Dangers of trans pump parties

Decided to drop this here given the social mix with gay men and transgender persons as the latter is sometimes subsumed in MSM culture as drag queens mistakenly. As the holidays are on in earnest and some bad news has come to hand of a transgender individual who attended an unofficial pump party in central Jamaica only to have fallen seriously ill. This was after shooting up with some sort of estrogenic laced concoctions with allegedly cooking oil and other chemicals by way of a syringe; such parties and actions on an individual level have been becoming the rage in recent years locally as more welcomed transgender visibility via social media is here with us not thankfully but it seems we have also adapted the awful side and dangerous practices of the lifestyle associated with the expressions of such. Persons have been shooting up to get impromptu butt lifts, face lifts, lip enlargement with illegally obtained Botox mixtures for thick lips and raised cheeks and all important ‘boobie’ or ‘taas taas’ or cleavage enhancement temporarily for some hours as the pump party progresses. Gone are the days when a body suit under ones dress would suffice to highlight curvature and feminine aesthetics.

Problem is there are implications afterwards when one decides to shoot up for acceptance or a desire to conform with and by other peers and sometimes with disastrous consequences. Frankly I and other senior transgender folks and activists have also realised that there seems to be a fad stage at work similar to the late eighties in parts of Europe, Canada and the United States during the ‘Paris is Burning’ vogue years and gay ballroom culture, and sex change surgery which was on the rise, the rage then was predicated on a “She-male” construct that even the porn industry caught onto the fad when although vaginoplasty was not perfected yet by the surgeons breast implants (male to female transsexual) were the craze alongside face lifts, breast implants that would sometimes rupture from poor materials and silicone leaking into the bloodstream would cause all other kinds of health risks and even death. It subsequently was discovered that many persons who did go under the knife were not even transgender in the true sense of the word i.e. feeling they were born in the wrong body but saw the whole thing as a fashionable craze or hip at the time. Some persons eventually reverted to their true look as before and easily did so as they never did work on their penises.

Those on the other hand who could not afford the surgeries or never qualified for state assistance that was available simply ‘shot up’ on their own at home or with friends or at underground shops that would offer such services or attend pump parties to exchange concoctions, we seem to be taking on all the evils that can come with transsexualism of transgenderism. Then there is the business of sharing needles and syringes with no professional training or supervision from the requisite experts. It is common knowledge of HIV transmission via sharing needles is or ought to be well known let alone the concoctions mixed with things like olive oil, cooking oil or margarine as the protein fat agents with all kinds of weird substances to enhance real life outcomes especially in the butt cheeks department. 

The body is not equipped to handle some of these things when directly introduced into the bloodstream, rejection can occur with sometimes the body removing the materials in a form of abscess as the things literally drained out through the pores of the skin or sores may result long after that take long to heal, ones immune systems can also go haywire as it deciphers unrecognised chemicals in the blood, then there are possible stomach, liver and kidney problems in later years as they try to also assist in flushing the blood and body they get compromised as well with impaired function. The transperson did see a doctor eventually and was warned not to go there again but many are dismissing that advice as it is alleged and unconfirmed that this is not the first time she has gotten sick due to unregulated shooting up. One layman suggest she may be addicted to something in the concoction she used or maybe she combined other traditional drugs in the mix which is also a problem for drug abuse prevention activists worldwide. 

With the newer mixtures of Opium and other addictive substances some strange results have been coming forth and which include combining and cooking ecstasy pills (the blue ones as they are more powerful) with other substances to get a longer high and that feeling of no responsibility and abandonment from life transgender users in the States and Canada have been combing these with estrogenic laced materials to get the look and the feel at the same time. It is a trend that was covered on BBC only earlier this year as persons openly shoot up with the mixture. One hopes our local drug abuse agencies are on top of things and with social media also playing a part as pump party pages and underground groups give public instructions how to get hormones and or make alternate and dangerous versions of same. The old practices of using traditional birth control pills are also still on especially by some of the poorer or homeless transgender folks who cannot afford sustained self administered hormone therapy as prescribed by the relevant person, birth control pills have high amounts of estrogens and can have some visible change not so immediate as pumping up or shooting up; so the latter options are pursued as they tend to show more immediate and dramatic results, dancehall culture is well into this kind of thing with public faces such as Miss Kitty of Nationwide radio and Magnum Kings & Queens fame has openly admitted she has done some butt work and other female stars as well.

At least two outlets in Kingston openly advertise and offer such services but they say they have on staff the experts to guide would be clients where they are assessed as to their ability to handle the changes and medications that may be required. TVJ’s Entertainment Report weekend show had carried the outlets and the very owners/managers were quite proud to show their work they had done from breast lifts to buttocks enhancements. 

So here comes another addition of challenges exploding on us and to the work out there especially for transgenderism; let us see if the advocates and programs managers for groups and coalitions who aren’t locked just to the comforts of social media by hastagging and twitterversing in superficial advocacy passed off or framed as legitimate but lack depth pay attention, put down the phones and do some real work with real people in REAL time in PERSON. I hope someone can talk some sense into the young transperson and get to stopping altogether the hormonal misuse and abuse.

Peace & tolerance

H

Thug decoy targeting cruisers again, some take action

The age old problem of so called decoys or ‘double sports’ who are either gays on the downlow, experimenters or opportunists looking to exploit other gay and bisexual men is still with us. As the holiday season is upon us there has been a trend in recent years of this phenomenon of decoys or gay/bisexual men who go berserk in robbing persons even in the middle of sexual liaisons. This latest episode occurred on Saturday December 10 human rights day of all days. Activities tend to increase in the holiday season as trends show over the years as men who would not ordinarily or regularly go outside their sex seeking behaviours then do so even as word also spread by social media of so called successful hunts, penis size notoriety and so on become draw cards or a pull for the curious; another infiltration worry for some existing and ‘expert’ cruisers who do not like or take kindly to a watering down of their once secret spaces. This is not surprising of course as from recorded history this exploitative method in many respects by men to gain material things and so on existed from the Greeks in the socially tolerated phenomenon of pederasty through to present day known as ‘trade’ ‘thots’ ‘heaviots’ and now ‘thuggy.’

Cruisers have already had to contend with reduced spaces over the years in pursuit of the thrill of the manhunt and or hookup from the sharp increase in crimes near or in said zones where gay men gather for quick sex and the on again off again, if not sporadic development coupled with intermittent clashes with other MSM/transgender populations for space use and a feeling of infiltration by those groups. The local authorities have since cleared many often very old spaces in recent months via bulldozers, many other cruisers who use this route to fulfil sex seeking behaviours are either in jail for alleged crimes committed, are scared stiff as times change or are dead after getting involved in gun battles (yes they too do fool around) and others just simply stay away.

A man in his twenties is the latest decoy operative who has been targeting the outdoor cruisers specifically and especially the younger guys found himself the subject of a thrashing of sorts and was chased by two men who stoned him after he tried to rob one of them of a smartphone. One could argue that a smartphone is not an item to have on one’s person when one is on the hunt in certain parts even if it is equipped with tracking capabilities or is locked, the robbers are also savvy and will demand under pain of violence the soon to be former owner of the phone to unlock it or else. The decoy made an approach to one of the newer faced men on the strip in downtown Kingston and demanded he hand over his money and phones at knifepoint. The other man who was nearby and who was supposed to be the victim’s intended hookup at the time intervened, both men tackled the decoy/robber even as he tried to ‘loud up’ the situation alerting passersby on the main road that ‘battyboi dem ova yasso’ (gay men are over here) the phone’s screen unfortunately was damaged in the melee as the men struggled with the knife wielding miscreant to retrieve the phone.

