Ministry of Agriculture employee charged with buggery

The Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court was shocked on Thursday to hear the allegations against an employee of the Ministry of Agriculture.

James Edward Smith is facing charges of indecent assault and buggery, after being accused of molesting a 17-year-old male student of an institution devoted to children with learning disabilities.

The allegations are that the accused offered the complainant a ride from his school. It is also alleged that on numerous occasions, the accused picked up the complainant from school. On the day the offence is said to have occurred, January 23, Smith reportedly picked up the complainant and took him to an unknown location and parked by the roadside.

It is alleged that Smith fondled the young man's genitals and then had sex with him in a marked Ministry of Agriculture van. The matter was reported on January 25 and Smith was held on a warrant on Valentine's Day when he picked up the complainant at a bus stop. The court also learnt that Smith also picks up other boys from the school using the company's van.

Smith was granted bail in the sum of $200,000 by His Honour Frank Williams and was ordered to surrender his travel documents. He is to report to the police three times a week and a stop order was also issued. Smith was also ordered to stay away from the complainant's school.

Sadly the report from the Star News did not locate the evidence presented as credible especially the doctor's report; although the claim is he had sex with the 17 year old. Seeing he is over the age of consent of 16 years old he would be saved the other possible charges as well,if we are to go by how it is reported.

Where is the evidence that the accused actually picks up boys; was a sting operation set up to establish this by the requisite police arm and the relevant warrants obtained to give such effect? I am getting a little tired of how some stories are reported without good background information to study on such cases.

It is too easy to just lambaste someone simply due to their perceived sexual preference or practice which makes the truth either way difficult to decipher. Usually also there is very little follow up on such matters as well to show the closure or outcomes of such issues.

Peace & tolerance

H

Gay rights activist's killer gets life

Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter of the Gleaner reported that ........

THE MAN who pleaded guilty last month to the murder of founding member of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays, 59-year-old Brian Williamson, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mr. Justice Basil Reid, in passing sentence, recommended that 25-year-old Dwight Hayden should serve 15 years before he was eligible for parole.

Hayden who is also called 'Dog' and 'Swong' of Myers Street, Jones Town, Kingston, held down his head as the sentence was passed.

Williamson was stabbed and chopped some 70 times in his apartment in New Kingston on June 7, 2004.

Hayden who knew the deceased, went to the apartment and asked for money. He was accompanied by a man called 'Bom Head'. The deceased let them inside and offered them bottles of Guinness stout. The deceased promised to give Hayden the money later that day but both men chopped and stabbed him to death. They stole a chest from the apartment.

HATE CRIME

Amnesty International has taken a keen interest in the case and had described Williamson's murder as a hate crime because of the group in which he was involved.

Dr. Randolph Williams who represented Hayden, asked the judge to be lenient because Hayden had shown remorse from the time he was arrested. He said Hayden confessed to the crime when he gave his cautioned statement and also pleaded guilty.

Dr. Williams said that there was tremendous violence at the time of the incident. He referred to the psychiatric report which stated that Hayden, was involved in substance abuse, namely crack cocaine up to 2002.

The judge in passing sentence said that the sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crime. He said further, that the sentence should also show that a person who pleaded guilty could expect consideration for the guilty plea.

ENDS

Sadly Amnesty while we support their assistance in the struggle must also understand that the default hue and cry of homophobia just because the crime has a prominent gay man as a victim and the ghastly parts to the issue is not gronds for automatic homophobia judgement.

This case was one of gay on gay violence (downlow in this case) simply gone bad as the young man as it came out in court despite the attempt to use the Gay panic defense strategy to suggest Williamson forced him into homosexuality; but Williamson had helped the young man financially in his newspaper selling business.

It turned out to be greed that led to respected Williamson's demise unfortunately.  Our allies and friends in foreign lands need to pay very close attention to how the delicate crisis communication tool is used in public discourse.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Peace & tolerance

H

Gay rights activist's killer gets life

THE MAN who pleaded guilty last month to the murder of founding member of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays, 59-year-old Brian Williamson, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mr. Justice Basil Reid, in passing sentence, recommended that 25-year-old Dwight Hayden should serve 15 years before he was eligible for parole.

Hayden who is also called 'Dog' and 'Swong' of Myers Street, Jones Town, Kingston, held down his head as the sentence was passed.

Williamson was stabbed and chopped some 70 times in his apartment in New Kingston on June 7, 2004.

Hayden who knew the deceased, went to the apartment and asked for money. He was accompanied by a man called 'Bom Head'. The deceased let them inside and offered them bottles of Guinness stout. The deceased promised to give Hayden the money later that day but both men chopped and stabbed him to death. They stole a chest from the apartment.

HATE CRIME

Amnesty International has taken a keen interest in the case and had described Williamson's murder as a hate crime because of the group in which he was involved.

Dr. Randolph Williams who represented Hayden, asked the judge to be lenient because Hayden had shown remorse from the time he was arrested. He said Hayden confessed to the crime when he gave his cautioned statement and also pleaded guilty.

Williamson's body being removed

Dr. Williams said that there was tremendous violence at the time of the incident. He referred to the psychiatric report which stated that Hayden, was involved in substance abuse, namely crack cocaine up to 2002.

