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...