The ‘loud up’ never worked this time around as opposed to previous incidents near or at the same spot, so the two men gave the robber a thrashing according to one of them who I was eventually able to speak to by WhatsApp. They were able to get the phone back and inflict some hits via stoning, they also got the knife as it fell from the would be robber as he made good his escape, this shows the younger cohort of gay and bisexual cruisers are not going to be pushovers by bad eggs within their ranks or decoys from outside who may have an idea of the inner ramblings of gay subculture. In a previous post I had carried a phone robbery matter in the Half Way Tree area by a known gay thug, he has since been arrested alongside other non gay phone robbers and roadside makeshift phone repair men in an elaborate network of robbers and front men the police discovered stretching as far as Manchester and eastwards to St Thomas.

Twice earlier this year there were robbery attempts of a lesser value of money by men who passed through the very spot where this latest incident occurred but hardened cruisers who know full well that some territories are treacherous terrain but still do go there and hope for the best. Cash was taken on both occasions but there was no physical injury, however the handcart lovers matter that was carried on this blog and the subsequent mobbing led to the bulldozing of a section of the area to supposedly stop the ‘battyman dem’ from going there; the spot has a history of gay men and exhibitionists who used the area for years in its various adjustments including a short lived car park activity which was allegedly ordered discontinued by a local don who is now incarcerated aboard.

Let us also recall the soon to be sold old cholera cemetery nearing the Canadian Embassy one of the oldest hookup spots for not only cruisers but commercial sex workers and homeless MSM/transgender as previous posts bring to bear. With the loss of spaces such as this the groups tends to eventually congregate elsewhere, trends suggest that with the reduction of the ‘bathroom’ cruiser phenomenon over the years as well the migration of sorts or crossing over to more hardcore hunting has been on the rise. Some cruisers have taken to going out of town to appease their tastes but that too has come with some challenges to include territorial clashes with other regulars and robberies as well or exposure leading to unneeded or unexpected heat and homophobia.

All I can suggest is that cruisers of one intends to cruise for the holidays be careful as to how and where you choose to be adventurous as tempting as it may be; it may not be worth it in the final analysis. As I used to end my posts back in the day “Be Vigilant, Be Safe”

Peace & tolerance

H

Stabbed for not probing deeply enough!

There is never a dull day in Jamaican and indeed gay life or aspects of it. As the holidays end and life slowly returns to normal as it were the drama, fun and bizarre stories usually come to hand as tongues go a wagging. A previous post showed us the lower socio economic spectrum of some of these sub-cultural matters of handcart lovers who had to beat a hasty retreat in downtown Kingston. A man in his thirties has been doing just that as he is still fuming as he felt he was dissed and then stabbed by the same person as a hook up went bad. Cruisers or at least the street walking/hunting ones and those who do not traverse such scenes consistently usually take the trek in holiday times as Christmas or New Year periods and by the man’s own admission as he felt “thirsty” according to a rather lengthy WhatsAPP thread where the man vented his upset quite openly. The laughter was palpable but the seriousness of the proverbial ‘changeling’ nature of some of this was not lost to us. The group is a mix of cruisers and other men who engage in gay sex with some experience.

This latest episode occurred in the eastern end of the New Kingston area on December 24 around 10pm both men came into contact with each other after picking up on each other (gaydar I imagine) and they both moved to finding a space to explore what they felt. After some negotiations according to the man on the WhatsAPP thread they settled on what was to go down between the two. Such circumstances tend to go beyond the typical as excitement sometimes can get to a sexual fever pitch and other action comes into play. It appears by the man’s own admission he wouldn’t normally do rimming with other men outside of his main partner and or if the recipient is “clean” a long exchange ensued on that diversion much to the laughter (lol and dwl) of some participants.

The men then started to ‘get busy’ and action picked up as both men liked what they saw and the other party seemed “clean” enough. As the rimming phase of the fun came into play the man admitted although he was doing the job he did not probe deeply enough (my words) or in essence penetrate the anus with his tongue by forcing himself passed the sphincter muscle opening. A typical rimming job or ‘fridge cleaning’ or ‘batty-wash’ a term made popular by dancehall artists such as Vybz Kartel and more so Alkaline(aka the rimming DJ) exercise is usually restricted to outside the anus by the opening of the sphincter muscle opening which can be just as pleasurable as actual penile of tongue penetration with the unusual high amounts of membranes at the area. The man admitted in words to the effect that the musty scent devoid of other expected scents was a kind of reassurance that the man was hygienic but no deep probing was done none the less. The man conducting the ‘cleaning of the fridge’ was busy self pleasuring but found himself the subject of demands by the standing recipient who instructed the rimmer to enter more deeply.

The rimmer hesitated for a moment but still proceeded as he was before; only to have the man attempting to forcibly pull on his head and backing up his ass in or on the man’s face. It was there that things got out of place and both men ended up in an altercation. Things cooled but the recipient wanted more or continued action while insisting deep tongue action, when the man suggested what appeared to be partnered masturbation (“shake off”) but the recipient wanted the tongue in his ass and by any means necessary. After some verbal persuasion the man still refused and decided he was leaving the scene but the man would have none of it and another round of a physical struggle ensued so much so that both men ended up on the ground struggling; the man found it funny and in what seems to be playful but rough language used terms such as “come nuh baby” and so on.

But things quickly moved to the next level as the rimmer really lost his cool, in the aforementioned thread “mi haffi fix de boi” (I have to fix the boy) and there was where the knife was drawn by the other man and the struggle went on. It resulted in a minor stab would on the right hand of the former rimmer from a ratchet knife the other man had and a banger phone that had fallen from the man to the ground was smashed under foot as they tussled. The men parted and an argument continued until the stab victim used a rag he had in his back pocket to wrap the wound and stop the bleeding. Then the unexpected came as the rimmer made his way to the main road he was outed so to speak as the exiting perpetrator pointed him out to passersby. Talk about dangerous closet queens who can be more dangerous than homophobes indeed. Both men then went their separate ways but he says he knows where the man hails which may suggest this may not be over by a long shot.

This one reminds me of an older case in the early 2000s where a similar matter occurred but it did not have the knife play element to it. There seems to be a string of newbies in town who have been noticed by older or practiced cruisers (the more adventurous ones that is); a reader who identifies as a cruiser suggested that I needed to differentiate the types of hunters as he does not do masculine spaces such as old buildings, abandoned garages or so on as I had hinted to in a previous post but he is a more plaza operative type or lavatory visitor, problem is such spaces have been rapidly disappearing in the last decade. This loss of space is also playing a role in how the population’s sex seeking behaviours play out literally. The old remaining section of the cholera cemetery for example where that now infamous emaciated HIV positive gay homeless man photo was taken is up for major development, bushing has removed the hiding/secrecy element, male commercial sex workers, homeless MSM/transgender and cruisers have all been impacted as the government and proposed developers are at odds as to the way forward alongside police patrols and local municipality clearances.

Increased police patrols generally also have had an impact of some of this which was kind of surprising to me when this matter came to hand. Post that townhall meeting with the outgoing Police Commissioner where he addressed the homeless gays in the Shoemaker Gully also had made the area off limits as the cruising community watch these things and plan their routes and hookup activities.

Happy hunting and just be vigilant and safe to include reading the man before you both get down or if it is a group even more reading is important.

