Jamaican South West St Ann MP Ernest Smith stays up late at night, thinking about the gays–thinking about their strong, masculine arms– holding guns and leading a violent overthrow of the government. That’s right, they may hurl the slur “battyman” at gays in Jamaica, but MP Smith is just plain batty.
PinkNews UK has some of the recent comments made by the Jamaican legislator, who said:
“I am very concerned at the extent to which homosexual activities seem to have overtaken this country…
I am very concerned that homosexuals in Jamaica have become so brazen, they’ve formed themselves into organisations and are abusive, violent and something that the Ministry of National Security must look into is why is it that so many homosexuals are licensed firearm holders…
There was a report recently which has never been challenged that our security forces, particularly the Jamaican Constabulary Force, have been overrun by homosexuals … there was a front page report in one of our daily newspapers, which has never been challenged.”
Jamaican gay rights activists decried the report as unsubstantiated and inflammatory. The report goes on to say that homophobia is a “vote winner” in Jamaica:
“Last year a poll commissioned by the Jamaica Gleaner found 45% were more likely to vote for incumbent Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his Jamaica Labour Party after he told the BBC that he would never allow gays in his Cabinet.”
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sal
trust me its a sad reality…trust me
sal
…its hell
sal
…that culture is tough to live in
kevin
History of colonialism + religious fundamentalism = Human Rights Catastrophe.
Isn’t this the proven formula?
An Other Greek
what a devil ! ! !
He is “CONCERNED” about what???
His brothers and sisters being MURDERED? ABUSED? HARASSED? REJECTED? forced to leave THEIR country, THEIR BIRTHPLACE, simply to NOT be murdered?
I am sorry but this is BARBARIC, and this is not about poverty and the other excuses Jamaica hides behind.
This is about state-sponsored HOMOPHOBIA, political manipulations, and a CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE of a government to protect its own citizens and enforce HUMAN RIGHTS.
Pretty simple stuff for most civilized societies in the 21st century.
This devil and agent of hate should be ashamed of himself, and I thank Queerty for bringing it to our attention. Jamaica clearly has a long way to go, and unfortunately “THEIR” issues are everyone’s issues.
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Mark
I would love to see Jamaica’s gays rise up and put people like him and Beenie Man up against a wall.
sal
its hard
Sebbe
“they’ve formed themselves into organizations”
The situation is not funny, but I find his statement rather laughably. Jamaica has a lot more problems to worry about than the gays.
I’m not really a fan of the “islands”, but, I did go there once and when you leave a resort area it is really sad.
sal
…especially since its everywhere,top to bottom,young popular culture to religious older,to government,laws to the common man.its everywhere,its hard…..swimming,drowning in it and its sooooo small,u cant run
sal
ur left with that tough question do u fight,but the consequences is not small,its in the law…or do u stay quiet until u can flee
Bruno
Let’s hope the UN grows a set and gets on Jamaica’s case one of these years.
sal
..thus living ,for the time being, a half-life
Sebbe
aren’t they still part of the commonwealth as well? Not that they have any control politically. But, they can certainly use their influence if they wanted.
Martha
sickening country
glad I never went there
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
@kevin:
You don’t say??
Latin America….West Indies…Africa….
ron
Boycott Jamaica.
Charles J. Mueller
As has been proven in the past, LGBT people are always the easiest to target.
Why? Because they never fight back.
They are too wrapped up in being “tolerent”, “turning the other cheek” and being respectful.
I say say bullshit. I say, stop being such pussies and go after the fucking homophobes.
Nobody else is going to.
Charles J. Mueller
Now, bring on the “Preaching to the choir crowd” who will tell me how wrong I am, that I’m no better than they are, in fact just as bad for encouraging people to fight back, while hundreds, perhaps thousands more LGBT pople get beaten up and killed while everyone just stands around an cheers them on or pays no mind.
And, puleeeze, spare me the “violence begets violence” rhetoric.
We didn’t trot out the violence first.
They did!
