No Healthy Society Without Equality ..........

The following appeared in the Gleaner today, for the most part I am in agreement but my concerns are in red in the piece.

then Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Parliamentary Opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller after the 2011 leadership debate

by DUJON RUSSELL

The visit of Randy Berry, special envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in the US State Department, and Todd Larson, senior coordinator for LGBT affairs in the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has sparked opposition and demonstration by the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society (JCHS) and the Love March Movement (LMM).

The action and attendant alarm raised by the respective Christian groups would be deemed irrational, and plainly ridiculous, because of the lamentable prominence which it places on the retention of the buggery law, in promoting a 'healthy' society.

There is no doubt that the retention of the buggery law, which seeks to criminalise gays and men who have sex with men (MSM), with up to 10 years imprisonment, who engage in consensual sex, in the privacy of their bedrooms, creates the space for oppression, indignity and inequality of LGBT persons, and that it gives licence to individuals of the anti-gay demographic to perpetrate violence and other criminal behaviours against these vulnerable persons.

Objective individuals are yet to ascertain, from all the lobbying and the arguments made for the retention of the buggery law, how the phenomenon of oppression, indignity and inequality, which are the three main factors affecting the lives of LGBTs, would be eliminated.

There has been repeated calls, including from the Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, for the review of the buggery law to be put to a referendum. In fact, Holness has a penchant for calling for a referendum on matters of national importance, which require sensible, objective, and careful legal input and determinations - the decriminalisation of ganja; and whether to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) the final appellate court for Jamaica.

Referenda on buggery will only seek to assist the sitting party in power to strengthen their base and capital and they might find themselves winning several elections for the next decades to come as they will be remembered for blocking 'battyman' hence the footballing of the issue, the PNP is also aware of this and hence they delay tactic as hinted in my previous post, they too know and are cognisant of the threat made by the JCHS etc of voting any party out that touches the buggery law and so since winning elections is the name of the game no politician in our climate presently is really going to do the right thing out of fear of being sent to the wilderness.

It escapes me, as well as several judicious luminaries whom I have been in dialogue with, how matters of such significance, which affects the rights of persons, particularly in a vulnerable space, could be put to a referendum for the electorate to decide on, when many ordinary persons in the electorate can barely, if ever, make simple, common-sense decisions when faced with conflicts and daily challenges of their own.

Referenda are also used as testing instruments to measure the ground support and are usually highly politicised in nature with parties holding hardened positions, namely the CCJ bill debate presently.

The current administration has rejected calls by the Opposition for a referendum on the decriminalisation of ganja and the CCJ matter. We would hope that common sense would prevail in the minds of said administration that the buggery law, like any other law on the books, must be canvassed in Parliament, by the legislators, and that objective reasoning and actions must be the order of the day.

The buggery law cannot be enforced against consenting adults who engage in anal sex in the privacy of their bedrooms. 

On the contrary how the law is enforced even in private (disturbingly without a search warrant in previous instances) the police as has happened before after being summoned can enter the threshold of your property and arrest persons so accused by neighbours or a call to 911 about 'suspicious' activity, the trick is to prove it on their part via a doctors' examination/report as outlined in my previous post and the associated mishaps that can occur. The police may not have been doing so in recent times but no real policy or change in the related acts has brought change to same.

I can personally speak to having the book thrown at my albeit we (myself & three other co-accused) were in a public space with no anal sex happening yet we were slapped with a buggery charge just because we were said to be found in a 'compromising position' and although the doctors' report suggested otherwise we had to languish fighting the matter for three years in our creaking and sluggish resident magistrate court system to clear our name, thankfully we had a smart judge (one of four who heard the matter) rule a sine die adjournment (could have been called up in 7 years if the arresting officer found new evidence) that was 18 years ago.

also see the Raymond Pryce video below where he explains the police's role in holding accused adults and the rape conundrum.

There are also reports of an increasing number of heterosexuals who engage in anal sex, consensually, in their private spaces. How could the buggery law be relevant and enforced in such circumstances, without breaching the fundamental rights of citizens?

There still would be need for some type of change with regards to buggery as non consensual acts or rape has to be covered among adults as outlined in a late in the day advocacy shift by JFLAG for example:

their position changed from full repeal to decriminalization in 2012

Since oppression, indignity and inequality are like a cancer, then there can be no 'healthy' society, as advocated for by these two Christian groups, unless it is eliminated, and the persons respected, regardless of their sexual orientation. Let us use logic, and leave emotions out, when dealing with matters of significance and law.

