Leave the Gays - Some Music industry insiders say artistes can focus on other things

Is this a folding to the lobby pressure or closeted persons in the industry trying to go about business without interruption? seemingly throwing their hands in the air due to the repeated cancellations of shows over the years but there are legitimate reasons for same save and except the Queen Ifrica case as certain issues abound in that one.

Some comments since the article bearing the post title have reacted by saying their freedom of speech won't be stifled as the daggers are drawn and hardened positions are made clear, as I have said before on previous entries the Stop Murder Music campaign was not intended to completely stop artists from performances especially those with lesser inciteful lyrics but to withdraw the particular offending songs from their sets on stage performances, some have defied the call and use the one liner tactic to get the audience riled then are mute as the shouting patrons sing the already memorised lyrics. Hence the increase pressure on certain acts, I will maintain that Queen Ifrica's case was a different kettle as she was exposed to MSM intervention via Dr Heather Little White's outfit prior to her death but some folks in the LGBT lobby linked to UNICEF decided to act on their own and removed Queen as spokesperson thus the controversy since then to now. She could have been reached if it were not for her being pushed away by the very lobby that has tolerance as one of its mantra. How can we be asking for something that is not already demonstrably clear in our own "community"?

And to think some dancehall acts wanted to help with the homeless MSM/Trans youth in the Shoemaker Gully in New Kingston and the same lobby seem to have overlooked their overture, "Artistes want to 'clean up' the streets - Say homeless gays not a good look for Jamaica" was a story published in 2013 which read:

"Entertainers are concerned about the growing number homosexual prostitutes lurking in and around the New Kingston area.

According to the artistes, it's not a positive look for the corporate area.

Dancehall artiste Iyara says Jamaica has changed for the worse.

"That kind of livity need fi get rid of because mi neva born inna dat deh type a Jamaica. The place neva stay suh, so the authorities have to find a way to take that out of the youth dem eye. New Kingston is a place where a lot of people go to clubs and so forth, so it's just not right. They are always saying artiste fighting against them, suh how wi a avoid dem and dem naah avoid wi? Dem fi guh far up into the woods wid dem thing deh," said Iyara, who also pointed out that he does not even sing about them in his songs.

"Mi nah call up dem name and mi nah sing bout dem," he said.

Gaza Slim is also calling for their immediate removal from the Corporate area.

"They should get them off the street and get somewhere put them because to me, they don't live anywhere. They should get them some counselling and put dem inna school and get them off the road. I Gaza Slim do not support homosexuality, but at the end of the day we are all humans," she said.

The female Artiste of the Year was also adamant that gay prostitution was as a result of poverty.

"It looks tacky and its prostitution. Most of them are little homeless boys who live same place on the streets. It happens everywhere, but we need to do something about it because it looks really bad, get them some trade because they are parentless and homeless," Gaza Slim said.

Several other dancehall artistes contacted by The STAR declined to comment on the matter, despite having an issue with the situation.

According to one artiste who refused to have his name published, said, "Mi a leave dem yah man, cause next thing mi guh bash them and when mi guh fi mi visa dem tell mi sey memba deh quote deh wey yu did give STAR. But the police should just scrape dem up and drop dem off at the nearest airport fi guh to a next country, because New Kingston is a business area and that bad for business."

Recently members of J-FLAG had reached out to the local music industry. They conceded that local artistes had reduced their production of hate music, and therefore, they would offer assistance in making it easier for their international success. However Sizzla said thanks, but no thanks.

"I, personally, as Sizzla and president of the Nyabinghi theocracy, I don't want no sponsor from no homosexual," he declared in a recent Gleaner article.

Late last month, police personnel assigned to the St Andrew Central Division told the media that New Kingston was engulfed by self-proclaimed gays. The police also said neither the residential community or business districts were spared the "wrath" of the gays who are sometimes violent."

DJ Sunshine of IRIE FM

Curtis Campbell of the Star News reported on May 29, 2014 

Following Queen Ifrica's recent run-in with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community which saw her being barred from performing at Invasion of the Queens concert in New York, music industry participants are asking their colleagues to make songs tackling other issues excluding the LGBT community.

According to veteran reggae artiste Tappa Zukie, known for singles Oh Lord and Raggy Joey Boy, it's clear that some battles are not worth fighting.

"It is not everything you can prevent; We just need to make good and original music to make people happy and to make them dance. To each his own, and we should not be judging others either, because what a man chooses to do with his life is his business," he said.

Radio disc jockey DJ Sunshine shared a similar perspective. The DJ, who recently released a dancehall rhythm called Wul Dem says she reached out to Queen Ifrica following her recent controversy and advised her to direct her attention to other issues of importance.

"When I saw that she was pulled from the show, I sent her a message and told her that she has a voice to give people messages. Therefore, she should focus on other issues like racism, molestation and others. She has done so much good music, so focusing on negative things is not needed right now. The artistes need to be doing more uplifting music that rings closer home to all of us," DJ Sunshine said.

Gorsett Welds, the manager of recording artiste Ghost, says entertainers have freedom to express themselves and should not be prevented from exercising that. However, music that promotes violence should not produced.

"At the end of the day, her music is not promoting hate, right, so she should have been allowed to perform. There are other persons that are doing greater injustice to the world and people are not demonstrating against that. We have to stand up for something once the lyrics are not inciting violence like kill diss and kill dat. Why shouldn't she be allowed to perform? It is a very unfortunate situation that we can't use our freedom of expression. I believe the artistes learned from Shabba's experience and they haven't been recording hate music, so the demonstrators just want to prove a point," he said.

This is the second time Queen Ifrica has been barred from an international performance in recent times.

curtis.campbell@gleanerjm.com

ENDS

What perfect timing alondsige the Bain furore and the cementing of freedom of speech stifling perceptions.

There seems to be hypocrisy on all sides with the anti gay JCHS head complaining of name calling by gay advocates yet he (Dr Wayne West) has no trouble eloquently reeling them off such as "The “utterly fascist, utterly Stalinist” , neocolonial ,imperialist, anti-free speech, thought- policing, intolerant ,belligerent , Mujahideen , ayatollahs of anal, Taliban Gaystapo." (taken from his blog) he also tries to claim that:
"TTT maintains that up to about five years ago the author would have not resisted removal of Jamaica’s buggery.