In case y’all haven’t noticed, kiddies, this is an all-out, world-wide culture war.
And the only people we have to blame for it, is the religious asshats who preach bigotry, hatred and discrimination from their holier-than-thou pulpits each and every Sunday.
Oh, but we can’t take them to task for it, can we.
That would be “church bashing”. And that’s not very nice (or tolerant), is it?
What a ridiculous, idiotic game.
An Other Greek
@Charles J. Mueller: I partially agree…
It seems that all we do is read about this shit and offer to boycott Jamaica…
Well, perhaps we should FIGHT!
Boycotts are passive aggressive, and they are often a strong tool, in ADDITION to the a more aggressive approach.
Where is the gay lobbying in the UN specifically against the status quo in Jamaica? Where is the lobbying in the “Commonwealth”? The US Senate?
Jamaica needs to become a PARIAH state , and this needs to go beyond “taking our gay dollars” elsewhere…
This is about Human Rights and MURDER, not about choices…
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Sebbe
@An Other Greek – “the US Senate” – your kidding right?? It is more like the European Union / Nato should be lobbying us.
@Charles – Do you give yourself little cuts at night?
and lastly, a boycott can have a huge impact on a country like Jamaica since they are very dependent on American tourist. (albeit slightly less so than other Caribbean nations).
An Other Greek
not kidding at all
the US Senate passes resolutions that often turn to direct action all the time
if there is political will…
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Sebbe
@An Other Greek – I am very well aware of that. But, there is barely political support for actions like that domestically, never mind abroad.
alan brickman
does homophobia need a blackface?….maybe
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
“@Charles – Do you give yourself little cuts at night?”
Nope. No need to when there are people like you who enjoy doing that to those who are trying to raise awareness.
Now, pull your fuzzy wuzzy blankie up over your shoulders nd snugly under your chin and go back to lalaland.
sal
@Charles J. Mueller: do u ever wonder if we fight we may turn allies off,by being “the negative force” they(the homophobes)will obviously paint us as?im not sayin we shouldnt fight but im not sayin we should too,the reality is that we have a negative image here and the benifits of adding another one i cant see helping,if u do please tell me
scott
Boycott is right! I’ve said it for awhile now. Hit them where it matters. MONEY!!! Who the eff needs their island, their are a ton of other islands out there.
sal
@Charles J. Mueller: u protest(or worse) the media slants it as either a homophobic joke or as a threatening force,to u that may be a good thing but to a local its more reason to annihilate the gays
Bruno
Do a lot of gay cruises stop by Jamaica these days? I’d be surprised.
It’d be kind of interesting for gays to boycott a country that doesn’t want any gays in it.
Disgusted American
He’s NO different then Hitler scapegoating Jews….He’s sick and demented!
Charles J. Mueller
@sal:
The only way I can truthfully answer your question is by saying, aren’t the the homophobes already doing that?
To put it even more succinctly, did “staying out of the way of the Nazis” and avoiding “provoking” them do anything to stave off the Holocaust?
From the manner in which you phrased your post, it sounds like you are a resident of Jamaica. As an American Citizen, I am not obliged to live in the sort of fear I am sure you have to deal with on a daily basis…at least not yet. At the rate things are going here, however, I’ll ask that you to check back with me in a year from now.
From my relatively safe, secure and comfortable position, it would grossly unfair of me to try to simplify or marginalize what is going on in Jamaica and tell you what I think gays there should or should not be doing about it. As the old adage goes, advice is cheap when one has nothing to lose.
It’s a hard call, my friend, and I am afraid that I do not have any easy answers. I do know, however, that if the LGBT community does not begin to fight back here in the US, things could get as bad for us as they have obviously become for gays in Jamaica.
A good illustration of that, is the fact that large numbers of LGBT people in California did not vote when Yes on Prop. 8 was put before the voters there. I don’t don’t know if it was just complacency, laziness or what?
If their reason for failing to vote, was based on “not making waves” or “turning ou allies off”, the results of that sort of thinking proved to be a catastrophic mistake.