The judge in passing sentence said that the sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crime. He said further, that the sentence should also show that a person who pleaded guilty could expect consideration for the guilty plea.

Sadly an entitlement phenomenon has come to dominate how some men engage with each other whether they are on the down low or not and the reporting of the matter as a homophobic matter directly is wrong I think.

If one wants to tag homophobia then talk about the public's repsonse and cheering outside the property as news spread in the business district of Uncle Brian's demise, even as friends and other allies came to the scene to confirm what they heard, while clearly emotional they were bashed and threatened infront of the police. Persons gladly jeered that another one has gone and more deserve to go.

I was too shaken by the news to leave JAS's offices where I was when we were landed with the sad news.

Good to see the courts working still.

Peace & tolerance

H

UWI mob beats man .........

Top: A section of a large crowd which gathered to witness the beating of a man at the UWI campus yesterday. - ANDREW WILDES Bottom: The windscreen of a police vehicle which was shattered by one of the many stones flung at the police by students after the police rescued a man accused of being a homosexual. - FABIAN LEDGISTER

GUNSHOTS ECHOED ACROSS the University of the West Indies, (UWI) as police tried to stop an angry mob of students from killing an alleged homosexual. The mob alleges that the man had attempted to 'hold down' another student in a bathroom on campus, but was chased into Taylor Hall.

"Dityman try a ting pon a yout roun a di bathroom at humanities (Faculty of Humanities and when people fin out dem ketch him a jerk off ina di bathroom, suh dem rush him," said a student who claimed to have witnessed the events.

KETCH DE B..Y BWOY

"Me a go a class wen me reach a de intersection fi go de library me see de yute a run. Me hear dem say 'ketch de b..y bwoy. Mi tink a hospital im a run go. Wen im reach Taylor an see de gate lock im neva have any wey fi run go. A so de mob ketch up wid im an start beat im till security come," a Taylorite said as he related his story to others.

SECURITY ALERT

Police say that about 6:15 p.m., they responded to an alert from the campus security, that a man was being chased by a mob from the Faculty of Humanities, to Taylor Hall. Officers from the campus station responded, but had to call for back-up to keep an angry mob of students and outsiders at bay.

"The crowd was crying for the man to be handed over so they could kill him, but police protect and serve the people and we could not allow them to do so," said Sergeant Marvin Essor, who had arrived on the scene from the onset.

"About two o'clock me see dem carry de b..y man come down here. A male made a report dat de b..yman a peep inna de bathroom pon im. He was taken to the station by the response team and was warned by the police and sent off the property. I don't know how im reach back on de property but de students spot im an decide to kill him," he said.

COPS REFUTE CLAIMS

Allegations circled that the man was stabbed, kicked, hit with a drum, and stoned, but all hell broke loose when back-up arrived and the police attempted to escort the man into a police service vehicle.

"As we put him in the vehicle, a hail of stones was being flung at us, injuring three constables and damaging a service vehicle ... We were forced to fire a few warning shots to pacify the crowd," said Sgt. Essor.

The mob would not be satisfied however, as upon hearing that he was being taken to the Papine Police Station, they followed and congregated outside the station. As the mob kept growing in size, the police made a fast decision to take him to the Half-Way Tree Police Station, where he was arrested and charged.

He was not taken to hospital, and is currently in custody at an undisclosed location.

Head of public relations at UWI, Carol Edwards, could not confirm or deny allegations, stating that she was "still collecting information to ascertain what had transpired."

It was said that the man was a student on the campus, and residents of Taylor Hall made sure to point out that it was "not a Taylorite." However, police later confirmed that he was not a student, but a young man that frequented the campus.

The alleged homosexual, 22, from a Kingston 11 address, has since been charged under the University Act with being in a restricted area .

Police say it was actually the second time that day the man had been in police custody, as he was seen about noon, loitering in the Faculty of Humanities.

"He said he was applying for a job at the hospital and was taking a short cut ... He was given a warning to stay off the campus and released," said an officer at the Mona (Campus) Police Station.

Records also indicate that he was arrested three years ago, for stealing a watch on campus.

Police at the Mona (campus) station defended students of UWI, stating that the mob was mixed with outsiders, and that they were "the aggressors."

"I work with them often and UWI students are not aggressive ... there were about 2,000 people, many of whom were outsiders, some taxi-men," said Sgt. Essor.

ZEKES TRIAL SHOCKER - Court told of oral sex act with man

Donald 'Zekes' Phipps - FILE

A PROSECUTION WITNESS has disclosed in a statement to the police that Matthews Lane area leader Donald 'Zekes' Phipps, 48, told him that he had been engaged in a sexual act with one of the two men that he is accused of murdering on April 15.

The revelation was made yesterday when the prosecution outlined the allegations in the double murder case against Phipps in the Home Circuit Court.

The burnt bodies of Rodney Leroy Farquharson and Dayton Williams, both of Bayshore Park, east Kingston were found on Rose Lane close to Matthews Lane in April. The bodies had gunshot wounds to the heads. Phipps was arrested in the Matthews Lane community a few weeks following the incident.