Testifyingtotruth has no intention of peeping into anyone bedrooms but is even more committed to make sure that no one removes Jamaican’s fundamental rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and parental rights and this is the clear objective of the LGBT lobby which one sees unfolding in western democracies.

Testifyingtotruth is therefore committed to resisting this fascist, stalinist, neocolonial, imperialist, anti-free speech, thought policing political movement.

We do not hold the view that all LGBT persons are a part of this political movement nor do we support violence or any physical harm to LGBT persons."

The struggle has only been set back in one week literally.

Adding insult to injury that in the middle of the furore that is cementing of free speech suppression perceptions in the national pysche JFLAG chooses to launch a media guide on how journalists should use or not certain terms, the RJR interview with Dionne Jackson Miller was clear as the snickers in between the dialogue with Jaevion on May 22nd just indicated the madness of it all as she asked him "You don't think that that might stir resentment amongst professional journalists who are saying who are you to be telling me what to ask?" sometimes I wonder if the J is in the real world? 

George Davis of Nationwide radio also made dissenting remarks as well to the effect that what right have they (JFLAG) to tell journalists what to say, one could easily see how this also plays into the belief that freedom of expression is being stifled, such a glossary or guide should have been out and on their website eons ago as was agreed in a meeting I attended when Dr Robert Carr was alive and the Chair of the then management committee but such are the repercussions of late action and poor pro-activity.

also see: Is Freedom Of Expression At Risk? asks JFLAG advocate

Peace and tolerance

H

Prof Bain's Endgame? (Gleaner Editorial)

Source

Having allowed his supporters to peddle the fallacy that his sacking was an attack on academic freedom and free speech, we can now only wonder at the intent of Professor Brendan Bain.

For by failing to declare the larger contextual truth, Professor Bain is helping not only to deepen the poles between protagonists in the gay-rights debate but distracting attention from, and potentially weakening, a project to which he has made an invaluable contribution: the delivery of care to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.

Professor Bain is a pioneer in the field. Until his firing a week ago by the University of the West Indies (UWI), he ran Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network, a regional agency that operates under the umbrella of the university, but is funded mostly by foreign donors. Having retired as an academic, his job at CHART, stripped to the core, was essentially as an administrator.

There is, however, confusion - deliberately or otherwise - among Professor Bain's supporters.

The genesis of his disengagement is an opinion he delivered to a Belizean court on behalf of interests opposing a gay man's challenge of the constitutionality of that country's buggery law. Bain argued that men who have sex with men have a higher incidence of HIV/AIDS, even in countries where the act was legal.

Professor Bain's critics insist that his use of research data was selective. The more important fact is that many regional HIV/AIDS support, human-rights and gay groups with which CHART has to interface, declared a loss of confidence in Professor Bain's stewardship.

Their point is that CHART exists in a larger context than the mechanics of training health workers and caregivers. And Professor Bain had revealed a conflict of interest which could undermine an emerging ethos towards confronting HIV/AIDS in this region.

For instance, Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) - the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) agency that leads the region's response to the disease and one of CHART's core partners - has among its strategic objectives the removal of punitive laws that perpetuate discrimination and stigma and cause vulnerable groups to shy away from access treatment.

The region's buggery laws, whose retention Professor Bain supported in the Belize affidavit, are among them.

Significant members

Moreover, CHART's advisory board is comcomprised of officials who represent organisations which generally subscribe to the position that such laws undermine the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"Laws that criminalise being HIV-positive, sexual behaviours such as anal sex, or sexual orientation, make it difficult to mount an effective HIV response. Persons who know their sexual behaviour or orientations are illegal are less likely either to go to health services or to speak openly about their sexual behaviour while there, thus limiting their treatment options and prevention efforts," wrote Dr Ernest Massiah, UNAIDS Caribbean representative and CHART board member.

But Professor Bain's supporters claim that the UWI caved in to a 'gay agenda', to the detriment of academic freedom and free speech - an absolute fallacy in this case.

Professor Bain is entitled to express his opinion on any topic. But if, outside the halls of academia, those publicly declared opinions are at variance with settled consensus of the agency he serves, leading to a loss of confidence in his leadership, he should leave with dignity.

As Professor Bain remains silent and the polarisation worsens, CHART is increasingly distracted. The losers are people with HIV/AIDS, straight or gay. That can't be Professor Bain's intent.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson’s call for tolerance not genuine & sheer hypocrisy.

I find it remarkable how politicians when they are not in the seat of power suddenly find all the morality in the world yet when active they are selective and politically pander to the right group(s) or individuals. Social and moral values decline he laments are on the decline yet he and others found it lucrative for political power found it necessary to use the very same decline or shifting values for retention of same.

Clovis cartoon (hard copy) from the Observer June 2014

I am not going to accept this call from PJ just like that on the face of it, self aggrandizement here as he seems to have forgotten what he has helped to put us through with regards to fuelling homophobia and homo-negativity while being a powerful member of the PNP and as the longest serving Prime Minister; today’s headline in the Gleaner blared the call for tolerance on the discussions on buggery from former PM, does the retired politician remember that when he was active as a cabinet member and under his selection of the parliamentary joint select committee the buggery law was discussed where they basically threw out the JFLAG (when they really meant something) parliamentary submission and the shaky now removed sexual orientation discrimination clause in the Charter of Rights draft at the time by asking for proof of the origins of homosexuality and other irrelevant data in my view. JFLAG needs to accept some responsibility as well as the head strong management refused to change their call from a full repeal to decriminalization hence the push back from politicians who are more bout pandering yet still to the gallery than dealing with matters as they are and need to be dealt with.

I remember the rebuff from the then Justice Minister A. J. Nicholson (now Foreign Affairs Minister) on any mention of “repealing” the Buggery Law yet the word tolerance was never on the lips of Mr Patterson, so what has changed and is this change or new position genuine? I think not this feels like damage control as the administration watches nervously as the Bain vs HIV/LGBT groups war is on in earnest unexpected as it was after the news broke of the rift since May 18 2014 by the Gleaner. Mr Patterson was still active in 2006 when the aforementioned Justice Minister penned the administration’s position on not allowing gay marriage when such demands were never made as fear mongering was devised as another strategy to deny objectively looking at LGBT issues, the word “tolerance” let alone the concept was not in the language of politicians who feared loss of political capital.