ENDS

also see:

Healthy coalition nonsense! indeed

J-FLAG now advocating for decriminalisation of buggery

JFLAG Tries to Clarify its Agenda

Opposition leader (JLP) reiterates his call for a referendum on Buggery

Non Governmental Organization Consultant says JLP suggested Referendum on Buggery is not a good idea

Opposition Leader sides with antigay groups on referendum for buggery

Jamaican Opposition Leader says he would allow homosexuals in his cabinet ..... departing from his predecessor

PNP’s Bobby Pickersgill differs on Conscience Vote route to decide on Buggery Law

PNP's Damion Crawford says it's highly unlikely buggery review will happen ........ it's not important now

PNP Wins ................Hope for LGBT People ??

The Line in The Sand for The JLP part 13 - the ascention but the question:Will Holness be a pro-rights PM?

Foreign Affairs Minister says Govt should be cautious on gay rights issues in Jamaica

On Buggery and gays in cabinets with politics ............ some responses ......

Milk River PNP Councillor says no to buggery repeal ..

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

PNP: No election money from gay groups ....

‘Idiot plan that!’ - Many Jamaicans against Buggery Law review .

The Pink Report on JFLAG's handling of the Charter of Rights issue

PNP 2006, No plans to Legalise Same Sex Union (FLASHBACK)

No Same Sex Marriage says Prime Minister in Charter of Rights Bill Debate (Bruce Golding)

Church angry, gays happy PNP on collision course with Christians ………………. but some of us are not impressed

President of the Senate warns against discrimination based on language, sexual orientation

Mark Wignall ....... Gay Lobby will wait in vain

NOT READY FOR GAYS ……. GAY MARRIAGE SMOKE SCREEN REINTRODUCED ……………. POLITICAL DODGING 2011

Promised (I mean suggested) Conscience vote on Buggery law not a priority right now (yet again) says Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
Promised Conscience Vote on Buggery in Jamaica was a fluke, Sexual Offences Bill to be updated 2014 says justice minister

Mark Wignall on Buggery law review promise was a political sham

On Buggery and gays in cabinets with politics ............ some responses ............

The Line in the Sand for the JLP Part 14 ...... but vote ☐ PNP ☐ JLP ☑ Legalize Buggery/Anal Sex in private ........

JFLAG Position Statement on Upcoming Conscience Vote on Jamaica’s Buggery Law earlier released before the change of direction by the PNP.

BUGGERY LAW BACKLASH – BLAIR: THE CHURCH HAS BEEN SLEEPING – BLAIR WARNS REVIEW COULD LEAD TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGES 2011

Promoting homosexuality? No, its about freedom of choice, privacy & tolerance 2009 post

this old poll from 2012:

Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce on Buggery



flashback to Mrs Simpson Miller dodging on the suggested conscience vote:

Long road ahead folks.

Peace and tolerance

H

No Buggery Law Removal says Justice Minister, Gay Marriage parachuted in yet again

Firstly, congrats to the folks over in Ireland for doing the sane thing in that referendum on gay marriage, at least they have shown the way. However a referendum here on this? I am not so sure.

So we have come to the shrubbery maze yet again and again we have been duped with the previously successful gay marriage refusal claim tied into law reform for the old 1532 buggery law in a universal periodical review but of course the now governing PNP has done it before with much success why therefore should we believe that any changes both in the real underlined stance should come forth even after perceived promises of a conscience vote or hints of decriminalization of the act. Maybe someone needs to tell our foreign allies not to mention gay marriage as that has become yet again the fly in the ointment, we are at different cultural spheres certainly we have not moved fully from the Boom Bye Bye stage or the current paranoiac religious zealot. So now talk of foreign impositions and bullying are back again.

I have concluded that Justice Minister Mark Golding photoed above was putting on a show at the UN with this: Gov't Makes International Commitment To Reduce Violence Against Women, Gays

Why am I not hearing decriminalization as an option more loudly from all parties involved? JFLAG has been flip flopping between decriminalization & repeal while the opposing groups are resolute; anyone notices that the recent parliamentary submissions by all concerned pro or anti are being kept close to everyone’s chest?

I guess the joint select committee of parliament looking presently at the sexual offences bill regular four year review starting in 2014 is not going have any changes in as far as the buggery act is concerned or the missing rape element for same sex practising adults be included in the expected amendments and where is consent in all of this? After all the justification has been laid out for them by the Minister’s pronouncements; we can throw all that through the window but when oh when will we learn, this is like madness we keep repeating the same strategy and end up with sh**t on our faces.

Justice Minister Mark Golding though in last year said he thinks the law needs reform but in a new radio interview said earlier today that the law won’t change and that gay marriage rights will not be granted, but when did anyone ask for such rights when we can’t even get passed basic respect, true tolerance from all sides and understanding of the law and cultures? Minister Golding was updating the Senate on his meeting in Geneva Switzerland recently where the four year universal review on human rights was held. There are some optional protocols that we have not signed to yet such as the ones for disability and rights of the child (individual petition) although we already are signed with the other one that deals with pornography etc the minister said we may sign on the disability protocol after some internal review. He said there is an overlap between the interamerican commission. This maybe problematic for the administration (not defending them) but the sexual offences regular four year review has carried over into this year commencing in 2014 and then the periodical review is this year bad timing and as I will explain below the image and trust problems the PNP is currently facing.

