Shelter Coming For Homeless Gays reports the Gleaner

This homeless MSM business has gotten so ugly over the past four and half years in particular that it stinks to high heaven as the lead LGBT organization literally turned its back on the men in many respects now to see this presumed turn around and interest in a section of our community is straight out hypocritical owing to the shiftings over the said four years to include suggesting that government deals with the problem when we know for political reasons that won't happen unless there is a change in the national mindset. Also see: JFLAG Urges More State Support For Homosexual Teens Living On Streets also take note of the international media's sudden interest in this and twisting of the facts as to how the populations actually got so large in New Kingston: Why Some LGBT Youths In Jamaica Are Forced To Call A Sewer Home (take note of the paraded photos of the men) as it is the repeated diversionary tactics over the years why we can't see the end in sight to this battle for rights and recognition this time it's from the recently concluded tolerance ad case that was thrown out by the Supreme Court with no proper explanation to the LGBT population as to why it happened.
Chief among the mishandling of this homeless MSM issue specific to Kingston is the egregious omission of the men from the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013 on May 17th see: JFLAG excludes homeless MSM from IDAHO Symposium

Rihanna walking away from the Millsborough eviction scene earlier this year as taken by a Gleaner photographer

The house on Millsborough Avenue in St Andrew, from which a group of homosexual men was removed on Wednesday, was demolished July 4th 2013. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Bear in mind that almost monthly one can expect a report of some kind of a youngster or adult MSM forcibly evicted or running away from home for safety reasons. 

additional reading: Interfaith Group Pledges continued support for St Catherine Homeless MSM

Other parishes across the island have their own share of problems and populations, St Ann, St James and St Catherine comes easily to mind. A small project in St Catherine though frothed with its own challenges and phobias with the religious actors involved is still on thankfully in a sense. It was last December that the same mixed religion group in association with myself and others hosted a treat for some of the men, See: Interfaith group treats homeless MSM in St Catherine


also see more posts on the matter of homelessness from my other blogs and here: 

Hypocrisy from the pulpit on homeless MSM in Jamaica?

DEMOLISHED! Millsborough House Torn Down After Rowdy Squatters Evicted

Homeless MSM in New Kingston arrested in raid for stolen goodsHomeless Awareness Month: Flashback to New Kingston's Displaced MSM

Tense stand-off between homeless MSM and Security team in New Kingston

'Don't come back here' - Maxfield residents warn gay man after publicized eviction

More forced evictions reported for 2013

And MSM continue to be ready material for data collection ..... what about the interventions

Parents issues ultimatum for suspected gay man to relocate

Displacements due to possession of women's clothes ............

The Gleaner published today:

Following months of complaints from residents in New Kingston about a group of homeless gay men terrorising their community, there are now plans to build a home for the young men.

The proposed shelter, Dwayne’s House, which is being named after 17-year-old cross-dresser, Dwayne Jones, who was reportedly killed by a mob in July, is said to be in its initial stages.

Human rights activist Yvonne McCalla Sobers said since October a group of activists and attorneys have been working at creating a space for the mostly teenage males who were chased out of their communities and now occupy the sewers and gullies in New Kingston.

At the beginning of this month, police raided one of the gullies that the men are said to be occupying in New Kingston and several stolen items were reportedly confiscated from the site.

McCalla Sobers said the group was working with various stakeholders to identify a secure location and funding for the construction of the home.

The shelter will reportedly cost close to $16 million to construct and will initially cater to 17 to 20 persons.

However, while the activist said the home might not be able to accommodate them all in the first stage of the project.

Representatives from the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays says more than 40 persons who were either kicked out of their homes by family members or had to flee attacks from their communities have sought assistance from the group.

ENDS

Check out the Homeless MSM tab immediately below for all the posts since 2009 on the matter to include the initial eviction of the previously homeless MSM in the Safe House Pilot Project.

also my podcast in response to the Dwayne House announcement:

Some good news on the homeless MSM front ..... guarded & waiting part 2: Dwayne's House Project to include a link to the website.

The still unoccupied old Dahlia Dental Centre (above) along Upper King Street nearing the York Park Fire station that was air-marked to be a shelter by the previous JLP administration in 2010 yet it is left to overgrowth and animal usage. This was to address the persons who use the St William Grant Park and adjacent areas, if successive governments are not dealing with mainstream homelessness why do some folks believe that said govts must or is going to provide shelters for LGBT people given the political sensitivities involved.

