Lesbians clash in car park outside popular strip club

So same gender loving relational matters or fallouts keep spilling over into the public domain and causing some image challenges in my view in terms of carving respectability and such. Not because we are LGBTQI and are impacted by negative pressures from society means we must be violent in all circumstances or display our under carriages to John Public, who for all intents and purposes seek to use anything to deny recognition of LGBT normativity so such clashes as the one I am about to share become ammunition to give credence to such denials. If we can’t be as heterosexuals in other words in terms of socialization then why do we or should we deserve same?

So I was forced to drop my usual routine at home on a weekend Friday evening as I normally prepared to make my way down to my DJ gig on the north west of the island; I was coaxed quite forcibly [mi vex still] into accompanying a lesbian friend of mine and two other persons to a popular strip club in New Kingston known as Palais Royale that attracts many same gender loving women over the years and has had its reputation reach international status. In the same breath it has had some awful incidents as well to dent that otherwise good reputation in as far as open entertainment for lesbians and some gay men are tolerated although the DJs can get very caustic when perceived gays or drag queens are in the house; with sometimes cheering support from lesbians. The old rift of lesbians despising effeminate men in public sometimes show up.

We have had shooting incidents by lesbians in that of one some years ago where a security guard who clashed with a woman was shot twice by her or COPS HUNT LESBIAN "SHOTTAS" or Lesbians Take Over Exotic Clubs 2008 (Wordpress Blog)

We arrived at Palais, entered, settled in, drinks in hand around 10pm or so (my DJ gig starts later on, maybe it was a good warmup for me) and we enjoyed the entertainment interspersed with laughter and reacquainting myself with some ladies I have not seen for quite some time when I was closer to the WomenforWomen group who would often drag us along for the fun of it to the same club. We noticed a minor skirmish by one of the tables between two women as evidenced in the crowd parting and a very animated butch appearing person clearly displaying some displeasure but the thing died down and festivities continued.

One thing I can tell you my readers butch women do not play when pursuing their entertainment and are heavy tippers; I stood almost in shock at the kinds of cash including foreign currency I saw being thrown on the stage and the heightened cheering and satisfaction. The previously animated woman was also in the mix making her contribution to one particular exotic dancer as the DJ vigorously encouraged the excitement, a job I know all too well in whipping a crowd into a frenzy. I ran into an older lesbian DJ who I occasionally worked with back in the day as well.

Time came for me to make my early exit as my out of town gig time was approaching and the drive though shortened thanks to the highway [yeah!] was still near two hours long; we made our way to the car parked some ways down on Ripon Road only to walk into an obvious fight as the shouts were audible. To my surprise it was the same butch identified woman who was animated before inside the club and another woman who were at it. The other woman grabbed her and throw her to the ground where they wrestled for a short time, much to the delight of the mostly male onlookers who were cheering and laughing; supposedly making light of the masculinity of the women in the melee and as if it were a boxing match described who punched who or who was more aggressive than the other.

Most of the men watching this go down were vendors on the outside on the street or male patrons or just hang-abouts who were engaging the female commercial sex workers who peddle on the outside of the club. I was not pleased with what I saw go down and to think the matter became a scene for excitement as if we were watching a knock out drag out fight in a Roman venue with one persons expected to die for entertainment. My lesbian friend was livid and expressed same while encouraging the ladies to stop the fighting and solve the matter another way. Another lady friend of hers who was with us gave some background suggesting that the aforementioned animated butch was a known trouble maker and her reputation preceded her; so no sympathy in essence was not offered towards her.

The fight was eventually parted by other women and a soup vendor who addressed the butch woman by a name as he pulled her away from the other person. Even as that was in progress the cheering men went into the after drama commentary that usually accompany these things gay or straight as the case may be. I found it offensive as it reduced in a sense gays and lesbians as constantly jealous and engage in fights over ‘pussy’ as loudly claimed by one of the misogynistically sounding laughing men. Words to the effect came from him and others that lesbians were not easy or determined in their quest for women lovers and would kill if necessary to achieve same. In other words all we are as gay people are sex hungry freaks at any costs.

We need to be careful how we play out our differences and clearly even after all these years for me we still have conflict resolution issues that require sustained interventions ad support. A fight along East Queen Street recently nearing Wildman Street was a case in point in about March 2015 when I was at a nearby betting shop making my punts for cash pot when a man walked in and proudly announcing that ‘two lesbian gal a fight’ by the location. By the time we got there one of the ladies clearly a stud identified type had her marina torn with her left breast showing under her bra while the other’s hat was on the sidewalk and her hair totally out of whack. And what were they fighting over allegedly? A woman it was surmised much to amusement of the men nearby at the two drinking spots; again the reduction of same gender identity to just sex seeking freaks devoid of emotion at any cost came up.

So much work maybe in a next lifetime maybe needed to change hearts and minds on dignity of LGBT people whilst reducing aggression as a way to solve conflict.

Peace and tolerance

H

also see:

The raid the night before by the cops:

LESBIAN ACTIVITY ON STAGE IN LINSTEAD CLUB RAISES CONCERNS 2008 

LESBIAN CLUB IN PORTMORE (THE STAR 4.12.08)

THE RESPONSE TO LESBIAN CLUB IN PORTMORE

(Wordpress archive blog)

‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy Group Co-Founder’s Medical License Revoked for ‘Gross Negligence’ and ‘Unprofessional Conduct’

NARTH Co-Founder, Benjamin Kaufman, MD Retires in Disgrace After Patient Ends Up in Coma

CHICAGO – Psychiatrist Benjamin Kaufman, MD surrendered his medical license on October 7, 2015 to the Medical Board of California Department of Consumer Affairs. He is the co-founder of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a notorious group of discredited practitioners who promote the outdated idea that homosexuality is a disease that can be cured. NARTH, which has since rebranded itself The Alliance of Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, has deliberately concealed the professional misconduct of its co-founder for six months.

