Gay discrimination in Jamaica?

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Avellana

I am not from Jamaica but I have heard some things about it. It isn't safe for openly gay people to travel or live there and they will likey be beaten or worse. I do not think that any country that dosen't do something to stop discrimination of any kind is right. I mean alot of countries follow their beliefs and that's fine, but when you hurt or kill people because of their's then that makes you a horrible person.

To Keron: Yes it is their choice not to accept someone for their beliefs but not right for a country to accept killing people, using foul language, and beating someone.

Professor Oglevee

Jamaica is a christian country so they don't tolerate nastiness. The book you are talking about (The Bible) is against homosexuality. Yes, its wrong to hurt and kill the person because God still love them but he hates the sin.
Remember now, God dont make anyone gay because he is totally against this sin. As a christian person all I would do is pray that they will repent from this sin.

FYI, Jamaicans tend to take the law in their own hands if nothing is being done about the situation.

stingjam

Gay Rights movements have actually contributed to the 'intolerance' that exists in Jamaica, by enraging so many sections of our society, that there is NO JAMAICAN NEWSPAPER that will run a public awareness campaign on the issue.

Screw all the B.S. about christianity. That is hardly relevant anymore. We are a 'christian' country that sins in so many other ways that religion could never be the main or the only reason! It really is politics now. I think the GAY LOBBISTS have caused more political divisions on this issue than anything else. Here is some history of it all:

1. In the mid to late 80's Jamaica was just like MANY places in the world (and the rest of the caribbean). We 'hated' gays JUST AS MUCH as they did. Lets not pretend that we were the ONLY place in the world where people beat gays. At that time gays could get beat down in some parts of SOUTH FLORIDA!!! This was a part of the urgent justification for the "Gays Rights Movement".

2. The difference between Jamaica and other places, was that rather than starting with P.R. campaigns to sensitize the public on thier issues, Gay Rights Movements began thier battle in Jamaica by attacking TOP MUSIC ICONS. This strategy worked VERY well for the INTERNATIONAL MEDIA and promotion of their cause (who the heck are these little obnoxious jamaicans anyway?), but at a HUGE cost: More hate in Jamaica (cause we LOVE our rock stars!).

3. Jamaican music was an early target (kind of like george bushes 'shock and awe'). The newest version, 'dancehall' was getting its first round of international attention. GLAAD and other groups attacked our music and culture as being homophobic and drew political battle lines. Guess what they didnt tell you? They didn't tell the world that in the mid-late 80's, the anti-homophobic lyrics in Jamaican music was merely a fad, driven by fears about AIDs and other things. This fad component was newly introduced with artistes such as Shabba Ranks. It wasn't a permanent element of Dancehall lyrics and it really didnt have to be either.

4.The truth is that this fad was also evident in other music forms including other caribbean-rooted genres. It was even evident in Hip-Hop.

5. It is my view that by attacking the CORE of Jamaican culture at the time, the gay movement literally ENGRAVED the fad. They made it more permanent than it actually was! The more they attacked our music the more the Dancehall fans and church-based jamaican groups became enraged against Gay Rights Movements trying to dictate OUR beliefs. Note that Dancehall and the church generally DO NOT agree on many things. The attacks on dancehall icons were the cultural equivalent of someone burning the image of a national crest....not a good approach AT ALL.

6. Propoganda made it even worst! Almost every murder of a person who was seen to be 'homosexual' was promoted overseas as a hate crime...even when evidence DID NOT suggest that! They misqouted lyrics of SEVERAL artistes, presenting them outside of thier original context. Declared these artistes as 'promoting violence'.

7. Propoganda NEVER told the world that there are several proffesionals of the Dancehall community who are KNOWN to be GAY. Their status makes people uncomfortable, but they are NOT beaten for it. They are respected in thier proffesional craft and have thrived here in Jamaica. Top Artiste - Capleton, has even recently REFUSED to travel in the same tour bus as a known gay Jamaican Journalist. He didn't literally burn, beat, or blaze the journalist as Gay rights people suggested that his music claims he would do. Capleton has always said that his music is FIGURATIVE, and as such, he symbolically 'burned' or protested the gay journalist's lifestyle by refusing to travel with him. Did he do an interview with the man? Yes.

The situation is where it is now simply because most outsiders won't do what you have done here...THEY DON'T ASK ABOUT THE TRUTH. They go into battles 'demanding' that Jamaicans change thier attitude and fail to realize that thier own intolerance made things worst.

Jamaicans have more serious things to think about than the GAY agenda. Want to know what will cause less violence? Tell GLAAD to quit trying to force the issue. If they quit forcing the issue, Jamaicans will care less and less about it. The topic will still make them uncomfortable for years to come, but we do have that right to respectfully disagree.