Edmund Burke said it very well in his now famous words.
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
So, my question is, how often must evil occur in this world before we finally get it and start doing something about it?
HYHYBT
@Charles J. Mueller: Ignoring moral and ethical considerations for the moment, we are much too small a minority for turning violent to work.
mb00
uh, yeah, he doesn’t understand why so many Gay Jamaicans are registered fire arms holders?!!!! That’s probably so they can protect themselves from the brutalities that this country enforces on them.
Tony
The best thing to do, in this case, is to hit them where it hurts – the money pocket.
BOYCOTT JAMAICA!!! GAY PEOPLE STOP TRAVELING TO JAMAICA!!!
Mister C
Alan you said:does homophobia need a blackface?….maybe..
Why Blackface do you mean to tell me that none of the Caucasian skinned tone islands and other countries doesn’t feel the same???
You have got to be kidding.
An Other Greek
u
h
m
.
.
.
….
Gays HAVE BEEN boycotting Jamaica, DUH!
Stop screaming about boycotting an island that hates you and doesn’t want you anyway…
A solution HAS GOT to be more creative than passive boycotts…
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Sebbe
An Other Greek –
What is your solution then?
Another thing to remember is that not everyone wants, needs or has to be “fighting non-passively” non-stop. It doesn’t make them worth any less than anyone else.
Nobody should be faulted for enjoying their life and what little time we each have here.
Do I think we should all be involved as much as we can? Absolutely, but, that means different things to different people. Not everyone can or wants to devote every waking second to “the cause”.
Do I think we should be thankfully to those that choose to make fighting a pursuit that envelops every waking moment? Yes.
Do I think your ever going to convince “everyone” to put their lives on hold? No and that is their choice to make.
Some people ARE happy and nobody should be faulted for that.
Tom in Lazybrook
Here’s my solution.
1) Legislation mandating automatic asylum for Gay Jamaicans in the USA
2) In order to pay for resettlement costs, enact a direct transfer tax on remittances emitting from the USA to Jamaica of 10%
3) In order to further pay for resttlement costs, enact a 100 dollar per plane ticket fee on travel between the US and Jamaica (asylum seekers will be exempt from this payment) and a 50 dollar per passenger charge for cruise ships that stop in Jamaica
I think that ought to get the J’cans attention.
Sebbe
@Tom in Lazybrook – great, I’m sure there would be HUGE support for this in the United States Congress.
You are aware that there are many United States Representatives and Senators who feel the exact same as this MP.
Jamaica currently has over a million American tourist annually contributing billions to their national economy.
I find it rather ironic for the government of the United States to be putting pressure on other nations about human rights violations. It’s rather ironic and kind of a joke.
While I would personally support your proposal, to those American’s that are center politically demands like these give little credibility.
Do you feel our close to 50 year embargo against Cuba has dramatically shifted the government’s policy there?
Frank in Miami
Legislation mandating automatic asylum for Gay Jamaicans in the USA
There are enough Jamaican criminals here as it is. Plrase, no more.
Sebbe
@Frank – That is a horrible thing to say. It is in no way better than the MP saying there are enough gays here as it is. It is incredibly discriminatory and really diminishes anything you have to say. Ignorance and generalizations about an entire group (or nation) of people?
Charles J. Mueller
“Not everyone can or wants to devote every waking second to “the cause”. Some people ARE happy and nobody should be faulted for that.”
How terrifyingly familiar that sounds. War clouds were gathering over Europe while horrible things were being done to innocent people there.
It was Prohibition Time America, another lovely “gift” from the RRR (Rabid Religious Right) and everyone was partying in the Speakeasys and no one really wanted to know what was happening over on the other side of the pond. After all, it didn’t concern us, so why should we stick our noses into it, right?
To drown out the protesters and people who were concerned about what was happening in Europe, they turned the juke boxes up and ordered another cup of “tea”.
With the sinking of Arizona and a few other of our ships at Pearl Harbor in 1941 by the Japanese Empire…it suddenly, it became everyone’s business, including the poor souls that died on that day of infamy.