The anti gay penny section must be jumping with joy on this but after all Prime Minister Simpson Miller has obviously been using this present child’s month and the abhorrence of the shocking abuse of children to reclaim those hands to vote in both the local government and general elections, her grandstanding on various stages and promising strengthening the laws for sentencing much to the delight of the Betty Ann Blaines and so on; of course the short sightedness is overlooked and the emotionalism takes precedence as we have laws already with long sentences but as usual not enforced. Band aid approaches as per usual; then again how can the state prosecute what it cannot catch?

How can one address sexual abuse of children by only incarceration of the accused when found guilty without also dealing with the deviant via multiple approaches such a psychiatric engagement or pharmacological interventions where necessary, yes the incarceration period may remove the perpetrator from access to new and existing victims but if that mind is not engaged towards behaviour change then incarceration is only a delay or incubator for him or her to return with resolve and revenge to abuse more potential victims by carefully scoping them out. 

also see this CVM TV discussion if you can stomach it right through with gay marriage being parachuted in to distort the discussion:

or click HERE for CVM TV's page

Critical thinking anyone?

The PNP is not looking good nationally as support is slowly dripping away by the hardcore base and the LGBT block (not sure how much are registered voters) due to the disappointment of a perceived promise, the poor leadership skills of Mrs Miller, lack of proper communication on relevant issues, perceived interest of propping up party faithful more than the country’s interest, over emphasis on passing IMF tests more than growing the economy while the uncommitted and disillusioned voters continue to stay away from participatory government, let us not forget they are indeed a minority government. Case in point the comments made by some members of the public since the passport fees increase at such short notice is telling and the mobbing at the gates days ago is more than just about the increase, people are feeling the pinch and are venting. The systemic management lacks show up clearly and owing to the fact that the PICA agency will be removed from the benefit of the consolidated fund they have shown they may not be so ready for that separation with that level of management although history has brought to bear whenever passport fees go up there is a rush on the entity.

The perception of the party being a club for scarce benefits and spoils for the loyal is also still high on the minds of ordinary citizens; the nepotism allegations come to mind for a certain mayor from western Jamaica yet while no criminal charges have come forth as the Director of public prosecution, DPP hands are tied no disciplinary action seems forthcoming from the PNP’s committee on same, the accused mayor has basically said not in so many words she has the goods on others in the parish council supposedly contained in a diary she had kept all this time and so therefore implying if she goes down so will everybody else.

Then there are the Outameni bail out revelations and the use or misuse of National Housing Trust funds for to what! Assist another party supporter, the solid waste management fiasco with missing funds and no audits for some time, over 45 local government representatives hauled before the court for not filing tax returns with a slap on the wrist as the fines are laughable, the stop and start public sector wage negotiations where a measly 5% has been offered after patiently absorbing a five year wage freeze as their part for sacrifice but government under Portia still waste resources, spend foolishly with no proper planning or pro-activity. With the high unpopularity for the PNP they cannot at this time seem to capitulate to the gays one person said on a call in talk show today which in essence is true but is it about winning elections of doing the right thing?

Keep your eye also on that alleged mining discovery by the Russians as alerted to us by the Jamaica Environmental Trust, JET outside the boundaries on the protected Cockpit Country area by a public private bauxite coalition with government owning some 51%, this has not gone well with not only the environmentalists but also ordinary folks seem to be at one with this. The PNP Gen Sec and Water Minister said he is also concerned about the allegations today but one wonders if he is pretending not to know of the intended move seeing that the company as indicated is a joint effort for continued mining with a Russian group. True or not the perception is out there that the PNP is selling out vital parts of Jamaica (The Chinese and Roaring River/laughing waters lands now fenced off or the Rio Bueno watershed even as the deed(s) declares no such trade can be done) and the aforementioned for kick backs or other things such as debt cancellation or grant aid. State Minister Julian Robinson said it is not so however in an interview on RJR’s Beyond the Headlines with regards to the allegations of mining in the Cockpit Country. Where oh where is the Goat Islands issue now? (which is also a protected area) Out of site while quietly being put together I suppose, then some announcement after the deal is done.

The logistics hub so widely touted seems to be a piped dream and that supposed $5b investment or support from a dubious company supported by an exuberant Minster of Investment Anthony Hylton (he seems left to dry by the rest of ministers & cabinet) that has been found to be at best a shell not turning over just under $10,000 per annum at some back office operation has some business leaders and the parliamentary opposition up in arms. I have known for a long time that politicians are not prepared to expend political capital for something as explosive as this and the PNP also fears the one term curse which slapped the Jamaica Labour Party for the first time in our political history as normally voters give each side a two term run then switch them. Guess I might do a ‘Line in The Sand’ series for the PNP as I did with the JLP when they announced the elections for 2011 and the countdown looking at national issues relative to LGBT matters.

