I condone Jamaican laws against homosexuality because they have taken a stance against something that is wrong. Look at it this way, it is legal for a grown man to get married to a child (8 years old for example-check the news), but it is illegal in America (which people in this country actually go around and kill people that do those things). Now if the country that allows these grown men to marry kids were to boycott America and stop them from getting oil and other products, b/c of the stance America takes against their lifestyle, there would be a big outcry (by no means do i condone a child being with a grown man–this is just an example)…It is the same for Jamaica. They (and also I) believe homosexuality is wrong. the problem with the world today is that we all accept everyone’s shortcomings (there is just somethings that should not be acceptable). I accept the laws of a country, especially when there is a democracy in place. There are many homophobic countries that are stronger than Jamaica, and many people would not boycott those countries. I would love to see the LGBT community boycott oil that come from the middle east (which doesn’t even recognize that gays exist–and most of the countries are homophobic)…that wouldn’t happen though, b/c the LGBT community would rather pick on a small country than go after countries or groups that are more powerful.

Not supporting the official “boycott jamaica” website doesn’t mean I am going out and buying Red Stripe beer. I try not to use any of my money to support homophobia.

:(

that’s “Canadian and British groups that already worked with J-FLAG?”

Oh, Alec, I was in the mood to drop a bomb on HM or something until I read your post. Thanks

I HATE it when other black people want to tell me the “black way” to think and/or what is the correct opinion to have or not have. I am an individual and a human being with a conscience, I think with my brain, not with the color of my skin. Sometimes I’m right, many times I am wrong.

In fact, I have backed up a little bit on this not because I don’t support this boycott but because I want to know what extra do the boycotters plan on doing. Are they working with internatinal groups, esp. the Jamaican and British groups that have worked with J-FLAg. Have they talked with Jared Polis (who is working with the situation in Iraq too) or someone at the State Department. Have they talked with the Congressional Black Caucus (most of whom are stron supporters of gay issues)?

Otherwise, this seems to be a poorly planned, poorly executed venture, though well meaning.

No offense Kev but you do mirror Larry Elders and Thomas Sowell. Sometimes it seems like you’re on the internet only to bitch about black people.

It would be absurd to suggest that the situations in Jamaica and America are equivalent in degree, which I did not. Jamaica is obviously quite a bit more homophobic than America, but it’s a matter of degree. That wasn’t my point.

My point was to criticize the logic being used by the people supporting the boycott. That logic looks ridiculous when applied to America not because the comparison is ridiculous, but rather because the logic itself is ridiculous.

The logic, of course, being that an entire nation and all of its people and products should be boycotted, regardless of specifics. We would not apply that logic to our own country, because we know the truth is more complicated. Well, the truth is more complicated everywhere. Oversimplifying and generalizing will not accomplish anything productive.

Suggesting that support for the boycott smacks of racism is a cheap shot.

Yes. Now how do you explain your post?

Sodomy laws are unconstitutional in the states per Lawrence v. Hardwick. It is true that there is plenty of state homophobia (or heterosexism) in American society: DOMAs & state constitutional amendments, prohibitions on adoptions, lack of anti-discrimination laws, etc. Nevertheless, there are not frenzied anti-gay mobs, the government is not nearly as hostile (how many openly LGBT officials are there in Jamaica?) and our LGBT organizations do not hide away in secrecy. There are gay bars, LGBT community centers, etc. in all fifty states. To compare the two situations is absurd. Moreover, some of us noted that there were other appropriate targets of a boycott as well, including some identifiable communities within the U.S. (the LDS and the Southern Baptists, two of our whitest and most suburban religious communities, were what I named).

cosign bitches!

Using the same logic as the people behind the boycott, and apparently most of the commenters, gay people should not visit America and should boycott all American products, regardless of the political stances of the companies themselves. Furthermore, ALL Americans MUST be homophobes, since we have state-sanctioned homophobia and since many Americans are homophobic.

If this sounds absurd, well, this is the exact logic at work in this Jamaica boycott nonsense. Obviously, we ought to think twice about visiting, but boycotting everyone and everything Jamaican just for being Jamaican is illogical and totally racist.

But who cares about logic, reason, facts? It’s so much more cathartic to just get mindlessly mad. Boycott your little hearts out, guys.

Dominica, NOT the Dominican Republic

I await your answer, but don’t take too long to come with suggestions, otherwise I will dismiss you as a homophobic troll !!

I mean, linign up in the streets like a greek chorus just to stone you, that’s not good. And I can’t think of , say, an african american congressperson ( other than Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, maybe, but she needs to tend to her thug son) that would call for violence against gay people and refuse them legal protections. Maybe this is something we should get the Congressional Black Caucus in, now that I think about it.

I know you do, sal, that’s why I asked how you were doing.

It was just that gurlene started a digression into african-americans in the usa. There are cultural differences to account for.

But I know where gurlene was coming from though, straight African Americans who think they are all of that do get on my nerves.

how’s it going, sal?

No. The homophobia in Jamaica is state-sanctioned and Jamaica’s big business is tourism (unlike Russia). Go and read some of the comments on this blog under the Jamaica tag.

And that’s not to say that there isn’t other state sanctioned homophobia, Iraq seems to be another example on that. We don’t have diplomatic relations with Iran. Gaza…well, that’s a tough one.

ALL Jamaicans are homophobes, and anything and everything Jamaican must be boycotted simply because it is Jamaican, and therefore automatically homophobic. That doesn’t sound racist to you????

Personally, I’d be embarrassed to be associated with this in any way, and those of you participating in, or supporting this, you should be embarrassed too. Turn your brains back on, guys.

When the people of Jamaica see that their hateful ways are hurting their (already precarious) economy, you’ll be surprised how quickly the powers that be take real action against hate.

That said, it’s easy for us to march in parades and hold hands in public. That’s only because of those before us who marched in parades and held hands when it wasn’t so safe. J-FLAG is fighting the real fight, and future generations of Jamaican homos will owe them a huge debt of gratitude.