When Phipps appeared in court yesterday with his co-accused Garfield Williams, 33, of a Kingston address, Paula Llewellyn, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, applied for an adjournment because the analysis of an alleged telephone conversation between Phipps and the witness was not ready.

Llewellyn told the court that the witness, who is described as a close associate of Farquharson, said that on April 15, Farquharson's cellular phone number was dialled shortly after 3 a.m and on the first occasion the call was placed on speaker phone so that several voices could be heard. The telephone was dialled a second time and the main witness who knew Phipps for more than ten years spoke on the telephone. The witness said in his statement that he was closely associated with Phipps and had spoken to him in person and on the telephone on a regular basis.

BIG MAN AND RODNEY

On the second occasion when Farquharson's phone number was dialled, the witness said he recognised the voice which answered to be that of the accused, Phipps, who he knew as Zekes. The witness said he spoke to Zeeks and said "big man I need to come and speak to you early in the morning."

It is alleged that Zekes answered and said, "Boy leave country come a town and get rich and start dissing and refuse to carry out orders." He said Zekes said further "big man you don't have a wife in your bed. Go and hug up your wife, you here enquiring about Rodney."

The witness said Zekes then said "my d... (penis) is in Rodney's mouth. Rodney is sucking my d....(penis)."

The statement further stated that in response the witness told Zekes that he was a mad man. After that, the witness said Zekes said to him, "listen to Rodney for the last time because it is the last time you will hear his voice." The witness said Rodney came on the phone and said in a low voice, "Boss, Boss, Boss" and the phone went dead.

Miss Llewellyn said that Rodney was the main witnesses' right hand man in an organisation in the Harbour View Area. Defence lawyer K. Churchill Neita, Q.C., who is representing Phipps, made a bail application after Phipps trial was set for November 28 in the Home Circuit Court. Mr. Neita said there was nothing to link Phipps with the double murder. He said by any stretch of the imagination, the allegations of vulgarity had nothing to do with the charge.

Phipps' lawyers applied for bail on the ground that Phipps' health had deteriorated while in custody and his children were also suffering because of his incarceration. Miss Llewellyn said the Crown was opposing bail before reading extensively from the statement of the main Crown witness.

I think this case shows how same gender sex for purposes of control as the motivator and not innate homosexual attraction can play in gangster culture and humiliation of those who run afoul of said culture. We wait to see how this plays out.

Peace & tolerance

H

The Brian Williamson Memorial Fund

The Brian Williamson Memorial Fund

Recently Human Rights Watch conducted a study in Jamaica about homophobia, violence and Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS epidemic entitled “Hated to Death”. It was found that violence against men who have sex with men, ranging from verbal harassment to beatings, armed attacks and murder, is pervasive in Jamaica. 

Physical attacks against gay men and men perceived to engage in homosexual conduct are often accompanied by expressions of intent to kill the victim, such a “battyman fi dead” (gay men must die). They are reluctant to appeal to the police for protection, as police routinely deny them assistance, fail to investigate complaints of homophobic violence, and arrest or detain men whom the suspect of being gay. In some cases, the police attack them and promote homophobic violence by others.

Lesbians are also targets of community violence and police harassment as much as gay men, their complaints of violence are often ignored by police.

Endemic violence by private actors and by Jamaican police and security forces, and inadequate state response to it, are problems faced by all Jamaicans. Gays and lesbians are often on the front lines of such violence, however. Jamaica’s sodomy laws, which criminalize consensual sex between adult men, are used to justify arbitrary arrest and detention and sometimes torture of men (and sometimes women) suspected of being homosexual. 

Political and cultural factors, including religious intolerance of homosexuality, Jamaican popular music and the use of antigay slogans and rhetoric by political leaders, also promote violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. While many of these actions are protected under the rights to freedom of speech and religion, the Jamaican government has failed to confront them as root causes of widespread violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In light of all this, the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gay (J-FLAG) have decided to established the Brian Williamson Memorial Fund in Memory of the late Brian Williamson, a leading gay rights activist, who on June 9, 2004 was murdered in his home and his body mutilated by multiple knife wounds. 

Though his murder was not directly homophobic it has raised some concerns on the matter as evidenced in many persons outside the address and murder scene who celebrated Williamson’s murder, laughing and calling out “let’s get them one at a time”, “that’s what you get for sin”, “let’s kill all of them”, while others sang “boom bye bye”, a line from a popular Jamaican song about killing and burning gay men. As other friends and activists came by to confirm the news they too were the subject of threats even in the presence of police and verbal abuse.

Since then a number of other gay men have suffered the same or similar fate, hence the Brian Williamson’s Fund will be used to assist persons of the Lesbian, Gay and Bi-sexual Community who have fallen prey to the violence as a result of homophobia in Jamaica.

We (JFLAG) are therefore soliciting your support by assisting in whatever way possible in order to bring about change within the gay community in Jamaica.

###

GAY RIGHTS ROAD STARTS IN JAMAICA’S SUPREME COURT

April 15 saw a new dawning in the gay rights debate for Jamaican citizens. In New York, at least. Amnesty International local Group 133 organized a demonstration in New York in front of the Jamaican Embassy to send home a clear message to the Jamaican government concerning the island’s horrendous level of homophobia and violence toward gay people.