The present visit of the LGBT envoy Randy Berry from the US is only serving to stoke the fire even more as a mysterious press release has emerged under the letterhead of the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society and the baby of the anti gay groups Lovemarch Movement over an assumed faux pas that the US embassy or consulate may have mis-communicated the real purpose of the envoy et al, the groups are now claiming that they visit is some sneaky way to try to impose ‘moral nihilism’ and ‘sexual anarchy’ in Jamaica; if it were a sneaky activity as was described why would there have been a statement on the state department website or radio interviews to such effect? Envoys visits are usually public as far as I know but ambassadorial engagements are more clandestine of course for purposes of secrecy and more direct and impactful relative to policy & grant aid etc but I would have thought these folks university students at that ought to understand basic diplomatic channels and how they operate.

Their Lovemarch YouTube page they have turned off the comments sections so there you go in as far as engagement with the public, speaks volumes about their scare tactic agenda and imperialism. Sadly as young university attendees mostly I would have thought they should have known the differences in the diplomatic levels of governments as the role of envoys is more a fact finding, information sharing with regards to foreign policy, message conveyance from the respective departments (near his pay grade) and some public awareness so this preying on the ignorance on the rest of the nation to intimidate the LGBT imperative is downright wrong and deceptive. It reminds me of 16th century England or Europe in the height of church corruption and the poor folks who firstly intimidated by the sheer power of the Catholic Church then the use of Latin to keep them in control then the fear-mongering of hell fire hence the ease of selling indulgences to unsuspecting individuals.

Modern day Pharisees & Sadducees eh? After all it was they who ended up killing Jesus while using the Roman system to give effect to it. May is child’s month and in the midst of the outcry for the alarming sexual abuse cases I did not see a demonstration so so much for cherry picking.

Ironically it is from those sequence of events under King Henry VIII during the protestant reformation period with the deceptive parliamentary acts of supremacy & act in restraint of appeals that created the breach between English monarchs and the papacy which led to the problematic buggery law in 1532, since the pope dealt with all things spiritual and moral his absence made the extension of state power attractive to lawmakers and the limp wristed parliament at the time. Its author and King Henry’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell was quite clear in his intent of the 16 sentenced original version as part of his campaign to expel the Catholics under the guise of addressing church corruption so he labelled the church centers of homosexuality in essence (the word homosexual[ity] came some 230+ years later) thus expediting the mass dissolution of the monasteries while forcing clergy, monks and priests to accept the new reformist agenda as espoused in the Church of England.

Those who opposed or hesitated were executed by hanging, drawing and quartering, horribly tortured or their reputations marred by this buggery charged on the public records, assets seized or forced into exile; so the buggery act was an intimidating device in the toolkit of other instruments theological ones included for specifically cementing the breach from the papacy all because King Henry wanted a divorce from his first wife to marry Ann Boleyn and to what end? cold hard cash and more power for all involved including Cromwell as he rose to become the second most powerful man under the monarch so England could strengthen its army to deal with looming French problem in the channel to the south nearing the isle of white as the monasteries that occupied 1/6th of the country were sold off to an emerging middle class thus securing King Henry’s stability on the throne while fattening his pockets.

The Justice Minister also spoke to the meeting with the US envoy on RJR’s Beyond the Headlines on May 22 where he said there was no imposition or prescriptive narratives used in the exchange and repealing the buggery law did not come up, he also mentioned the sexual offences act that is also being reviewed by a joint select committee. As far as the conscience vote is concerned he said he is not sure and no date has been set for it. I am not a big fan of conscience votes given the predicament the PNP is in politically they may just use it to sure up their fortunes and vote no to repealing the law.

I won’t even bother to try to understand that garbage from some of these people obviously these groups have been and continue to feed or draw on the ignorance of Jamaicans and they get away with it with fictitious statistics without naming the source document(s) and other manufactured theological explain-away. Radio has blown up since the news of the Minister’s pronouncements and social media comments abound, so the silly season starts again. Then again they learned from the best; remember God Hates Fags church in the US? The style is so similar.

Precedence set on buggery trials review

When will we learn and what about precedent set at least at the resident magistrate level in our court systems where the interpretation of the law assumes there is a “victim” hence cases that have a paedophile construct to them goes to full trial usually to the circuit courts but those with adults allegedly caught in a compromising position languish or drag on with arresting officers being subpoenaed for repeated absences or disinterest or sine die adjournment wherein a seven year period is left open for new evidence if found can be submitted at the resident magistrate level. For the most part from my observation sine die adjournments always time out and the matter dies as in my buggery case in November 1996 to July 1999. The difficulty however for accused in a timed out sine die adjournment the charge does not get expunged from your police record that easily and the creaking administration at the records office is another nightmare engaging it.

