On homelessness, evictions, hypocrisy & now JFLAG's own displacement ...............

So a war of words has occurred between some advocates post the eviction notice of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Jamaica Forum for Lesbian Allsexuals and Gays JFLAG and the other tenants of the property which they had held for over ten years plus by the previous owner as the property has been sold but we can easily deduce that the problematic homeless MSM issue is a major contributing factor for the sale, I had mentioned the eviction notice in my February 23, 2013 podcast on homelessness issues, the war of words has come over a simple use of a word "Eviction" as placed in a Facebook post by controversial lawyer Mr Maurice Tomlinson where he expressed the following but embedded in all of this are far more underlying points:

"HOW IRONIC...

That J-FLAG has been evicted and is now homeless, just like the homeless gays in New Kingston. That gays were abused for daring to express themselves like everyone else during Carnival, and the Jamaican TV stations refused to air two “uptown” tolerance themed ads calling for respect for gay Jamaicans?

If nothing else, these events should confirm that the difference between the "Rich Queens" and the "Scary Queens" is just a myth. To Jamaicans, we are ALL the same thing: undesirable. We can only change their minds and achieve our liberation if we act TOGETHER!"

It is ironic in a sense as JFLAG have now found themselves displaced, the very thing that the homeless men in New Kingston have been made to suffer twice through their own episodes of family rejection from their homes and communities and then by the dubious closure of the Safe House Pilot project in 2009 where the rowdy behaviour of the men was used as a justified reason to end the only coordinated response to homelessness that took years in the making. Ironic too that Mr Tomlinson never really took such interest in matters of homeless welfare and fiduciary responsibility. Let us also bear in mind that new members join the group over the years hence the large numbers of them.

Payback is a bitch eh? 

.............. remembering that the very office space the J is now being asked to vacate was the very Safe House space that housed some 7 persons, they had no qualms taking up residence less than two months after it became vacant, any self respecting entity devoid of conflict of interest and seeing a section of its representative population about to be made homeless by process would have stepped in and agitated on their behalf instead they turned their heads away and watched the men leave to their fates, let us not forget the deaths and umpteen skirmishes that made mainstream news to present day with the carnival fiasco the latest in a long line of them.

If the project was tweaked instead of shut down all together maybe we would not be here today and to think the men are still hanging around on the property as they were led to believe they could stay and use the water supply and gain shelter outside the J's office, now confirmed reports have brought to bear that the previous owner has told the men personally that they have to leave and they were also paid a visit by a very abrasive police team who it is alleged have threatened the men with beatings if they do not vacate the premises. I am in no way condoning the antisocial behaviour of the fellas but improper or inadequate responses to this long-standing population in particular for the past four plus years has led us to this moment. The security detail also that is contracted to offer protection services to JFLAG also had to be called in as there was an alleged break in said to be organized by some of the men who are living vicariously on the property.

Some of us at varying levels from the GLABCOM steering cmt to the peer educator group had great hopes that the project would have at least put a dent in the growing numbers of displaced and homeless men especially since 2007 but instead we saw an indifferent JFLAG, JASL et al especially at the board level in trying to pass the buck suggesting government should provide shelter for the men whilst echoing the poor excuse of not being able to find a space to rent for the now termed phantom shelter they had announced on television in April of last year on TVJ's All Angles and again at a town hall meeting (first held in years) in November 2012.

Now to see the J meeting the fate of the men in a sense is troubling yet it conjures up a serve them right feeling as well, the argument between Mr Tomlinson and the former Programs' Manager of the J, Gareth Henry is interesting as the former accuses the latter of being more interested in protecting JFLAG's image more so than finding a solution while the latter points to lack of fiduciary responsibility on the former's part (referring to when he was a board member of JASL etc), here is Mr Henry's first response:

".....my thoughts on the matter is your choice of word “evicted”. J-FLAG was NOT EVICTED, Please Please... let us stick with the facts, any variation from what is factual we all know is a LIE. The owner of the premises have been contemplating selling the property for some time now.. for years I must say. When JASL first rented from Ms. ********* we were informed that she will be selling the property sometime soon, even though 10 years past. When JFLAG rented sometime in 2010 they signed a lease knowing that the property was going to go up for sale.

There is so much that can be inferred by your post and I want to haste to state that Ms. *********** and her Husband are strong supporter and advocate for our cause. They rented JFLAG knowing all about our work and the risks involved in having JFLAG as a tenant both from the community itself and the wider society."

Please, let stick with the FACTS and I am encouraging you to retract your statement and the use of the word EVICTED; the same person you are alleging that EVICTED JFLAG is currently actively helping JFLAG and JASL to find a new home... did you know that? Dane Christian, Ian McKnight , Jae Nelson, Ivan shanky Cruickshank... please correct me if I am wrong here please....... you guys will have the FACTS."

(********* name withheld)
Mr Tomlinson responded:

"Hmmm...Gareth Henry, I have been accused of many things, but I think I know a thing or two about the term "evicted" (having been a real estate lawyer for awhile). Being asked to surrender title to property, legally or otherwise, is an eviction. I hasten to point out that my post was about the irony involved in thinking ANY of us is safe. As I understand it, finding a new space was not as easy for J-FLAG as for any other commercial tenant (security issues were raised, no doubt). 

What I find challenging is the desire (at least to me) to preserve J-FLAG's reputation and that of the landlord, instead on focusing on what this experience should teach us about the realities facing our fellow LGBT citizens who we are not different from at all. I urge you to re-read the post."

Interesting that Mr Tomlinson should raise the matter of ethics indirectly when some of his own actions and comments elsewhere in particular in as far as being a spokesperson for the LGBT community has left some baffled and question his own motives as being one on a narcissistic quest at the expense of the least amongst us and a gullible LGBT community. He has been accused of resorting to half truths deliberately to push his arguments. He later raised a point though whether it is a genuine position it is left up to the reader to interpret, he said:

"I reject that J-FLAG's situation is dissimilar to that of other evicted gays (I have stated why above, including the lack of ease in finding new accommodation . However, this exchange by privileged voices has made it clear to me that it is easier to expend energy debating my use of a (correct) word, rather than actually seeking viable solutions for the class divide within the LGBT community. My post was a call to see our SIMILARITIES. Instead, much ink is spilt emphasizing our perceived dissimilar treatment."