The demonstration is said to have drawn more than 1,000 activists, high school and college students, community leaders, and general members of the public. A petition was also circulated for people to sign during the demonstration. In the meantime, another group was demonstrating; Jamaicans residing in New York, led by Sons and Daughters of Jamaica, also took to the streets to protest in front of the Jamaican Embassy.

Their protest, however, was for the “white” people to stop pressuring Jamaicans to endorse homosexuality and is further encouraging the Jamaican government to say no to any form of international pressure on this issue. While all this hot air was blowing up north, business in Jamaica continued as usual. Not a soul seemed to care about what was going on in New York. I checked with some members of Jamaica’s GLBT community, and most of them did not even know about such a protest. But why should they even bother to care? If your guess is as good as mine, then you should know: these foreign demonstrations will not change anything in Jamaica.

Last June saw the start of Jamaica’s biggest gay debate ever. While the momentum is now hugely subdued locally, international advocates continue to support the debate through periodic activities. Still, Jamaican leaders continue in their usual jolly ways, and gay Jamaicans continue to forgo some basic rights and freedoms available to our counterparts in other territories. Most if not all of the efforts being initiated by non- Jamaican international organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and U.K.’s Out- Rage!, continue to meet bitter (in the Jamaican sense) opposition and nonchalance from policymakers and upholders of the Jamaican Constitution. Not surprising, none of the efforts since last June has garnered any success in Jamaica. This is hugely as a result of the approach. The Jamaican Constitution is very clear about addressing the right of citizens. In this case, the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender in the island are not protected.

How do Jamaicans who are being affected by this injustice seek redress? The first step is to contact your local member of Parliament (MP) who is also your representative in the House of Parliament. Voice your dissatisfaction to the person you voted for. And if you are not participating in local elections, you are adding to the non-existent voice of the gay community. Urge your MP to introduce or support the introduction of legislation to protect gay people in Jamaica.

This is your country, and no one could ever tell you that you are a “white foreigner” trying to push homosexuality down the throats of any Jamaican. Failing to hear from your MP in a favourable way, then the other option is to file a lawsuit against the government of Jamaica in the Supreme Court of Jamaica, citing failure on its part to protect you as a GLBT citizen of Jamaica. This is where an organisation like the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) would play a critical role, since the group has already created a niche of support organisations, willing to back their advocacy both financially and emotionally. If the Supreme Court of Jamaica is not able to provide adequate redress, then the Court of Appeal of Jamaica is available to challenge the judgment of the Supreme Court. If the Court of Appeal is unable to tell the Jamaican government to repeal buggery laws and write into the Jamaican Constitution that discrimination based on sexual orientation is unlawful, then the appellant can now take the matter to the British Judicial Committee Privy Council. Remember: The Court of Appeal is the highest court within Jamaica but is subjected to the appellant jurisdiction of the Privy Council.

This approach is something that should have long been explored by the great minds at J-FLAG. And now that the Caribbean

Court of Justice may sooner or later take the place of the Privy Council, there is no telling what regional mentality we will be subjected to for the next century. The GLBT communities in several islands throughout the Caribbean, especially the member states of the Caribbean Community, continue to suffer at the hands of this so-called cultural homophobia, which is simply another form of oppression. It is, therefore, my message to

the people who are genuinely seeking to help gays living in Jamaica to reflect on the legal procedures outlined by the Jamaican Constitution before deciding to challenge local laws. Additionally, I call on the responsible ones at JFLAG to reposition their approach from an overseas base to a local one.

Jamaicans are very proud, and when it comes to a matter concerning homosexuality and gay rights, no Jamaican government is going to surrender to any form of foreign influence. We must also remember that in recent months, more than a dozen U.S. states have stated non-categorically that they will not give gay people the right to be equal through a denial of the right to get married. The U.S. is Jamaica’s biggest market, whether it is tourism, dancehall music sales or otherwise. This should clearly indicate that Sandals, Elephant Man and all the others would not fail to eat their bread. The Jamaican government will not see gay rights as a priority unless Jamaicans get on the boat and paddle for their own rights, using their own laws that are available to challenge any form of prejudice and injustice.

Popular Jamaican proverb: Learn fi nyam a yaad before

yuh go abraad. (“Learn to eat at home before trying

to eat abroad.”

Gay rights through referendum ...................

The attorney general and Minister of Justice, the Honourable A.J. Nicholson, says that Jamaica’s gay community will get state protection only through a referendum. The statement was made during the staging of a two day seminar on human rights, held at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice. Even though the organizers of the seminar did not set aside any specific time allotment for discussing gay rights, the minister was asked to account for the injustice being inflicted on this local minority group during a question-and-answer session.

A brief comparison with the current South African constitution was also made during the questioning, specifically highlighting that country’s transformation from the days of apartheid to a now human-rights-conscious society that protects the rights of every citizen, including the GLBT community. 

Interestingly, Jamaica and Jamaicans were among the many who supported the economic sanctions against that country, showing unmitigated disapproval of the human rights violations under the apartheid regime. While an entire race was being subjugated in that case as a result of ethnicity and economic power, the underpinning injustice of discrimination mirrors the ongoing experience of Jamaica’s gay people, a minority group based on sexual orientation.