Outside of those two categories I chose reported cases of forced buggery usually go to the circuit courts in trials by jury for example dancehall DJ Zebra who got a 30 year sentence for raping and buggering the same female victim.

Then there is the question of the alarming numbers of rogue police officers attempting to shake down gay men allegedly caught in the act demanding ultra large sums of money in exchange for either releasing them at the time or hinting changes that can be made to reflect anal penetration took place by whatever means they have to the all important doctor’s report which is the chief evidentiary device for the prosecution. It seems the police are aware of the loopholes in the systems coupled with the fear of exposure and embarrassment by those accused so they pounce. The pending DNA bill also has been on my mind as it calls for compulsory collection of biological material from the accused among several other things but members of the private bar have expressed some concerns in relation to that especially on what is described as intimate samples collected by the requisite professional. Constitutional trespass has been mentioned as there must be consent sought of the accused or subject prior to the harvesting of any biological material prior to the commencement date involving the individual so in the case of making a buggery case (going from my own and a few other cases I am close to) the accused are taken to a doctor or designated centre the urethra, the anus outer in inner orifice, clothing maybe swabbed as well (showers are not usually permitted) and if a condom is present the outer and inner surfaces are swabbed. Usually most persons it seems including me when held by cops just went through the motions in ignorance seeing the exercise as mere procedural activity not realising that my consent was indeed required and if I refused then a court order may have to have been sought but the grounds of my refusal is also presented to the judge and should be noted on the case file. The avenue of collusion or the appearance of same still disturbs me as the four present court cases suggest meanwhile lead defence counsel Bert Samuels in a recent article explain why he was concerned about the pending DNA bill sited five cases of DNA manipulation and or strong evidence but planted false evidence led to injustices. He never however went as far as to include any buggery matters but I am sure they exist as an old Jamaica Observer story brought to bear which had a paedophile construct.

The doctor’s report or sections of it is also of concern to me as aforementioned in previous posts and at fora elsewhere, the ease at which ones doom can be sealed over a professional’s signature is real and due to the nature of male same gender non penetrative intimacy or foreplay the transposing of such biological materials namely spermatozoa cells from one party to another is easy but if said item is found near or around the anal orifice it may be concluded by the tester buggery took place; it appears to me that placement and not ownership of spermatozoa found in cases I have been close to is the main imperative hence persons while not committing the act when they were caught still end up with a buggery charge thrown at them. Bear in mind that spermatozoa is found along the urethra (penis head or opening) and fondling, partnered or self masturbation and transfer to bed linens (if it is such a venue) or clothing can also assist in the easy transposing of the matter via hands. It is unclear whether the spermatozoa found is retested to see who owns it as it may very well be that of the host on whose rectal area it was found. So much to ponder on this.

There was a small demonstration by Lovemarch just outside the Pegasus Hotel where the envoy is said to be having consultations. The hardened positions are here again, opposition in blind fury sadly but let us see where this all goes.

The old imperatives are still at work unfortunately despite what appears to be some tolerance (real or imagined):

The religious/biblical fundamentalist anti-homosexuality imperative tied with HIV is a gay disease narrative - The religious fundamentalist anti-homosexuality imperative has primacy within African-Jamaican popular culture, dramatically manifesting in both the religious and the musical popular. Duality is immediately evident in the medium called ‘street gospel’, a form of Christian dancehall (‘Street gospel’) Dr Wayne of the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, JCHS and the baby group Lovemarch make sure we are reminded of that with references to old NY aids statistics which he cannot yet justify or provide the sources.

In this discourse, homosexuality is constituted straightforwardly as a sin in the eyes of God and therefore also in the view of self-perceived good and/or godly persons. It is agreed that omniscient Jehovah repeatedly declares homosexuality to be a sin in both the Old and New Testaments and that the Almighty would neither misrecognize nor misname a physical and/or emotional illness as a condition of sin. The idea that homosexuality is an illness (whether congenital or otherwise) represents the negative reading of the claim that lesbian and gay persons generally had their sexuality determined at birth, and did not therefore usually exercise unfettered choice. Its positive version holds that a certain proportion, a minority, of God’s human creatures are indeed born lesbian/gay and that their sexuality is to be seen as being as much God-ordained/created as that of the heterosexual majority. However, it also holds that homosexuality must still be repressed or at least treated. The moral and religious legitimacy of the fundamentalist ideological imperative is in danger of evaporating, leaving in its place nothing more sacred or spiritual than self-righteous and even blasphemous people irrationally wrapping their will to mistreat, murder even, and their fellow men in a cloak of very questionable godliness.

