A Jamaican man has applied for asylum in Britain after claiming that anti-gay thugs attacked him in his native country. The man - known only as Asher - asserts that he fled Jamaica after being attacked by a gang back in 2002. He explains to the Jamaica Observer:

What happened is that a group of men drew me into St Michael's Church, and they used a stone and started knocking me in the head... [One man] used a bottle and started knocking me in the head and kicked me up and thing. Then, one of them told his friend to go for his gun to shoot me and throw me in a pit. I was begging for my life and telling them that I was not that (homosexual) and that I was coming from Bellevue.

Then they buck up on (found) a letter that the doctor gave me from Bellevue, and they read through it and decided that I was a 'mad bwoy' and decided to let me go.

The experience, coupled with earlier homophobic incidents, led Asher to England, where he's applied for asylum twice. Immigration officials rejected his applications and now Asher has decided to "swallow" his pride and fess up to being gay. Before he could apply for asylum, however, Asher found himself behind bars after being pulled over in a routine traffic check. Asher eventually made his way back to Jamaica, but hopes the British government will allow him to return.

Asher's just one of countless Jamaican gays who have faced anti-gay hate in recent years. Most recently, a group of gay mourners were attacked during a funeral. Asher's hoping stories like that one and others will help his situation. "I'm sure I'll make it," he told reporters. Let's hope he survives long enough to make his case...

• John Roberts - the same man who brought us Jackie & Debra - has done it again. Send this one along to your mom. Especially if you're not out yet. It'll help her work through it...

• Ivan Marrow, the gay businessman who alleges Zurich Life ruined his business, may love being gay, but he wishes he were born straight.

• Ex-Idol on Sanjaya Malakar on I Love New York 2? Or does TMZ just think all Indian people look alike?

• Can the church save Jamaica's homos? According to American lesbian Reverend Nancy Wilson, yes: "We have strong allies in heterosexual church leaders here, but sometimes they are afraid to speak out for fear of being criticized by others, and so I met with many of them this week and say you have to come out and tell the others that they don't speak for all of you."

• Hey, wanna see pictures of Lindsay Lohan snorting coke? Look no further.

• Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the state's domestic partnership bill. Outfront Minnesota executive director Ann DeGroot ain't happy: "This veto is not good government. It’s the state telling local governments what they can and cannot do. We thought the governor supported local control. The governor has chosen to make a political point over good public policy." No wonder Pawlenty is GOP presidential candidate John McCain's election committee co-chair.

• Advertisers are now one step closer to taking over the entire world. Next stop: your dreams.

The Jamaican drag attack has spurred journo and concerned citizen, Dr. Orville Winthorp Taylor to pen an article exploring the nuances of Jamaica's gay culture. In an awkward attempt to be fair & balanced, Taylor winds up tacitly condoning violence against gays. But, really, what do you expect from an article commencing thus: "Every time that I conclude that the gay debate is over, I realise that I can't turn my back on it." Because those gays sneak up when you least suspect it and - bam! - you totally turn lavender.

Taylor opens the article with a brief rundown of the recent anti-gay happenings in the Caribbean nation before insisting that he does not condone physical violence. Well, except for when they are "in the process of harming others or is seriously resisting arrest". But, rest assured, Taylor believes, "People ought not to be beaten simply because their lifestyles are offensive." Gee, thanks...

CONTINUED »

More anti-queer madness in Jamaica, where an angry mob beat a transvestite over the weekend. The unidentified man had been walking through a public square when someone called him out as a cross-dresser.

Within minutes, a group of bashers swarmed to wreak their homo-hating havoc:

The news of the man's presence in the community spread rapidly and in a matter of minutes scores of angry residents converged on the scene and began to rain blows all over the cross-dresser's body with sticks, stones and whatever weapon they could find.

The man has since been hospitalized. He's hardly safe, however. Police confirm that people have gathered outside the hospital to finish what they started.

This attack's just one in a series of violent homophobic crimes in Jamaica. Most recently, a group of mourning 'mos found themselves under fire during a friend's funeral. Before that, a group of queens were run out of a neighborhood festival for dancing on stage. These and other crimes like them have spurred The Caribbean Anti-Violence Project to initiate a website, which will discuss anti-gay stigmas and provides a forum to report hateful crimes.