Peace & tolerance

H

George Michael’s ‘Last Christmas’ indeed

in his younger days

The legendary George Michael aged 53 left us unfortunately in his “Last Christmas” in 2016 peacefully at home in the UK according to reports much to the surprise of many as there were not much news of any life threatening illness in the latter part of this year although it is known he had some issues prior. Ironically “Last Christmas” performed by the group Wham in one of their lasting songs in the repertoire and is a radio fixture annually worldwide. Born into a Greek family in 1963 he would later join his partner in crime Andrew Richie in song writing, producing and kick starting their careers as Wham, to be picked up by a major label in 1984 releasing a string of minor hits and while they put out a mix of everything from dashes of rap to elements of disco they decided to change direction to a more soulful style (Blue eyed soul later) but not before scoring their biggest worldwide hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go” who can forget that now infamous introduction of George by Madonna where she said “The diva himself” and “George I want your sex”. In 1985 Wham became the first western group outside of communist China to perform in that nation they then split in 1986. That however proved he had arrived that the queen of pop could recognise it. He decided on a solo journey was the way for him as both men grew apart creatively as a group but remained friends for the most part and co wrote some materials.

“My career seems to always right itself like a duck in a bath, like a plastic duck in a bath” BBC interview with George Michael 2007.

George Michael had an unusually large and loyal following in African descended circles in the United States in particular as a UK artist; he was more seen as an album artist than a singles seller, the albums usually went platinum in a short time after release (over 100 million worldwide). On the continent itself George sold in the millions as well even to the 2014 releases and his Youtube channel has huge subscribers numbers; meanwhile a trend he helped to start in terms of UK crossover success kept him in the public eye; of course the likes Elton John, Sir Tom Jones and the Beatles to some extent laid the ground for that to happen with Eurhythmics’ front woman/diva Annie Lennox and which had other UK based artists follow suit such platinum selling diva Lisa Stanfield of “All Around the World” fame on Arista records, Seal with his string of big hits and even dance diva Kristine W formerly of Champion Records with her signature hit “One More Try” to name a few. For George to move from tracks like “Young Guns” bubble gum pop sounds to more serious releases as “Praying for Time” is just commendable even as many dismissed him as a flavour of the moment, instead he has outlasted contemporaries who are washed up.

The gay thing

“Jesus to a child” was a 1996 tribute to his Brazilian born lover who passed away who he met in Rio De Janeiro in 1991 and other relationship challenges dotted his mostly successful career; but that bathroom incident changed his direction altogether albeit the battle with drugs, slumping record sales, souring of public opinion for a while and his former record company court battles for ownership and release of tapes etc. As social attitude changed he finally in effect came out and was better able to concentrate on more prolific work but success slowly dwindled but loyal fans such as myself stayed true as we know good and honest talent when we hear and see it.

I became even more drawn to him more so in the nineties after the release of “Praying for Time” which was his last major number one in the US, other 12” singles drew my attention and my dollars too such as “Freedom” “I am Your Man” “Fast Love 1996” and the remixes collection of “Freedom”; the latter song was in protest against CBS/Colombia Records with whom he wanted to exit the recording contract and have master tapes control. The lyrics for “Freedom” for example are quite clear where it says “....Take back the picture in the frame...” he effectively retrace his Wham journey as a pop star, he continued “I was every hungry school girl’s pride and joy but I guess it was enough for me ......... I am rocker on TV ............. I wanna make me soul happy” but he got frustrated with the labels’ restrictions and creative control and the demands for albums faster than he cared for.

Other artists like Prince and Chaka Khan who had similar issues with Warner Brothers they faced court battles and some reputational damage. In Prince’s case he wanted to release more materials and albums faster as his writing was prolific but the label wanted no part of it hence he left to form his own label Paisley Park Records. Fortunately all three artists were at the level of prestige, success and financial prowess so they could fight their cases and brought about change in the way some business is now done, Chaka was not happy either and she eventually broke free and released a platinum selling CD in 2007 called “Funk This” which delivered two hit singles “Angel” & “Disrespectful” a duet with Mary J Blige. The remixes for the latter were and still are a fixture for many a dancemusic DJ, I still include them in my sets and several updates since by remixers and bootleggers show there is renewed interest. Prince who also surprisingly passed earlier this year was the most successful of the three as he with the infamous “Slave” tattoed to his face took it all the way to the bank but George Michael is to be credited for really going against the grade at the time as it was almost an anathema to do so. George did the unthinkable as well by insisting his image does not appear on his releases so the latter albums prior to his release from CBS hardly had any images of him and by the time “Outside” came to market it was the photo of a handcuffed person’s hands (maybe his).

Who can forget the double CD collection “Ladies & Gentlemen presenting George Michael” with all those hits and more, it has been a Sunday morning favourite especially after the long drive from the club, “A Different Corner” especially is the relaxer for me.

Inadvertently the face of gay cruising

After that now infamous bathroom incident George Michael, single at the time found himself in a media frenzy with ridicule mixed with curiosity and condemnation by some others even though he was ‘mainstream’ and effectively “white” it was still not fashionable to be out that easily as a gay man; although fellow colleague Elton John with whom he recorded “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” was openly gay and never gave a hoot. George inadvertently was seen as the poster boy for the proverbial cruiser in the sub MSM categories that have those sex seeking behaviours for supposed ‘dickage’ or a quickie. His fans still stayed loyal for the most part. George Michael was set to have been caught in an entrapment sting operation of sorts in a restroom and the paparazzi went nuts with critics claiming the episode was the confirmation they were waiting for, some religious voices were waiting for some error to substantiate their claims that he was a negative influence on teens. Other gay, bisexual and downlow celebrities have been caught in bathroom situations before but not involving an undercover cop as the intended target of affection. I was even more attracted to George then as a gay man who understands the tenets of the thrill and risks of the hunt. Other MSM may see this sort of thing as out of place and instead stick to a more politically correct way of existence, the bathroom incident helped to smash that hypocrisy indirectly over time I think.

Artistry & some music highlights

George however used the ugly episode to his advantage playing on the sensationalism and responded in kind through artistry and song writing. He released tracks such as “Freeek” which was nicely remixed by the elegant Scumfrog, “Outside” which spoke to outdoor sex in subtle way and “Every Other Lover” one of his last releases spoke to the “queer” of it; earlier songs such as “Father Figure” and “I Want Your Sex” already were going in that direction of a alpha male power differentials in gay liaisons. ‘Careless Whispers” genderless lyric structure is one such early solo recording by George that was subtle hints to the direction he was heading and messages in the subtext. His has done some good duets over the years with some major divas, surpsingly more African American collaborations such as Aretha Franklin on “Knew You Were Waiting” which was Aretha’s only US pop number 1 million seller, then “As” with Mary J Blige a cover version of Stevie Wonder’s original production, then there is “if I Told You That” with Whitney Houston which appeared on her greatest hits in 2000.

Michael commented in a documentary some years ago the he was very selective about who he works with and admires singers with good voices hence his choice of the three ladies above, he also worked with a young singer named Mutya on a track named “This is Not Real Love” which was a minor dance hit on the club scene mixed by the respected Moto Blanco team. Many remixers have been called upon to transform the works over the years to include unlikely folks such as RazorNGuido, Hex Hector (“Outside”) and the white label community and tribalizean fellas have all taken a touch of the hits, especially tracks such as “Careless Whispers” “Outside” and “Father Figure” there are always updates within the last decade or so.