Frankly this business of MSM homelessness long pre-dates any public agitation for LGBT rights and freedoms from as early as 1974 when Gay Freedom Movement came to be then JFLAG in 1998 after developed from JASL(1991) yet we have seen so many of that group of persons fall through the cracks from dying of AIDS related illnesses to living in abject poverty to lifelong struggles yet with no serious thrust for a rehabilitation response for such persons that is until the Safe House Pilot, forgive me if I seem to ramble on about it but we cannot as a community (if we really are one) continue to just pretend this section are a mere nuisance or embarrassment for us whilst demanding tolerance and acceptance from the mainstream, as far as I am concerned we have to show it then ask of it in return and we are aeons away from ever displaying at best any unity and overall acceptance of those who are the least amongst us when descriptions such as "Rowdy" or "Maladjusted miscreants" are used by persons who ought to know better to put down the men while not addressing the antecedences to their anti-social behaviours.

Some questions come to mind as well:

Where were all these persons when the Safe House project was originally closed?

Was there really an expectation that after the closure of the project the men would have simply disappeared so out of sight out of mind?

Can we realise the two Jamaicas classism showing up here over this vexed issue of MSM homelessness?

Is JFLAG trying to save face by this latest round of embarrassments?

What is to be done with men after they leave the premises as the new owners take over?

Where will the J operate from in the meantime pending a suitable office is found and during that period will they be offering full services?

Mr Tomlinson was a board member of JASL when the ultimatum was given for the Safe House closure, why didn't he express his concerns then instead of supporting such a final action to a well needed project?

Why was the project allowed to start in the first place if there were doubts about it?

What was the real reason for discontinuing that pilot?

What a shame that this is where all this has had to come and even as the men and their safety should be pondered persons are worried about the use of a word here? frankly they were given an eviction notice now what next? All of this from 2009 to present could have been avoided but with the trail of events in full thrust I am not hopeful anytime soon. Rumblings from within the J's walls suggest there is unease with the management style as well of the ED and the overall lack of a grasp of the issues at the Management committee level as well. Others including the former Safe House Project initiator have become so jaded by all the squabbling and disingenuous public relations on the issue over the years.

I have been asking and still am asking where are the programs specifically to do with the homeless impasse?

Maybe we may get an answer but in the meantime I leave you with a parting shot by Mr Tomlinson that has some element of truth in it, whether he is genuine I leave up to you to decide:

"I have enjoyed this exchange, as it has revealed something quite interesting: we appear more interested in how J-FLAG was perceived to be treated, than how the homeless (evicted) youth have been. Curious."

Peace and tolerance

H

Amnesty International (Caribbean) removes paper documenting Jamaican anti-gay violence in early 2000

Humboldt Against Hate has made a startling revelation via a post on June 20, 2011 - "The Caribbean Office" of Amnesty International had a straightforward answer when it was asked why a document about homophobia in Jamaica was removed from its website:

The document you made reference was not an Amnesty International public

document but an internal document for action from AI membership. It is the reason why you cannot access it anymore (it should not have been on Internet for public).

Here's a link to the "Wayback Machine" archive of the document. It is reproduced in full below:

http://web.archive.org/web/20090624202721/http:/www.amnestyusa.org/lgbt-human-rights/country-information/jamaica/page.do?id=1106567
"Battybwoys affi dead:" Action against homophobia in Jamaica

In January 2004, around 30,000 people attended a huge stage show and Rastafarian celebration, Rebel Salute, in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Some of Jamaica's most celebrated artists were present. Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or "battybwoys" they urged the audience to "kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem... who want to see dem dead put up his hand" (kill them, gay men have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand).
Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, TOK, and Capleton are amongst the stars who have written lyrics variously urging the shooting, burning, rape, stoning and drowning of gay people.

From Buju Banton's Boom Bye Bye, which threatened "batty boys" with "ah gunshot in ah head", to Beenie Man's "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays" to Babycham & Bounty Killer's "Bun a fire pon a kuh pon mister fagoty, Ears ah ben up and a wince under agony, Poop man fi drown a dat a yawd man philosophy" (Burn gay men, til they wince under agony, gay men should drown, that's the yard man's philosophy), the exhortations to kill and maim seem to know no bounds.
DEADLY LYRICS
"When yuh hear a Sodomite get raped...
But a fi wi fault...
It's wrong
Two women gonna hock up inna bed
That's two Sodomites dat fi dead."

(Sodomites -- A derogatory term for lesbians)

– Elephant Man"When you hear of a lesbian getting raped
It's not our fault
It's wrong
Two women in bed
That's two Sodomites who should be dead."

Although the singers are Jamaican, their records are widely distributed abroad. Recently organisations in Jamaica such as J-FLAG, Jamaica's only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group, have been joined by others around the world targeting the artists themselves, as well as radio stations, record labels and music stores that have distributed and promoted the songs.
The groups have sought to bring the lyrics to the attention of the public and the authorities. In December 2003, campaigners from the British gay rights group OutRage called on the British police to arrest Bounty Killer for incitement and conspiracy to commit murder, amongst other offences, during a UK tour. As the group stated in a letter to the Metropolitan Police, "in a democratic society people have a right to criticise homosexuality, but they do not have the right to encourage queer-bashing violence and murder."

The problem of homophobia in Jamaica goes far beyond any single artist however. Here, reports of violence regularly meted out to members of the LGBT community have reached such an extent that they have started to attract international headlines. Action is needed on a much wider scale to systematically tackle the prejudice that inspires the attacks and the laws which facilitate them.

"My experience as a gay man living in Jamaica is one which is marked by periodic incidences of abuse, both verbal and physical. I have lost count of the number of times I have been verbally abused, called ‘battyman', ‘chi-chi', ‘sodomite', ‘dirty battybwoy' (all derogatory terms for homosexual men)."

-- Gay man, talking to J-Flag, 2003.