Does Mr Patterson have convenient amnesia when during an election meeting in Half Way Tree the JLP used as a campaign song TOK’s Chi Chi Man and other anti gay recordings on the hustings in their campaign strategy as well but he Patterson must remember he has greatly helped to contribute to the current state of affairs in terms on general homo-negativity even in the face of his own denial of his perceived sexual orientation at the time as persons used that same perception to take jibes at him. The image of the PNP and him were more important then than the virtuous ideal of tolerance in the true essence of it.

Why didn't he talk of tolerance then?

Why didn't he urge the same old anti gay groups then such as the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship and Reverend Al Miller who are now up front and centre helping to cement the old and previously dormant homophobic views via the opposition to the firing of Professor Bain from CHART?

This call is from PJ in my view if not genuine and more a political ploy to assist Portia Simpson Miller’s image and by extension the PNP given her latest honorary degree from Lafayette University for supposed human rights work (where I do not know) recently opposed by some LGBT advocates such as the Caribbean Alliance for Equality. Elections are close and the geopolitics is at play with Chinese investments in the pipeline (sans LGBT pre-requisites while EU/US grants and aid have such) is Mr Patterson still calling the shots in the PNP hence this call given the present circumstances? And when persons are not in the seat of power they have such a great vision yet the convenient excuses for corruption, the law is not a shackle line, youthful exuberance and more dodging too numerous to list. 

also see Opposition sides with Govt on No to Gay Marriage when the JLP was in power and Gay Marriage - An Invented Issue by the christian right movement

What is his own role for the speeding up of the moral decline that he now so eloquently speaks as he pushes the Integrity Commission of the PNP in light of the murder of an influential and openly gay PNP activist “BeBe” Stevenson earlier this week and the link to the lotto scamming issues in Montego Bay, the party seems to want to try to disassociate itself from him now that he is dead yet while alive they gladly embraced him with cloudy integrity and all.

Hypocrisy yet again.

Have a read of the Gleaner’s report (limited free page views)

Jermaine Francis, Staff Reporter

Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson is urging that the debate over Jamaica's buggery law be framed within the context of current world trends and the realities that various differences exist in the society.

Patterson, addressing a Rotary Club of Spanish Town meeting at the Police Officers' Club in St Andrew Tuesday night, said both sides of the debate - those for, and those against repealing the buggery law - should find some common ground on which to resolve their differences in opinion.

He said the society has to engage in a more meaningful conversation on the issue, which must take place in an environment that recognises and accepts that there will be differences in people's sexual preferences.

"It's an issue, I know, where people have very strong positions, but we have to find a way of moving away from polarised positions into one that accepts that differences of race or colour, differences of class, [and] differences even in terms of sexual preferences may have to be addressed in conformity with the prevailing global environment in which we live," Patterson said.

Patterson, who served as prime minister from 1992 to 2006, said there is a certain level of privacy that should not be invaded and there is already an accepted code as to what are considered appropriate "public displays of relationships from that which happens in the privacy and confines of one's house".

However, he was quick to point out that those advocating for changes to the law must also demonstrate tolerance towards those who do not share their views.

"Those who wish to have changes must accept the right of persons to speak freely, reflecting their convictions and they can't expect to have all the say going one way, they must expect others to have contending positions," he added.

The latest round of public debate over the laws outlawing buggery has stemmed from the University of the West Indies' dismissal of Professor Brendan Bain from his position as director of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network.

The termination of Bain's tenure came after several groups connected to CHART said his expert testimony, provided in a constitutional challenge to Belizean sodomy law, represented a conflict of interest and they no longer had confidence in his leadership.

For the former prime minister, the matter is now at a stage where he said he expects a court battle to commence shortly.

"I suspect it is a matter that will find itself before our courts," Patterson said.

He said the current impasse raises some very serious issues, the crux of which speaks to professionals and their duty to provide fulsome and trustworthy reports in court.

"At the bottom of this is the question of the duty of a professional person in giving expert evidence to base that testimony on reliable analysis and a full flow of information."

Patterson said this was a matter that the entire nation should become involved with, as it has far-reaching implications.

jermaine.francis@gleanerjm.com

ENDS

also see: Jamaica government has no plan to repeal buggery law (Flashback) 2008 post (2004 article) with Burchell Whiteman speaking at the time.

Recall this story by the Observer in 2005 as well:

I'm no Chi Chi man says PJ

PRIME minister P J Patterson yesterday frontally confronted Opposition insinuations that he is homosexual and declared it to be the worst attempt at demonisation by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

"My credentials as a lifelong heterosexual person are impeccable," Patterson, 63 told hosts Beverly Anderson-Manley and Anthony Abrahams of the HOT 102 morning talk show, the Breakfast Club. "Anybody who tries to say otherwise is not just smearing and in vulgar abuse... but when you talk about demonising, what is that?

"I want to put that on the table squarely," Patterson said.

JLP leader, Edward Seaga, ignited open public speculation about the prime minister's sexuality in 1993 when he declared from a campaign platform that no one had ever accused him of "Boom, bye, bye", drawing on the song by the Jamaican dancehall deejay, Buju Banton that advocated the killing of homosexuals.

That song seriously derailed Buju Banton's career when American gays encouraged a boycott of the deejay, until he publicly apologised.

The rumours have lingered about the bachelor Patterson, who was once married to the late Guyanese lawyer and government minister, Shirley Field-Ridley. The couple had two children before they divorced.

Although Patterson jealously guards his private life, he has been romantically linked to several women over the years, including most recently to a well-known caterer and then to a divorced public health doctor. Before that, he was also reportedly romantically linked to the ex-wife of a former Barbados government minister.

However, since March the rumours about the prime minister have returned with a vengeance, when the JLP used the anti-homosexual song, Chi Chi Man, by the Jamaican group T O K as the signature for its campaign in the March by-election for the North East St Ann constituency. It has since then been used extensively by the JLP at its public meetings.

That song says:
'From dem a par in a chi chi man car gi wi fire mek we bun dem'
'From dem a drink in a chi chi man bar gi wi fire mek we bun dem'

While the singers have denied that the song promotes violence, the English translation of the Jamaican dialect would be roughly that people who hang out with homosexuals or effeminate males (chi chi men) should be burnt. One line even proposes to "full dem up with copper shot".