He struggled with fame versus his private life, there is a story of him while in China as he and Andrew Richie were on tour breaking records he burrowed a camera from one of his associates and turned that camera at the paparazzi who followed him everywhere he went and told them so that he is shooting them to effectively let them feel how it felt being hounded.

Huge Jamaican popularity

Although his sexuality was openly questioned locally and abroad with the infamous comparison with Elton John especially after the duet with both gentlemen “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me” the optics also played a role as the video of the live performance and an interview with them together was talked about for a long time afterwards. His imagery was often questioned as to how he looked into the lens provocatively when miming the lyrics while adding a teasing element to it and then there was the hair often compared with Prince and their androgyny which he (George) would later adjust in an image flip over after the bathroom incident.

Let us not forget the uproar when it was just hinted that Elton John would have been performing in Jamaica at the then Jazz Festival and the comparisons were made by homophobes with Elton and John as gays and not welcomed in Jamaica; hypocritically the loudest voices were from the church apart from anti gay entertainment journalists/promoters although they would not have attended I imagine as the headline acts be take the stage on a Sunday night. It was similar nonsense when the Village People who were booked to perform also ended up cancelling as misplaced uproar came through to mislead and drive fear-mongering that a simple live show via earshot or visuals would have transmitted some gay gene or gamma ray to change some in the audience. SMH

George Michael songs have managed to remain popular in Jamaica outside of decent adult contemporary radio rotation even Elton John too (“Sacrifice”) both men have had serious and unexpected rotation in the caustic homophobic dancehall sounds systems circles, a disc jock worth his grain of salt knows in any slow jams set, mix-tape and or live juggling had to add a George somewhere in there with tracks such as “A Different Corner” “Faith” (slower BPM) and the soulful call “One More Try” often with the hardcore of gangsters belting out the lyrics to their women in the street dance or as we say colloquially ‘rent-a-tile’ romantic embrace. As a young disc jock in the early 1990s I had no choice but to add George’s material to the collection and my mix-tapes and sets. The songs are still a part of the arsenal for newer DJs around.

As the news spread of his passing I was in the middle of a set at my DJ residency and was forced to whip up a remix line up in tribute to the man, gonna miss him, of note the dark deep RazorNGuido Epic Dub Re-rub of “Outside” was damaged at the time of recording the above set so I did not include it in this set at this time but I know the attuned DJ is well aware that that mix is the bomber of the entire double 12” and white label releases. The set also contains “Careless Whispers” “Fast Love” “Knew You Were Waiting” “Every Other Lover” “If I Told You That” “Father Figure” “Killer”(Dub) “Everything She Wants” plus a few more.

He has gone to join David Bowie, Miss Whitney, Prince and all the other greats, can you imagine the entry at the gates , St Peter maybe saying instead “come inside” and I guess Bob Marley is looking on with Peter Tosh et al and remarking “Irie” 2016 is easily seen in my book as a changing of the guard with the greats leaving us but we are being replaced by some not so hot ones although they are selling well while the good quality folks are still struggling under the radar, more greats will come I have no doubt and we have the archives to reflect on or unreleased materials that will come out eventually if properly managed.

Peace & tolerance

H

Another phone thief held, forces victim at knifepoint to unlock phone

So the homelessness guys issue and other thugs outside of the Shoemaker Gully main group have come up for some accusations of robbery in the New Kingston business district; a gay man was relieved of his BLU smartphone on December 22 I was able to confirm, the man however even after releasing the phone to the robber was effectively re-assaulted after the robber realised the phone was locked not only with a password which could easily be wiped by a factory reset but APPS that offer remote protection were active. Said APPS can be activated remotely to wipe the full contents of the device and SD cards or allow the front facing camera to take a photo and send it to a designated preset email or to the manufacturer as in the case of Apple for iphones and they in turn would alert the authorities as to the stolen device.

A series of phone robberies in that area and other surrounding zones on Constant Spring Road near Popeye’s eatery, the same zone where a soldier earlier in December pulled his firearm and killed a man who tried to rob him after he left a bank of cash and his smartphone is hot again. Another man not known to be gay but hangs out with the more masculine acting types of the group allegedly; one such case was carried on this blog earlier this year as it occurred to a close friend of mine. That phone was never recovered and it never had the aforementioned activated security enablers to act as reinforcements. Complaints have been reported in traditional media of robbers demanding of their victims in the robbery to unlock the phones and disable any APPS for protection while also demanding they try no attempt to take photos secretly or else. Two men who were walking for a popular LGBT spot earlier in December towards Half Way Tree were also relieved of their phones and cash by two thugs said to be linked to the homeless MSM/transgender in the New Kingston region.

The incident was not reported to the police as the victim just counted the episode as a loss which is sad to me but it is what it is. It was earlier in the year another case involving a lesbian and gay man and another man was ended in the St Andrew parish court when the victim was relieved of his Samsung phone under the guise of being accused of stealing the very phone from the woman, she called a crowd’s attention playing a victimhood card and the other two accomplices to arrive as the saviours of the supposed damsel in distress and relieve the man of his phone with onlookers supporting the robbery disguised as a rescue. It was only when the victim profusely protested and demanded someone call the number, it was when the number was dialled the phone rang as the woman was walking away laughing. The matter was reported to the police and the suspects were held and tried. They were found guilty and fined; sadly such fines are not punitive enough in my view to deter persons from reoffending; the two were also linked to an elaborate phone stealing ring where even so called phone repair men who have informal stalls on the streets benefit from scrapping and or selling the phones after getting them wiped.

It is suspected that the ring is still in operation and gays are also being targeted as another unconfirmed reports of at least two robberies just outside the a LGBT spot where after parties persons are targeted by beggars mostly homeless and or thugs who prey on the physically weaker than they are and steal phone and cash. Montego Bay is also not immune from some of this as despite the clamp down on sex work and idlers at the infamous dump up beach stretch cruisers and others have been robbed by phone thieves as well. One case had a violent element according to an unconfirmed report in August of this year , the male victim was approached by a man who begged money but when his request was not met he went on to pull a knife and relieved the man of his Alcatel phone, he subsequently posted a status message on Facebook advising that his phone had been stolen so his number would have been down.

Tips to secure your device etc:

Use the available APPS for security and remote wiping capabilities available from reputable sources as the Google Play store or Apple

Avoid using similar APPS that claim to offer protection when they may be malware or identity stealing capable masked as protection

Activate features such as capabilities to locate your device or take a photo via a front camera if an attempt is made to open the phone

Backup all your data from the phone and SD cards and SIM cards to another location just in case

Install other features such as the ‘stay alert’ APP linked to the local police

Avoid as best as possible using your devices in certain parts of town

Avoid wearing what be considered to be expensive headsets as fashionable as they can attract thieves who may assume you have a smartphone

Pay attention to your surroundings when in public or on plazas

Avoid sending messages or browsing on the device while walking, it also has implications for safety in traffic or loss of direction

Walk with or obtain a banger phone just in case to avoid possibly robbery although such phones are also being stolen surprisingly

Plan and execute your routes when going out just in case and if needs be do not answer the device in a place where you are uncomfortable.

Plain and simple just be vigilant and be safe it is not worth your life to loose a phone because it is yours and is expensive, they can always be replaced.