EDIT:
It would also make for a better world if Gay Rights Advocates would actually publicize the 'positive' changes to the atmosphere in Jamaica. Speak the WHOLE truth and not just about the facts that suit their own combative and confrontational stance. THE WHOLE TRUTH would perhaps make the most combative Jamaicans 'realize' that a battyman living down the road from them might make them uncomfortable, but it isnt worth getting hot-headed about.

Me personally? I don't CARE. Especially not in business. People have to appear to conform to social rules (acceptable grooming, well-manored, not overtly queer), but beyond that i DO NOT care about peoples private life!

Don, son of Shakka

If one chooses to be gay, one should accept all the conditions that comes with ones acquired habits.
Why do you secure your home and family from thieves, and robbers, isn't it discrimination against them, that others may enter but they can't, or, is it that you're protecting your precious, priceless gifts, acquisitions and property?
Well, we are doing the same, we've only add gays to the list of welcomed guests. We LOVE our children, they are our precious, priceless gifts.
A gay community is a dying community, there is no rebirth, in order for it to sustain longevity it must to infiltrate and inoculate.
We have a chosen an adequate vapourized system for this vector.
It sure is working, yours is the zillionth question.

Let your yea be yea,
and your naa be naa
The perfect gay is a DEAD gay.
Boom Bye Bye.

Jalon H

i am a jamaican and a christian, Jamaica is a christian country and we base our beliefs on the bible even if you think its stupid and in the bible it says and i quote "any man that lieth with another man and he lieth with a woman shall be put to death" meaning (The Bible) is against homosexuality. Yes, its wrong to hurt and kill the person because it is a sin but people still do.
Remember now, God dont make anyone gay because he is totally against this sin. As a christian person all I would do is pray that they will repent from this sin.

Q. what if everyone ate pork and you didnt would u want them to force it on you? i bet you would say no.well thats the way we feel

remember no man can judge me.....but god himself

diosacaliente

Sting is right about a lot of what he says regarding the attention that this issue gets bringing only fuel to the flame. I think people would stop caring if nobody spoke about it.

That aside, I think what has been neglected here is the fact that the gay community is alive and well in Jamaica. Quieter than in North America, but definitely present and in some respects united. It's not going anywhere. Ever.

As for the hypocrites who lean on the Bible to justify hatred and say that the "Christian nation" of Jamaica is against it, don't be fooled. Jamaica has a lot of churches, but I think the number of churches outnumbers the number of true Christians who use EVERYTHING in the Bible as their moral compass. [apart from the fact that the Bible says not just that God loved everyone, but that we should as well].

The analogy of making everybody eat pork is also baseless. Nobody is forcing homosexuality on anyone. You don't have to become one to tolerate them and treat them like human beings. You'd be surprised to know who the gay community includes, especially some religious people.

My main point is that Jamaica is not a homophobic nation. In every country, everywhere, people will concoct ridiculous reasons to hate people who are different. There is an unfortunate and pervasive mentality that the lifestyle is wrong, and people should be free disagree with the way people lead their lives, but it's unfair to say that the nation as a whole condones killing or disrespect of homosexuals. I think we have a long way to go, I myself will even confess to having said some hurtful things in jest, but at the end of the day, people are just people.

I think something that might help the cause is for a prominent, respected Jamaican to come out. It was really, really interesting to hear a pundit, in reference to the 2008 US presidential election comment that people do not/stop discriminating against people once they encounter/know one of these people [if those semantics make sense]. Essentially, if you respect somebody and then find out that they're something you thought you didn't like, you will have already seen them as a PERSON first and lose all that ridiculous hate you thought you had.

We have REAL problems [like the economy, child abuse and violent crimes] to attend to. Let's let everybody [who isn't harming or violating anybody's rights] enjoy equal treatment and respect.

Keron

Its there choice as a society to do as they please

Ashliey F

I am currently pregnant by a jamaican and he says he will KILL his own son if he grows up to be gay. I am not a jamaican but being with him for so long has showed me how he views certain things. Jamaica is a Cristian country and they take the words of the bible very seriously and they take the actions that god is suppose to do into there own hands. The thing about it is that they look at gay women differently then gay men. He has plenty of gay cousins that are female but there are no open gay men in his family. I know there are gay jamaicans men they are probably just afraid of being murdered.

Bob D

Sting is mostly an idiot, but in this rare case, he stated the facts...

The tolerance Jamaicans have for gays only goes as far as its in their face, however, its STILL embeded in the music to a large extent...though the "movements" have made it so Buju used to say shoot them in the head, now he sings every man is my brother. Still though, ignorance breeds fear. and many a Jamaican is ignorant...plus the bible passage quoted means men as people, not JUST men...it applies to women TOO, though Jamaicans are ok with two women.

The country will never be tolerant of gay(men) since they use the bible to dicatate their lives...when they want to.

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