In homophobic Jamaica the song has gained great popularity, helped in no small measure by its infectious melody.

In the past, Patterson has talked around innuendoes about his sexuality. For instance, his stern declaration at last year's annual conference of the People's National Party that his government would not legalise homosexuality, in the face of a promotion of the issue by Amnesty International, was largely seen as an attempt at asserting his own heterosexuality.

He raised the issue yesterday -- without being asked -- in the context of recent claims by the JLP that the PNP had fomented violence in Seaga's West Kingston constituency as part of an attempt to demonise the JLP leader as a man of violence -- a reputation that Seaga has carried over his long political career. But even then, Patterson first alluded to the claim only obliquely, but later spoke about it directly.

West Kingston, Seaga's constituency and venue of his Tivoli Gardens base is considered to be volatile territory and, according to the JLP, his opponents use it as a flash-point to trigger anti-Seaga sentiments anytime a general election is near.

In dismissing any attempt by his party to demonise Seaga, Patterson noted that like all political leaders, Jamaicans had an image of the JLP boss "some of which is favourable, some of which is unfavourable".

"Nobody is manufacturing anything against Mr Seaga, nobody is fabricating anything against him," Patterson said. "Tell me what is it that the PNP has fabricated against Seaga, unlike what is being attempted against me."

Later, after specifically raising the homosexual question and suggesting that both Anderson-Manley and Abrahams, who have known him for 40 years, should know the truth, Patterson declared: "It is wicked!" 

ENDS

Politics again at work the goodly man should remember that under his watch, the subsequent removal of the sexual orientation discrimination from the charter of rights draft in 1999 (see above draft p 27/28), post the JFLAG parliamentary submission the removal was aided and abetted by anti gay voices namely Shirley Richards and Reverend Al Miller. Also see Parliamentary Committee struggles to define sexual intercourse which was the other deceptive shenanigans used by the aforementioned persons to supposedly deny future gay marriage rights.

another Clovis toon from the Observer that hits the nail on the head in as far as the church (or sections of it) and the PNP on certain issues (I will ignore the gay stereotype character for now)

Mr Patterson had a chance to do the right thing instead he chose to play the political game so as not to loose face.

UPDATE June 8, 2014

Which PJ Patterson should we believe?

Peace and tolerance

H

Integrity of Jamaican LGBT Advocate Questioned, named as student loan delinquent

Within the last few days and in the middle of an ongoing seismic shift towards more homo-negativity in the forty year LGBTQ rights struggle in Jamaica as anti gay groups and individuals change their outlook on the issues of homosexuality by more strident public advocacy the integrity of a named advocate in the recent cancellation of Queen Ifrica’s show in the United States which also has only served to anger the same anti gay groups and voices as evidenced in at least four groups on Facebook and even on Twitter as well as tersely worded exchanges and literal vitriol (a word JFLAG likes to use) fly about. This latest free speech threat or muzzling makes the matter of ethics in advocacy centre stage in all this as the struggle is now being made to look as an ethically baseless, characterless fight for dirty sex (anal penetration) with no basis in morals (hence the moral nihilism criticism by the likes of Dr Wayne West of the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, JCHS).

I know all too well the attempts from even within the LGBT community as well surprisingly where persons try to smudge or smear ones image, ascribing motives and smearing ones integrity, deliberately especially when one speaks the full truth also it came to my attention as well that there has been a fair amount of discouraging party promoters from hiring my services as a DJ as one who helped to open the door for LGBT parties to thrive as they now do; to suggesting my death by drowning some two years ago and even trying to supplant my old Facebook profile reporting it as offensive, rumour mongering, caustic responses and threats by commentators as well, thankfully my INTEGRITY in nearly all cases was the saving grace as persons did not go for or believe the thrusts made by some. I am well aware that my open commentary has not sat well with many but my work is not about towing any lines or pleasing anyone.

‘Advocates’ need to be oh so careful when taking on public persona and issues and MUST have an aire of good standing when doing so and be willing to stand by your work as long as it is based on truth, so that accusations such as this or revelations to this effect will not impact the overall struggle. With very little emphasis however of ethics and integrity placed in recruiting and training advocates I am not surprised in a sense by this latest embarrassment of sorts and is another piece of evidence of unpreparedness of the advocacy structure overall and now when it matters most some cannot stand up to scrutiny albeit with hard evidence to boot their flaws. With the Professor Bain matter in full view of all to see and the links whether real or imagined being used as justification for attacks in public on gay rights activists person’s character have now come up for scrutiny, we already have seen the colouring of the discussion in regards to the dishonesty accusations of the likes of Maurice Tomlinson of AIDSFREEWORLD by Shirley Richards of the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship and the aforementioned Dr Wayne West et el, I too have been concerned about this as it does indeed affect the work of the persons involved and by extension the overall look and feel of the struggle.

To my shock and horror as well the advocate Dwayne Brown was indeed named in the latest campaign by the Student Loan Bureau, SLB as it seeks to crack down on delinquents in a name and shame campaign by printing lists of photos and area of study in the printed press, I am also bewildered as to the accusations that have suggested that Dwayne Brown is probably using this new wave of public advocacy to gloss over the naming of him as a loan delinquent is even more disturbing. Mr Brown’s previous stridency on the Dean Moriah murder case (a gay man who was killed sometime ago) where the public advocacy suggested it was a homophobic killing when it turned out not to be so after the investigations progressed has not escaped the eyes of some as the blog entry was referred to as well by those involved in the now deleted elements of the thread unfortunately, thus the crisis communication has been adversely affected lacking the centre piece of truth as its core, the full scale argument lasted for some hours based on the thread I was able to see and as preparation of this post it was removed by the administrator of one group and some gay members have been thrown out.

Persons questioned whether someone who has left Jamaica with debt depriving others of getting access to a student loan so as to also reap the benefits of an education can speak to rights when he has absconded his civic responsibility, the connection being made is if he cannot make such responsibility tantamount to social responsibility then how can he be making demands on the Prime Minister as he did earlier this year when he and others heckled the PM in New York after a UN meeting. In other words if he cannot pay his student loan then don’t make demands for anything as one owes to the state and said state cannot provide benefits to him and others when it is deprived via delinquency and avoidance.