Peace & tolerance

H

20 years behind the ones & twos

I was reminded recently by an email from LinkedIn about my work anniversary for my DJ activities which I included as my work history and suddenly realised that some twenty years plus have passed since my sojourn and journey in party promotions and disc jockeying, in fact it’s twenty three years in total if I am to count my apprenticeship periods after I left high school and my short time at two radio stations as the technical operator and music librarian then who helped to pick the tunes for shows, playlists and royalty payment preparation sheets for artists behalf to collect for or from publishing companies such as BMI/ASCAP and PRS of London. It is however twenty years in as far as LGBT events since my days starting out at the main venue in Kingston, Club Entourage.

I also has a short stint at the then Trelawny Beach Hotel now known as Starfish Resorts and in that transitional period to a family type resort the offerings at the club with a more multi genre playlists feel and at Grande Puba skating rink and guest house now closed in Negril both in 2003; complete with other gigs some of which I cannot remember off hand but the old flyers tell a story. Time has indeed flown by and it never occurred to me if not for the email reminder. It has been and continued to be a pleasure to play the beats even though over time I have made some major decisions in what, where and how I play nowadays.

Certainly coming from the days of vinyl turntables through to the early days of software such as Automix now Virtual DJ through to Mac based mixers technology has certainly played a role in my growth, I was the first DJ on the LGBT circuit to move from vinyl/CDS to PC mixing then to laptops and now a Mac with Serato, I still do like Virtual DJ especially the DJ Console skin, everything is sitting right there before me and perfect for dance-music as well. Adaptation is key if one is to grow I guess.

The early years I played everything at LGBT mainly events from soca, pop, rap, dancehall, r&b, reggae and adult contemporary while privately or at special events such as commitment ceremonies or bridal showers which I still do to this date even as gay marriage is not yet legal I do light jazz, instrumentals and even as out there as the classical stuff and hosted karaoke. I did a short stint at two sound systems known as Soul Symphony Disco and Pepper seed Sound (named after a popular dancehall riddim then which was re-released some time after) prior to the larger sound that came later and used the name as the older was defunct.

My big break came soon after my release from prison in December 1996 where I was formerly introduced to the late great Brian Williamson, co founder of JFLAG, club owner of Club Entourage located in New Kingston just a couple hundred yards away from the Shoemaker Gully where the present crop of homeless MSM/transgender folks now reside. I auditioned for him alongside three other DJs and we were all selected, my first gig was on Christmas Eve, I eventually worked closely with one of the resident DJs the late Boswell as we had a similar style while DJ Ricky and DJs Whiteman (the latter who was forced to flee Jamaica after the party DVD leak to the public in 2007) and DJ Jermaine who now lives in Canada and whose sister was a rising star in dancehall but was killed by her boyfriend.

Direction/genre change

I made a crucial decision to stop playing dancehall after my work with JFLAG in its infancy years on the Stop Murder Music Campaign, it became rather conflicting to me to be spinning music from dancehall artists who on one hand have music in their repertoire calling for and legitimising the murder and violence to gays and yet on the other we are dancing to their other songs, so I placed a total block on that genre. I lost some fans but managed to recover as those days dancemusic was more acceptable then.

Here is a short trajectory from memory, apologies for little photos as in the early years there was a strict no photo policy for LGBT events, especially after an outing incident by one of the major tabloids who took photos of the Entourage inside and out and carried a headline suggesting young boys were being ‘recruited’ into homosexuality by richer gay men with no proof to boot and left the Club almost coming to a close as Mr Williamson took evasive action until things calmed, he eventually instituted an invitation only policy for starters but other heterosexual sharks tried to wade into the business offering open events to gays for a short time.

Club Entourage years

Owner Brian Williamson with Tessa in the good days

Played dance music predominantly then on Fridays mostly and then moved to the peak hour nights on Saturdays, aided in drag shows and live shows with special events for NGOs and so on. Worked with leading promoters and co manager Michael Melbourne and the staff which came to an end in 2005 after Mr Williamson was murdered in June 2004, an attempt was made to continue it even as the family gave some tacit support but the fire had died with Mr Williamson so all things had to come to an end. Other private individual promoters became more bullish and went ahead hosting events at various venues and houses; trouble was the rentals sometimes would be high given the type of party in the minds of the owners and managers of those properties.

Kling Kling Villas

A small guest house beach front outfit just on the highway leaving Runaway Bay and which was featured in the threats made by police to now Canadian living activist Gareth Henry who hosted several LGBT events including the most successful one that of Harmonica Sunbeam’s first appearance in Jamaica, memories of that one still linger, a 2006 pride event also comes to mind but the outing incident as well where a gay party held there and that was on DVD (mentioned above) was leaked to the public and exposed the DJ named and the property eventually. The property manager eventually discontinued rentals for LGBT events just for a peaceful life and by that time Club Heavens came in and filled the void.

Club Heavens

One of the longest serving clubs in Discovery Bay and which also made news in 2010 after a raid by cops looking for alleged lotto scammers, it served the community for some near ten years in total originally run by the late great Kirk Lester, the man whose funeral service was mobbed and which made international news, homophobes rained down on the service and effectively desecrated the church property. The venue saw management through many hands, from Kirk Lester to Gareth Henry, Macey Antibellum Grey, Yvonne & Narchi, Angel Talkbout, Pinky (the part owner) and myself for a short spell. After the aforementioned raid however things came to a close but not before one of the most successful event occurred which was dubbed “Club Heavens the Rebirth” as posted back then on the wordpress blog of GLBTQ Jamaica. Other traditional events were kept alive such as Grammy Awards, Dancehall Queen, Oscars LGBT Awards and the now defunct Glamour Girl competition. I remained one of the resident DJs alongside DJ Buck and other guest DJs during its long run. Only the Club Entourage has a longer time since recorded history where it lasted 12 years.

Retter Drive & Kirk

Located in Belverdere it operated as a stand in of sorts when Club Heavens was not having any major event or as an alternative for those who did not want to travel by a three hour drive to Discovery Bay, barring the completion of the highway which now shortens the journey by half. Worked with the resident DJs then as my true residency was at Club Heavens then but the fights by persons made things little problematic. The venue lasted some four years as well before the decision was made to close it by Kirk.

Club Escape (its two locations)

A club which was on the hills of upper St Andrew ran by two women with ‘Sophia’ being the more out front operative, I was not the resident DJ as DJ Ricky was still around alongside DJ Whiteman prior to his asylum to the UK. My guest appearances were great as my fans followed me there and the base was also growing given my decision to stop playing dancehall. The club then moved to another part of Stony Hill and continued for a year or so and closed effectively in 2007 after some four years.

Club Calabash

Located in Montego Bay was one of the few venues I had residency in western Jamaica, though short lived it catered to Montegonians and other rural folks who couldn’t or didn’t want to travel all the way to Kingston where most of the things were happening. It too was forced closed as ran by the late Kenrick ‘BeBe’ Stevenson as cops raided the venue, beat up a few of the homeless guys who BeBe was helping in search of alleged lotto scammers and they found none but not before thrashing the place, it closed after BeBe’s arrest and then his subsequent murder, a matter that is yet to be properly proven and presented.

Club Loft

A short lived venue smack in the middle of Half Way Tree atop a fire breathing church at that as operated then by the Sankofa team and which hosted it most memorable event the performance of Rupaul’s Drag race winner Nina Flowers for the first time in Jamaica. I was one of the resident DJs then alongside the other main spinners. It came under some pressure from police as word spread but it was eventually closed by the team as they did not see it as viable. Santa’s List became the team’s most successful franchise end of year ditty as it attracted local and overseas Jamaicans who would often fly in just for that.