“We consistently find that those who practice ‘ex-gay’ therapy are unethical and unscrupulous,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “They are perpetrators of fraud and malpractice, who harm their clients in the name of helping them. Given this reality, we aren’t the least bit surprised to find that Benjamin Kaufman is a charlatan who had his license revoked for ‘gross negligence’ and ‘unprofessional conduct.’”

Ironically, it wasn’t his abuse of LGBT people that finally did in Dr. Kaufman. In 2008, Benjamin Kaufman was informed that one of his clients (listed as L.S. in the legal documents) was suffering from alcoholism and severe depression. According to California’s medical board, Kaufman, “continued to routinely prescribe Schedule III medications and mood stabilizers to L.S. without seeing L.S. in person…

Respondent’s care and treatment of L.S. was an extreme departure from the standard of care by failing to adequately diagnose and manage chronic alcoholism leading to an irreversible neurological condition which resulted in the incapacitation of the patient….on September 9, 2011, L.S. fell into a coma.”

After the guilty verdict, the Sacramento-based Dr. Kaufman elected to retire from medicine. In its decision, the state wrote, “For the purpose of resolving the accusation without the expense and uncertainty of further proceedings, respondent (Kaufman) agrees that, at hearing, complainant could establish a factual basis for the charges in the accusation and those charges constitute discipline…Respondent understands that by signing this stipulation he enables.

the Board to issue an order accepting the surrender of his Physician’s and Surgeon’s Certificate without further process.”

In 2015, Kaufman was sued for allegedly confining a Sacramento client behind “locked doors” and under watch of a “large dog.” According to Courthouse News Service:


A Sacramento psychiatrist who practices gay conversion therapy defamed a gay attorney-prison guard to his employer after confining him with “a large dog under compelled coercion,” the lawyer claims in court.

Calvin Chang says he was referred to Dr. Benjamin Kaufman after filing a discrimination complaint against his employer, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Chang, who’d complained that he was denied promotion because of his sexual orientation, claims there were “no facts or lawful basis whatsoever” to justify his referral to Kaufman. Chang says he is a licensed attorney with more than 20 years of law enforcement experience.

Chang says Kaufman subjected him to “reparative therapy” without his consent and threatened to have him fired if he didn’t accept the prisons department’s offer of demotion.

Chang damages for civil rights violations, defamation, discrimination, aiding and abetting discrimination, privacy invasion, fraud and deceit, violation of medical privacy, retaliation, professional negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Every respected medical and mental health association in America condemns conversion therapy. This includes The American Psychological Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association.

Last week, The World Psychiatric Association, an organization of national psychiatric societies consisting of 138 member societies across 118 different countries, released a position statement denouncing any attempts to turn LGBT people heterosexual.

“There is no sound scientific evidence that innate sexual orientation can be changed. Furthermore, so-called treatments of homosexuality can create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination flourish, and they can be potentially harmful,” the statement says.

‘Ex-Gay’ therapy for minors (aka reparative or conversion therapy) is prohibited in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and the District of Colombia.

Truth Wins Out (TWO) is a non-profit organization that works to demolish the very foundation of anti-gay prejudice. Our philosophy is simple: We attack the underpinnings of homophobia by debunking harmful lies, discrediting hateful myths, and countering anti-gay organizations. By chipping away at the underlying ignorance that fuels anti-LGBT attitudes, we can ultimately win our fight for fairness and achieve full equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people worldwide.

International Transgender Day of Visibility 2016 #TDoV #MoreThanVisibility #Ally

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual observance occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. 

The observance was founded by Michigan-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered observance was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which mourned the loss of transgender people to hate crimes, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community.

Locally we have had a long ardious journey raising awareness with not only John Public's understanding of transgender issues but sadly back then the very advocacy structures including JFLAG; invisibility/omission were the biggest challenges to overcome but there is some growth within the last couple years. It was an uphill battle to get the outfit to finally start acting on more inclusion in the narrative nationally. 

There were days when even persons left transgender individuals to be seen as confused persons and this blog was one of the few spaces then in the late 2000s to begin to change that thinking. Then there was the conflation of transgender issues with drag/transvestite culture and certain words usage such as 'tranny' and such which etymology was from drag queen culture and not meant to stigmatize our transgender colleagues. See: The difficult task of separating drag culture from transgender identity 2013

shot from Taboo Yardies documentary with Moyette Morgan and Laura Garcia at the time which was screened in Jamaica in 2013, see more HERE

Sean Claude Neufville an APJ Seizmic participant explains her/his journey

Groups such as Colour Pink, Transwave and my affiliated Aphrodite's P.R.I.D.E Jamaica, APJ coupled with some enlightenment from HIV agencies such as JASL finally of which I am pleased things are looking on the up.

If only in the homeless/displacement department there can be some more intensive work and opportunities for a way out; despite some of the aforementioned agencies not acting on the full knowledge over forty years of the consequence of stigma and discrimination is evidenced in forced evictions and homelessness.

view it HERE

A recent study also showed how some three hundred plus persons felt about seeing asylum as a way out of Jamaica with more than 70% surveyed agreeing. APJ has been doing work in conjunction with groups and individuals and on Human Rights Day 2015 launched our website to add to the awareness thrust.

APJ's website HERE

see previous posts on APJ from this blog HERE (newer posts will appear first.)