As we witness the selectivity of gay issues being opposed by religious voices who find millions of dollars for full pages ad in print media within the last few days I find it remarkable that integrity is being used to question sections of the LGBT struggle yet children murdered do not get so much traction and strong public advocacy, indeed some of these same voices’ integrity can also be challenged if truth be told, how can persons claiming to be subscribing to Christian values be so selective when welfare issues scream for attention right before our eyes? Homelessness on all fronts to include LGBT persons are right before our eyes yet these Christians are nowhere in sight in being just as strident as they are on the perceived LGBT agenda as it were, even the LGBT groups combined they cannot make one either in regards to a legitimate response to the same issues indeed but I can frankly say that not all voices in the struggle are tainted what I can say is Dwayne Brown has lost some face terribly in the face of this revelation and even I am stunned as I never saw the picture/scan since I often read the online version of the papers instead of the printed editions which carry more materials in them.

Lessons learnt

‘Advocates’ of whatever stripe MUST be as clear or clean as possible in as far as character and must be able to stand up to scrutiny when challenged, I wonder if Dwayne Brown’s supporters were aware of this and how will they feel upon seeing this coming to light? There has to be some emphasis on ethics and integrity in as far as training, mentoring and preparation for public advocacy or else ones work would be in vain even with the greatest of intentions, it cannot be business as usual and to not mention it is also a deceptive way to operate seeing that one is out and open about the sensitive issues he is said to cover in regards to LGBT rights. Each negative revelation perceived or real directly linked to the struggle only serves to wipe out years of work made by his predecessors and progress made thought small along the national psyche’s trajectory on defeating homo-negativity overall. Massive ground has been lost since the Professor Bain matter from May 18, 2014 when the story first broke in the Gleaner and in such a short time the power has shifted in a sense, how does the dialogue continue after all this when the dust settles (or if); case in point the article “Man to Man is So Unjust” published May 25 2014 by Professor Carolyn Cooper in the Gleaner who despite appearing on JFLAG’s IDAHOT Symposium on May 16, 2014 on Personhood and Sexuality as a speaker she has described some advocates as “Belligerent gay rights activists bringing down disgrace on a distinguished academic who has done so much to protect the health of MSM. Man to man is so unjust. Who di cap fit mek dem wear it.” Who was Miss Cooper addressing here? Some have surmised a certain lecturer who is also aligned to the lead group Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, CVCC calling for Professor Bain’s head, I do wish if persons feel so strongly on issues that direct naming would be far better but character assassinations are now on?

Even old occurrences that I would have thought probably forgotten by some or not so closely monitored have been nestled as justification for stronger anti gay positions/public advocacy as the homeless LGBT persons in the Shoemaker Gully in New Kingston for e.g. has made the list of castigations and how more wealthy gay men abandoned their own but use them for LGBT rights call and convenient HIV agitation with the support of some pastors who have been “brainwashed” by “charismatic gays”; that one has really hit home for me as having been involved in that work most intimately it just hurts to know that the lack of interest from JFLAG, parent organization Jamaica AIDS Support’s board closing of the Safe House Pilot Project 2009 et al has now led to a resurgence of the abandonment premise as had by even Editorials by both major newspapers back then still resonates for some all due to the integrity of one newer advocate being brought to question. Someone suggested that this last point should also be used as a reason for the call of a referendum on buggery and that churches get involved with a view with some reparative therapy for them as part of their rehabilitation. Obviously some folks still see this matter of orientation as a “lifestyle” that can be curbed.

I can imagine that some older advocates must be feeling somewhat defeated in a sense as work done to leave the brick road for others to follow looks destroyed. Sadly more of them are not strong enough to speak openly as I have, even though they are not in the field anymore influence and guidance is crucial none the less.

Integrity needed out there.

here is an older podcast I had done when the issues presented themselves in 2012:

and the latest

Yea who have ears to hear let them hear.

Peace and tolerance

H

Oops there goes Mark Wignall ........... one more reformed soul regressed

We have been losing some "reformed" persons who were on the road to becoming more tolerant towards the discourse on homosexuality at least but since just the last eight days the regression is disturbing as the fire-storm over the Bain matter continues or was it just conditional tolerance as nothing was there to reignite the dormant anti gay feelings?

Now here is an excerpt of Mark's last piece from the Observer

Is it OK to be tolerant of gays but be proudly heterosexual?

Were I recently fired university professor Dr Brendan Bain, I would sue the University of the West Indies (UWI) for every penny that backward-thinking institution doesn't have.

The professor was fired for completing an affidavit used in a court case in Belize in which Caleb Orozco, a gay man, challenged the constitutionality of an 1861 law that criminalises men having sex with men.

From what I have read, empirical evidence would suggest that men who have sex with men have a much greater risk of contracting HIV than those who only indulge in 'normal' sex, that is, a man with a woman, the way sex, especially for procreation (but also recreation), was designed.

Hey, does it take a highly trained doctor to make such a declaration, seeing that unprotected sex in such a despicably foul environment as the anus, a passage meant strictly for defecation, is the perfect place to harbour bacteria, viruses and to the layman, just plain 'germs'?

The increasingly intolerant but very powerful gay lobby wants everyone to be tolerant of their lifestyle, which, as far as I am concerned, is their private business. The drawback is, mere tolerance of their purely recreational romp is not what they seek. What they really want is total silence from every heterosexual while they reserve the right to hit the podium and shoot down every person speaking up in favour of being 'normal'.

Apparently their discontent is that we heterosexuals are miserably failing to see the gay lifestyle as the new normal, so they continue to huff and puff and throw powder puffs, sticks and stones at everyone who fails to come out in support of them.

Riding on the misconception that Jamaica is a violently homophobic place, gays and the gay lobby continue to sidestep the reality that in excess of 90 per cent of violent acts against homosexuals are perpetrated by other homosexuals.

Tolerance for homosexuals has increased rapidly in Jamaica and even in my case, it was just about 15 years ago that I was against the repeal of the Buggery Act. Now, I am in favour of the State allowing men to do whatever they want to do with each other in the privacy of their bedrooms. I have no business peeping through people's keyholes, and I do not want anyone to spy on me when I close my bedroom door.