Other memorable events

Hot Girls Roll Out (2010), Divas Live featuring diva Michelle Ross (2007), “Full White Affair –Gucci Birthday Bash”, September 10th, 2005, Romain's Birthday Bash 2012, Romain's Birthday Bash 2012, Sin City's Anniversary event, Cockiness Part I, II & III to name a few and there some other spots that were short lived such as ‘Cranborne’ ‘Top House’ and ‘The Hill’ which was another hillside venue on a rather steep slope hence the name. It feels good rehashing some of this

also see:

Club Heavens “The Rebirth”

Miss World (LGBT) 2010 a quick look

2010 The Year that was …. Entertainment Perspective part 2

Nauti Glam: High Seas Couture was Naughty & Nice!!!!

The Loft/Sankofa's Sea Queens: Di Fish(es) DID swim ....

Present residency Bubbles Bar

A membership only gay bar for older gay and bisexual men some loyal patrons formerly of the previous clubs notoriety and international guests via clever marketing and some AirBnB usage, music genres are mostly dancemusic if not EDM, classic house, tech-house, runway tribalism, electro-house, 2 step and related styles including vogue-femme. The atmosphere is a more relaxative one, a more listening party feel more so than all out dancing with theme nights and domino tournaments from Fridays to Sundays. I like this residency now as it affords me room to try new things, introduce songs easier as older audiences do more deeper listening, audiences are more patient and willing to go with you so long as the outcome is pleasing and brings me to a whole new market of visitors to Jamaica at the venue in the Discovery Bay area. It’s not about popularity anymore and that ever problematic hetero-normative atmosphere event framed as ‘LGBT’ by merely mimicking or importing a dancehall str8-actin’ mess to make events feel legitimate or getting a ‘forward’ frankly I have stopped doing those. After all house music and all its subsequent derivatives and sub-genres were developed by gay/bi producers/remixers, DJs, club owners and gay friendly record companies so its ours to appreciate, let there be house!

Time really flies indeed and as long as I can spin and have the impetus to do so I will continue to serve; I had thought of hanging up my stockings but the interest is still there.

Thanks for your support and on December 24, Christmas Eve I intend to mark the occasion.

Peace & tolerance

H

here are some sets:

Time really flies indeed and as long as I can spin and have the impetus to do so I will continue to serve.

Thanks for your support and on December 24, Christmas Eve I intend to mark the occasion.

Peace & tolerance

H

Alleged Spanish Town extortionist who targeted gay vendors now on the run after shooting

A shooting incident which brought Spanish Town to a complete standstill some days ago where one extortionist was shot by another near the old popular locksmith near the crab lady over territory and the lucrative illegal trade is now on the run. He is Akeem Johnson or Jackson linked to the now in hiding kingpin Tesha Miller otherwise known as Bubba or Bobba Sparks and the police have had a strong presence since the shooting and have placed an all points bulletin for him. The inner turmoil in the Clansman gang is on in earnest as younger gangsters and extortionists fight amongst themselves for power and wealth surmised to be a ten million dollar figure per week as wholesalers, business, vendors of all types including bag juice sellers and ground provision persons from rural parts; other groups such as taxi/robot bus drives all have to contribute or else they are threatened or killed as had happened in recent weeks prior to the Christmas shopping season. 

typical handcart used to sales and transporting market goods for a small fee

In a previous post I had highlighted a friendly male heaviot bleached vendor who myself and others LGBTians do business with has gone into hiding after receiving a hostile reception by men allegedly aligned to the Clansman gang near the market who claim he should pay up or else. The strong armed agents for the gang tend to also go after perceived gay vendors as well and have been accused or ‘giving a bligh’ to such persons over the other vendors as it is well rumoured that Tesha Miller its leader and some other bleached skin characters do engage in gay sex despite they have baby-mothers and multiple female partners. Those two phone in rectum incidents involving Tesha Miller in two different lockups only has added an aura of his long perceived homosexual activity; in other words a kind of behavioural bisexuality if one were to unpack some of this. The previous post the other vendors while glad that the competition is less with the hiding vendor they are concerned about their own safety without saying too much on it.

Another popular vendor in Spanish Town proper in the old bus park where the Linstead buses and taxis are comically known as “Shelly Ann” due to his semi-effeminate demeanour which itself is comical expressed similar sentiments when I ran into him a day ago as I exited the Tastee party store, he greeted me with the usual comical “wah gwaan gal?” (what’s up girl) to which I giggled, days gone by I would have cringed at such a greeting but I really do not care anymore, it is what it is. He tried to get me to buy things from him and I did take some blank DVDs from him but he had to be careful even as despite the cops are around they are targeting mobile vendors or walkers as well and not just ones with stalls or handcarts in one place. Shelly Ann in our conversation said the character Ackeem Johnson/Jackson had been busy in the town collecting money and organizing others but there was internal strife as well in the Clansman gang.

He also referenced Tesha Miller’s absence but most persons suspect he is calling the shots wherever he is and there is fear that after the holidays things are going to get worse. But this morning the police announced their increased patrol for the very same reasons indicated by Shelly Ann which says he was on to something. Shelly Ann also said he has been targeted by both factions of the Clansman gang now in split mode for extortion fees and that the dollar amount had not been dropped but instead doubled and the other rival gangs have been trying to infiltrate that zone; they are so covert however one would never see the actions or know what is happening.

I remember a soup vendor who was killed for the same reason of non payment of extortion way back in 2000 and the outrage that ensued as members of the public reacted that a simple soup vendor needn’t have been killed as he would not turned over significant amounts to pay fees. Several vendors refused to pay any more money but soon found themselves the recipients of threats in failure to do so. Another bleached butch identified woman in the town who sell DVDs as well had reportedly found herself in trouble prior to the clearing of the vendors and the building of BASHCO on Burke Road just in front the Kentucky Fried Chicken store, it was noticeable that she was missing for a time and rumours was that she was threatened so she laid low.

With Tesha Miller and this other Bubba Sparks character now on the run many vendors are hoping they will end up with more money in their pockets for Christmas and those in hiding can come out to try and make a living; that also includes those former homeless/displaced gays who were in or often return to the income generating weed whacking project that is some four plus years old when they get jobs or calls of interest hence my reference to the bag juice sellers who have also been targeted. The now infamous voice notes issuing threats of disruption for the Christmas from as far back as October has only added more salt to the wound, the police’s initial reaction was that the tapes were a possible fabrication or mischief making on the part of the originators but in an almost about face the cops through its Constabulary Communication Unit, CCU that they have intelligence that point to so plans for some extra ordinary event as the in-fighting continues and some persons in the affected areas are threatened with possible violence if they did not switch allegiance or stop opposing the new order.

The CCU has been trying to reassure the public that all be well as they have stepped up patrols in the business district but some are not convinced and are asking then what of undercover sting operations?

This extortion business is everywhere even in the upscale business districts of New Kingston and Half Way Tree surprisingly; west Kingston is already well known for that, I had encountered indirectly some of it in my days at the Ministry of Health when I did HIV outreach, the team and I while conducting the P.L.A.C.E pilot HIV project in 2006 we had to speak to a mini-donman to gain clearance to access certain parts of the rural bus park and market district alongside the lavatory in the bus park, this ‘permission’ was outside of the formal clearances we got from the administration of the market and bus park itself; and even that part of town also had its challenges with perceived gay and lesbian vendors coming under seemingly more pressure than others.

Hope some solution can come to the crime problem but we have allowed this scourge to become so entrenched and near normative it is going to be difficult to break, hope remains while company is true.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Another phone in body cavity story .. the third in succession, what's up Star News?