Peace and tolerance

H

Gleaner claims new backlash towards the gay lobby due to MSM homelessness in Kingston

Here we go again but the backlash unlike the impression being given by the Gleaner has always been there dear North Street but that is ever since the new wave of homeless MSM in New Kgn have become extroverted unlike their predecessors coupled with visibility of the faces in advocacy there is bound to be a spike in homo-negative responses has history has taught us. The late response to this issue is well documented on this blog just check the homeless MSM tab HERE, not a month passes that I am not just disheartened by the non interest in directly responding to this by JFLAG et al yet they speak with such eloquence on it when asked and try to pass the responsibility to government in terms of sheltering when we know given the present climate votes are more important for political parties. The Jamaica Observer also spoke to the matter and concluded the men were abandoned by the respective agencies including LGBT ones: Marauding homosexuals and J-FLAG (Observer Editorial) …………………… The LGBT tolerance quotient nationally has been affected not by the homeless MSM in New Kingston and their shenanigans or their visibility in and of themselves but the credibility of the lobby over the years in terms of proper crisis reporting and plain truthfulness of same in terms of abuses, murders and homophobia.

also see: Homeless MSM in New Kingston arrested in raid for stolen goods

So many suggestions have been given to this issue even more none LGBT state actors such as Families Against State Terrorism convenor Yvonne McCallah Sobers where she went into great detail in a paper she prepared and was seen by the relevant persons at JFLAG yet they barely paid it any attention in the final analysis, she suggested for example: 

"Homeless gay men in New Kingston therefore face complex problems because they are:

1. Visibly homeless in an upscale community.

2. Homeless in a society seemingly without compassion or political will to address the shelter needs of the homeless, and evidently unmoved by the shelter and security needs of the homeless.

3. Openly gay in a society that is anti-gay, and where influential gays feel compelled to conceal their sexual orientation.

4. Sufficiently aggressive and organised to draw attention to their existence by creating mayhem

QUESTION: Who can help to shift the Jamaican culture toward tolerance of differences, in particular sexual orientation?

Answer: Parties with responsibility for leading this cultural shift include –

· Politicians: Review of the buggery law and other laws (such as the vagrancy law) used to harass gays; public and private statements that support the right of every Jamaican to protection from the State; legislation that prohibits discrimination based on health or sexual orientation.

· Pastors: Emphasis on religious positions that promote love rather than hate; tolerance for rather than condemnation of human differences; unity rather than fragmentation of families; care and protection rather than rejection and abandonment of vulnerable youth.

· Musicians: Promotion of “peace and love” messages to replace “burn and destroy” messages, with willingness to self-monitor with respect to music that encourages hostility toward gays.

· Media: Provision of information on sexuality and sexual orientation in ways that increase understanding of and tolerance for differences, especially in youth coming to terms with their sexual identity .

and see: And MSM continue to be ready material for data collection ..... what about the interventions for the recurring issues

also see: Tense stand-off between homeless MSM and Security team in New Kingston on sister blog on GLBTQJA in September 2013

We must NEVER for get the egregious mistakes by our advocates with regards to homelessness:

The Quietus ……… The Safe House Project Closes

The Ultimatum on December 30, 2009

JFLAG excludes homeless MSM from IDAHO Symposium on May 17th 2013

More MSM Homelessness Issues while agencies shift responsibilities

but I will wait to see if the new Dwayne's House initiative as announced recently will fly and not just another fly by night PR stunt to stave off scrutiny, lord knows we have had many of those before to no avail.

The Gleaner published today:

The Enemy Within - Aggressive New Kingston Homosexuals Causing Fresh Backlash Against Community

The police take into custody a number of young men believed to be homosexuals who are allegedly responsible for a series of robberies in New Kingston. -Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

There are growing fears that the rowdy and sometimes criminal behaviour of a group of homosexual men in New Kingston could erode the strides that have been made towards greater tolerance of homosexuals in Jamaica.

Nonetheless, Dane Lewis, executive director of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays says the rambunctious gathering - which in the past has been fingered in robberies, theft and other antisocial behaviour - highlights the issue of persons being evicted from their communities because of their sexual orientation.

"It is unfortunate. Some of what they have done may be eroding some of the trending towards greater tolerance, but I think it continues to highlight the reality that our young people are being kicked out of their homes," Lewis said at a Gleaner Editors' Forum last week.

While condemning the acts of violence reportedly carried out by the mainly cross-dressing men, Lewis argued that sometimes the group is blamed for acts carried out by heterosexuals.

He said he found no issue with how some in the homosexual group express themselves through dress which, on many occasions, involve wearing make-up, female clothing and heels.

"They have a right to their gender expression and identity, and to express themselves as long as they don't infringe on anyone else," argued Lewis.

"The gentlemen who wish to 'bleach', wear women's attire shouldn't offend anyone; they are expressing themselves. My only concern is the risk of violence that they expose themselves to. But everyone should be free to express themselves."

HIDING VS FLAUNTING

In the meantime, Susan Goffe, chairperson of the human-rights group Jamaicans for Justice, questioned claims that the New Kingston-based men are flaunting their sexuality publicly, which is offensive to many Jamaicans.