In fact, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, affirms that homophobia is a crime against humanity and is equally as destructive as apartheid. In a later comment, the minister declared, “Let the people of Jamaica tell the government what to do as far as gay rights are concerned,”

which was followed by a half-hearted round of applause from some members of the audience. In this regard, the overtly expressed mindset by the Minister of Justice as far as the rights of Jamaica’s gay community are concerned reflects the general unjust approach and principles of the current administration in relation to the protection of the rights of minorities in Jamaica, which upholds popular and/or cultural biases over universal human rights.

Sadly the easy way is being taken here as we all know where a referendum in this sensitive matter there may not be time even to properly launch a public education, hence it would be a resounding no to amending buggery or not oblige ‘gay rights’ political parties fear losing elections and given the previous election win of the PNP despite a leader who has been pigeon-holed as gay. Populism is more important than anything else as a weak parliamentary opposition only secures the ease for the PNP to glide effectively unchallenged.

I would not be too optimistic on this at all.

Let us see if some enlightenment will come one fine day.

More to come as the struggle continues

Peace & tolerance

H

Depression & the GLTBQ Community

DEPRESSION AND THE GLBT COMMUNITY

Contributor

This may seem to be the most inopportune time to talk about depression. It is for me because it has been too late for a friend. Hence, this is for the many who are still alive amongst us. When I was a teenager and realized I was gay, it was the most traumatic thing I thought could have happened to me, ever. I was so afraid to talk to anyone about the feelings I was having. I went to one of the traditional high schools that had very good guidance Councillors but I was still afraid of ‘letting out’ the secret I had inside. Although people could have looked at me and wondered if I was gay, my public behaviour to refute such a ‘slant’ taught me to deny the true ‘me’ to myself. It made me very sad. I went to church. I prayed for my ‘sin’ to go away – even before I was sexually active with other men.

It was unrelenting. I became severely depressed. No one could reach through to me. I thought no one else understood what I was going through. I knew no other gay person to talk to. And the bottom line was this: I was afraid of social rejection and potential harm. I even started to entertain thoughts of putting an end to it all.

I turned to myself for help. I started finding ways to help myself from within. I would spend my free time just thinking about my life, what I wanted to become when I left high school. That became my own form of escapism. One thing is certain. I have survived it all. Through the thick and the thin, I made it through the pain and the lack of inner selfworth.

Brothers, sisters, your life is worth more than what you have been ‘cultured’ to believe. You, too, have a right to life. You, too, should feel free to live, to shine, to fly, to smile - and to love. I would like to share with you a few lines from one of my very favourite songs:

“When the shadows are closing in

And your spirit diminishing

Just remember you’re not alone

And love will be there

To guide you home”

I recommend you get a copy of

‘Anytime You Need A Friend’ by

Mariah Carey and listen to this

song carefully in the dark, alone.

I cannot tell you what you will

discover. That part is your fate

and you are the sole bearer of

the key to your destiny.

“Love will make it alright.”

– Mariah Carey

Ways to combat depression, of not prevent it:

1. Reach out and stay connected to supportive people

2. Do things that make you feel good—even when you don’t feel like it

3.Move vigorously during the day—don’t sit for more than an hour

4.Learn about the mood-boosting benefits of omega-3 fats

5. Get a daily dose of sunlight

6. Challenge negative thinking

Ways to reach out:

Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to fix you; he or she just needs to be a good listener—someone who’ll listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.

Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they don’t replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time.  The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in lifting the fog of depression and keeping it away.

Try to keep up with social activities even if you don’t feel like it. Often when you’re depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.

Find ways to support others. It’s nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find ways—both big and small—to help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.

Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being needed—both powerful antidotes to depression.

Gay jamaica's history lane 1974 - 2004

The struggle for equality for gays and lesbians in Jamaica has been going on longer than most people do realize. Let us take a moment to stroll down Jamaica’s gay history lane.

The first documented gay rights advocacy in Jamaica was in 1977, with the establishing of the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) in Kingston. Meetings were weekly with an average attendance of 40 gay men and lesbians. The movement published a bi-monthly newsletter (The Jamaica Gaily News), which circulated for about two and half years. The GFM self dissolved a few years later. Over a period of about seven years, however, the GFM made several historical marks. Here is a timeline of some other major highlights in Jamaica’s gay history:

1978 – Jamaica’s first gay and lesbian play “Mix it out” was staged.

1978 – GFM established Jamaica’s first ever gay and lesbian telephone switchboard.

1978 – The dorm room of an allegedly gay student from the social sciences faculty at UWI was blazed with a homemade bomb on February 21.

1978 – Coronation of Miss Jamaica (Gay), during Independence celebrations by the GLBT community on August 6.

1978 – Jamaica’s first gay and lesbian hotel, Lighthouse Park, opened on April 27.

1978 – Gay activist Larry Chang participated in the first public discussion ever in Jamaica about homosexuality on December 23 at the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST), now the University of Technology (Utech).

1979 – The Gay Community Health Clinic opened on March 10, offering medical services on Saturdays between 11 Am and 1 Pm.