Tesha Miller in younger days

PHONE FOUND IN GANGSTA, DON'S BUTT........a real battyman dis LOL

Man threatens woman for attempting to steal his woman

Phone Found in Prisoner’s Rectum for a Second Time in Lockup

Bus conductor & garage man caught “shaking off!”

A busman and an employee of an informal garage in St Catherine found themselves in trouble recently after they were caught in a compromising position in the form of partnered masturbation or the colloquial MSM terminology “shake off” (aka bac fiss) in an old bus parked at the property. The garage like another garage in Jamaica has mostly males who pass by for repairs, chit chat, bragging about women, play loud music and project strength via bravado, so a same sex action incident would have been the last thing on the minds of many; but given the homo-social nature of how men socialise in Jamaica I am not surprised. Embedded in the extended hours on hours of being in the company of other men some sort of sexual contact is bound to happen in my opinion given the passage of time and as persons get comfortable or used to each other. Cases such as these tend to occur wherever men gather in large numbers to include sports teams, prisons or jail (often seen as substitutional sex), correctional facilities and even boys homes where there maybe experimentation and same sex environments can encourage a kind of consensual situational homosexuality behaviours outside of assaults and abuse.

The incident came to my attention via an email and a subsequent link to a Facebook page where the thing was being discussed much to the laughter and scathing comments thrown at the men about carelessness or finding a private place to get down or what should have been done to them. One comment spoke to the real fear and hatred in some out there where the woman claimed that ‘batteyman de everyweh eeeh you don’t know who fi trust dem days” (gay men are everywhere these days and you don’t know who to trust). Sadly this is one of those lingering fears that drive resistance to any push for amendments to the buggery law and that there are implied predatory intent by the parties involved.

The incident occurred around the early hours on Wednesday last after the men had apparently slept in the bus or other buses as it was being worked on, they apparently wanted the work to be done quickly to put the vehicle back onto the streets for fear of losing income. The men however had other plans as well supposedly unbeknownst to the other men who use the facility, after all ‘man a man’ meaning one should be default heterosexual and not even thinking let alone engaged in gay sexual activities whatsoever. A worker arrived early the morning unexpectedly as business hours would be from about nine but he came across the site of the men in the bus as the windows were opened; he slowly made his way according to reports to really prove for himself what he thought he saw. The men were in a standing position according to the third party, one was shirtless the other was in a merino and a cut off old jeans with signs of grease. Both men were self pleasuring at first but then held on to each other’s penises and fondled each other shafts and testicles.

The surprised witness made an alarm and both men got dressed quickly and tried to coerce the third party not to spill the beans but he was adamant that he wanted nothing to do with no ‘battyman’ and an altercation also occurred as they tried to physical restrain him so he would not make an alarm, the witness managed to remove himself from the tussle. He eventually got away from the scene none the less and made an alarm to the nearby home of the owner with other residents coming out, a crowd gathered thereafter but the fondling players made good their escape; thankfully it did not get uglier but there was raucous laughter and anger as persons in the usual after the drama commentary described what they would have done had they been the one who caught the men.

A similar unconfirmed incident took place in March 2015 also in a bus parked in a lonely part of a cane piece near a waterway in Clarendon involving two men as well but that one died quickly as the driver managed to start the engines and left the scene. One can also recall an infamous incident in the early 2000s where a popular police officer known as ‘Suddy’ short for Sutherland (died in 2003) in Waterford St Catherine had to literally use his large frame with pistol drawn to stop a mob from descending on an old Encava bus parked on the roadside where suspicious activity was in play. The conductor and driver were also having a good time as it were but were subsequently escorted to the Waterford police station with the mob demanding they be released to them so they could exact their form of justice. The men were charged for gross indecency as no penetration was in play at the time but it was thrown of court eventually as the officers never followed up despite subpoenas issued by the judge.

Outdoor sex involving men with other men is something worth looking at in terms of the psychology of it and why do some men do not go private residencies or guest houses some of whom do allow men sharing a flat or room. It is also due to the abhorrence of male homosexuality so if a man wants to fool around he cannot take home a stranger in certain inner city typed geography; so they take the risks, then possibly the business of spontaneity as well there may be no need ‘beg’ for it in the case of a woman as other factors including menstruation may be a block for men who want instant gratification. There are no such questions between men but more so the venue or time and place as this ‘shake off’ matter shows.

Just bad luck this time around but that’s how the cookie crumble, I guess the men must be now seen as persona non-grata in the circles they often frequent and might have to try to live this down for the next couple of years.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Outdoor sex and the issues to being caught

Brawl on Coaster Bus from Portmore ... man accused of riding another's ass 

Profiled lesbians clash with coaster bus crew over stigmatizing & underhanded comments

also see previous coaster bus challenges:
Brawl on Coaster Bus from Portmore ... man accused of riding another's ass while in transit

Gay joke goes wrong ... bus personnel escapes thrashing 2011

Alleged Gay advance upsets 'loader man' in Half Way Tree 2014 

MAN FLEES WITH LOVER’S CLOTHES – LEAVES HIM NAKED AT MOTEL SAYS THE STAR

ON HOMO NEGATIVE CULTURE AND NAKED MEN IN HWT

A most uneasy reintegration ....

In a previous post on the kind of follow up work that sometimes are needed on reintegration attempts where available with family members and communities that often force persons were to remove due to phobia driven stigma & discrimination, a possible success story is in the making. One such case stands out for me this year of a nineteen year old man who was forced to leave home earlier this year as things came to a head after some two years of pressure from his mother, siblings and even neighbours as the mother labrished with them about her ‘battyman son’; while boasting in essence how she intends to throw him out apparently to gain acceptance by them in a desire to confirm as she was more concerned with the public perception of her having a gay son living in her house without taking some action. His existence became prickly over time when it got to a stage where his visits to the community shop for example would have become a nightmare in his mind as the thugs and mostly males around would bash him and the usual burn out nine yards narrative from them in projecting strength if not bravado.

The man’s unemployment status was also added to the reason for his mother and siblings demands for him to leave the house added with the economic advantage that gay men are supposed to have hence the sub text of the issue was that he should go and find a rich man to take of him and not depend on them in the household to continue to support him by providing residency and food. Sadly the children seen as old age pension also are implied in cases such as this despite two and three generations living in the same physical space and the more economically viable family member carries the household for a while. That old age pension theme rings through in so many other cases I have seen before.

The man was able to get some temporary shelter with me for a month then he moved on another flat of a friend and so on whilst those were in progress attempts were made to get in touch with the mother who was hostile and things got more heated when an older brother of his got wind of the efforts and called one person who was in the attempt with threatening words and declared that no battyman was going to be allowed to live at the house; it turned out over other matters himself and his mother had a falling out so he was forced to relocate to his babymother I subsequently learnt. The communication efforts continued and the mother and a sister who lived elsewhere sounder more accommodating and with several conference calls and WhatsAPP exchanges during the year and the assistance of a certain man of the cloth previously linked to a defunct homeless shelter things got a little cordial.

The man in the meantime was still bouncing about and managed to get a temporary job that made live a little easier, the mother subsequently got more open to the idea of him returning because of the simple reason that he is still her son. After much gentile persuasion she concurred for a Christmas trial re-integration effort despite the same neighbours are still around and the others in the area are also around. He had been making visits on occasions but not over-nighting as part of a test to see how the communication phase would feel like. The visits revealed in part that there was some healing taking place but none of the external parties did not accompany him so as to make it his own experience as opposed to the effort being seen as a forced one by the mother especially outside of the gentle persuasion and some counselling.