The ideological imperative of the unnaturalness of homosexuality and the naturalness of heterosexuality

The second, and closely related, primary imperative is that which broadly asserts that homosexuality is contrary to the sexuality nature has inscribed in the human, and for exclusively procreative purposes. Despite gay marriage rights granted worldwide and the personhood of LGBT people lifted we still have this opposition predicated on the reference of the correct use of the anus (lesbians do not get this that often) and the supposed abhorrence of anal sex or perceptions of what anal sex maybe like predicated on ‘mixing with faeces’ as one radio host outs it some days ago. Sexual orientation the bigger issue that needs discussion or sexuality is often totally ignored when this imperative is at work.

The protection of vulnerable youth imperative

The third ideological imperative functioning within popular homophobia/ heterosexism is that passionately directed towards the protection of vulnerable youth. Central to this is a concern that is almost entirely capacitated by the conflation of homosexuality and paedophilia. The foundational assumption of this imperative is that homosexuality, especially in its male form, involves a strongly predatory paedophile tendency which is put into practice against innocent and powerless young people at every opportunity as expertly done by the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship and the aforementioned JCHS alongside child rights activists Betty Ann Blaine especially in this month which is seen as child’s month. With CISOCA’s announcement of the buggery figures for boys the emotional reactions from the aforementioned quarters is keep the buggery law so as to protect them. Sadly the emotional and ideological liberation from homophobia is yet to come for the masses led by equally ignorant and paranoiac religious voices yet they are not to strident on other societal ills the realization that the popularly established link between paedophilia and homosexuality is not a necessary one: paedophilia is unarguably a sexual pathology. That there are predatory homosexuals who are also paedophiles and who have abused positions of power and trust (the priesthood, teaching/house-mastering, scout-mastering, etc.) is also undeniable and wholly deplorable. In recent times, a major Christian denomination in more than one metropolitan society has had to apologize for the extent of priestly paedophilia and to offer compensation to victims who have finally been empowered to speak out.

The other imperatives are self explanatory as the imperatives of the purity and authenticity of a homosexuality free Global African cultural tradition and of the illegality of homosexuality which is widely used as justification to oppose it but bear in mind above the reasons for the law being created in England in 1532.

Jamaica my sweet Jamaica we have a long way to go since if one enables homosexuality to be seen as a necessarily foreign-derived corruption while the other mobilizes the authority of the state and the celebrated connection between law and morality to deny the right of sexual privacy to consenting adult males who choose to love and have sex with other men, there is no doubting the social significance of these imperatives. Taken together, these ideological imperatives have to be firmly and sensitively questioned in a dialogue between patriarchal homophobia, on the one hand, and lesbian, gay and socially progressive forces, on the other. This constitutes a precondition for the development of less oppressive social conditions for LGBT people in Jamaica. Success in this dialogue will contribute to the production of a society that is less comfortable with its own homophobia but also with other forms of social oppression, and therefore to one with a population whose members are less willing to engage in the self-righteous activity of oppression when God is to have sent his son to engage the outcasts.

Peace and tolerance

H

also see and hear the present PM siding with the former PM Bruce Golding on not to gay marriage:
PM scolds gay-rights protesters in New York ........ challenges truthfulness of Homophobic Claim

Justice Minister reiterates his personal position on the Buggery Law, Anal Intercourse, Consent & Privacy


Portia Simpson - 'Uncouth behaviour of others to make me look less than polished'

When did anyone ask for gay marriage rights in Jamaica when we can't get basic tolerance ....

She said on October 20th 2009 - "Mr Speaker when we accepted the final report from the joint select committee that were looking at the bill we were completely satisfied with their recommendation of a provision to restrict marriage and like relationships to one man and one woman within Jamaica and that the provision should be specifically spelt out so that there could be no ambiguity ………. yes one man one woman (laughter in the house) and if you are Jamaican and go overseas the same applies ……….."

MP Seeks Solutions For Homeless Gay Youth In New Kingston

It was bad enough that the displaced and homeless MSM/Transgender populations were left out of most of the homelessness week awareness activities as outlined in a previous post (Homelessness Awareness Week May 10 - 16 activities overlooks LGBT populations?) now we hear of more promises from politicians. It is not the first time we have heard concerns only when the populations are visible as they are again with recent police interactions (yet again), solutions are proffered and then silence. Yawning still at the usual academisation of the situation here comes another announcement which politicians are so good at. 

The we have so many 'solutions' filed away in some filing cabinet after bragging rights on stake holder meetings to numerous to count yet no implementation, state and non state actors are good at that but the actual work is yet to materialise.

Remember this previous report by JFLAG?: (re)Presenting and Redressing LGBT Homelessness in Jamaica: Towards a Multifaceted Approach to Addressing Anti-Gay Related Displacement

Then the JFLAG townhall meeting fiasco in 2012 when we were presented with this document above in part yet the announcement for a shelter was most premature as the negotiations were non concluded and the identified property's manager feared reprisals if it were discovered.