"People in their minds seem to feel that someone who is homosexual should do everything in their power to hide their sexual orientation," said Goffe.

"For example, somebody would look and say, 'I don't see him with a girlfriend'. What is he suppose to do? Should he have a pretend girlfriend, as people do, in order to hide?

"And in terms of how you walk, how you speak, your gestures … . Are you supposed to hide all of that?" she asked, agreeing with Lewis that these men should be free to go about their business safely.

Lewis agreed, while claiming that many of the gay men who are in New Kingston were either threatened or violently displaced from their communities.

ENDS

You decide readers but this where we have reached and to think this is not the time to have these distractions when albeit the lobby has gone mainstream and a pending court case to challenge the buggery law via Javed Jaghai when this particular matter hits home on the credibility tied to crisis reporting.

also check out my comments via podcast:

and

also see: JFLAG Urges More State Support For Homosexual Teens Living On Streets

J-FLAG Disappointed With PM's Unfulfilled Promise, Though She Remains Best Hope

also see a Gleaner account of two evicted persons: 

Living A Nightmare

Peace and tolerance

H

Some good news on the homeless MSM front ..... guarded & waiting part 2: Dwayne's House Project site opened

The last time I was optimistic when it came to this longstanding matter of displaced, forcibly evicted and abandoned MSM I was left dazed and disappointed as the then announced shelter by JFLAG which was to have opened in December 2012 did not materialise or we were lied to at a town hall meeting on November 7, 2012. Now comes this project that is supposed to handle the New Kingston homeless issue yet MSM homelessness is an all island matter and dealing with this alone is a drop in the bucket. Also it would be interesting to see if the older displaced will be included in this project and those who were rejected by JASL when they were turned out on the street after the close of the Safe House Project in 2009.

See: Some good news on the homeless front ..... guarded and waiting and my podcast from blogtalk radio at the time:

Here are the goals they the DH group say they want to achieve:

http://dwayneshouse.org/

Establishing the Dwayne’s House (DH) programme is an attempt at a new beginning. The programme is named after Dwayne Jones, the youth who was killed because he attended a dance in female clothes.

There is much to learn from what worked or did not work in the past. At the same time, the new beginning will require commitment to beginning anew.

Seeing to the needs of the homeless will therefore need a determination to stay the course especially when the going is rough. Complex and perhaps thankless tasks will need to be approached with a philosophy that requires those of us who are moving this programme forward to:

a. Understand who the homeless are. Each person’s situation is unique, and each person will have a different reason for being homeless or for remaining with the group of homeless youth even if they have the option to go home.

b. Educate ourselves about the homeless. This means acquainting ourselves with the profiles of the DH youth, and finding out what they need. We can help by giving them our attention, noticing them, talking to them. Some may have mental challenges, given repeated experiences of abandonment, stigma, and discrimination.

c. Respect the homeless as individuals – DH youth need the same courtesy and respect we would accord to our friends, families, or work colleagues. We need to treat them as we would want to be treated if we needed help.

d. Respond with kindness. How we respond to the youth can make a huge difference in their lives. Our attitudes will show no matter what we may say or do. If we ignore, dismiss, patronise, or look down on them, we are likely to have an entirely different reaction than if we treat them with kindness.

e. Provide food. A sandwich can make a big difference to someone who is hungry (as in have not eaten for a few days and don’t know when next there may be a meal of any sort).

f. Give money. Donate to non-profit organisations that are serving the homeless (as distinct from going through the motion while showing disdain for the homeless).

g. Donate clothing. Clothing in good shape but no longer being worn can be a boon to homeless persons. We can direct the clothing to organisations addressing the needs of the homeless.

h. Donate a bag of groceries. Give a bag of nonperishable groceries to an organisation for the homeless, or organise a food drive for the homeless.

i. Volunteer our professional services. The youth can benefit from training in whatever skills we have. In particular, doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, and dentists can treat the homeless in clinics. Lawyers are always needed to help with legal matters.

j. Volunteer our hobbies. We can use our interests to help the homeless gain useful skills in areas such as cooking, repairing, gardening, and photography.

k. Volunteer for follow-up programs. Once the homeless are on their way to integration, they need advice, coaching, counselling and follow-up programmes. Particularly if they have been on the streets for a while, homeless youth will need help with re-socialisation.

l. Tutor homeless children. A Youth as long as 12 years old can be thrown out of their homes. They therefore lack basic schooling, and so a tutor can make the difference between integration and continued alienation. An investment of time here could make all the difference.

m. Advocate on behalf of homeless youth. We can talk about the plight of DH youth to our friends, write letters to the newspapers, share information about homeless youth on our FB page, and generally share our enthusiasm to enable these youth to become whole and socially productive.

n. Involve local business. Supermarkets and restaurants as well as clothing shops may be willing to donate to food and/or clothing drives. one of the easiest ways to involve local businesses is to organize food and/or clothing drives.

