically necessary, that we cannot consent to, that are irreversible, that scar us physically and emotionally - potentially for the rest of our lives, and that can cause ACTUAL health problems (you know, to fix the health problems we never had to begin with). Parents and doctors are recommending these surgeries because they don't want their children to be marked as "different" based on their physical form. Now, Germany is recommending these kids be marked LEGALLY as "different" if their parents don't submit their kids to surgeries...which is going to result in parents doing just that. This new law simply provides FURTHER reasons to continue performing non-consensual, cosmetic surgeries on kids. This is a gigantic step (or ten) backward for intersex people.

A new law that encourages intersex genital/gonadal surgeries? Is not progressive for intersex people, period.



3) Intersex people don't represent a "third gender" category. Sex is not the same thing as gender. (While we're at it, we don't represent a "third sex" category, either.)

I think the reason many people see the new law as progressive is because intersex people are seen as an "other" requiring a third gender category. Our genders "can't" be female, and they "can't" be male, so our gender must lie behind door number three! Right?

Actually, no. Remember that intersex is actually about bodies, about biological sex. Sex and gender are NOT the same concept. Sex is about your body form (i.e., what it looks like) and how it functions. Gender is about whether you FEEL (or identify as) male, female, and/or other identities - it's not about your body specifically, but who you know yourself to be (whether or not that gender ID is the same as your biological sex or not).

So, bodies and gender don't share a one-to-one relationship. Whatever identity label you use for sex (e.g., "male") doesn't mean that you use that label to identify your gender, too. We can't assume that because someone has a body like X, their gender must also be X, too. Their gender might be Y, or Z, or maybe X sometimes and Y other times, maybe Y and Z at the same time, or maybe this person doesn't use gender labels at all.

In this vein, it's kind of weird, then, to create a third gender category for intersex people. If sex and gender don't match up in this they-have-to-match kind of way, or in this there-are-only-two-OH-WAIT-THREE-genders way (because there are potentially as many gender identities out there as there are people to have them), then creating a third gender doesn't make so much sense. A person with an intersex body can totally have a male gender identity! A person with an intersex body can totally have a female gender identity! A person with an intersex body can totally identify as intersex in terms of their gender, too! A person with an intersex body (like anyone else) can have any kind of gender identity/ies they can define!

So like, creating a third GENDER to label people that don't clearly fall into male or female SEX categories, doesn't make sense as a concept, because we're conflating sex and gender.

People everywhere on the internet have been excited for how this law is progressive and good for intersex people. I don't like being the downer that rains on everyone's parade, but I hope that it's clear that this law is NOT good for intersex people. To read more on why this law is not good for intersex people, check out OII-USA's post by Hida Viloria - "Germany’s New Third Gender Law Places Intersex Babies at Risk."

also see: EU adopts historic intersex resolution