I will believe it when it happens and yet another report comes which looks so similar to the previous ones and that of the scrapped Safe House Project 2007/8/9 that some of the very men were in and JFLAG basically abandoned them with the excuse that their bad behaviour was the reason when the pilot project ended before its run, they do not want to get their hands dirty and walk with the population hand in hand really and expect others to do that, then to turn around and act as if they care as homelessness is not their role it may seem as the elites literally are contemptuous of the group. Remember the IDAHO event where JFLAG left out the very homeless when the subject was on homelessness? see: JFLAG EXCLUDES HOMELESS MSM FROM IDAHO SYMPOSIUM 2013

remember this from 2014?: MP Julian Robinson claims he wants help for New Kingston homeless gays

The Gleaner carried this some days ago, I have included the report mentioned for download HERE

David Fitton (right), British high commissioner to Jamaica, looks at the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) Report on Homeless Youth with Julian Robinson (left), member of parliament for South East St Andrew; Julia Sutherland, deputy British high commissioner, and Damian Hutchinson, executive director of the PMI, at the high commission's presentation of the report at the British High Commission in New Kingston.

Member of parliament for South East St Andrew, Julian Robinson, has, through his role as a member of the board of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), moved to provide intervention for a group of high-risk homeless youth who were accused of carrying out robberies and incidents of public disorder in the New Kingston environs.

The nature and outcomes of those interventions have been chronicled in a report released in collaboration with the British High Commission.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Robinson noted that he has been working with a number of partners to address the issues facing the group.

A Different Approach

"Over the past three years, (sorry Mr Robinson this problem is much older than that) we have grappled with the issue of a group of homeless young gay men who have taken residence in particular areas throughout the constituency ... but the reason I got to the point where I felt there had to be a different type of intervention is because the definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result," he said.

Robinson indicated that he approached the PMI to address the issues facing the group given that efforts to remove them from the Shoemaker Gully have produced little result because they merely relocate to other areas in his constituency.

"I felt it was important to have a formal intervention and to document some of the challenges, we know the challenges anecdotally but we have not had the kind of intervention that the PMI has formally done," he said.

While indicating that the intervention has gone well, Robinson said it has not yet solved the problem.

"We need continuous interventions for this group because it is a unique group. There are a number of unique characteristics of this group which require unique intervention beyond the typical homeless population and even beyond what is done for the LGBT population," he added.

Robinson outlined that the issue of shelter remains a challenge that he intends to tackle.

Human-rights lobbyist Yvonne McCalla Sobers (photo sharing items with the men in 2014), who was also present at the launch of the report, indicated that plans exist to build a shelter, to be called the Larry Chang Centre, but that land needs to be provided to begin the construction.

Robinson said that the report is intended to shed light on the issues facing the group and to seek solutions.

"This, I hope, will be the beginning of a broader dialogue on this issue where we can bring in other stakeholders to the table so that we can find a lasting solution," he said

ENDS

 please see the PMI and Superintendent Murdock on CVM TV's Live @ 7 on May 21, I have to agree with Simon Crosskill its host the report seems minuscule and designed to impress the funders more than real solutions, click HERE

Dwayne's House logo

What about the Dwayne House idea as seen above at the board meeting recently with Mr Robinson and others in 2013? their Facebook page seems dormant as one of their last entries suggest:

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


New Kingston Cop Proposes Shelter for Shoemaker MSM/Trans homeless persons

MP Julian Robinson claims he wants help for New Kingston homeless gays 2013

And we continue to reap the world-wind for not addressing homelessness when it was manageable 2013

The toss up between MSM homelessness & public order makes news again

then there are the previous comments on camera by the goodly MP in February 2013:

I still say government have to provide the framework and let LGBT advocacies handle the transitional components as there are sensitivities that their systems cannot handle. Just take a look at at state run agencies and the challenges then how then this speciality group will be treated? Here is an old podcast I had done on my suggestion and concerns:

I am deeply disappointed at the state and non state actors as on this seedy issue of homelessness and as the main-streaming of advocacy continues the grassroots segment of the struggle and the representative populations get left behind or abandoned.

Sadly designated sites (167 King Street) for general homeless assistance still remain unused since as evidenced above they were launched by a JLP government so continuity is not the name of the game for the benefit of the least amongst us.

see: Street MSM Stone J-FLAG – After Being Cleared From Gov’t Property, Homosexuals Launch Assault another such clash occurred earlier this year in January which forced JFLAG to vacate yet another office space.

meanwhile JFLAG says it is happy with the study (not surprised), video from Loop Jamaica:

Hope remains while company is true as there are some who are still concerned.

