It seems Jamaica may be taking a step in the right direction in regards to Queer rights with the new elected Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, of the People’s Party.
Prime Minister Simpson Miller has indicated she wants to have votes of conscience with in parliament on measures to advance legislation that would protect the rights of LGBT people within the country and that she personally supports those protections as well as the possibility of appointing a Queer person to her cabinet.
Yeah, I said it.
Jamaica is probably one of the last places on Earth I will every visit. The homophobia that this country emits is rival to Iran. In fact I would go so far as to say that percentage wise Jamaicans are more homophobic than Iranians.
In Jamaica queer people are routinely beaten. Not by the random person but by lynch mobs. Picture being African-American in Mississippi back in the 50’s and 60’s and that’s what Jamaica is like today for Queer people, for those who don’t believe me google Gareth Henry - 13 of his friends have been killed by mobs in the past 4 years. There are no laws protecting queer people in Jamaica, in fact it is actually illegal to be homosexual there. The country has turned away Queer Cruise lines, though why one would want to port there is beyond me.
The country also consistently produces Dancehall and Reggae artists who boast about attacking/killing Queer people in their lyrics and encourage others to do the same “We burn chi-chi man and then we burn sodomite” (Beanie Man). Elephant Man was recently removed from one of Toronto’s Caribana concerts at Circa nightclub over intensely anti-gay lyrics as well.
My Dad’s side of the family is from St. Vincent (a country where homosexuality is also illegal) so by no means do I hate Jamaican/Caribbean culture, in fact quite the opposite, I just hate this part of it.
I hope that Jamaica and other certain Caribbean countries will learn to embrace love and equality but I’m not going hold my breath. Like Iran they have a LONG way to go. In the meantime it, and other countries like it, will remain on my no fly, no buy list.
Slainte!