Mob Beats Cross-Dresser [Jamaica Observer]

The Caribbean ain't the safest place for homos. Just a few weeks ago, some gay, funeral attending Jamaicans found themselves on the receiving end of some good old fashioned homo-hating. The week before that a group of dancing queers got jeered - and hit - by an angry mob. As if that's not bad enough, some fool's popular vacation destination launched a now defunct website calling for the death of all batty boys.

Meanwhile, religious conservatives in Tobago attempted to ban Elton John from a jazz festival. Because, you know, he's so fine and his gay potency would turn all the men lavender. And employees at the Bahamas' Half Moon Cay protested a gay cruise's course past their queer-free grounds.

Though times are tough, not all hope is lost. The Voice reports:

The Caribbean Anti-Violence Project (CAVP), an initiative of the University of the West Indies (UWI), is to launch a web-based documentation project to record incidents of harassment and violence based on homophobia, gender and HIV-related stigma.

UWI Professor and UNESCO regional chair, Dr. David Plummer remarked, “There are real costs to homophobia we are seeing across the region, not just for gay and lesbian people, but for all of us." Meanwhile Tobago's National AIDS Coordinating Committee chairperson, Angela Lee focused on ostracism's health effects:

Stigma and discrimination drive the HIV epidemic underground. Homophobia does the same. Homophobia has contributed to the spread of HIV in this country and the entire Caribbean region.

And, in fact, the world.

More anti-gay action down Jamaica way. Cops are investigating an alleged mob attack at business man Kirk Wayne Lester's Easter sunday funeral. Apparently a number of cross-dressing queers stopped by to show their respects, but an anti-gay mob decided to give new meaning to "disrespect".

The machete wielding mob allegedly surrounded the church and lobbed bottles and other debris through the church's windows. The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays, Jamaica's premiere gay activist group, condemned the attack, insisting it defiles the island's national slogan: "Out of many, one people." Unfortunately, the attacks should come as no surprise: earlier this month another mob went after a group of gays in Montego Bay. And, earlier this year, Google shut down a website calling for homo heads.

Guess we won't be going there for spring break.

Activists condemn attack on alleged homosexuals at funeral [RJM-94]

We can't help but feel we've lived this morning before. First we have Todd Turner Brock disgracing his church and now we have some anti-gay attacks in Jamaica. Deja Fucking Vu.

Montego Bay Police are investigating an allegedly anti-gay attack at yesterday's MoBay Nite Out Festival. It all started when at least three men took the festival's stage and began dancing together, getting all up on one another and the such. Well, the crowd didn't take too kindly to their overtly-kind touching and began throwing bottles at them, according to eye witnesses. Undeterred, the ballsy homos simply lobbed the debris back at the increasingly irked gang. A mob of 30-40 people then chased the troublesome trio from the stage and beat them. They were able to escape, however, and found refuge at a local business. Jamaica Observer reports:

The accused men were soon set upon, chased and beaten by the angry mob. They reportedly ran to several entertainment spots along the Hip Strip for refuge.

One business owner who had to rescue one of the men described the incident as "crazy". "Even the police were afraid," he said, adding that his venue, a popular night spot, had to be closed to prevent the angry mob from getting to the man.

"At one point, some 30 to 40 persons were outside trying to get to him," the businessman told the Observer. "He had on no shirt, no shoes and appeared severely beaten and was bleeding from a cut to his head."

The men have been treated for their injuries, although one remains at hospital in stable condition.

CONTINUED »

We've already taken some time to ponder the place of gays on Jamaica's police force, so let's now spend a little time looking at their standing in the spiritual realm. Not surprisingly, the majority of churches in Jamaica don't and/or won't condone homosexuality, but that doesn't mean there's no safe space for spiritual sissies. The US-based and historically (and purposefully) Metropolitan Community Church has established a queer congregation on the Caribbean island.

Established in 2004, the 83-strong group regularly rotates it's meetings between four churches, lest they come under anti-gay fire and brimstone. Despite the dangers gays face in Jamaica and other areas of the Caribbean, MCC hope to expand their mission beyond just Jamaica. Sun-Sentinel reports:

[MCC Reverend Grant Lynn Ford] said the Jamaica initiative is part of a 10-year plan to establish churches in diverse communities throughout South Florida and the Caribbean. He said the gay and lesbian community in Trinidad and Tobago already expressed interest in starting a congregation. The church also hopes to plant a church in post-Castro Cuba and is planning for congregations in the Pompano-Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs and Miami Beach areas to cater to gays and lesbians from Brazil and other Latin American countries.