The reports that AI has received range from vigilante action by members of the community to ill-treatment or torture by the police. Gay men and women have been beaten, cut, burned, raped and shot on account of their sexuality. In the past two years at least 5 Jamaicans have been granted asylum in the UK because their lives had been threatened as a result of their sexual identity; others have been granted asylum in the USA and Canada. AI believes that these reports are just the tip of the iceberg however. Many gay men and women in Jamaica are too afraid to speak of their experiences to human rights organizations or to the authorities.
One man described to J-FLAG how six men from an infamous "garrison community" (poor, inner-city communities controlled by either of Jamaica's two main political parties) blocked a road to beat a local gay man.
"The crowd stood around watching, chanting "battyman, battyman, battyman" before gathering around him as he lay on the sidewalk. The crowd beat, punched and kicked him. They threw water from the gutter and garbage on him, all the while shouting "battyman, battyman." Then they dragged him down the road for half a kilometre. They shouted "battyman fi' dead." As I stood across the street I realised there was nothing I could do to help him. Some mothers were actually in tears at what they were witnessing but there was nothing that they could do either. ... The crowd was saying "Give him to us! Let us kill him! He's a battyman!"
When police arrived they had to call for back-up. Three police jeeps arrived and fired shots into the air to clear the crowd.
The story is typical. Once a person's sexuality becomes known to family or community, they are at risk. Amnesty International has interviewed many people who have been forced to leave their areas after being publicly vilified, threatened or attacked on suspicion of being gay. They face homelessness, isolation or worse.
In a particularly egregious recent example, a national newspaper reported in February 2004 that a father had encouraged students to attack his son after he discovered a picture of a nude man in his rucksack. One student described the attack on the 16-year old on 18th February 2004 by other students: "him get nuff lick, kick, box and thump from other boy and girl." School authorities were forced to call police to escort the boy off the compound. Police were also attacked. Students received a "stern warning" but, at the time of writing, no-one had been charged in connection with the assaults.

One man was forced to leave his community in 2003 after his friend was murdered and he was threatened by local gunmen. He is still homeless and living a hand-to-mouth existence.
"One morning, at about 2 a.m., my friend was at a dance in the community. He was enjoying himself and dancing and suddenly there was a gunshot and a bullet hit my friend in the back of his head. He turned around after realising he was shot and they shot him in his face again three more times. He fell, but they continued to shoot him as he lay on the ground. Then they announced that I was next and "battyman fi' dead."
Protection is often denied by the police, who in many cases appear to tacitly or actively support such violence. Amnesty International has received many reports of police failing to investigate homophobic-hate crimes. In some cases they fail even to take written or verbal reports of incidents. One man called the police after running into a supermarket to escape from an attack in Half Way Tree, Kingston:

"We waited more than half an hour and still the police did not come. The police station is less than five minutes away. We eventually realised that the police were not in fact on their way and decided to see if we could leave safely. We were shaken by this incident, but doubly upset because the police had not responded to this homophobic attack."

In many instances, the police have tortured or ill-treated LGBT victims of crime seeking assistance from the police. AI has received numerous reports of police arresting and detaining

men overnight whom they suspect of being gay, or charging them with offences such as loitering. In some cases individuals have appeared in court several times before charges were dropped. In other cases known to the organisation, police have stopped passers-by or placed gay men in the holding-area of police station, informing those present of the "batty-men" and encouraging further verbal or physical abuse.

An example of the kind of treatment LGBT individuals can expect from the police occurred in 2003 when a group of gay men were attacked, beaten, ill-treated and detained by plain clothes police officers as they socialized together in a bar frequented by the gay community in Kingston. One of the victims described what happened to J-FLAG:

"All of a sudden, a white van pulled through the gate and men armed with firea

rms jumped out of the vehicle and starting to fire shots into the crowd. We scattered in all directions, jumping fences and dividing for cover. A group of three of my friends and I began to run. They could jump the fence, but I had difficulty so they had to drag me over the fence with men chasing us and firing at us. This happened three times and each time I was dragged over the fence I fell on my head. Finally, we got to a residence and I hid behind a tree. My friend was not fast enough to find a hiding place and the two men who had been chasing us caught him and began to beat him with their fists and their weapons, kicked him as he lay on the ground, calling him a battyman. They took him away.
I met up with some of the guys from the crowd on my way home, and found out that my friend had been taken to the police station, and that the men who had attacked us were plain-clothes policemen. When I saw my friend later, he told me that they verbally abused him at the station and had told their co-workers that he was a battyman and they began to verbally abuse him as well. They held him overnight and released him. He was not charged with any offence."

Police appear to also target healthcare providers working with LGBT individuals and there have been several reports of nurses, community workers or others being unlawfully detained and ill-treated by the police. In 2003, three men were detained and searched by the police in Half-Way Tree. When asked by the police why they had condoms on them, they reportedly stated that they were promoting safe sex to both men and women. Police told the men that they were to be locked up for promoting "battybusiness". The men were crowded into the back of a police car as none of the officers wanted to sit next to them. They were not allowed to let their bodies touch

the policeman who was also sitting in the back of the vehicle. At the police station, other officers told them that they should be dead and that policemen should have killed them rather than bringing them into the station. Police pointed them out as "battymen" to everyone who came into the station. The men were released after three hours.

"We did not report this to the police because my friend felt, based on past experience, that the police would be unsympathetic and possibly abusive too." -- Man attacked with rocks by three armed men in 2003.

This kind of behavior from police officers means that an accurate picture of the number of victims of homophobic violence in Jamaica is impossible. Since so much shame and disbelief surrounds violence against the gay community – and since victims can not expect to receive the protection of the law - the number of men and women who report abuse is assumed to be many times fewer that the number of actual incidents.
The police are not the only authority to actively discriminate against non-heterosexual individuals. Reports of individuals losing their jobs once their sexuality has become known to their employer are common. Sometimes medical staff have reportedly joined in abusing gay or lesbian patients. When a group of gay men accompanied their friend to hospital after he was attacked, stabbed and robbed, they were verbally abused by staff in the accident and emergency department. One told J-FLAG that:

"The porters, janitors, and even some of the nurses laughed at us. They took a much longer time than usual to attend to us; we got to the hospital at about 10 p.m. and they did not attend to us until the next morning."Although lesbianism is not a criminal offence under Jamaican law, gay men are not the only targets of this kind of violence in Jamaica. Amnesty has assisted in several cases of lesbian women from Jamaica who have sought asylum abroad following persecution at home. Amnesty International has received reports of acts of violence against lesbians, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. There are reports of lesbians being singled out for attack on the grounds of "mannish" physical appearance or other visible manifestations of sexuality. Some reports of abduction and rape emanate from inner-city garrison communities where local NGOs have already expressed concerns about very high incidences of the prevalence of violence against women. There are some reports that lesbian women have been forced to carry drugs by community gangs, on threat of, or after having been abducted, beaten or otherwise degraded or

assaulted.

