Marching Band controversy on not being informed about gays in the Walk for Tolerance

Judging from the previous YouTube clip, television footage and photographs as exampled above The Rollington Town marching band seemed unperturbed by the presence of gays as highlighted in a television interview last evening, April 8, 2010 with one of the band members about problems they have encountered upon returning home in their respective communities.

Most of the members are teens.

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, JASL says that everyone who participated in the Walk for Tolerance that occurred in Montego Bay on April 7, 2010 was informed that homosexuals and persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS which include gays, bisexuals and lesbians would have been present in the march but the Rollington Town marching band that participated during the session is crying foul. Television Jamaica TVJ during its seven o’clock newscast showed a female member of the band who complained that they are being chastised in their community for participating in a gay march and the parents of some of the members are threatening to pull their kids from it as they think the kids were too young to be exposed to that kind of homosexual activism.

She continued that when they met with the leadership of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life they were never told that Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays (JFLAG) representatives would be present as if they had known they may not have entered into the agreement to participate in the walk. Some members of the band are said to be keeping a low profile until it dies down. The intermediary who contracted the band for Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) also said she was not told that homosexuals would be there either.

Obviously the photographed rainbow flag that was so intimidating in its size would have clearly shown what was what as everybody knows the rainbow flag and what it means, if the contracted band members and their management upon reaching the destination realised where they were and with whom they were working with why didn’t they protest then instead of waiting till it’s all over? Of note when Television Jamaica, TVJ showed the original footage on their main seven o’clock newscast yesterday, April 7, 2010 they blurred the faces of the band members and showed mostly their feet and body sections. The media may have been up to something here and here is the headline, embellished story to sensationalise the issue to generate interest. According to several participants it was peaceful through the whole exercise where it culminated in a presentation and press conference of sorts.

Also curious was when the Chairman of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Ian McKnight was interviewed on Nationwide Radio 90 FM by seasoned journalist Cliff Hughes following the walk he was pressed by Mr. Hughes as to any unusual events taking place before during or after the walk had occurred. Was Mr. Hughes aware of something before hand? Mr. McKnight denied ever knowing of any such untoward incident occurring. Yet the following day as in yesterday this turns up as a main news story by TVJ, in fact they are the only television medium to carry it apart from the YouTube video uploaded by someone associated with the Walk for Tolerance. It could be surmised that TVJ is trying to paint a picture that JASL has duped the band into offering services under the guise of a walk when really it was a secret gay agenda hidden behind a HIV marketed cause. I guess ratings is the goal post for this one.

Some of the guys who participated in the walk who were photographed or videoed are now said to be fearful of their lives, one young man in particular was exposed on both occasions footage was shown on TVJ while he was under the rainbow flag, one of the other male persons has reportedly receiving death threats from cousins who say that he must not return to the family home as they saw him on the television newscast where he was under a rainbow flag alongside other persons, so the fallout as is to be expected has begun less than twenty four hours after the historic Walk for Tolerance event. Other male members are said to be temporarily hold up in their homes and only coming out where absolutely necessary as a safety precaution.

If the accusations are true that the Rollington Town Band was not properly informed of the possible presence of homosexuals in the planned walk then that is a serious error on the part of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life as they could have used that opportunity to properly prepare and educate a vibrant set of young people about HIV and its non respect for individuals whether gay or straight with strong emphasis on tolerance using the planning itself as an intervention strategy. If the opposite is true however and they were told that gays would be included in the march but still went to complain on camera about their unease then there seems to be some mischief at work here or the band’s management never passed the information to the parents and marchers in the group or the band members never expected to be met in their communities with this vociferous opposition to their participation in the walk.

Albeit that there are allegations of improper conduct on the part of some of the MSM members who participated in the walk, they were said to be very open and playful sometimes in full view of the public while dancing and singing along the way. Maybe some preparatory work ought to have been done to sensitize the would be participants, there is a decorum or uniformity that must be displayed when taking part in a protest or public sensitization exercise such as this. The last thing we would have expected after such a historic event is to hear of complaints geared towards homophobia when the spirit of the walk was to call for tolerance. JASL you didn’t do a good job preparing the people for the march, all should been made to decide whether they want to be tolerant by virtue of being in this exercise.

The television station is also irresponsible in my view to deliberately use the rainbow flag footage twice back to back newscasts and possibly putting a young man’s life in jeopardy if what is being reported is to be believed. Lawyers were said to be present during the walk I hope they look carefully into the situation if it gets any worse, it would be sad if because of sensationalism we end up with unnecessary harm reaching a citizen when the intent of the walk in the first place is to promote tolerance.

I am keeping my fingers crossed here and hope it dies down and we can move on to other urgent matters that need attention.

also see the negative comments on the Kingston Chronicle HOMOSEXUALS MARCH OPENLY IN MONTEGO BAY APRIL 7, 2010

Peace and tolerance

H