And now, as the social/cultural war clouds are gathering over America and much of the world, we seem once again, to be turning the music up to drown-out the party-poopers who just can’t seem to stand anyone one else being happy. HFR
Oh, and while you’re up, would you pour me another Stoli, please?
Sebbe
@Charles –
I will in the interest of time re-post what I posted to you in another post a few moments ago.
“”@Charles – While I don’t mean to diminish this story or any other issue. I find it slightly over dramatic and alarmist to equate the censorship of a high school drama production to the atrocities of Nazi Germany and WWII.””
You sputter the same things over and over and over again. The way to win friends and allies in mainstream society I fear is not through your approach. You seem to enjoy over reaching and grabbing at every issue with the same retort. One often could skip right over your posts because we all know what it is going to say.
With that said, I appreciate ALL you have done and I myself have tried to do some good as well.
I don’t know, maybe for me it is different having dual US/EU citizenship? I don’t feel stuck in this country and am able to move to a more progressive society in Sweden or Europe at any time. I’d be interested in other opinions of those that are essentially “trapped” here.
Charles J. Mueller
@mb00:
“uh, yeah, he doesn’t understand why so many Gay Jamaicans are registered fire arms holders?!!!!”
Sounds pretty snarky to me…especially when the comment is punctuated with four exclamation points.
Uh, yeah. And you can put la pistola down anytime now. I am with you. NOT against you, dick-head.
Please re-read what I said, especially this paragraph which I have copied and pasted from my comments for your edification.
“From my relatively safe, secure and comfortable position, it would grossly unfair of me to try to simplify or marginalize what is going on in Jamaica and tell you what I think gays there should or should not be doing about it. As the old adage goes, advice is cheap when one has nothing to lose.”
Now…if it offends you, as a Jamaican Citizen, that there are those of your here in the US who are concerned over your plight and would like to try to do something, anything, that might be of help to our brothers and sisters in Jamaica who are downtrodden and marginalized by YOUR President, then perhaps you would be happier that we just turn our backs on you and say screw you!!!
Treat concerned people like shit…and you’ll get treated in the same manner in return.
Just sayin’…
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
And f–k you very much for sharing! That really contributed a lot to this thread.
“I don’t know, maybe for me it is different having dual US/EU citizenship? I don’t feel stuck in this country and am able to move to a more progressive society in Sweden or Europe at any time. I’d be interested in other opinions of those that are essentially “trapped” here.”
Some more safe, nothing-to-lose, “arm-chair” editorializing, direct from Stockholm, Sweeden. Your comments are most appreciated. After that “slap-me-down”, I don’t really get, however, that you are really interested in other opinions of those that are essentially “trapped” here.
But hey, thanks for asking, nevertheless. Lip-service, like that delivered by the RRR, is better than nothing…I think?
Oh, and I am so happy that you’re happy and that you were able to more to a “more progressive society” in Sweeden or Europe at anytime. Rub noses in dirt much, do you?
To re-quote my own words from an earlier post “As the old adage goes, advice is cheap when one has nothing to lose.”
Besides gussying up your website with pictures of the subway system in Stockholm and looking down your nose at us slobs over here on this side of the pond and letting know what you are listening to, what have you done, as of late, to advance the cause of your brothers and sisters who, for various reasons, do not the option of moving to a “More progressive society”?
We are all ears…..
Charles J. Mueller
@Charles J. Mueller:
An afterthought:
I find it most interesting that posters like you seem to be more outraged by what concerned citizens have to say, than what the thrust of this thread is all about…the marginalizing of a minority group and the stealing of their civil-rights.
Perhaps if you re-directed some of your outrage and indignancy and with as much gusto, toward Jamaican South West St Ann MP Ernest Smith, instead of me and other posters who are concerned about what is happening to our brothers and sisters around the globe, we might be seeing an end to this kind of tyrany that is taking place in so many areas of the world today in case you have not noticed.