1980 – A record 7 private gay parties in the Kingston were bombed within one month. The bombs were all homemade and there were no reports of any major injuries.

1984 – The Ministry of Education explored homosexuality in the personal development slot on their Education Broadcasting Service (EBS). The moderator was psychologist Dr Frank Knight of the University Hospital; guests were students of Kingston College and St Hughes High.

1984 - GFM assisted Winston Rowe of UWI with a documentary on the stonewall riot for the advance media programme at the Caribbean Institute of Mass Communication (CARIMAC).

1993 - Rumours of a planned gay march had the “heavy-hats” in frenzy. Scores lined the streets, armed and ready to chop, stab, shot, lynch among others, waiting for any ‘body’ that dared to march for gay rights in Jamaica.

1997 - Sixteen allegedly gay prison inmates were slaughtered and 40 others injured in a riot following an attempt by prison authorities to distribute condoms to warders and inmates to help stem the spread of the HIV/AIDS within the penal system.

1998 - Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) was established.

1999 - J-FLAG made a submission to parliament to include sexual orientation in the discrimination clause of the proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms Bill.

2002 – The United Kingdom offered asylum to three Jamaican gay men on the basis that their lives could be fatally compromised if they returned to Jamaica.

2004 – Amnesty international released an urgent appeal on June 1 to the global community to write to the Prime Minister of Jamaica asking him to take urgent steps to protect gay people from violence, and to repeal legislation that criminalizes same sex relations.

2004 – A dark day in Jamaica’s gay history was upon us all. Gay rights activist Brian Williamson was found murdered at his home in New Kingston on June 9.

Prison sex matters and HIV

Many of us have come into contact with HIV/AIDS by now – maybe you have the disease yourself or have experienced it through friends and family. Decades after the condition was first identified, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to bear a heavy burden on the Caribbean islands we call our home but known to others as luxurious getaways. It is this popularity among foreigners that many experts feel introduced this deadly disease to our islands. Although tourism is a staple to the economic development of the Caribbean, it brings with it, risky sexual activities.

In addition to tourism, there are several factors (of which we have some influence) that contribute to the alarming rates of HIV infection in the Caribbean. These include :

Homosexuals engaging in heterosexual activities, due to the fact that homosexuality is frowned upon and often denied.
Sexual activities in prison and the lack of availability of condoms to prisoners.
Alcohol and drug abuse.
Commercial sex workers (i.e. “rent-a-dreads, prostitutes, etc.).
Multiple sexual partners and failure to use condoms.

Some Numbers

While the HIV/AIDS statistics for Jamaica is not nearly as high as the Caribbean islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (regions affected the most by HIV/AIDS), the numbers are still staggering. There were an estimated 20,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, with just under 1000 deaths due to AIDS in 2001. In 2001, more than 5,000 orphans have lost their mother or fathers to AIDS. For the latest facts and figures, visit the National AIDS committee website

Symptoms

Many people do not develop any symptoms when they first become infected with HIV and are said to be asymptomatic. However, some people may have flu-like illnesses (a month or two after HIV infection), with many of the following symptoms: fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and rash. These symptoms may disappear after a few weeks and are often dismissed as routine cold or flu.

Severe symptoms may not appear until years after HIV infection. The frequency of skin problems and mouth ulcers will increase. In addition, patients may experience the following symptoms:

Fatigue or lack of energy.
Unexplained weight loss
Frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal).
Persistent skin rashes or flaky skin.
Fevers and sweats.

Treatment and Prevention

Although HIV is a lifelong condition (there is currently no cure), there are highly effective drug-cocktails and anti-retroviral treatments available that can extend life and quality of life. The harsh reality for treatment in Jamaica (and the rest of the Caribbean) is that these drugs are expensive and difficult for many to afford and may not even be available in rural areas. However, generic forms of these drugs are available, making it possible for more people to afford and access treatment.

But even with the availability and accessibility of treatment, why are many individuals infected with the virus not coming forward for necessary treatment? The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, that it is a gay disease, lead many to basically ignore their condition, lie about it and not seek proper treatment. Unless society at large stops treating those suffering from the disease as pariahs, there will be many who will die prematurely.

“Prevention is better than cure.” This statement cannot be any truer, especially since there are currently no cures for HIV. The only way to prevent being infected with HIV is to avoid sharing needles and having unprotected sex. Prevention also means educating our children, friends and family members about HIV/AIDS. Prevention means testing pregnant women and treating those infected with HIV, to prevent the transmission to their babies. Prevention means providing condoms to prison inmates.

Really, the only way to protect yourself is to know the facts.

Man accused of abusing teenage boy .

CHRISTOPHER Taylor, who has been accused of repeatedly buggering and indecently assaulting a 14 year-old boy over a 12-month period, will return to court on August 12.

He was remanded in custody during his last appearance in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.

Taylor, police say, had numerous sexual encounters with his young neighbour for about a year, and a medical report which was presented to the court by the prosecution showed that the boy had been severely injured during the activity. Taylor is also accused of trying to force the teenager to perform oral sex on him.

After reading the incident report, Resident Magistrate Martin Gayle, who presided over the matter last week, remarked on what appeared to be a sustained period of abuse.