Perhaps fuelling such acts is the widespread public misconception that lesbianism is illegal. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the public is largely unaware that this is not in fact the case. This perception is reinforced by comments made by authority figures, such as politicians, the media, religious leaders and dancehall musicians. A Gleaner/Don Anderson poll of September 2001 posed the question "do you think that homosexuality should be legalised?" – drawing no distinction between male or female same-sex relations. According to the Jamaican NGO J-FLAG, the derogatory Jamaican word for lesbian, "sodomite", further underlines this misconception, as the word derives from an imputation against males.
Against this backdrop of high levels of violent crime - including murder - against gay and lesbian people in Jamaica, tacitly accepted by the police, are the laws that continue to criminalise consensual gay sex between males. Article 76 of the Jamaican Offences against the Person Act punishes the "abominable crime of buggery" by up to ten years' imprisonment with hard labour. Article 79 of the same act punishes any act of physical intimacy between men in public or private by a term of imprisonment of up to two years and the possibility of hard labour.

Jamaica is not the only country within the region that retains laws criminalising consensual sex between adults of the same sex. Only two English-speaking Caribbean countries do not criminalise this at all: the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. Here, reports of discrimination and ill-treatment are still common. In July 2003, a Bahamian Bishop threatened to become the first "live Guy Fawkes" if the Government passed legislation legalizing same sex marriage. "The devil and every demon in hell can expect the church to react because God has done too much for us,"

he reportedly said. Jamaican and Guyanese laws are silent on lesbianism, whilst in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Saint Lucia, all acts of homosexuality are illegal.

Such acts of violence are set against a public which appears to strongly endorse the idea of differential treatment. A recent poll showed that 96% of Jamaicans were opposed to any move that would seek to legalise homosexual relations. Many churches have released statements indicating their support for the retention of current laws. In December 2001, Roman Catholic bishops in the Caribbean stated that they would be against decriminalising consensual sex between consenting adults. In 2001, the Jamaican Prime Minister reiterated his support for the exclusion of gay men from the Boy Scouts movement.
The risks facing LGBT people in Jamaica are increased because of the lack of effective governmental programmes catering to the needs of the gay and lesbian community. From the lack of effective victim support or witness protection schemes, to ineffective and oftentimes brutal policing, to an absence of refuges, the authorities are, in the organisation's view, unable to protect LGBT people in need.

In such a climate, the activities of J-FLAG are crucial. At the forefront of lobbying and campaigning on the issue in Jamaica, their work supporting LGBT people and promoting an agenda of inclusion and equality in extremely hostile conditions is essential. Their activities include running a telephone helpline, workshops and training of authorities, including health care workers, media and students . However the NGO has very limited funds and their activities can not and should not replace actions by the state to fulfil its international legal obligations to

protect citizens from violence (the "due diligence" concept).

The way forward?
Is there an impetus for reform from within Jamaica? The Prime Minister of Jamaica has publicly confirmed his intention to retain legislation which discriminates against homosexuals on many occasions.

In 2000 the Jamaican parliament discussed J-FLAG proposals to amend the current bill of rights to the Constitution to include prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexuality. Section 24(3) of the Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed. The proposals were rejected in June 2001 by a Parliamentary

Special Select Committee. The Committee reportedly feared that the provision would force reform of other laws, such as those on marriage and taxation.

In December 2001, a parliamentary Select Committee recommended that Parliament review laws criminalising consensual gay sex. The proposals were rejected by Parliament in January 2002.

ENDS

What has also irked myself and others as that JFLAG itself since its revamping of the old website many of the older accounts of violence and historical data has been lost or not replaced, stories such as the Parliamentary submissions on Buggery, the Male netball founder and activist,

Michael Johnson's account of his work with MSMs, the accounts of homophobic abuse by the agents of the state plus many more items. We seem to have a total disregard for archiving and preserving history.

Thankfully the GFM, Gay Freedom Movement archives that myself and others were concerned about were finally reposited (sadly overseas) at an online archiving facility this June 21 in the United States where Larry Chang (GFM Co-Founder now resides.

http://dloc.com/icirngfm

Remembering Brian Williamson (September 4 1945 - June 9, 2004)

a special post outside of the October History month but relevant non the less

the good days with his dog Tessa at home

Brian Williamson (September 4 1945 - June 9, 2004) was a Jamaican Gay rights activist and co-founder of the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians and Gays, J-Flag. He was known for personally housing and looking after gay people in Jamaica. A pleasant smile was what one would get upon entering his complex up until his death and he sought to it that homeless persons were assisted in what ever way he could, which may explain my push in this regard as my early exposure to that side of on the ground advocacy and his own struggle to convince others to include that part of crisis interventions into the mix.

He was murdered with a machete, suffering multiple stab wounds to neck and face.Williamson's confessed murderer, Dwight Hayden, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after fifteen years.

Other posts and articles on Brian:

Remembering Brian Williamson

Gleaner on Remembering Brian Williamson June 20, 2004

More related posts that named Brian: HERE

More from Gay Jamaica Watch: HERE

More from GLOBALGAYZ: HERE

Sadly missed

One of the founding members of JFLAG, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals & Gays (worth repeating)

Owner of one of the most successful gay entertainment spots in Jamaica, The Entourage and a dedicated activist. One of the memorable moments in our GLBTQ history is an appearance on Jamaican television then known as (JBC) Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation coming out to the nation and by extension the world and putting a face to the gay community.

The VHS tapes should be available at JFLAG's archives in Kingston, we hope they have been stored properly and not left to go the route of the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) archives that subsequently what was left of those were retrieved by it's founder Larry Chang and archived overseas were not in good condition due to poor handling and storage, sad as Jamaica should have been the repository for such important materials. We must preserve our past a people who do not know or respect their past cannot plan for the future.

A pity as he must be turning in his grave now to see how we are at odds over what is to be done for the movement in totality of the LGBTQI communities instead we are left with a joke of an advocacy with criticisms of dissenting voices described as "bickering" as if the establishment are infallible when the engagement of everyone for or against should be the thrust forward in dealing with not just the repulsion of the buggery law while affixing HIV/AIDS issues which seems to be the main focus while the urgently required social interventions for certain sections of the community to uplift and rebuild their lives. Sadly it seems more about self-aggrandizement coupled with an elitist agenda with a general intolerance for views outside the system. The ordinary LGBTQI body politic seems relegated to just followers with selected individuals given a platform. The loss of a former volunteer and contracted individual earlier this year via a gruesome murder with not so much as some formal recognition for however small his contribution was glaring to say the least.