But, by all means, do keep “crowing” about how good and hunky-dory life is for you on the other side of the pond. For those of “trapped” on this side of the pond, news of the good-life sustains hope for those of us who cannot flea the country as you have and are left to fight the good fight.
Who knows? Perhaps one day you’ll be able to return to America and enjoy all the benefits that have been won for you…in your absence.
And one final thought for you to chew on?
Have you been separated from your life-partner for the past six years, as I find myself, as well as the some 40,000 bi-national same-sex couples and have to bear the financial burden of maintaining two domiciles and horrendous airfares on opposite sides of the globe? I am certain that that problem probably doesn’t concern you either.
So, chill, girlfriend. I am not your enemy. And neither are any of the other posters on this site who give a good shit about what happens to other people and are trying to do something to help besides beating on their own.
“They” are.
Charles J. Mueller
Disregard the “They” are. Left over commentary I forgot to clear away before I hit the submit button.
Sebbe
@Charles –
Like I said I do appreciate your contributions and I do not mean to directly attack you (or shouldn’t have). I was actually quite involved with the cause here in Massachusetts. Were you involved here in Massachusetts the first in the nation to allow gay marriage and the 6th jurisdiction in the world? Maybe we know each other?
To equate it politically, I just happen to feel that your approach is often to use hard-power (Bush) and while I don’t assume to speak for my generation, I feel many of us that are younger prefer a more soft power (Obama) approach to change.
I may sometimes misinterpret your comments, but for example, I feel like you think I should feel quilty for going out with my bf tonight for valentine’s day when there is work to be done. I’m sorry, I don’t.
That said, I think this conversation has moved well off of the topic of the post so in that interest I will conclude here
Sebbe
@Charles – Just for clarification, I am currently in the states. If you read my posts above and others on this site, I do think I am very supportive of what is going on in the world. Not just with gay rights, but all human rights.
Furthermore, I do sympathize with you as I have been involved in relationships with foreign nationals.
And I agree we are not enemies and I will attempt to view your posts in a new light. I hope you are able to reside with your loved one sooner rather than later.
Sebastien
sal
its soooo great people on the outside are debating,getting riled up about stuff that happens to gays in the caribbean.alone no more
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
Dear Sabastien,
Thank you for your thoughtful and conciliatory reply. It is, indeed, appreciated. Nor, do I mean to attack you directly either. Civl-rights for GLBT people is a subject that is close to my heart and like the old story goes, perhaps I am too close to the tree to see the forest. 😉
I do proffer my apology, with all sincerity, if I have unjustly accused you of not participating in the securing of human rights. It was uncalled for.
I have been a resident of Florida since my retirement. Before that, I was a resident of New York State. I was never a resident of MS, but was, as much as I was able to be, involved with that state’s becoming the first to allow gay marriage and exchanged many letters with Barney Frank over this issue. Given that I have been living in the State of Florida since 1993, it’s not likely that we would know each other.
with respect to the use of soft-power vs. hard-power, you have obviously picked up the fact that I am an decided advocate of the latter.
In the twi-light of my years at 72, I have waited and watched with baited breath, the arrival of civil-rights for the some 50 years that I have been a political activist since being at Stonewall (1969) with my friend and early political activist, Craig Rodwell.
Despite the many victories and gains the LGBT community has made over the years, I am deeply disappointed that we still do not have full equality after 50 years of asking for it. It is that disappointment (and frustration) that often causes me to lose patience with the “soft-power” approach that does not appear to getting us to where we need to be with respect to equality for all.
At this late stage of my life, I am over waiting another 50 years to enjoy what should have been my birth-right, and not something I have to spend a lifetime battling over. What a colossal waste of time, happiness and fun! Time, as well as my patience is running out for me and others of my age group and that’s a very sobering thought for those of us who are starring obscurity in the face.
In fact, as I am sure that you have taken notice of and as witnessed by the the passage of anti-gay, same-sex marriage bans that have been passed in 30 States of the Union, it looks to me that we are losing our rights faster than we are gaining them and that is major cause for my seemingly over dramatic and alarmist attitude in my commentaries.