o. Employ the homeless. Those who become employable will need jobs. Even if we cannot provide the jobs, we can lobby for these youth to be employed, and support them when they are hired.

p. Help the homeless apply for State/NGO help. Agencies may not be able to reach these youth as they have no mailing address. So we can help to direct them to where help is available.

q. Stand up for the rights of the homeless. These youth have exactly the same fundamental rights and freedoms as any other Jamaican. We need to stand up with them to ensure their rights are respected.

r. Contact our Member of Parliament and relevant Ministers. Campaigns of letters, e-mail and phone calls to politicians, in addition to letters/articles to media and calls to talk shows may help to stimulate these persons to address issues related to homeless gay youth.

s. Push for homelessness prevention programs. Civil society and state agencies may need education on the social impact of homelessness, and on what steps families and communities need so that youth do not end up on the streets. Homophobia in Jamaica may need to be addressed frontally.

also see: JFLAG Urges More State Support For Homosexual Teens Living On Streets I hope that this is not another smooth over again to diffuse criticisms and scrutiny only to leave the men abandoned yet again as the closure of the 2009 Safe House Project has taught us.

also see:

The Quietus ......... The Safe House Project Closes

Homeless MSM to feel the pinch as JASL issues ultimatum (where it all began to go downhill) 

Concerned sources claim that ... Boys kissed, fondled by male teacher

A three day old tabloid news headline has been gaining some momentum on mainstream media via the talkshow circuit as the matter of some male students alleged fondled at a school by a  male teacher who is said to be a repeat offender. I am concerned as are some others as the conflation with same gender sex and abuse comes up again for scrutiny, that perception has been a major obstacle in the struggle for rights and recognition nationally for LGBT rights. 

I am in no way supporting abuse of teens or early forced initiation by any adults but cases such as these cannot and must not be used to generalize predatory motives by adult consenting male homosexuals. Adults who are attracted to prepubescent persons or even teens and act out such such have been deemed as a disorder not homosexuality in and of itself; but the Star News profits from these kinds of stories as per usual. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual, DSM clearly deals with this kind of deviant behaviour but homosexuality was long removed as a disorder from 1973.

Here is the story from the Star News:

SHELDON WILLIAMS, Staff Reporter

Strong sexual allegations have been made against a male teacher at a high school in St Catherine, who has been accused of fondling male students.

It is also been alleged that the teacher is a repeat offender.

"He is unstable moving from school to school for similar offences," a concerned person told THE STAR.

It is being alleged that the teacher has taken a liking to some boys enrolled at the school and has acted on his desires.

"Him holding down male students to kiss them and him asking male students about their penises," an informant shared with our news team.

Further claims are that the educator arrives at the institution in the wee hours of the morning before school begins so he has time to enjoy himself with the students.

Inappropriate

"He is at school at inappropriate times like 5 a.m. with the boys," the source revealed.

A probe by our news team revealed that the school administration met Wednesday to address the complaints. It is unclear if the participation of the boys is voluntary or involuntary.

Head of The Centre For The Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), Deputy Superintendent Veronica Gilzeans, could not be reached as calls to her phone went unanswered.

However, Corporal Terry-Ann Warren of the unit, revealed that information on such cases cannot be disclosed.

"I am not aware of that report and even if I had I couldn't give it to you. CISOCA deals with sexual allegations and child abuse and that in itself will tell you how sensitive such matters are," she said.

We were unable to make contact with any representative of the school's administration.

ENDS

As the article says the participation of the boys is unclear whether they were willing or forced but some questions come to mind yet still:

The informant; do they realise that not reporting such matter to the police is a crime?

How did the informant know such details to tell the Star

Is the Star news serious and realise that male teachers are a rare species and to publish this kind of story may leave an impression that male teachers maybe freaks.

If the concerned persons knows of this why haven't they reported this (outside of the police) the ministry of education or the Jamaica Teachers' Association, JTA so someone can take action if the story is to be believed.

Callers to the various shows have been lumping this kind of behaviour as a reason not to repeal or decriminalize buggery hence persons are holding hard and fast to this thinking, how to break the matter of consent versus abuse is ticklish as the advocacy is much to be desired in that department, the tabloid press has been allowed to run roughshod for years with the lobby being silent outside of the missing sex and sexuality education for generations of persons in the school systems. The recent HFLE matter as well brings to bear the issue as well where our Minister of Education says he is not allowing students to be "conditioned" into seeing homosexuality as natural and normal.

We have a long way to go to change minds.

also see: Urgent need for sex & sexuality to be discussed nationally; podcasts from the Minister and anti gay group Lawyers' Christian fellowship driving the fear mongering imperative as per usual.

also see: Urgent need to discuss Sex & sexuality nationally part 2 and the accompanying podcast of my commentary.

Peace and tolerance

H