In 2014, the holiday was observed by activists across the world — including in Ireland and in Scotland. In 2015, many transgender individuals participated in an online social media campaign on websites including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Participants posted selfies, personal stories, statistics regarding transgender issues and other related content to raise awareness and increase visibility.

I wanted to highlight for today a previous case I had dealt with way back in 2008 when I was in crisis interventions at JFLAG and Admin/Finance and her progress since in evidence of resilience and such. Lady Moyette as I called her then was a stone's throw away from being murdered as this previous post shows, see: Transgenderism in Jamaica: A victim's ordeal before and after photos show the journey since.

Before:

After (a couple days ago)

I am so happy she is OK and still quietly working though not in Jamaica anymore.

Live up and a huge thanks to Laura Garcia of APJ and others from the old guard whose push over the years helped to change the narrative towards more tolerance and acceptance.

Peace & tolerance

H

Washing penis after sex doesn't prevent STIs

Washing penis after sex doesn't prevent STIs

Dear Counsellor,

I always thought I had a major problem and so I have been abstaining from sex for some time; I usually ease the sexual tensions by masturbating. Recently, I got so happy and say to myself that my stresses where sex is concerned are over. Counsellor, I have learnt that it is not everything a person must keep on the chest, it is good to talk with trusted friends. I say that because it was only while talking to a trusted friend that I get to understand that all I need to do is wash off the penis immediately after sex and have my girlfriend douche so we would not get sexual germs like AIDS and the others.

Happy and Free

Dear Happy and Free,

Genital hygiene is important and a good practice. However, there is no evidence that washing the genitals prevents sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In fact, vaginal douching increases a woman's risk of acquiring STIs, including HIV, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

The only sure way to prevent sexually transmitted infections is to abstain from all sexually activities; that is, oral, vaginal and anal. For persons who are sexually active, the only sure way to prevent sexually transmitted infections is to use a condom every time or stick to one faithful partner who you know is uninfected.
Do pregnant women have a greater chance of getting HIV?

Dear Counsellor,

I have a concern about pregnancy. I would like to know if pregnancy places a woman at increased risk of becoming infected with HIV?

Want to Know

Dear Want to Know,

Current evidence is conflicting as to whether pregnancy increases a woman's chances of infection if exposed to HIV. What we do know is that if a woman becomes infected with HIV during pregnancy, the chances that HIV will be transmitted to her baby during pregnancy, delivery, and childbirth may be at their highest because she will have a high level of virus in her blood. It is therefore important for all pregnant women to protect themselves from HIV and other STIs through mutual faithfulness, condom use or abstinence. On the other hand, if a pregnant woman thinks that she may have HIV, she should seek HIV testing. Testing for HIV during pregnancy is extremely important to the both the health of the baby and the mother-to-be. Resources are available to help the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and this has been very effective.

For more information on condom use, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, call the AIDS/STD Helpline toll free at 1888-991-4444

Call For Order - Negril Stakeholders Want Commercial Sex Work Regularised

Thought I'd post this Gleaner article on commercial sex work given recent developments in Western Jamaica and a raid previously posted Weekend raid of CSWs in Mobay had homeless LGBT in dragnet. The Sex Worker Association of Jamaica, SWAJ based in western Jamaica as well has expressed some interest in the developments and have said they make respond in time.

I do wish though that the Gleaner and media houses in general desist from using the word 'Prostitution' as it is now being seen as a stigmatizing term as the original headline read.

Elaine Allen-Bradley: We should have a health system in place in Negril where we have all the facilities for locals and tourists alike.

Western Bureau:

While stopping short of calling for the establishment of a red-light district in the resort town, some business stakeholders in Negril, Westmoreland, want to see prostitution decriminalised and regulated in order to create safer conditions for sex workers and their clients.

Participating in a recent Gleaner forum on job creation, investment and growth in Negril, the stakeholders admitted that despite being illegal, male and female prostitution has always been part of the fabric of the town, albeit a big contributor to social disorder.

"Prostitutes and rent-a-dreads are quite numerous here in Negril," said Christine Cohen, owner of the Spa Retreat Boutique Hotel.

"Rent-a-dreads have a big underground business. There are already websites where you can rent a dread. You can already have everything set up before you even hit the airport. Within 60 minutes, your arrangement is made."

It is for that reason why Cohen and other stakeholders, including Lee Issa, the president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce (NCC), believed it would best serve the town by having the industry legalised, so it could be regulated to address safety concerns.

"I think you can have some sort of coexistence, but it would have to be confined, controlled and managed, because we are not going to get rid of it," said Issa, who is chairman of Couples Resorts. "If regularised, it would in some way allow for the girls to be checked health-wise."

However, as things are from a health perspective, Negril is far from ready to offer the type of health care that a regulated sex trade would require.


HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

The town's health infrastructure, which is a woefully inadequate health centre, is struggling to address even day-to-day health issues.

According to Elaine Allen-Bradley, a director of the NCC, the health centre is unbecoming of a town that is considered a premier tourist destination.

"If you should go to the health centre, it's a disgrace. We should have a health system in place in Negril where we have all the facilities for locals and tourists alike," she said.

However, while some stakeholders want to see a decriminalised sex industry in Negril, until that becomes a reality, the police will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to prostitution.

According to Deputy Superintendent Adrian Hamilton, the officer in charge at the Negril Police Station, the police will continue to enforce the law against prostitution, but will partner with the Ministry of Health so that whenever these alleged sex workers are taken into custody, some amount of counselling is provided.