There are openly gay prostitutes parading in New Kingston at nights in some of the most outrageously foppish outfits, and in the past I have been propositioned. Did I hurl abuse at the gay prostitute? No, I found it quite comical and simply walked away to ponder the new reality of the Jamaica that had taken off in new directions.

Many civil society organisations that have used the gay issue in Jamaica as a human rights issue will, every so often, make their convenient noise on behalf of gays, not necessarily because the community is being wronged, but mostly because powerful, cash-rich North American and Western European groups fund them. It's all about the greenback.

Professor Bain must take out suit or be given back his job. It is no secret that may powerful organisations in Jamaica are peopled with homosexuals in key positions, but because they still cannot 'come out' in a Jamaica that is not ready for that radical culture shock, they use the lobby of their powerful friends abroad to bring pressure to bear on our local players.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in her previous role in 2011 as opposition leader, opened a can of worms when she promised that a government formed by her would 'look at' the Buggery Act. Why did she do it, considering Jamaica's culture? Was that predicated on some powerful gay lobby group pumping significant funding into the People's National Party while it was on the hustings?

If tolerance has its limits, the recent pressure which brought about the firing of Bain will show us that when we bend too far backward to facilitate a group and a lifestyle that wants more than total acceptance, a little bit of 'useful intolerance' is not a bad thing.

The gay lobby wants to make noise while it wants us to embrace the lifestyle but shut up while doing so if praise for them is too hard a call to make.

ENDS

also see: Lessons learnt from the Bain matter 

Peace and tolerance

H

Gays Block Reggae Singer Queen Ifrica Again says the Star

What an opportune time to drop such a headline right in the middle of the cementing of the national view that the fight for rights has morphed into an intolerant view of intolerance, this was the very issue when it happened last year in August that propelled the aforementioned thoughts especially by anti gay groups. One can remember the Dr Michael Abrahams article that sparked national debate and the infamous Nationwide radio interview as well alongside her co-accused Tony Rebel.

Dr Abrahams has also weighed in on the Professor Bain matter: The Banishment of Bain

It is this perception of becoming intolerant or intolerance in reverse why we seem to be stuck in a rut as headstrong narcissism in some respects seems to have taken over the communication aspects of the struggle more so than sensible discourse with transparent action to boot, what we have seen instead is mistake after mistake and sometimes plain lies in the crisis communication thrust dotted with shaky narratives that are simply not credible, then we wonder why we are still at it with too slow progress.

also see: Queen Ifrica's "Freedom of Speech" & advocacy found wanting

'I SPOKE FOR WHAT I BELIEVED IN' - Queen Ifrica defends Grand Gala performance after JFLAG backlash

Credibility overall has been eaten away and even Queen Ifrica herself responded in song about freedom of speech while church groups also express fear of future victimization. See: Church claims future victimization if buggery is decriminalized in Jamaica also see:Would Decriminalisation of the Buggery Law Restrict Religious Freedom in Jamaica and the Caribbean? by Dionne Jackson Miller Journalist (RJR) and Attorney.

Here is my two cents then:

All of this fiasco is more that just about accusations and counter accusations it shows more clearly than ever that if JFLAG and others want to convince the public on reaching some semblance of tolerance (despite the non demonstrable evidence of same - case in point the perception the homeless were abandoned) they need to make their communications overall as simple as possible to reach a wider audience and stop the over intellectualizing; they seem to be on a frolic of their own, I hope they learn the lessen in all this and as for foreign based voices they need to get with it and carefully scan the ground before launching campaigns, this reminds me too much of the EGALE mishap in 2008/9 as well where they in Canada called for a tourism boycott and we ended up with a spike in homo-negative violence towards persons on the ground and a diplomatic nightmare. There are implications for public agitations that must not be ignored when decisions are made to launch such. Persons also need to be properly prepared before eagerly jumping to go on radio or other media and sounding stupid in the end.

See the Stop Murder Music Tab immediately below for previous entries.

also see: Queen Ifrica's "Freedom of Speech" & advocacy found wanting

TVJ carried the item some time ago:

One wonders if the thrust is genuine or just some folks looking for their fame in the sun? The clearly uncoordinated efforts are reaping a public relations nightmare results but when I and some others were trying to point this out for several years we were viewed as negative, let us see where all this mess ends up.

This is the same group named Caribbean Alliance for Equality that claimed they wanted to picket the PM on the weekend.

You may want to revisit the interview with JFLAG and Ifrica last year:

I am very concerned about the repercussions on the ground these clearly not thought out actions maye have on the most exposed of us as well, case in point our homeless and those in inner city communities.

Peace and tolerance

H

Jamaican Bar Association - Remarks on termination of contract of Professor Bain by UWI

In light of the Bain matter and my own review of the materials since the last seven days of the story breaking I think it is important we get the best voices on this so here is the JBA'a press release in full, also here the recent audio/radio discourse below.

THE JAMAICAN BAR ASSOCIATION 

President: Donovan C. Walker 78-80 Harbour Street 

Vice President: Sherry-Ann McGregor Kingston, Jamaica W.I. 

Secretary: Althea McBean Telephone: (876) 967-3394 

Treasurer: Jacqueline Cummings 967-9034 

Fax: (876) 967-3783 

E-mail: jba@flowja.com 

Website: www.jambar.org 

MEDIA RELEASE – 23RD

May, 2014 

The Termination of contractual arrangements by UWI with Professor Brendan 

Bain as director of CHART . 

May 23, 2014 

The Jamaican Bar Association (“Jambar”) notes with concern a statement published by the University of the West Indies (“UWI”) on its website dated May 20, 2014 wherein UWI sought to explain and justify the termination of Professor Brendan Bain (“Bain”). 

As we understand, in summary, the events and facts leading up to the termination of Bain 

by UWI are as follows:- 

1. Bain is a medical doctor practicing in that field for over 30 years. During that time Bain has come to be regarded as a pioneer and leading expert in the Caribbean as regards clinical infectious disease (in particular HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean region). At all relevant times Bain was the Director of Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Centre (“CHART”). Bain is regarded as an expert in the field of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean region. 

2. In 2010 a case was filed in the Belize Supreme Court (Caleb Orozco and the United Belize Advocacy Movement Vs. The Attorney general Of Belize) (“the Orozco Case”). 