As the very last of the survivors of the Holocaust are slipping into obscurity as well, we soon will have no eye-witness accounts of what occurred and I am fearful, as many Jews are, even though I am not a Jew myself, that this horrific event will be forgotten…and even perhaps denied, as we have recently witnessed with the controversial comments that the British Bishop Richard Williamson recently made and that have caused an ongoing brouhaha and furor all over Europe.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/530018/-/sfp5lb/-/
I very much appreciated your compassionate and understanding words with respect to my bi-national relationship and the hope you expressed that I will be able to reside with my loved one sooner rather than later. Having yourself been involved with foreign nationals has obviously given you insight to the problems and challenges faced by them that many LGBT people are simply unaware of and often times, not very sympathetic to.
Walk. Mile. Moccasins. 😉
And, in closing, I wish to state that there is absolutely no reason why you should feel guilty or sorry about going out with your boyfriend tonight in celebration of Valentine’s Day. I never meant to imply that you should.
All work and no play….you know the rest of it, obviously.
Happy Valentines Day to you and your boyfriend.
And cheers to love. 🙂 It’s what makes the world go ’round!
Charles J. Mueller
Afterthought:
If money is the grease that makes the world go ’round, then love has to be the elixir that keeps it in orbit. 🙂
An Other Greek
still Sebbe, you have offered little other than criticism and (perhaps wrongly perceived) condescension.
I think it is presumptuous on your part to associate Obama’s “bipartisanship” theatrics as representative of the youth’s desires.
Rather.
If you read your own posts more carefully, you actually channel cynicism, and therefor inaction, just as you think you are advocating moderation.
The problem remains: GAYS ARE MURDERED IN JAMAICA, and the best their brothers and sisters can do here in the States is debate about boycotts…
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Sebbe
@Charles,
I think we agree on much more than we disagree.
Last night while at dinner, there was an older couple (gay) sitting next to us. I invited them to let us buy them a drink and enjoy a few minutes of each others conversation. They agreed.
They have been together for over 40 years. I realized throughout our conversation that sometimes those of us that are still young forget how different thing were back then. How different our experiences of being gay have been. How different even the experiences of some of those our same age have been depending on where and how they grew up.
We shared a bottle of wine with them before they going their way and we going ours. My point in any case, is that it is important for both of our generations to sometimes take a step back and think about the differences and similarities that we share.
Cheers to you Charles and I hope next Valentines Day you are able to spend it with the one that you love and are separated from.
Sebbe
@ An Other Greek –
I apologize, my intention was not to offer criticism. I am often posting on here from my phone with many other things going on around me and what I say may not often come off in the tone I intended.
I am actually not a fan of bipartisanship, they lost we won. But, even within the democratic party the support for us is sometimes (often?) lacking (especially from those members from less liberal states).
And yes, when it comes to the actions of the United States Congress, I am very cynical. Hopefully their actions (and lack of actions) will change going forward, but I think many of us have advocated for more actions from them on many issues around the globe often to no avail (darfur, tibet, etc, etc, etc, etc,).
I know several people working on Capital Hill and unfortunately that I feel has only increased my cynicism, hopefully this will change going forward and the United States will use it influence around the world in a less selfish/self centered and more ethical way.
Sebbe
@Charles –
And yes the whole Bishop Williamson ordeal is totally sickening, but to be honest their isn’t much that concerns the Catholic Church that isn’t sickening to be honest IMO.
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
Touché!
Chuck
vernonvanderbilt
I have to wonder what would happen if we sent a large contingent of American gays down to the island with the express purpose of engaging in public displays of affection. I imagine if the group were large enough and they stuck together, safety wouldn’t be a major issue. The worst that might happen is they’d be sent home, but imagine the press it could get. It could potentially be a boon to the movement in the island.
However, I’m also aware that something like that could possibly encourage a tougher crackdown and more violence against our Jamaican brothers and sisters. It’s a really iffy proposition, but I think it’s something worth considering. We could turn the place into Gaymaica for a day.