"We recently went to their main area in Negril, their habitat, and we demolished three makeshift structures that were being used as brothels ... . We took some persons into custody," Hamilton said.

okoye.henry@gleanerjm.com 

ENDS

Indeed the rent-a-dread business is real and is not only targeted at females only as there are bisexuals and gay operatives as well in the business who often get very good patronage.

I am in some agreement with the call or concerns expressed and only if there are some forward thinking folks to out in the needed systems and monitoring to make it work.

Peace & tolerance

H

Jamaican Intersex (ambiguous genitalia) baby case a cause for concern #learning moment

While I appreciate the highlighting of issues such as this that do get a lot of mainstream ventilation they have a way of misleading the public but showing up the arrears that need addressing.

Firstly Intersex people differ from transgender people as their status is not gender related but instead relates to their biological makeup (genetic, hormonal and physical features) which is neither exclusively male nor exclusively female, but is typical of both at once or not clearly defined as either. These features can manifest themselves in secondary sexual characteristics such as muscle mass, hair distribution, breasts and stature; primary sexual characteristics such as reproductive organs and genitalia; and/or in chromosomal structures and hormones. The term intersex has replaced the term ‘hermaphrodite’ which was used extensively by medical practitioners during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

At Least 30 or 40 Different variations are known to science; 10--‐80% Of cases are idiopathic, with no exact diagnosis.

Some Common intersex variations are diagnosed prenatally, others may be apparent at birth. Some Intersex traits become apparent at puberty, or when trying to conceive, or through random chance. However, most intersex characteristics are not pathological, but express healthy variation amongst human bodies.

Inspire Jamaica a positive feature aired on CVM TV had as its latest subject baby ‘Angel’ and her mother speaking to the issues surrounding ambiguous genitalia and or intersexuality (although the word was not used in the clip not even by the doctor interviewed) and that the mother had bought male clothing and related items only to be instructed by the gynaecologist to wait whilst also asking the Registrar General Department to amend the birth papers and such to female gender.

CMV TV's video on the subject (part 1)

I was a bit disturbed by that and then to be landed with the doctor’s encouragement to the mother go ahead the surgery to effectively select the baby’s gender as opposed to waiting until baby X reached possibly eighteen years of age seeing that is our age of adulthood in law; persons may not want to remain as forced on them by doctor through the mother and may have consequences in later years.

Despite the doctor who respectfully is the expert in this matter had indicated that there were no chromosomes suggesting a male and no descended testicles he thought it best to default the child to female at this early stage owing to the issues to do with gender in the brain versus sex; in other words gender is between the ears male brain versus female brain versus not matching what is between the legs which is why I would have thought the doctor should have waited; there are cases for example here in Jamaica from as early as 2009 where it was even discussed on radio with Emily Crooks and Clyde Williams when they hosted the morning show on Nationwide radio on September 11 2009 with Dr Peta Ann Baker, see a previous post: What if Semenya were a Jamaican? 2009 for Miss Baker's take on the issues then.

During puberty the genitalia can change alongside genes and internal characteristics with many variations of the combinations, with regards to chromozones, gonads etc. which is why the experts should have waited. There is new information as well and the push by intersex activists as well thanks to them for my own enlightenment. The rush to gender reassignment surgery is wrong especially for cosmetic reasons and the fears of the parents; early surgery can cause issues as such persons mature futuristically is problematic. Again I am not an expert in endocrinology by there is enough information out there and that gender is not binary. We should wait until the age of majority in Jamaica legally which is 18 and let them choose while educating them.

We do not do the best for our children in this rigid way. I am waiting to see the part 2 of what the doctor actual recommended in the series and I hope he didn't recommend surgery.

Difficulties presented by the binary gender model and gender stereotypes

Negative attitudes towards trans and intersex people are directly correlated to the importance that a determinate society places on the binary gender model and the level of gender stereotypes, sexism and gender inequalities that exist within it. The binary gender model classifies both sex and gender into two distinct and exclusive forms of masculine and feminine identities. This system is maintained through a cisnormativity system which legitimises and privileges those who are comfortable in the gender belonging to the sex assigned to them at birth through various practices and institutions.

Additionally, this norm systematically disadvantages and marginalizes all persons whose sex, gender identity and gender expression do not meet social expectations. This happens through the enforcement of wide boundaries between the two sexes (and their corresponding genders) to discourage people from crossing them or establishing alternative third sexes or third genders. Gender stereotypes also play a significant role in othering and marginalizing trans and intersex people. In fact, gender stereotypes that favour a particular form of ‘masculinity’ in relation to men and a particular form of ‘femininity’ in relation to women expose many trans and intersex people to institutionalized discrimination.

also see:

More on Intersexuality 2010

Caster Semenya or Buju Banton 2009

Jamaican Inter-phobia, lack of understanding Inter-sexuality 2010

A RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE ON THE CASTER SEMENYA ISSUE
FEMALE MASCULINITY: DISRUPTING STANDARDS OF BEAUTY AND REDEFINING WOMANHOOD

INTERSEXUALITY, AMBIGUOUS GENITALIA & PSYCHO-SOCIAL ISSUES DISCUSSION ON NATIONWIDE RADIO JAMAICA 11.09.09 

more entries from GLBTQ Jamaica Wordpress blog on intersex issues HERE

Peace & tolerance

H

Str8 men who watch lesbian porn ..................

The homosexual component of lesbian porn is what it appealing to heterosexual men I feel. While heterosexual men are increasingly accepting of gay people in society, I believe that many men still retain feelings that homosexuality is "wrong" or "taboo." This is not to say that these men are disingenuous when they express their support for gay people/rights. It is simply an acknowledgment that most American men (even young ones) grew up in a society that was intolerant of gay people. That experience has left an imprint on them which they have retained, even though they have overcome that imprint in many of their conscious thoughts and activities.