Read more here from the Wordpress edition of GLBTQJA

All this was not the original plan when The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays was first formed and launched albeit that from the get go if I am to go from memory the signs of the aforementioned opposition to certain types of intervention ideas were knocking at the door but were not as pronounced as today.

Let us however move towards working together for the greater good of those down trodden and or displaced with a sense of hopelessness, rest assured the criticisms will not and cannot be stopped as it is by picking the meat from same and having real forumatic activities that the solutions will come.

Love always

Peace

This Question of Homosexuality (Gleaner, Januay 27. 1980) (Flashback)

THE DECADES of the 60's and the 70's have been'marked by numerous kinds of human liberation struggles which included among'others the Civil Rights movement in the United States and went straight into the women's liberation movement and the struggles of black people in Southern Africa. Somewhere in the middle of all that. the international homosexual community
jumped' on the bandwaggon and began struggling for "Gay Liberation", as they so quaintly put it. In Europe and North America, homosexuals and lesbians who had been closeted in double-lives have stepped boldly out into the open, following a number of legislatory changes which freed them from the heavy hands oj the law. In 1967. Britain decriminalised homosexuality, and since then both the. British and the American Medical Associations have removed it from their
lists of abnormalities.
Sweden was the most recent country to drop it from its list:of diseases, and in October last year a spokesman for the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, according to a Reuters report, instructed doctors that they no longer had to report In North America, the growing homosexual community and haven of San Francisco in California scared the daylights out of its "straight" community when thousands of them rioted before the City Hall following a mere manslaughter sentence which was returned for a man who killed two prominent homosexuals in the city. In September of last year. California created history when Governor Jerry Brown
appointed the first openly homosexual judge and in Britain, Jerry Thorpe, former leader of the Liberal Party, was a known homosexual who was once voted Britain's most popular politician.

LOCAL GROUP
Locally, two years -ago, a short-lived public debate was sparked off in the press following the launching of a Gay Freedom Movement (G.F.M.) which a very vocal group of homosexual activists launched to raise what they called 'gay consciousness and awareness' and to protest anti-'gay' oppression, among other things. . It was the first time, in the history of this country, that homosexuals had dared to be so bold, and their talk of "gay pride and their rationalisation of gay liberation as human liberation have been seen as the heights of temerity by a society which has traditionally been very intolerant of homosexuality.
Everybody has always known that it exists in our midst, and the subject has been the basis of many juicy bits of gossip on St. Andrew verandahs where it is whispered around as to who is the latest addition to the list of "funny" or "queer" men.
Prominent members of the society, especially those in the cultural and artistic life of the country, are whispered about behind by their backs, and the less well-known and visible , homosexuals are often pounced upon on the streets and physically beaten, and or verbally ridiculed.
G.F.M. General Secretary, Larry Chang, cannot give a realistic estimate of the homosexual community in the island but he feels that if all homosexuals were to suddenly turn green, "we would have a lot of very green people walking around". According to him, one just never knows
who are homosexuals because they cannot be picked out by just looking at them. "There are a few people who are obviously 'gay' because of their effeminacy or' their masculinity, but this is a very small minority." he said, adding that most homosexuals walk around undetected and pass for 'straight'. He claims, however, that the society would be "shocked to death" to know who and .who in this country are homosexuals, .

MEDICAL VIEW
Mr. Chang, who maintains that the socalled prejudices and -bigotry of the 'straight' community are re-inforced by myths and a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, claims that homosexuals are not sick. According to him', they are as healthy and as normal as everybody else, with the only difference being their sexual taste.
Jamaica Psychological Association (J.P.A.) chairman. Dr. Ruth Dobar, supports this view that homosexuality is not a sickness, and she says that everything that pertains to heterosexuals —* with the exception of choice of partners — goes for
homosexuals.
The J.P.A., which is an alliance of local psychologists and psychiatrists, recently hosted a public discussion at the Priory High School on "Homosexuality in Jamaica", and this has been described as the first, open discussion on the subject. Dr. Dobar sees it as another style of behaviour, another style of life, but even this view is not shared throughout the medical profession. She admits that many medical practitioners still see homosexuality as an abnormality, but that an increasing number of her colleagues consider homosexuals "normal people who happen to
choose partners of their own sex", adding that it is a matter of choices. Psychiatrists do not usually treat homosexuality as a disease, but where a patient is worried about being homosexual, he or she is treated for neurotic symptoms.

In many cases, Dr. Dobar says, it is culture and the heavy prejudices that causes the problems for the patients, because it makes them uncomfortable about what they are.

CHURCH'S VIEW
The Church's traditional view of homosexuality,'on the other hand, is that it is sinful and. it is wrong. The Church of England, which guides some 64 million Anglicans around theworld, has traditionally taken a'hard line with homosexuals, but in October it published a controversial report on the subject which recommended that the Church should recognise that it can be justifiable for individuals to "enter into a homosexual relationship involving the physical expressionof free love". -;
The report, which was published with a statement from the Church Board for Social Responsibility saying that it had neither adopted nor endorsed the findings and also recommended that the homosexual age of consent in Britain should be reduced from 21 to 18 years; that Bishopsshould not refuse to ordain a man because he is homosexual; and that the decision to accept or reject the resignation of a homosexual priest living openly with another
man would remain solely with the Bishop. The Anglican Church is to debate the homosexuality issue at its general synod in February 1981. With -reference to the local situation,
Jamaica Council of Churches' president Archbishop Samuel Carter said that as recently re-affirmed by Pope John Paul, the traditional stand of the Roman Catholic Church is that homosexuality is sinful and wrong, he said., however, that people with this tendency should be treated with sympathy arid understanding and help offered to them wherever it is needed.
Asked to comment on the new openness of the island's homosexual community, Archbishop Carter said thai this is part of the influence; of the "outer society", especially from the United States, adding that 'anything that happens outside is bound to influence us. "We maintain the stand that it is a sin but we sympathise with people who have this tendency," he said.