"It would appear that this has been going on a long, long time," the RM said.

"Then you never know that this was going on?" the visibly upset RM then asked of the victim's mother.

"No, sir, only one time I see him clothes blood up," the woman replied.

the Diagnostic Statistical Manual that clearly guides that paedophilia is deviant behaviour and treatable while adult male homosexuality is not seen as a disorder since 1973

Taylor's action became public knowledge after the victim's grandmother became curious when the boy went missing for a few hours. When he was seen returning from Taylor's house, the elderly woman became suspicious that he had been smoking ganja and questioned him. After he was roughed up by his mother, the boy told his grandmother of the sexual encounters between Taylor and himself.

Taylor was arrested at his Greenwich Town address by Detective Corporal Cecil Lawrence of the Denham Town police station.

The accused man has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Sadly it is cases such as this that makes the whole advocacy work more problematic as persons conflate paedophilia with the aims of consenting male homosexuality to suggest the call for the buggery law to go is to legitimize inappropriate acts with boys. 

If this man is guilty he deserves everything that is coming to him legally but sadly our systems do not go on to actually treat with the issue of paedophilia via the respective psycho-sexual interventions required, so this man for all intents and purposes can re-offend after he serves his time if he has not changed for the better.

Peace & tolerance

H

Sexual Development through the Life Cycle ......

Decided to share this from a previous entry on Yahoo groups; the conflation of abuse and same gender sex with experimentation and a lack of basic understanding of child development must be addressed.

Many people cannot imagine that everyone—babies, children, teens, adults, and the elderly—are sexual beings. Some believe that sexual activity is reserved for early and middle adulthood. Teens often feel that adults are too old for sexual intercourse. Sexuality, though, is much more than sexual intercourse and humans are sexual beings throughout life.

Sexuality in infants and toddlers—Children are sexual even before birth. Males can have erections while still in the uterus, and some boys are born with an erection. Infants touch and rub their genitals because it provides pleasure. Little boys and girls can experience orgasm from masturbation although boys will not ejaculate until puberty. By about age two, children know their own gender. They are aware of differences in the genitals of males and females and in how males and females urinate.

Sexuality in children ages three to seven—Preschool children are interested in everything about their world, including sexuality. They may practice urinating in different positions. They are highly affectionate and enjoy hugging other children and adults. They begin to be more social and may imitate adult social and sexual behaviors, such as holding hands and kissing. Many young children play "doctor" during this stage, looking at other children's genitals and showing theirs. This is normal curiosity. By age five or six, most children become more modest and private about dressing and bathing.

Children of this age are aware of marriage and understand living together, based on their family experience. They may role-play about being married or having a partner while they "play house." Most young children talk about marrying and/or living with a person they love when they get older. School-age children may play sexual games with friends of their same sex, touching each other's genitals and/or masturbating together. Most sex play at this age happens because of curiosity.

Sexuality in pre-adolescent youth ages eight to 12—Puberty, the time when the body matures, begins between the ages of nine and 12 for most children. Girls begin to grow breast buds and public hair as early as nine or 10. Boys' development of penis and testicles usually begins between 10 and 11. Children become more self-conscious about their bodies at this age and often feel uncomfortable undressing in front of others, even a same-sex parent.

Masturbation increases during these years. Preadolescent boys and girls do not usually have much sexual experience, but they often have many questions. They usually have heard about sexual intercourse, petting, oral sex, and anal sex, homosexuality, rape and incest, and they want to know more about all these things. The idea of actually having sexual intercourse, however, is unpleasant to most preadolescent boys and girls.

Same-gender sexual behavior is common at this age. Boys and girls tend to play with friends of the same gender and are likely to explore sexuality with them. Masturbating together and looking at or caressing each other's genitals is common among preadolescent boys and girls. Such same-gender sexual behavior is unrelated to a child's sexual orientation.

Some group dating occurs at this age. Preadolescents may attend parties that have guests of both genders, and they may dance and play kissing games. By age 12 or 13, some young adolescents may pair off and begin dating and/or "making out." In some urban areas, preadolescent boys seek out situations in which they experience vaginal intercourse. Young women are usually older when they begin voluntary sexual intercourse. However, many very young teens have been known to practice sexual behaviors other than vaginal intercourse, such as petting to orgasm and oral intercourse.

Sexuality in adolescent youth (ages 13 to 19)—Once youth have reached puberty and beyond, they experience increased interest in romantic and sexual relationships and in genital sex behaviors. As youth mature, they experience strong emotional attachments to romantic partners and find it natural to express their feelings within sexual relationships. There is no way to predict how a particular teenager will act sexually. Overall, most adolescents explore relationships with one another, fall in and out of love, and participate in sexual intercourse before the age of 20.

Adult sexuality—Adult sexual behaviors are extremely varied and, in most cases, remain part of an adult's life until death. At around age 50, women experience menopause, which affects their sexuality in that their ovaries no longer release eggs and their bodies no longer produce estrogen. They may experience several physical changes. Vaginal walls become thinner and vaginal intercourse may be painful as there is less vaginal lubrication and the entrance to the vagina becomes smaller. Many women use estrogen replacement therapy to relieve physical and emotional side effects of menopause. Use of vaginal lubricants can also make vaginal intercourse easier. Most women are able to have pleasurable sexual intercourse and to experience orgasm for their entire lives.