Lesbian porn provides men with exposure to homosexual activity in a manner that is acceptable to them because they do not feel like they are homosexual for watching it. Many people's sexual fantasies involve activities that are considered taboo by societal standards. In the case of lesbian porn, heterosexual men are able to engage in taboo activity, even though they are not gay.

Here is a question and answer exchange on the issue, I do not agree so much with doc's answer and the answer should have explored a little more the issue of attraction and orientation.

My Husband Went To A Lesbian Show

Question: 

Doc, my husband recently visited Prague in the Czech Republic on business. He came back and told me, with some embarrassment, that he and his colleagues went to a 'lesbian show.'

At first, I was very angry and ready for divorce, because I thought he was going to say that while he was at this theatre, he had sex with one of the women. But to my relief, that was not so.

However, I am still pretty mad at him, because he said that he and his colleagues sat in the front row and eyed all these girls who took off their clothes while dancing on the stage.

What really infuriated me was that, apparently, the main item of the show was a sort of 'lesbian display' between two beautiful women who stood there stark naked and kissed each other - and then did all sorts of rude things to each other's bodies. There was also some oral 'sex kissing'.

He said that all his colleagues got very excited by this. But he claimed to have just 'appreciated the artistic side of it'. I asked him if he was trying to be funny! Then I locked myself in the bedroom for a few hours, and refused to speak to him.

Doc, I would like to ask your advice on this matter. Why do men go and look at naked women performing sexual acts on each other? And why on earth did my husband go along with this? After all, he could have got up and walked out.

Finally, do you think he achieved sexual excitement from such a gross and indecent spectacle?

Answer: 

I am sorry that you got so mad about this. Obviously, you are very upset about the idea of your spouse watching a lesbian show - and (worse still) perhaps getting excited about it!

In recent years, the historic and beautiful city of Prague has become famous for this sort of stage show. Large parties of men (and some women) go to watch.

I have stated in this column before that when you have a group of men who are away from home together, there is a certain 'peer pressure' which makes them feel that they have to join in with what is going on. So it probably would have been difficult for your husband to have walked away from the rest of his group. He was in a foreign city, where he presumably did not speak the language, so it might have been difficult for him to get back to his hotel.

Now you ask me whether he 'achieved sexual excitement' while watching those lesbian frolics. Well, I have to admit that it is quite possible. But my advice to you is not to pursue such questions as to whether he got an erection or not. I think discussing that would only cause trouble.

As you rightly suggest, it is curious that so many men do get excited by the idea of lesbianism between very attractive women. No one has ever come up with a very satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon. At the moment, Google has 600,000 websites which attempt to explain it!

Personally, I cannot provide an answer. But perhaps it may be with the well-known male belief that 'four breasts must be even better than two'.

Anyway, I think we must just accept that your husband and his colleagues went to this silly show together. Nothing will change that, but I hope that he won't do it again, in view of the distress which he knows it has caused you.

But there is one good thing to concentrate on. As far as we know, your husband did not have sex with any of the women afterwards and that, at least, is something to be grateful for.

ENDS

Some quick stereotypes comes to mind for example:

Why do straight men like lesbians as friends?

Some like having women friends who will always be just friends

Some value diversity in their social circle

Why do straight men feel attracted to lesbians?

Straight men are attracted to women

Lesbians are women

Why do straight men specifically chase lesbians?

Some think lesbianism is a phase

Some think they can get any women they want

Some think their infatuation is enough to overcome her disinterest

Some think this is their ticket to a threesome

Keep talking folks.

also see:

Why do some lesbians or bi women like gay male porn?

Peace & tolerance

H

Insensitive Parents & displaced Adolescent MSM part 4

Insensitive Parents & displaced Adolescent MSM

So two more cases of forced evictions have come to hand involving gay males and their parents who simply do not want to endure their own siblings simply due to their sexual orientation and a pervasive homo-negativity that has come to dominate our attitudes towards homosexuality.

The first case involves an 18 year old who is described as slightly effeminate but somewhat soft spoken; he has been meeting some challenges according to him for some time in his younger days at school as his demeanour raised the suspicion level with other classmates. His non participation in male orientated sports such as football and cricket whilst not selecting other sports mostly female oriented sports as an alternative; those being netball or so he was ridiculed sometimes on the grounds as a sissy or too standoffish. Such antecedences are too common place in many crisis interviews with subjects who make reports. His mother had been asking him about a girlfriend similar to my own upbringing and veiled warnings about making sure that he was not funny or being gay.

This case also had a social media element to it as his Facebook profile was supposedly seen by another person close to his mother had been feeding her information that he has several males on his friends list and it looked suspicious. I do not know how many times I have carried entries on this blog and GLBTQ Jamaica of outings due to misuse or poor usage and monitoring of Facebook and other platforms with siblings or strangers who comb through for clues in their eyes about person’s sexual orientation for supposed proof so as to enact their stigma and hate.

The young man was eventually forced to leave the home and was assisted by a professional linked to a youth group who in turn reached out to JFLAG and others. My spare room is already occupied so I could not assist when I was contacted by Aphrodite’s P.R.I.D.E Jamaica APJ who originally handled the case. He has since settled thankfully at a temporary shelter arrangement as is the case these arrangements have expiry dates and how he will fear afterwards is unclear for now. His mother has been engaged but she is impatient to hear any consoling words and is adamant she does not want him back at home ad that he should find his way now he is an adult in her eyes seeing he has now 18 years old. Efforts are still in train to enable some sort of dialogue and re-integration with the mother; other family members are said to be mum with one uncle siding with the mother on the stance she has taken.

