Jamaica mired in homophobia (Observer Letter)

Dear Editor,

Your negative biases towards homosexuals are showing as patently as your obvious support for the continued propagation of fundamental religious myths to the Jamaican population to keep them ignorant, gullible and tolerant of the flawed status quo. But this is not surprising because it takes the same type of perverse, non-progressive mindset to embrace both views.

Perhaps, though, I am holding you to a higher standard. Like most heterosexuals, I was initially intolerant of gays because of their perceived propensity for "offensive" exhibitionism and what appears to be too aggressive grabs for more rights than "normal" people. But on second thought I rationalised that the so-called "normal" people have consistently displayed prejudice and tyranny which negate and marginalise gays and their fundamental rights.

Sunday's letter from Hilaire Sobers and others highlight some of the biases in your reports. These writers are also holding you to a higher standard of commitment to rational balance in reporting on matters about the gay community, especially against the background that Jamaica is too steeply mired in homophobia based on primitive Christian dogmas to which the nation seems mentally enslaved. In other words, we are saying this rampant homophobia and mindless religiousness are unworthy of you because they are mutually reinforcing and equally obstructive on our journey to an enlightened society.

Healthy debates, intellectual and enlightened leadership must be par for the course in the press, or else we will be negating our mandate. Ours is not the responsibility to parrot and propagate the views of the majority, although flawed. We have a responsibility to encourage debates along rational structures which lead us to truth, balance and enlightenment.

Many of us also wonder about the seemingly high degree of violence and mutilations involved in gay-on-gay relationship violence and wonder whether this is based on the assumption that they constitute only an estimated five per cent of the population in general, so partners are more difficult to find, and the potential loss of a partner poses a deeper emotional turmoil.

W W Wood

PO Box 760

Kingston

florissano1@hotmail.com