MCC's filling a necessary void in these areas - extending their God-loving arms to the gays. If other churches did the same, they might just launch the 21st Century's greatest Crusade.

More gay drama in Jamaica. The island came under gay fire back in January, after an angry mob tried to attack a trio of man-lovers. Now a new scandal brews after a police officer allegedly forced a teenage boy to blow him. Police sources tell the Jamaica Observer that the officer may be moved to a new, unnamed division, raising questions about the place of pansies on the police force.

Inspector Gladys Brown-Campbell insists that there are a number of gays on the police force and, what's more, they're full integrated:

We have quite a large number of them (gays and lesbians) in the force but they are not openly acknowledged. They are still in the closet... Those who we know are treated with a great level of respect as they themselves are respectful, refined and intelligent, their level of intelligence far outshines persons considered to be normal. The force has quite a number of them, men and women.

But, according to sources a number of this "number" work in the aforementioned unnamed division, where gay officers allegedly find a little occupational exile. The Observer reports:

...Protesting cops at the division declared that they were incensed by their colleague's conduct, alleging that he was one of five homosexuals now assigned to the division. They accused the police high command of "dumping" policemen with homosexual tendencies in the division once they get into trouble.

"We are very concerned that our work with thousands of young Jamaicans could be compromised and badly set back if the public, especially parents and guardians, lose faith in us and our effectiveness," said an inspector who also requested anonymity.

Both sides agree that there are, in fact, gays on the force. Where they stand, however, remains open for debate.

The technological gods at Google have reached a judgement concerning anti-gay Jamaican blog, killbattyman. Under fire from gay activists and media outlets (including this one), the popular search engine and all-around phenomenon has decided to disinherit the Jamaica-based blog. Among the homophobic harangues, one could find more than a few requests for British activist Peter Tatchell's head.

Tatchell lauded the company's ruling, but made sure to take a not-so-civil swipe:

Thanks to...everyone else who lobbied Google to remove this murderous website. It is good that Google has heard our concerns but bad that it took them so long to respond. If this website had been advocating the killing of black or Jewish people, I am certain that Google would have taken a much tougher stand and removed it much sooner.

For their part, Google insists they acted as fast as they could. We tend to believe them. The scandal didn't explode until late last week, after all.

Yow, seems like there's another gayish scandal brewing in Google's gaggle of websites. A few weeks ago, we reported on the search engine's alleged bias against gay sites. Today comes news that the company's blogspot hosts a Jamaica-based, anti-gay site, the not-so ingeniously entitled killybattyman: a corner of cyber-space headed by this lovely image.

Reporting on the digital scandal, Harry's Place wrote:

This is not a free speech issue. Incitement to murder shuts down the very exchange of ideas that free speech seeks to promote...

In the light of ongoing violent attacks against Jamaica's gay community - why is Google allowing its services to be used to incite murder by hosting this hate-site?

In addition to calling for the death of dick suckers (and, we imagine, carpet munchers), the site also takes on British gay activist, Peter Tatchell, insisting that if children are bad, "The Tatchell Man" will come for them. Not surprisingly, Tatchell's not so keen on the idea:

This website is sick and illegal. Inciting murder is a criminal offense. I am appalled that Google is hosting this site. It goes against their policy. Killbattyman fuels homophobic hatred and in Jamaica this hatred kills.

For its part, Google says that it will investigate and take appropriate measures if the site's deemed inappropriate.

• "The federal appeals court in Philadelphia has upheld a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals that a lesbian from Jamaica had failed to show that things are so bad for gay people there that she would face a risk of torture were she to be returned to her homeland." [Gay City News]

• "I think homosexuality is a sin like divorce, not a sin like sacrificing children to idols." [Booker Rising]

• “Gays and lesbians want the best of the best and then some..." [Brooklyn Papers]

• "Gay council workers have been criticised for banning their straight colleagues and friends from their Christmas party." [The Argus]

• "...Many hate crimes are committed by people who are not members of organized hate groups." [Newsday]

• "It has proved extremely difficult to give robots the capabilities that humans take for granted." [The Guardian]