At any rate, it sounds more effective than a boycott, as I imagine most of us don’t frequent Jamaica all that often anyway. I’d be interested in hearing what others think about an idea of a protest of that sort, particularly our Jamaican friends here on Queerty. How do you think an action like that would go, and what would be the aftermath?
Sebbe
I would also be interested to hear what the opinion of our Jamaican friends would be and what they think the reaction would be locally.
While I’m thinking of it, maybe someone older than me knows. Why is pride always in summer months? Did it start as an anniversary of stonewall? Was that in the summer? If I was a tourism minister for one of those island nations, I would throw the biggest pride ever in the middle of the damn winter and market heavily to North America and Europe.
vernonvanderbilt
@Sebbe: Yes, Pride is traditionally in June to commemorate the anniversary of Stonewall.
hairybutt
jamaica, that cuntry is awful! never go there!
ddean
I live in the Uk a relatively tolerant country, but i visit jamaica on a regular basis and my husband and the majority of my family are Jamaican, and while i am horrified by Mr Smith making this comment, i also feel that this is an extreme view, and one that is fast disappearing from the minds of ordinary jamaican.
Jamaica is and always has been a very religious country, and they have been encouraged in the past to have this homophobic view. Now however, i have noticed in the last ten years or so, that their view is more, ‘what people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms is their business, so long as they don’t bring it to me.’ This may be all we can hope for, that is all we have in the UK and US. many people all over the world have the view that homosexuality is wrong, but they abide by the laws of the country they live in which make expressing this view illegal. In Jamaica, homosexuality is not illegal, what is illegal is that the act of buggery – i know almost the same thing, and it should and probably will be change in time. By the way, as far as i know, the only reason a person from Jamaica has ever been able to seek asylum in another country is if they are a homosexual.
Jamaica is a third world country, that is trying to come to grips with the most basic of problems facing the world we live in. give them a break. Not everyone thinks like Mr Smith. In the UK if an MP had expressed such opinions, he / she would have to resign.
i notice that many posters are from the US, but i seem to remember that Gays in the military etc are still issues, and america is the most powerful first world nation in the world. Maybe judging a third world country of only 2.5 million people, who are struggling to come to terms with life as a relatively new democracy is a little harsh. They are getting there, maybe not quick enough for everyone, but they are trying.
I love jamaica, and will only strive to make the country better, by talking to jamaican and persuading them that our tolerant view is the right way to go.
Landon Bryce
Ddean:
Shame on you for supporting one of the most vociferously homophobic countries on earth. Shame on you for excusing bigotry. “Maybe not fast enough”? Kids in Jamaica still dance to songs about murdering me. No, they aren’t getting there fast enough.
Neither are you, asshole.
ddean
I notice that you did not take not of the fact that i said that i was horified by the statement made by Mr Smith, and i truly am, i was attempting to say that Jamaican attiutde is changing, slowly, but changing none the less and that while you would rather vilify an entire nation for the views of a minority, i would prefer to try to change their mind by educating them. jamaicans are not savages. They can, are and will join the rest of the enlightened world in a more tolerant view.
i never resorted to any kind of name calling, and i understand your own hatred of those who would be prejudiced and even violent against you for who you are. What i also understand is that the majority of jamaican – who are from black / african slave stock also know how that feels.
I attempt to persuade people to be tolerant by pointing out our similarities not our differences and by using inflammatory language, that only serves to make people angry, not reasonable.
jamaica is not the only country in the world that is intolerant of gay people, i agree it does not have a very good record but the ordinary people of jamaica are trying to do better.
Landon Bryce
Ddean:
Thanks for your messages and your obvious good heart. You are saying I should be tolerant of people who call for me to be murdered. I am saying that I have no respect for people who think that I am speaking from a period of ignorance, bigotry, or privilege when I say that it is not acceptable to excuse anti-gay hatred.
Bubba
Hit that nigga !!!!!