HUMAN RIGHTS
The. Gay Freedom Movement was launched in August 1977, and Mr. Larry Chang describes it not as an organisation in the strict sense of; the term, but as a movement of people who have began to. mobilise to demand "their basic human rights to be able to choose "our sexual partners". This choice is no business of the State Or the Church or anybody else, in his opinion,
and if is time that people begin to change their attitudes and prejudices which he claims are based on mis-conceptions about what homosexuality really is The G.F.M. General'Secretary makes a distinction (between homosexuals and 'gays'. According to him. a large number of Jamaicans! are homosexuals but a small minority are gay. 'Gays', for him, are those homosexuals who accept their homosexuality and live their lives accordingly and he points out that they are many homosexuals who do not identify as being 'gay. Mr. Chang said that one of the main aims of the G.F.M. is to educate homosexuals about their 'gayness' and bring them some amount of self-awareness so that "they will come-to accept their homosexuality as a natural, normal and healthything."
Such an acceptance and the promotion of 'gay pride', he feels, will remove a lot of the existing psychological pressure and conflicts that members of the homosexual community have to live with. Describing the current life-style of the homosexual community, he said that it is one of deception, cover-up and the added pressure of leading a double life since themajority of 'gay' people have to hide from their families, co-workprs and friends.
Men for whom women have never held any sexual allure equate their struggles for 'gay' liberation with the struggle of the women's movement on the ground that 'gays' and women suffer from male-dominated oppression, in a macho-syndrome that keeps down women and 'gays'.

CLINICAL TERM
Mr. Chang claims that 'gay' men, are a threat to the majority of the heterosexual male's idea'of what a man should be and how he should behave, and as a result 'straight' men tend to react irrationally and violently to'them. . .The G.F.M. spokesman said that the movement uses the term 'gay' because homosexual' is a very clinical term that smacks of psychiatry, psychology and science, and "is just too clinical to use in everyday parlance". !
Labels such as faggots, pansy. . fairy, fruit used by the 'straight' establishment in reference to them are all derogatory. In order to build up "our own self-image"and develop a sense of pride, 'gay' became their name. The movement which has instituted a Prison Out-reach Programme, and a Gay Youth Movement, runs a Gay Community Health Clinic for the prevention and treat ment of veneral disease, and also publishes a bi-monthly news-letter called the Jamaica Gaily News, - " :
i There are also a number of 'gay' clubs in the island, and Mr. Chang stated that homosexual clubs have been around for as long as living memory goes back. Claiming that the existence of the/clubs have nothing to do with the emergence of the movement, he said the 'gay' clubs have
always been the focus of 'gay' activities, apart from private homes and small groups here and there.
Up to a year ago, there were three 'gay' clubs in Kingston, one in Spanish Town and a semi 'gay' one in'Montego Bay. Mr. Chang also said that there, are a number of other places in Kingston that 'straight' people go to, which are homosexual pickup places, but they do not know what is going oh around them. However, he declined to name these on the ground that "they do not want to blow their .cover and spoil a good thing".

LGBT History: Constitution of the Gay Freedom Movement of Jamaica, West Indies: January 13, 1980

Great news as GAY Freedom Movement archives are finally in the hands of the originators of the movement, the first actual gay group in Jamaica launched in the late seventies, 1974 to 76 to be precise. It consisted of some 6 persons including a Jesuit priest and named as follows: Joseph Owens, Clive Wilson, Gary Muirhead with its very vocal out and proud General Secretary then Mr. Larry Chang who now resides overseas. 

You can find more information under the tabs Gay Freedom Movement and LGBT History Month.

I am pleased that the founders have also decided to share some of the pieces themselves as I have been sharing some on my blogs both here and on GLBTQ Jamaica and HERE as well.

Not many younger persons are aware of the development of this group at all so it would be good to have this information now readily available.

Please click the photo above or here

Constitution of the Gay Freedom Movement of Jamaica, West Indies: January 13, 1980

to see the original version of the Gay Freedom Movement's Constitution as posted on OUTHistory.org or HERE and also on the host site for the retrieved archives International Resource Network (IRN) where they captioned the following:

The Gay Freedom Movement in Jamaica (GFM) was formed in 1974 as the first movement in the English Speaking Caribbean to seek rights for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) people.

It focused on consciousness-raising within the LGBT community and professional organizations; issued a newsletter - the Jamaica Gaily News (JGN); and ran a Gay Youth Program, Prison Outreach Program and a free STD clinic.General Secretary, Larry Chang, who was also publisher and editor of JGN, was the first Jamaican to come out publicly, being interviewed on radio and the then JBC-TV and through his letters to the press.

These archives consist of the papers which relate to the work of the GFM which Mr Chang kept in his possession until he left Jamaica in 2000. The documents were kept by the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (JFLAG).

The digitization of this archive was made possible through a City University of New York Diversity Grant. Special thanks to Stephanie Harvey, who organized and digitized the archive, and to Marianne LaBatto and the entire Brooklyn College Division of Archives & Special Collections, which facilitated that process.

This material is contributed to the Digital Library of the Caribbean by the Caribbean IRN, a network that connects activists, scholars, artists and other individuals and organizations who do research and work on issues related to diverse genders and sexualities in the Caribbean. For more information about the Caribbean IRN, please visit our website www.irnweb.organd select Latin America / Caribbean Region. Also feel free to email us at caribbeanirn@gmail.com.

I look forward to many more posts like this to share this information and I will share what I can about the Gay Freedom Movement as well.

We certainly need to know our past so we can move forward.

Peace & Tolerance

H

“Let The Gays Promote their Gay-ness” says Vernon Witter (December 10, 1979, Gleaner article)

“Let The Gays Promote their Gay-ness” says Vernon Witter (December 10, 1979, Gleaner article)

The following article appeared in the Daily Gleaner at the time dated December 10, 1979 some 19 years to the day prior to the formation of Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays (JFLAG). At that time also the Gay Freedom Movement was the active voice even then public commentators were actively talking about GLTBQ issues. That kind of discourse now seems lowered and certainly with the availability of instant communications we ought to do more. This was filed in the archives of the GFM now held by it's founder Mr. Larry Chang since 2010 after they were successfully transfered to him in The United States. Pity the condition of the archives however when they were held here in Jamaica by JFLAG were not properly managed and kept in good condition. I am pleased they are now in the rightful owner's possession.

The article reads:So the gays in Jamaica have decided that its time they come out of the closets. Well! Well! Well! Recently they have been rather reticent in jumping on the bandwagon of liberation movements. Now they are coming out into the open writing letters to the press and holding open discussions of homosexuality. They have even set up their own organization called the Gay Freedom Movement of Jamaica.

It is surprising that they took so long to get into the act. Jamaicans are known for catching on last to whatever is going on in the big cities of the world. The ayatollah had his followers here who held hostage the managers of C.M.P and of Cornwall dairies. When the hijacking of airlines was popular we had the hijacking of JOS buses. Now at long last the gays have made a start to defend their status.