The claimants in the Orozco case brought an action challenging the constitutionality of 

Section 53 of the Criminal Code of Belize. 

3. In that case Bain prepared and submitted an expert report dated August 7, 2012 (the “Bain report”). The Bain report is some 52 pages containing a 14 page report as well as 7 exhibits attached thereto. 

4. In the Orozco Case Bain presented the Bain report in his capacity as an expert in his own right and based on his years of experience. Bain expressly disassociated the Bain report from UWI and/or CHART and/or any other entity.  

5. On its website the UWI statement reads (inter alia) “…the issue in question arose about two years ago in {the Orozco Case}. Bain provided a Statement on behalf of a group of churches seeking to retain the 1861 Law. Many authorities familiar with the Brief presented believe that Professor Bain’s testimony supported arguments for retention of the law…. This opinion is shared by the lesbian, gay and other groups who are served by CHART… For the last year, there has been considerable controversy surrounding the appropriateness of Professor Brendan Bain serving as Director of CHART…”. 

6. The UWI statement further reads and concludes “…While the University recognises the right of Bain to provide expert testimony in the manner he did, it has become increasingly evident that Bain has lost the confidence and support of a significant sector of the community which the CHART programme is expected to reach, including the loss of his leadership status in PANCAP, thereby undermining the ability of this programme to effectively deliver on its mandate. It is for this reason that the University of the West Indies has decided to terminate the contract of Professor Bain as Director of CHART...”. 

7. Jambar is further advised that by letter dated 24th

April, 2014 a coalition of various 

NGO’s and other groups wrote to Professor E. Nigel Harris demanding the “…removal of Bain from any leadership position in the CHART programme and all positions of representations of the University of the West Indies on issues of HIV and Aids…”. This letter was apparently written based on the fact that Bain submitted and prepared the Bain report in the Orozco case. 

We do not yet know if Bain was given a fair and impartial hearing by UWI before his contract was terminated, and we will therefore refrain from commenting on that issue, except to say that he is entitled to have such an opportunity. 

Firstly, our concern has to do with the reports of an apparent agenda of retaliation and retribution against Bain by persons or entities who are not pleased by the content of the Bain report. The fact is Bain is an expert in his field and whether we agree or disagree with his opinion he has provided his expert report which can be tested and challenged under the rigorous scrutiny of cross examination in the courts or (if available) other expert opinion to counter and rebut the Bain Report. 

Secondly, we note the certification in the Bain report where he states (on page 14) that based on”… my professional experience together with information from research literature related to the matter under consideration. The opinions expressed in this report are mine and should not be attributed to any institution to which I am associated…” Importantly, 

Bain further certifies that he has been “…given no instruction by any party, by any person representing a party, or by any other person with respect to this report…”. How then, in the face of this certification, has UWI concluded that the Bain report was “…given on behalf of a group of churches…”? 

Thirdly, we identify with the comments issued by the Medical Association of Jamaica (“MAJ”) where they state “…the MAJ and its members are committed to improving the health of all members of society... Our training and expertise are in science and scientific  research. The veracity of a scientific conclusion should only be challenged on the basis of science and NOT on emotion or sentiment its conclusions may evoke. Statements of fact 

are never meant to be offensive…As an expert witness, his testimony to the court is a duty to the Court, and, is the opinion of the expert himself. He is therefore obliged to discharge his testimony truthfully and professionally. Many Doctors are asked to give expert testimony to the Courts, both locally and internationally, on a variety of areas. 

We sincerely hope that our responsibility under the law to the court is not under any form of attack. …” We certainly hope not, as well. 

The legal profession routinely relies on expert testimony to advance the cases of our clients. As such we are very concerned that the actions of UWI against Bain could adversely impact on the freedom of expression by experts giving testimony in Jamaica. In civil proceedings in the Supreme Court that are governed by the Civil Procedure Rules, an expert witness has a duty “to help the court impartially on the matters relevant to his or her area of expertise” and “that duty overrides any obligations to the person by whom he or she is instructed or paid”. In giving expert evidence, the information presented to the court “must be and should be seen to be, the independent product of the expert witness uninfluenced as to form or 

content by the demands of the litigation. 

An expert witness must give independent assistance to the court by way of objective unbiased opinion in relation to matters with in the expert witness’ expertise.” 

In that context, Bain’s dismissal may cause such experts (many of whom reside in tenure at UWI) to become fearful to express their honest and considered belief as they may face adverse repercussions even when their thoughts are based on decades of study and research and independent of the office that they hold. This sort of retaliation against Bain may well be contemptuous of our system of justice as same could be considered as a wrongful interference in a judicial process. Many of us studied at UWI and have taken pride in the strong regional academic experience. 

Regretfully, the recent academic censorship and contractual termination by UWI of Bain raises serious questions in the minds of all persons who look to UWI for independent thought and creative thinking given its position as a bastion of Caribbean research and pedagogy. We are concerned that the work and worth of Professor Bain and other leaders in other academic fields can be so easily circumscribed. 

The Jamaican Bar Association calls upon Professor Nigel Harris and the leadership of UWI, if it has not done so, to give due process to Professor Bain. We remind UWI that while not all academic pursuits may lead to outcomes, hypotheses or conclusions that are desirous or popular with your constituents and donors full respect must be accorded to the process and the freedom of expression and thought that we trust will always remain a true and guarded virtue by the University of the West Indies. 

Donovan C. Walker 

President – The Jamaican Bar Association 

www.jambar.org  dcwalker@hmf.com.jm

ENDS

Here are the other discussions I think we should follow closely:

Review carefully please

Peace and tolerance

H

Longtimer "BeBe" Murdered in Western Jamaica

Kenrick ‘Bebe’ Stephenson (right) wearing a black shirt and black pants is captured here in this 2012 photo when unfortunately the legendary Club Heavens was raided by police in suspecting miscreants at the spot.

The Gleaner carried a small piece on the killing:

A well-known St James resident, Kenrick ‘Bebe’ Stephenson, was shot and killed at his Ironshore home last night.

Details surrounding the shooting were unclear up to last night, however, head of the St James police Senior Superintendent Egbert Parkinson, confirmed the incident.