Peace and tolerance

H

Also see:

the CVM NEWS Story HERE on the eviction/raid taken by the police

Housing Minister seeks funds for Shelter from NHT Money ....... Will the LGBT Homeless be Assisted?

also see a flashback to some of the troubling issues with the populations and the descending relationships between JASL, JFLAG and the displaced/homeless GBT mostly youth in New Kingston: Rowdy Gays Strike - J-FLAG Abandons Raucous Homosexuals Misbehaving In New Kingston

Why did CVCC & JFJ not Fund a Project/Home for Homeless LGBT Youth in New Kingston instead of the Children’s Home Fiasco that now obtains?

from 2012: Homeless impatient with agencies over slow progress of promised shelter and THE PROBLEMATIC “BATTYMAN ENTITLEMENT” PHENOM, HOMELESSNESS & LGBT SAFE SPACES

JFLAG has no moral authority to speak on homeless gay men in New Kingston says members of the public. 2014

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

Shelter Coming For Homeless Gays reports the Gleaner

Children’s Advocacy & LGBT Agencies inconsistent approach to Homeless MSM Youth

also see all the posts in chronological order by date from Gay Jamaica Watch HERE and GLBTQ Jamaica HERE

GLBTQJA (Blogger): HERE

see previous entries on LGBT Homelessness from the Wordpress Blog HERE



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

Homeless MSM to feel the pinch as JASL issues ultimatum (where it all began to go downhill in 2008/9) 

meanwhile more audio commentary flashback and weigh-ins, Christopher Daley host on The Ends on Nationwide had a lot to say on the issue in 2013:

Notice also the numbers of persons engaged in the supposed PMI engagement is missing so is it another case of selecting the good behaving persons and leaving out the others? 

Sigh

Here we go again.

Homelessness Awareness Week May 10 - 16 activities overlooks LGBT populations?

So it would seem as the activities and public relations rounds seems to suggest a generalization of homelessness with no reference in sight to MSM/Trans populations. Not that one is asking for special treatment for this group but the issues have been screaming for attention for some time now as continued clashes with other populations in the homeless belt prove (windshield wipers & loader men), reported homophobic attacks by members of the public and increasing numbers of displaced youth join the groups islandwide. 

The latest radio discussion on the matter this morning proved same as when the host of the Morning Watch on LOVE 101FM (a religious station I might add) Reverend Marvia Laws asked about that group specifically no proper answer came from the panelists as they preferred to generalize the challenges.

The least amongst us are still just that it appears and as JFLAG and other groups gear up for IDAHO 2015 the homeless is nowhere is sight in terms of the theme of resilience for LGBT Jamaicans. But then again we must forget the January war of words and stones at their offices from which they have since moved as the deteriorating relationship with the NGOs and sections of the MSM/Trans populations continue.

Here is the background to this year's awareness theme:

Background

This year, for the first time, the National Council on Drug Abuse through the Tek it to Dem outreach Team will be hosting HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK under the theme HOMELESSNESS: BEYOND AN OPINION, BEYOND AN IMAGE, BEYOND THE STREETS from May 10-16.

The idea behind this week of activities is to create a space where issues surrounding homelessness (contributing and exacerbating factors) can be discussed openly; where the homeless can receive recreational services, a significant part of holistic care; and, where there can be frank and open discussion about how we feel as a nation about our homeless, tackling stigma and discrimination. We also want to be looking at a coordinated response to alleviate the conditions of the homeless - housing issues, social security concerns and community education and participation.

The week is based on four pillars

– Respect, Compassion, Reach and Family. 

Byhosting this week the NCDA wants people to look beyond their assumptions about the homeless and, instead, consider their vulnerability and the circumstances
that led to their existence on the streets. The four pillars Respect, Compassion, Reach, Family were chosen because we want society to:

Show respect to the homeless, rather than abuse them;

Feel compassion, rather than disdain;

Reach out, rather than ignore; and

Embrace them as family; rather than condemn them to a life of loneliness.

We are, after all, Out of Many ONE PEOPLE

Objectives:
Raise public awareness about the situation of homeless persons

Spotlight the project and the services available through the project

Expose clients to experiences necessary for mental and emotional wellness

Collaborate with civic, faith based, NGO and private sector entities to deliver medical and holistic services to the homeless

Galvanize n support for social security provisions for the homeless

Communication Objective:
Correct negative perceptions associated with homelessness
Rights based approach to working with and taking care of the homeless.

Activities include:
A trip to the Zoo for 50 homeless persons on Tuesday, May 12

Homelessness Supplement – in the Jamaica Observer for Wednesday May 13

Friday May 15 – Health Fair at Marie Atkins Night Shelter, 65 Hanover Street

Saturday May 16 – Family Day at Webster Memorial 53 Half Way Tree Road starting at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The activities seem to be based on a religious perspective more so than one of real inclusivity despite sexual orientation and or homosexuality. Allegations of some MSM/Trans homeless persons being scooped up by the local authorities prior to the US president's visit is also a major concern but what is one to do when the interest is elsehwere from both LGBT and non LGBT and governmental bodies and individuals.

Think on these things

Peace and tolerance

H