Case 2:

19 year old gay male forced to leave after gay nonfiction book was discovered in his bedroom.

In this case a best friend has offered accommodation temporarily as he is pursuing a short course at a skills training institution.

A simple book burrowed from a colleague that has no suggestive photos or such imagery on its cover was scanned by a relative which in turn led to a series or conversations within the family; there was some history before of tense situations with his mother as evidenced in arguments where she would hint that he has no interest in women and she knows. They say mothers always know and by all accounts with regards to this case it is true.

Her repeated hints to the 19 year old made him uncomfortable and as if he spotted the forthcoming doom he had already dropped hints to friends that he wanted to leave the house as he is not so steady. It was that forewarning that made a way open for him so soon as opposed to other cases where persons struggle in the initial displacement or forced eviction. Family member’s reaction since his removal from the home has been mixed; more so negative than positive with one relative residing overseas blasting him by phone claiming that he and his kind want to impose homosexuality as in the US where she lives but Jamaica will have none of that she reportedly shouted at him or words to such effect.

Beds are hard to come by these days as many persons simply clam shut their assistance for newly displaced as the image of homelessness is not so good a near complete dismissal to engage such is the easier way out.

Hope that both cases can be dealt with some long term resolve.

Meanwhile Kingston's Mayor is claiming she has recieved death threats:

Oh boi will this ever be solved? even with all the aspirational social media posts and announcements of projects but no serious answer yet.

In a previous post this video was featured:

Trina Bo$$ Bitch is her own boss, but suffers in a country that has no LGBTQ rights. Find out more on GAYCATION Jamaica tonight at 10pm.
Posted by VICELAND on Wednesday, March 16, 2016

also see:
Ellen Page's Gay Imperialism is Not Activism

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:
Gay homeless return ‘HOME’ … say housing promises were not fulfilled


Insensitive Parents and Displaced MSMs Part III 2011

Accused Gay Killers of Megamart employee still at large

Homeless gays accused of Megamart employee murder

Clash of cruisers & homeless again

Fighting noisy lesbians forced to relocate as neighbours loose patience

Normally when one hears of forced evictions or impromptu notices with LGBT persons at the receiving end it has something to do with stigma & discrimination and or homo/trans/bi/lesbophobia of some kind. Somehow we never fail; we never fail however to annoy folks and then cause undo resentment and intolerance when the causations are as a result of our very own actions. I cannot tell how many time reports like this one have been circulated or rumoured. However in this case it was too close to home for me. Two women sharing a space and who identify as lesbians in a swanky St Catherine community of Avon Park in recent months were forced to leave the rented premises last month and rent/deposit returned as occasional fights and arguments much to the annoyance of neighbours (according to the neighbours).

I came by way of the information in assisting a friend of mine to find a flat to rent and in asking around I was told of the empty flat and the subsequent background to the residence which is still empty. I am told but not able to confirm that the landlord in intent on not renting any suspected homosexuals or lesbians as they do not want a repeat of the incident with the now removed ladies. In early February the women woke up the cul-de-sac at the end of the avenue on a Sunday morning of February 21st. The women were arguing allegedly about monies owed and other domestic matters; it was as the decibel levels rose that the subject changed to other intimate matters in earshot of persons near by who allegedly snickered as the verbal onslaught ensued.

Matters concerning a previous date with another woman and other more salacious issues were aired quite openly for the growing audience as more persons opened their doors to the melee. The women did not care one person I was able to speak to in my quest to find out about the availability of the house for a site visit for the rental attempt for my brethren; they were just letting it all hang out to dry and the word ‘sodomite’ and other colourful Jamaican parlance dotted the exchange with threats of who can shoot whom and such or have bad man friends as it were.

Neighbours subsequently full to the brim with what they were subjected decided to intervene as a retired police officer broke the melee albeit outside the threshold of the property at the gate of the house. His attempts however was met with a strong rebuff from both women who claimed he was ‘fassing’ [inquisitive] in their business but he reportedly quickly reminded them he and others who were watching all this go down were doing exactly that because they could hear the arguments quite clearly. Both the man and the women continued in a tit for tat and then a subsequent phone call was made to the landlord who was reportedly livid, a similar incident took place in Greater Portmore late last year and also in Spanish Town at the court house of all places where an employee had a tiff with her supposed lover which spilled out into the streets. Then there was the chopping incident carried in the Observer in 2015 of a lesbian; the story was presented as a lesbophobic case but subsequent investigations and foot patrol by myself and friends who reside on the very townhouse complex revealed a totally different picture surrounding the incident and why she was chopped.

Annoying neighbours especially one woman who ended up committing the chopping, unneeded kissing and public displays of affection in the common areas of the complex despite cameras are installed by the strata management etc. Getting alleged rogue cops from outside the official precinct jurisdiction involved as well only added fuel to the fire. We must learn how to conduct ourselves in order to command respect and just display that as LGBT people we can be and ought to be dignified; in turn such dignity will give credence to the call for recognition of rights and freedoms and help if in a small way lessen the wall of resistance we face even if persons are not directly in the struggle for change.

The Avon Park matter however ended with the landlord’s visit; discussions (or common gossip) as the case may be with neighbours on the issue and a subsequent notice to quit issued. One of the pair removed the week following while the other agreed to live out her deposit and such. I tried to get more information as to the type of reaction verbally from the captive audience was like but to no avail. It just goes to show we must chill sometimes and try to solve conflicts more peacefully while setting the example so onlookers will have no ammunition to justify their criticisms or lesbo(homo)phobia. Adopting so called badmanship attitudes in out to project strength in a tussle or disagreement is just plain stupid as it makes no sense; or trying to see who can outdo each other. There are just too many issues surrounding intimate partner violence that require some sustained and targeted response.