Raise Gay consciousness

The aim of Gay Freedom Movement according to that body is to raise consciousness and awareness among members of the gay community in Jamaica and among the general public. How the Gay Freedom Movement plans to go about raising the consciousness and awareness of what it calls the general public, no doubt meaning the heteroes is not clear. Perhaps there will be more letters to the press, more public discussions, maybe even hold parades as their counterparts do in the big cities abroad.

We’ll just have to wait and see. One of the aims of the Gay Freedom Movement should be the decriminalizing of homosexuality. This is one of the absurd laws still on the statue books of Jamaica. What goes on behind closed doors of consenting adults has nothing to do with the state. Obviously the law must protect citizens from being forced into sex acts against their wills. Juveniles must also be protected. But if two men or two women wish of their own free will to do their own thing, let them. The absurdity gets worse when homosexuals are sent to prison.

Coals to Newcastle?

Decriminalizing homosexuality is not the same as approving it, as some will be quick to misunderstand. It is nothing more than keeping the state out of snooping in the private affairs of consenting adults. Homosexuality should no more be a crime than should prostitution.

The right to resentThe Gay Liberation Movement in the United States, Britain and other big countries has gone a long way in promoting the term they chose for themselves, that is gay. I suppose they have a right to resent being called faggots, limp wrists, fairies or whatever in the same way blacks resent being called niggers or Jews, kikes or Italians, wops. Let the locals promote their gay-ness if they will. Why shouldn’t they? Those of us who profess to have Christian charity in our hearts, while not condoning what it patently unnatural can at least try to understand their aberration and offer them our sympathy.
End

Peace and tolerance

H

Examining Homosexuality - Vincent Tulloch writes back in February 4, 1978

In an old Gleaner piece published on the date indicated above this columnist at the time introduced in essence The Gay Freedom Movement, Jamaica’s first gay organization as then ran by Mr. Lawrence Chang aka Larry Chang who now resides overseas. In a bid to capture past articles and relevant commentary to show how early the Jamaican LGBT experience has been enhanced or bedeviled by robust debate, homophobic remarks and unfair commentary here is another in the series of flashback posts. (see the flashback tag for more)

The piece was entitled “Examining Homosexuality” here are excerpts of the original article as was discovered in the old Gay Freedom Movement’s archives in 2009.
Mr. Tulloch wrote ………

Mr. Lawrence Chang’s public admission of a gay organization The Gay Freedom Movement will certainly send ripples through the society. It has come at a time when the society is trying to see just where morality stands on its agenda. The controversy sparked by the Jamaica Teachers Association’s resolution on unwed mothers is an indication of the battle Mr. Chang will have to face on the grounds of morality, the strength of the gay community in Jamaica is unknown so the political mileage to be gained is uncertain, the Gay Freedom Movement will have to go it alone now that it has shown it’s head…………

If I may return to the Gay Freedom Movement debut I must say it has picked the wrong banner to hoist. I cannot see the impact homosexuals can make on the island’s birth rate which stands at about 61,000 per annum If homosexuality was to be encouraged as the only civilized means of birth control………..

It comes as a surprise to me that the GFM did not take issue with the law that forbids the practice of homosexuality both in private and public places. The act is illegal even if it is done in private.
In my opinion homosexuals would probably get a more sympathetic ear if their organization in its first public comment had challenged some aspects of The Offences against the Persons Act Chapter 268, sections 69, 70 and 72. In section 72 particular reference is made to the male but is silent on the female……

Homosexuality has long been a very emotional and controversial subject and is discussed in a hush hush tone with a certain amount of fear. Even in the developed countries where it is accepted the controversy still rages.

Personally I believe that as long as an individual reaches the age of consent legally set by the state what he or she does in private in regard to sex is his personal business and none of the state. I am strongly against any one procuring children or forcing anyone into an act in which he does not believe, such offences may be treated as a criminal act punishable by a fine or imprisonment as the court sees fit. The Gay Freedom Movement of Jamaica is here and it will be interesting to see what its next move will be. The strong religious influence which at times is used to cloud issues will no doubt be organized now. This will be very strong especially in the rural parts where the Pentecostal have a strong grip on the minds of the people.
The relatively high illiteracy rate in the country will certainly play a role when the subject is being debated. Those who are less intolerant and do not subscribe to the aims of the movement need not panic there is nothing to fear. What we need to do is to take a very rational and realistic approach to the subject and it is hoped that the gays will not attempt to convert the whole nation because they will lose the support of most Jamaicans.

The Jamaican society has treated homosexuals with contempt which reveals our Victorian approach to sensitive issues which affects several hundred persons several of whom have no control of what they are.

We do not need any “Burn a Gay for Christ” slogans. The GFM has thrown a challenge to our much reverted democratic way of life.
This issue could be a test of our ability to tolerate minority opinion.
-END-

My two cents:
So this shows a historical perspective on just where the mindset was as far as public commentary was concerned nothing much has changed in 32 years except for the language and prescriptions of ways to execute LGBT people following on the church’s move to have signs that say “Burn a Gay for Christ” maybe this could be a hint as to where the dancehall community got the “Bun Out” (burn out or strong opposition) concept for the types of murder music over the years.

This was one of the entry points publicly for the Gay Freedom Movement a historical milestone lost to many in our present GLBTQ experience. I wanted to publish this in time for Black History Month but had some difficulty finding the original article as I remembered it from a cursory glance a couple years ago.

Remember these readers.

Peace and tolerance

H

LGBTQ History Month - Early Historical Facts & Trivia

1976: Meeting point in New Kingston: The Closet

It seems that the first gay club, named The Closet, was established in New Kingston around 1976.

1976: The first Jamaican gay association is founded

Chinese-Jamaican gay man and political organizer, Larry Chang, organized a gay group in Jamaica, called the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) as early as 1976 in a fiercely hostile climate. He held the position of General Secretary and was Publisher and Editor of its newsletter: Jamaica Gaily News. The newsletter was first named The Toilet Paper. As of issue No.3, Larry decided that the name was no longer relevant and changed it to The Jamaica Gaily News, which was a take-off on the Jamaican daily newspaper The Jamaica Daily News. .