Stephenson was recently selected as the vice-chairman of the People’s National Party executive for West Central St James.

ENDS

Photos such as the one above sadly have since been seen on Social media especially Facebook and the outpouring continues. 

Motives are unclear at this time as he was accused of being involved in the illegal lotto scamming activity, we can remember however his involvement in politics as part of the ruling People's National Party, PNP and he also was a party promoter with some standing, the last time I saw him was his performance in drag at a party I was at in my capacity as a DJ earlier this year 

Last performance photo I took of BeBe as a diva at a party I was a dick jock.

He also showed some interest in the homeless populations of LGBT youth in Western Jamaica and actually housed some of them at his short lived LGBT spot in Montego Bay prior to the infamous police raid of which I reported on sister blog GLBTQ Jamaica on Wordpress HERE: 

BIG BLOW FOR HOMELESS/DISPLACED MSMS IN WESTERN JAMAICA …..

At the time I had penned:
"Several persons had to seek medical attention following the attack and up to the preparation of this post the owner/manager who was not present at the time of the assault was held from Sunday morning at the police station where he went to inquire what had happened, he is to go to court today to apply for bail on charges yet to be made public, apparently there are outstanding charges of other infractions before that were used to justify holding him overnight. The club which opened it’s doors only in the latter part of 2010 was to serve western Jamaica as persons there felt they had to journey too far westwards to central Jamaica and Kingston to get to parties was home to very good events so far and female impersonation shows. According to my sources many of the displaced persons who were beaten and gun butted in some instances were forced into the path of members of the public who were nearby at an event on a parallel road, men reportedly joined in the assault alongside the cops, several of them sustained blows and one popular party person’s face was severely bashed. Fortunately there were some amongst the public who did not support the assault in this latest homophobic incident which has come as a shock to everyone even to the area police as they were aware of the spot they made frequent patrols and had an agreement of sorts with the owner/manager to operate within the confines of the law specifically closing time of 2am or 4am where an extension was sought as the club is not near any residences to breach the Noise Abatement Act, it is surmised the cops came from elsewhere.

Several of the guys tried to run to the nearby hotel but were refused by the management the police arrived after following them, others hid where they could, others were flogged or beating mercilessly with batons. A security guard also alerted the cops to where some of the guys where hiding while the cops handed over several cross dressed persons to members of the public who also participated in the assault. A crowd had gathered who demanded the cops hand over those who they had in their possession at another location most of whom were young scared MSMs who never experienced this harrowing ordeal. The more experienced persons and divas knew what to do and did try to defend themselves by either verbally out maneuver the approaching bad agents or otherwise literally running and dodging the cops between cars and buildings nearby, the trouble with all of this was many of the patrons though from that section of the island were not familiar with the surroundings hence the running in circles with no proper place to hide themselves. The offending officers were also critical of the area police saying they were upholding slackness and battymen in the community."

Actual statuesque from 2010 Oscar party and awards at Club Heavens, taken by me as the party progressed inside and by the poolside of the property

I am saddened by this case though his questionable dealings is not really my issue at this time now but why would this have reached this stage? and to loose one of the few legitimate voices in as far as homeless LGBT youth is concerned as my dealings with him has been on those matters of party issues as he also was the promoter behind the LGBT Oscar brand.

So many good folks have since been taken from us, we may never know the real issue behind this one but an influential none the less has left us.

Peace and tolerance

Rest in Peace BeBe

H

UPDATE May 29 2014

PNP Facebook update 

Kenley ‘Bebe’ Stephens rides a horse during Labour Day activities recently in West Central St James. See Mark Wignall on The confusing wedding of 'Bebe' and the PNP


Gleaner Editorial: In The Wake of Bebe

It is neither our intention to speak ill of the dead, nor to trespass on functions that are properly the responsibility of the court. But the murder this week in Montego Bay of Kenrick 'Bebe' Stephenson reminds us of the issue surrounding standards to which people in political leadership should be held, and raises serious questions that require answers from the governing People's National Party (PNP).

Indeed, the PNP's leader and Jamaica's prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, often repeats her commitment to integrity in public life and declared at her inauguration in January 2012 that her administration would be intolerant of corruption. Prior to the general election of December 2011, Mrs Simpson Miller caused her party to establish an integrity commission, made up of leading citizens, to vet people who offered themselves as candidates for the party, to ensure that they were of good character, and whose past or current actions and/or behaviour would not bring the PNP into disrepute.

MESSAGE OF TRUST

The larger point, we assumed, was to send to the electorate a message of trust, that the people who represented the PNP in the Legislature could be depended upon to uphold the law and honestly execute the functions with which they were charged - whether in the Legislature or on the executive. We expect the same commitment from the PNP and its officers in all spheres of the organisation.

And that brings us to the issue of Kenrick Stephenson, who, without the rest of us paying attention, unfortunately, was weeks before his death, elected as vice-chairman of the party's West Central St James constituency organisation. The chairman is Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, an immigration and diaspora activist who relocated from Canada to contest the 2011 election.

We take those posts seriously. Including the one to which Mr Stephenson was elected. He would be expected to be an important standard-bearer for the PNP in the constituency, in his region and on the national stage, for a political party can only be as good as its constituent parts, and its constituency organisations, if it is serious, are the foundations upon which the national institution stands.

LOTTERY SCAM ALLEGATIONS

In 2012, Mr Stephenson, who, but for his death, would be an important standard-bearer for the PNP in St James and western Jamaica, was arrested by the police and accused of being a mastermind of what is commonly referred to in Jamaica as the lottery scam - that scheme through which mostly elderly Americans have been fleeced of scores of millions of dollars, and was the subject of a hearing by the US Senate. At its height, Julian Robinson had to travel to the US to smooth ruffled feathers and ward off sanctions against Jamaica.

That was not all. Mr Stephenson was also charged and fined for stealing electricity at his home and was arrested on a raft of other charges. At the time of his death, some of the cases against Mr Stephenson remained unresolved.

We, assuming that the PNP takes its rhetoric about integrity in public life seriously, would appreciate, even at this stage, to know on what basis Mr Stephenson was declared fit and proper to hold such a high post in the party, and what systems, if any, are in place to vet prospective office holders.

ENDS

UPDATE June 23 2014

Observer Headline:

Go HERE