Hope they learned the lesson. As for the house hunting we had to settle for somewhere else; I did not see the need to pursue that property after learning what happened and it would be a case of transfusion of liked persons and maybe homo-negative responses from curious neighbours given the history of the space.

Peace & tolerance.

H

also see:

Lesbian fined for property damage of neighbour’s house despite lesbophobic provocation

Kicked Out! Lesbian told to leave home by father as he can’t stand the site of her

Case update: Chopping incident, relocation, truth telling & unneeded attention

HOPE for the Vaginal Ring: Follow-Up Studies on New HIV-Prevention Method for Women Announced

More than 300 members of the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) were gathered in a hotel conference room in Rockville, Maryland, earlier this month and, somewhat unexpectedly, the assembled scientists had something to celebrate. On March 13, four days after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a stakeholder meeting of African women, researchers, advocates and statisticians, it announced that it would indeed fund follow-up studies to the ASPIRE dapivirine (TMC120) antiretroviral ring trial.

The results of ASPIRE and its sister trial, The Ring Study, were released during CROI 2016 at the end of February. Then, this month the NIH held its meeting. When Sharon Hillier, Ph.D., one of ASPIRE's principal investigators, announced the results to MTN staff, "people literally cheered -- they just stood up and cheered," she said.

That's because, after many attempts and several disappointing trial results, this was one of the few microbicide trials -- and one of the fewer designed specifically for women -- to move on to open-label extension trials and potentially lead to availability for those women who need HIV prevention most.

"Everyone is so anxious to take this next step, to see -- can we realize the promise we think we have [with the ring]? And can we build on this to do even better?" she said. "No one is happy with 27% [overall effectiveness rate]. And we think we can do better than 27%."

ASPIRE and HOPE

When ASPIRE's results came out at CROI 2016 last month for the dapivirine ring, the 27% reduction in HIV acquisition sounded modest to say the least.

But, when researchers parsed the data further, they discovered that efficacy went up with a woman's age. For women aged 21 and under, the ring provided no benefit. For women 21 to 25, effectiveness shot up to 56%. For women older than that, the rate was 61%.

That 61% was the foundation for moving forward with additional studies, said Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

"Everyone went in to the [NIH] meeting saying, 'We need to first examine the data -- is there really a pathway forward?'" he said. "It's clear there is, even though it's confusing when you look at the data. Twenty-seven percent is rather weak, but when you break it down by women older than 25 and women younger than 21, the 61 percent effectiveness is good enough to move forward. That's as good as circumcision in some respects."

Specifically, the NIH funded two follow up studies. One, ASPIRE's open-label extension trial, named HOPE, will seek to recreate the first study, but with some twists. Each of the 2,629 women in Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda who participated in the original trial will be offered the dapivirine ring. The hope, said Fauci, is that if women know that they are getting a ring with active drug in it and that it's been proven to reduce HIV acquisition, then more women will use the ring, which may change overall protection rates. It's happened before.

However, the study will also tackle adherence another way: by asking the women to once again consent to the study, but this time also asking them candidly whether they're participating in the study because they really want to reduce their risk for HIV, or whether the study is the only way for them to get regular sexual and reproductive health care.

"By re-consenting them, we're saying, 'We get it,'" he said. "'So tell you what: Sign up for the study, but be honest, tell us if you have any intention or not of using the ring.' So then they'll be able to separate out the people who are really using it from those who aren't."

Study participants who say they don't intend to use the ring will still receive health care, but their intention not to adhere will be factored into results.

Then, the study will check in with participants every month for three months, changing out the ring and checking how much less dapivirine is in it after 30 days than when it was distributed -- a sign that participants have actually used it. The idea is to remove the incentive to lie to get health care and use drug levels to test for adherence.

Finally, the study will have a divided design: In those first three months, participants will come to the clinic every month to get a new ring. For the second three months, participants will be given a pack of three rings and be instructed to change the ring out themselves. Then, participants will be asked to bring back the rings, and total drug depletion will be measured.

"It's clever," Fauci said. "It will give [researchers] a chance to compare a clinical trial setting, where [women] are seen every month, versus a real-world setting, where we give them three rings. The bottom line is to figure out what role adherence plays in efficacy and what are the motives to participate."

Robust Discussion

Dazon Dixon Diallo, president and founder of SisterLove, Inc., and convener of the U.S. Women and PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) Working Group, was at the NIH meeting and described it as a robust discussion of both the science and women's reproductive health needs.

Unlike the VOICE trial, which was designed to test the ability of combination tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) to prevent HIV in women, but was stopped early due to lack of adherence, there was no effort to blame participants for not using the drug. The question was, "How do we design these trials in a way that does not design it to fit the research, but is also meant to fit into women's lives?"

"It was not about blaming them," Dixon Diallo said. "It was really looking at the full implications of a large clinical trial like this, and how nimble can it be to really understand and shift as needed to make sure that the trial itself is fitting into women's lives in such a way that makes them want to be more adherent and to participate."

In particular, she pointed to the comment of one 18-year-old participant, who had asked the ages of the counselors who worked with women during the trials. The implication, said Dixon Diallo, was that mixing peer support and relatable staff could improve social connections and change how younger women, especially, perceive the trials.

For her part, Hillier said that the NIH's decision to fund the studies was not just a win for ASPIRE, but also for the technology in general, which will receive follow up separately in The Ring Study.