Songs Of Freedom documentary – Interview with Larry Chang

Songs Of Freedom: Compelling Stories of Courage and Hope by Jamaican Gays and Lesbians

Excerpt taken from an interview recorded in 2002, available in the documentary Songs Of Freedom.'When I graduated, and it was time for me to think about coming back to Jamaica, I made a conscious decision that I would come back here to contribute to nation building and all of that sort of stuff but on my own terms. /// Having met more and more people, I sort of know my way around gay Kingston, at least what there was at the time. And after I got my own apartment, of course, it became open house for a lot of gay people. If those walls could talk, if my dining room table could talk. 

These stories it would produce. A lot of people would have come out in my house. There has been all kind of revelations, breakdowns, emotional trauma and everything that you can think of that happen at my house. /// Sometimes after, there happen to be a club called The Closet, which was actually in the heart of New Kingston. I was going on well for quite a while and then we had the eternal problem of gay on gay violence, we had a lot of who we now refer as downtown people who would come there, would pick fights, break bottles, try to stab each other all that kind of wonderful behavior.

And the viability of the club therefore would be threaten by this type of behavior.As a response to this problem of violence, a few of us decided to get together and call a meeting to see if we could develop some sense of community among gay people where by we could turn to each other, just to find out what was on gay people’s mind: why all this violence, why all this self hatred, because that what it was down to: self hatred. What could we, as a population, do to address this. So we called a meeting at The Closet. 

There was a fairly good turn out and a very good participation. And out of that came a comity of six people, who came together to form the Gay Freedom Movement. At the end of the first meeting, I remember that I pull together (a none page mimeograph - sorry - a one-sheet mimeograph), a one-sheet newsletter, just reporting on what the proceedings were. I irreverently called this The Toilet Paper, because after all, the meeting has taken place in a closet.

It was Toilet Paper No.1 and we went to issue No.2. And by the time the third issue was come out, I said “no, I can’t keep calling this ‘The Toilet Paper’ has it is no longer appropriate”, so I change the name to The Jamaica Gaily News, which was a take-off on the Jamaican daily newspaper The Jamaica Daily News. At about the same time too, a letter had come out in The Daily Gleaner from a Helen Sommers Overcan, on the subject of population control. She was basically giving an historical overview of all the different methods of population control that have been attempted by different people. Among these she listed infanticide, and fracticise all the other things that you can think of.

I found myself to write a letter back to the Gleaner, responding to this letter that it was a very good letter, but she had a gearing ommition that she had not listed homosexuality as a time honored and natural means of population control. I suppose the Gleaner couldn’t believe that anybody would have written a letter like this to them. So they called me to confirmed: “did you really write this letter and signed your named to it and blah, blah, blah”. And I said “yes”. Except that I didn’t just signed my name, but I put under it: Gay Freedom Movement. 

At that time, the Gay Freedom Movement did not exist, the meeting at The Closet has not yet been held, but I felt that if I put the name of an organization behind my name, that the letter would have a little bit more impact, a little more clout, and that I was not just a voice crying for inunamist. Those two things kind of came together at a point in time, to give us that historical event, which we now referred as the Gay Freedom Movement, which I think happen in the mid to late 70’s.It was at the height of Michael Manley’s area and democratic socialism where the political climate, emphasis durable values, participation, co-operation, sharing, rights and all of these things. It was a very fertile time for ideals, movements, concepts, people-based initiatives. I think the Gay Freedom Movement was born at the right time. 

There is nothing that happen before its time. It was time for it than. ///The GFM had basically two objectives, one was to educate ourself has who we were. We are talking about consciousness raising, self awareness, that type of thing. An the other objective was to educate others, meaning the public. /// We had connection with almost every gay group right across the world, from Scandinavia to South Africa, to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Israel, you name it.

We had this change arrangement with these groups, we would send them Jamaica Gaily News and they would sent us their publications. Because of the breath of our international connections, when the whole AIDS epidemic broke out, we were able to have up-to-date information on AIDS, long before anybody in Jamaica knew about it. We were fairly well prepared, at least in terms of being armed with information. I think that is one of the things to witch I attribute the fairly low incidence of HIV among the homosexual population in Jamaica. /// 

We started a Pen Pal club because we would have letters from all over Jamaica and all over the world, requesting Pen Pals. That was one of the most popular features that we carried in The Gaily News. I remember in particular one letter from this guy who signed his name and his address was Cornpiece District, Hayes, Clarendon. I was very trilled to know that we were reaching isolated rural people who otherwise would have no kind of contact with anything or anyone gay. And the fact that we were reaching these people, to me it prove that we were doing something worthwhile.

Gay Freedom Movement ..... the early days of activism

The Gaily News Publication (previously The Toilet Paper) - Original documentation draft outlay and typeset (front cover)

(owned by GFM and was held by JFLAG although not stored in proper conditions) this copy was digitized during my tenure as Administrative Assistant at the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays JFLAG as at that time I was very concerned as to the conditions some of the pieces were in when I came across them, luckily we were able to get them to him thus preventing some important cultural objects being lost forever and thrown away and deemed on no value. 

(Items have since been returned in 2010 to the GFM originator Larry Chang who now resides in the United States)

This was a then handmade and typed set via typewriter gay tabloid circulation that was done by the first gay activist movement in Jamaica in the late seventies to early eighties the Gay Freedom Movement. It was named the "Toilet Paper" before but only two editions were produced before the decision to change the name came about.

Computers weren't so readily available as yet on the Jamaican landscape so drafts were hand made thus adding more value to the early work by these pioneers.

This captioned photo above is actually one of the original drafts design for the outlay of the publication. It was so named to parody the then mainstream Jamaica Daily News newspaper now merged to be known as the Gleaner.

http://dloc.com/icirngfm

The archives since this original post entry have since been retrieved by the former General Secretary of the movement Mr. Larry Chang who now resides overseas after seeking asylum in 2000 and was successful. They are stored on the captioned site above for viewing and purchase from same.

Authors and contributors would literally spend hours researching and coming up with interesting and sometimes patois written pieces for the paper. Based on the old archives of the publication it was circulated for a good two some years before it ended. It contained letters to the editor of the respected newspapers of the day, the Daily News, Gleaner and the Daily Star.

The Jamaica Observer was not birthed as yet.

Events and other intervention activities were also included with rich comedic content as homophobia was not as rife as now so the community was more relaxed and could entertain themselves effortlessly.

Thanks to the Gay Freedom Movement for opening the door to activism in Jamaica.

also see:

LGBT History Month: Gay Freedom Movement archives properly re-posited overseas

Peace and tolerance.

H