Adult men also experience some changes in their sexuality, but not at such a predictable time as with menopause in women. Men's testicles slow testosterone production after age 25 or so. Erections may occur more slowly once testosterone production slows. Men also become less able to have another erection after an orgasm and may take up to 24 hours to achieve and sustain another erection. The amount of semen released during ejaculation also decreases, but men are capable of fathering a baby even when they are in their 80's and 90's. Some older men develop an enlarged or cancerous prostate gland. If the doctors deem it necessary to remove the prostate gland, a man's ability to have an erection or an orgasm is normally unaffected. Recently, Viagra has become available to help older men achieve and maintain erections.

Although adult men and women go through some sexual changes as they age, they do not lose their desire or their ability for sexual expression. Even among the very old, the need for touch and intimacy remains, although the desire and ability to have sexual intercourse may lessen.

Adapted from Life Planning Education. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, ©1995

Child sexual development

At Birth
capacity to have an erection (male)
capacity for vaginal lubrication (female)
all sex organs present  in males testes may or may not be descended into scrotum

During First Year show genital guarding, manipulate own genitals orgasm in boys from 3 months orgasm in girls from 4 months

Two Years
rebelliousness, uncooperative, fiercely independent
know their own mind differentiates between males and females male or female gender identification is fixed
interest in posture of males and females when urinating
is interested in physical differences between the sexes
learns to name body parts capacity to fantasize
love rituals regarding bedtime, bath, meals, and story time
emotionally stormy don't want anyone to touch their buttocks develops positive and/or negative attitudes toward elimination and urination depending on toilet training
self esteem and trust in others first established

Three Years
pleasant, initial shyness girls attempt to urinate standing up
plays at adult male/female roles continue to masturbate

Four Years
bathroom slang and name calling "pooh face", "shit head"
interested in peeking at others eliminating and urinating
may demand bathroom privacy for self plays "nurse/doctor/patient" games with peers, plays hospital and takes rectal temperature enjoys nudity aware of gender and sex roles boys scornfully chauvinistic
continues to masturbate

Five Through To Seven
reinforcement of gender identity continues
identification with same sex parent strengthens
mutual body exploration with same sex is common
sexually oriented daydreams and fantasies begin
feelings toward opposite sex become more ambivalent.

Sex Play

Knowledge of the customary stages of sex play which take place in perfectly normal well brought up children in the first ten years may help you to meet neighborhood sex play situations more calmly and without too much horrified surprise.

2 Years
Child shows interest in different postures of boys and girls when urinating and is interested in physical differences between the sexes.

3 Years
Verbally expresses interest in physical difference between sexes and in different postures of urinating.
Girls attempt to urinate standing up.

4 Years
Extremely conscious of the navel. Under social stress, may grasp genitals and may need to urinate.
May play the game of "show". Also verbal play without eliminating.
Calling of names related to elimination.
Interest in other people's bathrooms.
May demand privacy for self, but extremely interested in bathroom activities of others.

5 Years
Familiar with, but not too much interested in, differences between sexes in body structure.
Less sex play and games of "show".
More modest and less exposing self.
Less bathroom play and less interest in unfamiliar bathrooms.

6 Years
Marked awareness of and interest in differences between sexes in body structure.

Questioning.
Mutual investigation by both sexes reveals practical answers to questions about sex differences.
Mild sex play or exhibitionism in play or in school toilets.
Game of "show". May play hospital and take rectal temperatures.
Giggling, calling names or remarks involving words dealing with elimination functions.

7 Years
Less interest in sex.
Some mutual exploration, experimentation and sex play, but less than earlier.

8 Years
Interest in sex rather high, though sex exploration and play is less common than at six.
Interest in peeping, sexual jokes, provocative giggling.
Children whisper, write or spell elimination or sex words.

9 Years
May talk about sex information with friends of same sex.
Interest in details of own organs and functions. Seek out pictures in books.
Sex swearing, sex poems beginning.

10 Years Considerable interest in sexual jokes.

Eight Through Twelve Years
best friend or buddy common peer group begins to dominate in identity seeking beginning of separation process from parents early menstruation begins in some girls, secondary sex characteristics develop strong feelings of modesty begin to be expressed

From Thirteen Years
puberty and resultant body changes proceed in boys and girls menstruation occurs in almost all girls by age 16
ovulation established in girls 18-24 months after menarche
usually estrangement from parents as sexual authority figures become more pronounced masturbation and sexual fantasies become integrated and common especially among males sexual attraction of the opposite sex becomes stronger sexual attraction to the same sex becomes stronger mood swings develop in body image from extremely self-critical to overly vain  more attention is paid to personal appearance and dress sex role expectations begin to be acted out according to culturally established patterns (dating, petting, etc.)

What Children Should Know Before Starting School
Correct names of sexual parts
Correct words for elimination
Understand the basic fact of baby's growth with the mother
Know enough anatomy to understand the difference between boys and girls
If child wants to know and asks, she/he should understand that babies are made by fathers and mothers together



http://www.secasa.com.au/index.php/family/12/120