"With these two positive results in two separate studies, if [the NIH] didn't move forward, it was really closing the book on this kind of research," Hillier said. But now, she said, everyone on the team is excited about next steps. "We're feeling like we have a ton of work to do, but we're really excited we get to do it."

What a Young Woman Wants

When the NIH announced its funding of HOPE, it also announced funding for another trial, one meant to ask a different question: Why did the dapivirine ring show no effectiveness in women under 21, the group of women at highest risk for HIV?

It could be that younger women weren't using the ring. But it could also be that there's something biologically different about young women that makes the dapivirine ring ineffective. So MTN-035, also funded by the NIH this month, will seek to determine if it's preference or biology.

The 18-month study will be divided into three sections. For the first six months, women will get to choose either tenofovir/emtricitabine pills or the dapivirine ring for HIV protection. For the next six months, they will switch. Then, at the end of the year, they will be asked which method they prefer -- "or neither, obviously," Hillier added.

At the same time, when women attend their monthly clinic visits, researchers will take biological samples -- vaginal fluid samples, for instance, or swabs -- to study the immune cells in the vagina and other biomarkers of HIV risk. That data will be broken down further into very young women aged 16 to 17 and women 18 to 21, to assess whether biological markers and efficacy differ by prevention type.

"So we're trying to give women a sense of agency," said Hillier, "that they're going to be empowered to select what works for them."

Heather Boerner is a health care journalist based in San Francisco and author of Positively Negative: Love, Pregnancy and Science's Surprising Victory Over HIV.

Jamaican edition of Gaycation TV series angers viewers

In a followup to a previous post yesterday The Challenges of Running a Queer Homeless Shelter in Jamaica the wall of resistance and disbelief of real homophobia in Jamaica suddenly appears even after being dormant and giving a false sense of tolerance in the minds of some.

The Star and other media carried parts or whole of the backlash as well.

Jamaica's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender societies have once again been thrust into the international spotlight.

This after parts of an episode of Gaycation (a TV series which documents the lives of people from the queer community) emerged on social media.

The video has been causing quite a stir on Facebook as users believe the documentary is once again painting a bad image of Jamaica on the international market. But Jamaicans need to remember the truth of homophobia here is uncomfortable for all involved. Bearing in mind also as a nation and at government policy level if we are serious about image building and economic development then LGBT tourism and the all important new pink dollar element would be considered but I guess that won't happen for now.

In the latest episode of the popular Canadian TV show, Canadian movie star, Ellen Page and her best friend, Ian Daniel journey to Jamaica where they meet members of the Gay community who talk about the dangers they encounter based on their sexual orientation. Miss Page unfortunately left out so many other things which often happens when visitors come here to shoot documentaries or features and do not have a fuller grasp of the issues here and our sub-cultural nuances; neither the groups that bring them here too; most voices in that department are mostly protected middle or upper class tertiary level educated folks on behaviour change but who only operate based on reports and not real world experiences.

They interview a transgender man who refers to himself as Trina Boss B**ch who tells them he wants to seek asylum overseas because he fears for his life in Jamaica. He then proceeds to show them where he was burnt with acid and shot allegedly by persons who do not accept his lifestyle.

The video has angered some social media users who believe that the documentary is being used to brand Jamaica as a dangerous homophobic country.

“This celebrity gal really guh Jamaica guh film this,” one user posted. “We keep allowing them to mek we country look bad. Uno stop anywhere in this world u go u have haters of gay lifestyle so stop negatively branding my country,” the post continued.

“Sorry to say I don't like this. People need to remember that we depend on tourism to help our economy. A show like this do more bad than good for us. These gay are looking attention. Me upset and cross because I see gays walking in Jamaica freely and nobody not troubling them,” another said. The video has already been viewed some 51000 times on Facebook.

additional comments rang similar to this one suggesting such features the subjects interviewed are coached:

When marginalized groups hidden from mainstream cannot get to speak and do speak it is welcome relief when opportunities present themselves so to do; but when it is guided by supposed 'foreigners' who are loathed by Jamaicans as imposing homosexuality on the nation or mistrusting the motives as a means to gain rights then we are bound to be at this war for some long ways to come. How does one bring credibility to the crisis reporting component of public advocacy is the key question out of all this.

In the previous post the issue of asylum was referred to but with public antigay advocates pouring cold water on the truth of gays complaining of homophobic attacks by the likes of Betty Ann Blaine then they feel justified in always leading the opposition to any rights seeking or law reform (Buggery). 

also see and view:

Betty Ann Blaine on the big gay lie 

Forced evictions are real and so are genuine cases of homophobia although there is a school of thought that says the cases are all gay on gay crimes. Previous posts on here and Gay Jamaica Watch bring this conundrum to bear:

To the disbelievers ............Yes, J'can LGBTians are still forced to leave Jamaica

NO GAY RAGE - Homosexuals Are Not Targeted For Violent Crime, Say Experts 2013

Meanwhile homelessness has not gotten the proper attention it deserved even from old and experienced NGOs and advocates bearing in mind it is the oldest piece of evidence birthed from stigma and discrimination. That we have to contend with outsiders telling our stories just makes the matter complicated; alliances are crucial but as I hinted above a broader scan of the issues is needed and not skewed look at this while not asking why is it that NGO seem so helpless? Of course the excuse is lack of funding which is somewhat true but outfits such as JFLAG has had to return funding they got as according to them they could not find a place to do the intervention.

Remember this?:

So our displaced cannot settle eh? ....... police raid premises with cross dressers! which was alleged to be funded by the J

So much to ponder.

Peace & tolerance

H