The sister also became more involved but was not able to offer any residential help as she lives with her family and her common law husband and space is a challenge but remote support was there in terms of the occasional groceries and phone cards etc. She also thought that he could return to the house and that they would have to address the departed problematic brother somewhere down the line as it had not gotten violent except in words. It has been near three weeks since he has returned and the friend whose house he left has offered to accommodate him temporarily if it does not work out which is a good backup plan. No complaints have come just yet but one can only imagine the tenseness in there as they try to walk on eggshells so as not to disturb the fragile peace.

Reintegration efforts are not easy and they often end up broken after some time as old feelings return. It is worth the effort to at least try them when they become available if it is only one success story per year it is a start; that survivor may have an impact in someone else’s occasions of similar circumstances. But as on one hand there seems to be some tolerance increase the numbers of forced evictions out there suggests that change is not so widely pronounced as expected in the face of social media awareness, shouting matches, comments and campaigns though some misguided. Reports of some 47 cases of homo/trans/lesbophobia driven incidents tallied by Amnesty International and another 14 on my home front screams that the traditional cannot continue to meet with the stigma out there. It would be good if the family rides the Christmas season out and go into the New Year afresh towards stability and cordial relations.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed and of course prayers it works out.

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

An uneasy reintegration; time will tell

'Hickey' video man murdered!

So in a follow to a previous post the man in question has been murdered according to the Star News, the first question many are asking is where was or is JFLAG in terms of assistance or asylum given the high publicity he got and exposure? another question coming to light is did he make a report of the threats to the police?

RIP Devon whatever the circumstances he never deserved this!

Devon 'Chris' Fray, the man who claimed there was a misconception about his relation with controversial Bishop Steven Ricketts, was brutally murdered on Thursday.

Fray, 20, was shot and killed by unknown assailants at his home in Commodore district, about 1:10 am.

His death comes five months after Ricketts' SUV plunged into the Rio Cobre killing him and four others.

Following the bishop's death, an old video footage resurfaced of him allegedly beating Fray.


BISHOP WIELDING A MACHETE

The 33-second clip at the centre of the controversy was initially posted online in 2014. It shows the bishop wielding a machete, while grabbing a young Fray and enquiring about three hickeys on his neck.

In a subsequent bid to clear his name from allegations that he was Bishop Ricketts' lover, Fray reached out to THE STAR and did an interview.

He told THE STAR that the controversy surrounding the video has taken a toll on his life and that of his family members, so he wants to clear the air and move on.

"People was sending pure threats to me. All some young bwoy a seh dem wah kill me. My mother trouble with pressure and it a stress her out. She nuh know wah fi do," Fray lamented.

He stressed that the bishop never made any sexual advances towards him.

"He is nice, and kind, and so forth. He has done a lot for me. We would sit and eat, and drink, and reason. I'm so sad about his death, but all now me nuh cry because of this whole video thing," Fray said.

The Linstead police yesterday said that Fray's body was found in his house with multiple gunshot wounds.

The cops said no motive has been established for the murder.

ENDS

Sad though that this is the outcome of this, here was the video that he was in where he tried to explain away the hickey issue:

Peace & tolerance

H

GoFundMe account launched to help 'gully queens'

Yet again we are told of some fund raising action for the homeless MSM/transgender in New Kingston and they have been used so much it is not funny. But let us give the benefit of the doubt. This summer, South-East London recording artist Ray Blk shot her video "Chill Out" with four of the Gully Queens – Mindy, Shadiamond, Beyanka and Sasha – along with Creative Director Savannah Baker, Director Philippa Price and Vogue.com’s Market Editor Kelly Connor. One hopes they were paid properly and the legal matters in terms of future royalties are set and they become nothing more than actors to make an artist's work look good.

It has to take a foreigner to set up another effort instead of the very group that says it is the foremost LGBT entity, that says a lot even as this problem pre-dates ALL LGBTQ organisations formal or not, registered or not, yet the deception continues but what is new?

According to the page:

In partnership with the Larry Chang centre through J-FLAG, the first human rights organisation in the history of Jamaica, to serve the needs of the LGBT community, the creatives behind this video are aiming to raise US$100,000 initially, so a property can be leased to accommodate these transgender youths, aka the Gully Queens of Kingston, Jamaica. 

The long-term goal is to purchase a safe haven, provide psychological support and assist with their medical expenses and welfare. We will also aim to provide a stable income for the transgender youth by creating the Queen's fashion brand. Mentored by volunteers from our collective creative communities, it will consist of crochet pieces and customised t-shirts from which they will receive 100% of the earnings. It will be sold on " www.pumpumgyals.com" platform. 

Problem is that JFLAG is not the first human rights organization so the error is there already, oh boi!. It was Gay Freedom Movement as operated by then its Gen Sec Larry Chang since 1974.

also Remember this?: Where is that "I am Not a Fish" documentary? I hope this one effort is not just another front, also see this: MP Seeks Solutions For Homeless Gay Youth In New Kingston and it turned out to be a grand media moment farce. We have been duped before so let us watch this one. 

The other GoFundMe effort seems to have stalled as launched by Colour Pink:

Meanwhile:

A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise funds to help create a permanent home for a group of gay Jamaican men who live in the Shoemaker Gully in New Kingston.

"These are beautiful people - the bravest in fact. To live in a country which is against them, where every day they face death, and yet they refuse to be silenced. Join us in our stand with them, and help them change their fate," the plead for cash said.

The men are referred to as 'gully queens', and according to Savannah Baker, who established the account on October 31, they are beaten and raped on a regular basis.

psychological support

Some US$7,762 or approximately J$1 million of a targeted US$100,000 (J$12.9 million) has so far been raised.

The money is to lease a property to accommodate the men, provide psychological support and assist with their medical expenses and welfare.

The GoFundMe post also said the aim is to provide a stable income for the transgender youth by creating the Queen's fashion brand, from which they will receive 100 per cent of the earnings.

Dane Lewis, executive director for The Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) said the entity supports the initiative.

Lewis said that a number of the young gay and transsexual youth who reside in the gully are legitimately homeless and estimates a minimum of 20 are there at any given time.

Where oh where is Dwayne's House where the touts were that that outfit named after murdered transwoman Dwayne was posited yet nothing since or what about Colour Pink? It is so disturbing how the persons in Kingston proper are pigeon-holed when homelessness is an islandwide issue for so long. 

remember these?:

Published on Dec 8, 2015

Flying it Forward is a social initiative where a free JetBlue ticket is passed from one deserving person to the next. Our 21st flier, Moni, traveled from Seattle to Jamaica to aid homeless LGBT youth.

also check out:
And we continue to reap the world-wind for not addressing homelessness when it was manageable 


JFLAG excludes homeless MSM from IDAHO Symposium on guess what? .......... HOMELESSNESS!

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

New Kingston Cop Proposes Shelter for Shoemaker Gully LGBT Homeless Population 

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

Dwayne's House Shelter Update ..................

Homeless MSM/Trans youth draw attention in New Kingston 

"DVD Reveller" still displaced? part 2

I am taking this one just like the ones before with a grain of salt, we were told of shelters before, JFLAG had to return money before as they could not get a space for lease and here we are again this old familiar place.One other entity tried with a shelter but it died rather quickly, see: So our displaced cannot settle eh? ....... police raid premises with cross dressers! So many proposals, so many attempts and they seem to just fizzle while no real long lasting help and a permanent solution eludes them. 

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H